Inducing Trouble

Jesus said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet." (John 5:8-10)

I just noticed a discrepancy in what I have been writing about this story over the past few weeks. The text does not say at all that this man was crippled. I have been assuming that for some reason but this morning as I read it again I noticed that it only says that he had been sick for 38 years, not crippled. I just want to clarify that before I go on.

Today I am again seeing more things that are very instructive for me in this passage. I am seeing the tension that occurs whenever someone encounters Jesus and acts on what He asks them to do in contrast to what those around them, particularly in religion, expect them to do. I believe that this is unavoidable, though it should not have to be that way. But traditions and prejudice and pride have so convoluted our concepts of God that our religions almost always become a major source of tension and conflict as soon as one begins to get serious about listening directly to the voice of God to their soul.

Jesus well knew that what He told this man to do was going to create an uproar with the Jews because He already knew their rules about what they considered proper Sabbath-keeping. He also knew that this man, if he accepted Jesus' offer of healing would be the one who would become the target for upset if he obeyed what Jesus told him to do. Yet He did not seek to protect this man from the consequences of breaking the religious rules and regulations that were strongly enforced on all who belonged to their 'church'. In fact, the passage goes on to say that Jesus slipped away before the man even got a positive ID on Him which left this man to fend for himself.

Now this man found himself the target of the anger of those who felt compelled to make everyone around them conform to the religious expectations of the 'people of God'. Carrying a sleeping pallet around was hardly something that could go unnoticed in a culture where this was clearly prohibited on this holy day. So a man carrying his pallet was like a moving billboard advertising the fact that he was breaking the law. It didn't take long for the 'conformity police' to notice and people began to feel the rising anger that always fills the heart whenever false ideas about God's principles are imposed on a society in a spirit that is foreign to God's Spirit.

These people that were warning this man about his misdeed remind me of the kind of people that I learned about from James Wilder. He calls them 'fear brokers'. These are the people who feel compelled to make everyone around them afraid of the other people who are in control, who dominate the social structure through fear and intimidation. These 'fear brokers' feel the need to make sure everyone else is afraid of the same people they are afraid of so that there is conformity in the group. This is a very common dynamic in nearly all societies. This is a role that needs to be filled in a group that operates like co-dependency. Everyone must have a role and everyone must stay in their role so there will not be upset.

Fear brokers and those who submit to them are not allowed to think very much for themselves. Clear thinking or thinking outside the box is very threatening to the stability of this kind of society. The problem is, when a person begins to come close to God and to obey what God asks him or her to do, they find themselves compelled to think differently that those around them and one of the first things they are going to run into are the fear-brokers that feel very threatened by the presence of anyone who is not submitting to their intimidation tactics. After all, if everyone started thinking for themselves what would society come to? Lawlessness would take over and society as we know it would fall apart. This slippery slope must never be entered so you should just step back into line and not rock the boat. We are here to remind you of your proper place in society and don't you forget it.

Of course, these words may not be used, but the sentiments here are all too familiar to all of us if we stop to really think about it for awhile. The ways of Jesus if obeyed and acted upon are always going to put us at odds with the ways of nearly everyone around us sooner of later – and usually sooner. This lies at the root of all persecution. In fact, Paul made it clear that if we are not encountering opposition of this nature, the kind of reaction that this sick man ran into right off the bat after he was healed, that we are very likely not where God wants us to be.

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12)

Does that mean that we should seek to do things that will invite persecution? Absolutely not! That misses the whole point. Just seeking to be different for differences sake does not mean that you are living a godly life. Jesus was not trying to be odd or out of sync with society just to stir up controversy. He came to expose the falsity of our ideas about God and about what is true and real. He came to bring the light of truth about God and what He is like to a world that is highly antagonistic to all knowledge of that truth. Because of this antagonism, anytime this truth begins to leak into the open there is going to be opposition and tension and increasing persecution.

As I go through this story further I know that this theme is going to unfold and show how I am to relate to the opposition and tension that is inevitable whenever I follow the personal instructions of Jesus to me. I may find myself feeling like I am left all alone to face attacks or acusations, but Jesus has not forgotten me and is waiting to encounter me again. But sometimes in the meantime He intends for me to become more aware of my need to know Him better.

But that is part of the story that waits for another day.