Luke 8.40-56

CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST

(Luke 8.40-56)

One of the reasons why we often find it hard to accept some of the stories in the New Testament at their face value, is that we are embarrassed by the confidence shown by people in the power of God, as revealed through Jesus Christ.

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Take for instance the two stories contained in Luke 8.40-56.

The first concerned the president of the local synagogue whose twelve year old daughter was dying. We are told that he came to Jesus and threw himself down at his feet in front of a large crowd of people, and asked Jesus to go to his house.

He did not think twice about what other people would think of him. He was not embarrassed. As far as he was concerned, he had a need and he knew that Jesus could meet that need and that was all that mattered.

Or take again the second story. This concerned a woman who had had a haemorrhage for twelve years. She too came to Jesus for help, but this time the crowd was so intense that she could not get near enough to speak to him direct. However, not to be put off, she knew that if only she could touch the hem of his cloak she would be healed.

Again, she too did not think twice about making a fool of herself in front of so many people. She had a need and she knew He could meet that need and that was all that mattered.

And that power of Jesus, to help in times of deep personal need did not come to an end with his death upon the cross on Good Friday. It continued even after his resurrection on Easter Day when his power was no longer confined by time and space but was now universally available to all.

So, in Acts 3 we have yet another example of confidence in Christ. It concerns that prime apostolic coward, Peter, who was once so scared that he could not even acknowledge his friendship with Jesus when challenged by a mere serving maid.

Now, after the resurrection, he is able to stand up before a large audience of the great and good and say "Rulers of the people and elders, if the question put to us today is about help given to this sick man, and we are asked by what means he was cured, here is the answer, for all of you and for the people of lsrael: it was by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; it is by his name that this man stands here before you fit and well".

Now that must have taken a lot of guts. No longer is Peter to be found cowering in the shadows of the courtyard of the High Priest's house; no longer is Peter to be found hiding behind closed doors of the upper room fearing arrest. Now he is standing up, as bold as brass, looking straight into the face of some of those of whom he had previously been afraid and who had undoubtedly been responsible for the crucifixion of his Lord and Master. Now he is putting his cards on the table and with confidence declaring that God, as revealed through Jesus, has the power to help in times of need.

True, those writing up these stories may well have "coloured" their material in order to emphasise the miraculous power of God. Nevertheless, the point still remains that the president of the synagogue, the woman with the haemorrhage and the apostle Peter, all had complete and utter confidence in God as revealed through the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.

In short, they believed and were willing to put their neck on the block, no matter what the consequences might be.

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And talking about putting one’s neck on the block, tomorrow (22 June) we celebrate the death of another follower of Christ who was prepared this time to die for what he believed in.

I refer of course to St. Alban, the first British martyr. Alban was a local pagan soldier living just up the road here during the time of the persecution of Christians by Septimus Severus at the beginning of the third century A.D. He took pity upon a fugitive priest and hid him in his house.

As the early Church historian, the Venerable Bede records in A History of the English Church and People: "when he (Alban) observed this man's unbroken activity of prayer and vigil, he was suddenly touched by the grace of God and began to follow the priest's example of faith and devotion. Gradually, instructed by his teaching of salvation, Alban renounced the darkness of idolatry and sincerely accepted Christ".

When the emperor eventually sent soldiers to the house to search for the runaway priest, Alban disguised himself in the priest's cloak and was arrested and flogged. When he finally refused to renounce his new found faith, he was decapitated.

Incidentally tradition maintains that the priest himself was later stoned to death at Redbourn.

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The president of the synagogue, the woman with the haemorrhage, the apostle Peter, and St. Alban are just a few examples from the scriptures and from history of people who have displayed remarkable confidence in the power of God, as revealed through Jesus Christ. They have been prepared to put their complete and utter trust in him no matter what others might think.

Alas, our response to such examples of confidence is often one of acute embarrassment when we reflect upon our own confidence in God. We know we ought to put our trust in God, but we so often lack the courage to make that act of commitment and we finish up being half-hearted. Little wonder people do not take us too seriously.

In order to avoid such embarrassment, and to justify our lukewarm response, we sometimes at best try to water down the biblical evidence, or at worst relegate the evidence to the dustbin of a pre-scientific age, thinking it is of no relevance to us of today.

True, the biblical writers are now seen to have coloured and arranged their material to suit their own particular needs and point of view.

True, the world of today is vastly different from the world of yesterday, and many of the so called "miraculous" events are now seen to have a rational explanation behind them.

Nevertheless, try as we can, we cannot deny that many men and women have displayed a remarkable confidence in the power of God - a confidence which is often sadly lacking in our lives of today.

Such examples therefore challenge us to take our faith that much more seriously.

Would we turn to God if our daughter was at the point of death? Would we turn to God if we had a long term illness? Would we stand up boldly and declare our faith in the face of those who oppose us? And would we, if necessary, be prepared to die for what we believe in?

I suspect our answer to the first two questions is a half-hearted "Yes". We would turn to God when faced with the prospect of the death of a loved one, or if we had a long term illness. But I say "half-hearted" because I doubt if we would be prepared to do so publicly as did the president of the synagogue or the woman with the haemorrhage.

I suspect the answer to the last two questions, concerning the bearing of witness amidst opposition and being prepared to die for what we believe in, would be a definite "No", because we value our lives and public approval far too much.

But, my friends, the evidence is there, for those who choose to believe, that those who turn to God in complete confidence, are richly rewarded.

The daughter of the President of the synagogue did not die. The woman with the haemorrhage was healed. Peter did not die a disappointed and frightened man. And St. Alban is still a source of inspiration to hundreds of pilgrims who visit his shrine at St. Albans Abbey every year.

May confidence in God be the hallmark of your life so that you too may come to know his power to save in your lives.

Amen.