Matthew 10.24-39

DO NOT BE AFRAID

(Matthew 10.24-39)

Last Sunday, I introduced you to the 20th century martyr, Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar who died in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz in 1944 and who by word and deed bore witness to his Christian belief.

Today, I want to introduce you to another Christian martyr whose memory is recalled in the new Church of England Calendar on 22 June. I refer to St. Alban who was martyred 209 A.D.

Let me remind you of some of the salient features of the story of St. Alban.

Alban was a soldier garrisoned in the Roman city of Verulamium (now St. Albans). He gave shelter to a Christian priest fleeing from the persecution of Septimus Severus. The priest stayed in his house for several days.

During that time, he was greatly influenced by the priest's devotion to prayer, and as a result, sought for instruction and was baptised.

When the priest's hiding place was eventually discovered, Alban dressed himself in the priest's cloak and was arrested in his place.

Tortured by the Roman authorities, Alban refused to renounce his faith. He was beheaded on 22nd June 209 and became the first British martyr.

The priest was found a few days later and stoned to death at Redbourne.

Listening to that story I cannot but wonder whether I would have behaved in a similar fashion? Would I have been prepared to acknowledge my Christian belief, or would I, like St. Peter before the serving maid, have denied it.

Fear can make us brave and enable us to do the most extraordinary things. But fear can also make us cowards and crumble before the slightest difficulty.

Jesus knew this. That is why, after he had appointed the twelve disciples to bear witness to him, he went on to address the subject of fear.

I don't know whether you noticed it, but the word "fear" occurred three times in today’s gospel reading.

Firstly, he says "Do not fear those who kill the body". Secondly, he says if one must be fearful, “Fear him that can destroy both body and soul”. And, finally, he assures his hearers that in the eyes of God, they are of infinite value "So do not be afraid”.

We must remember that the prospect of death for one’s faith was an ever present reality for the early Jewish Christians, to whom the first evangelist addressed his gospel at the turn of the first century. Christians were often accused of being in league with Beelzebul, the prince of devils, as was Jesus himself in his own lifetime.

Therefore Jesus warns his disciples that, "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household?"

In other words, if the powers that be misunderstood and misrepresented Jesus, how much more are they likely to misunderstand and misrepresent his followers. After all, “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above a master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher.

Therefore, the newly commissioned disciples must not be surprised if they find themselves suffering for their faith, just as Jesus himself also suffered.

Therefore, Jesus goes on to say that they should not "fear those who will kill the body". After all, that is only to be expected. That is the ultimate price one must be prepared to pay for being a follower of Jesus.

However, if one wishes to be fearful, one should be fearful of God himself, "who can destroy both body and the soul". In other words, the only time a Christian need be fearful is when we fail to bear witness to him, choosing instead the path of denial of compromise.

The reason why the disciples need not be afraid is because God is fully aware of their situation and cares for them. After all, if God is concerned for a sparrow which falls from the sky - the cheapest bird sold for food - how much more concerned will he be for his disciples?

And so he finally assures them that, "everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven”.

It is easy for us to listen to these words of 2,000 years ago and say in the quietness of our hearts "hear hear". It is also easy for us to admire those words put into action in the life of St. Alban 1,800 years ago, and again in the quietness of our hearts say "hear hear". After all, it is all part of our Christian history and has the ring of a fairy tale about it where good finally overcomes evil.

However, it is not so easy to say "hear hear" when one considers the courage and fortitude of people like Maximilian Kolbe at the hands of Nazis in 1944 or even Archbishop Janani Luwum of Uganda at the hands of President Amin in 1977.

Such examples of Christian heroism can make us ashamed of our lukewarm Christian commitment where regular attendance at church can be disrupted by the most trivial of reasons and where our witness to the Christian gospel is often compromised, or at worst denied, in the face of indifference or hostile opposition.

Alas, all too often, we prefer to keep the ‘old yardarm clear’ and avoid causing offence and embarrassment because we fear what others might think or say.

And so I come back to where I started, namely that in the Christian life there should be no room for fear, save that of failing to bear witness.