“I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do” (Luke 12:4).
The exodus generation.
They had so much potential. So much promise. So much God wanted to give them in the land He had prepared for them.
Instead, they chose to wander through the wilderness.
Every day Israel spent in the wilderness was a day they could have spent in Canaan.
Israel squandered so much time! And they missed out on God’s blessing.
So did Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Men praised him. He was a respected leader of his community. But all the while he hid his true beliefs about Jesus.
Nicodemus could have become a disciple of Jesus. He could have been with the Lord every day for three years. He could have seen the miracles, heard the teaching, and been mentored by the Master Himself. After the death of Judas, Nicodemus could have even become the twelfth apostle! Instead, he chose to hide in the shadows as a secret believer.
Every day Nicodemus spent in the dark was a day he could have spent with the Light (John 1:4-5). Nicodemus missed out on God’s blessing.
Why?
Why did they miss out? We look back on their lives and think of what a foolish choice they made. Why did they act that way?
Out of fear.
“I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do” (Luke 12:4).
They were focused on their fears instead of on God and that prevented them from pressing forward.
The exodus generation feared the inhabitants of Canaan too much to go into the land (cf. Num 13:27-33). Likewise, Nicodemus was likely too afraid of being put out of the synagogue to follow the Lord (cf. John 12:42). And that basic fear of other men stopped them from enjoying the blessings that come from openly following the Lord.
When fear trumps following Jesus, that’s a sign of being self-centered, instead of Christ-centered.
How so?
Acting out of fear of other people means your thinking is taken up with your problem, instead of with His Person Who is your provision.
Fear is natural. There’s no sin in being afraid; at least, as an initial reaction. But to have fear dominate your life and hinder your growth in spiritual maturity—to have it persuade you not to follow the Lord—is not natural.
That kind of fear is a sign of rebellious unbelief. It is really a vote of no confidence in the Lord. You are effectively saying, “Lord, I’m afraid of these guys and I think they’re too powerful for You!”
Jesus said you shouldn’t fear those who can only kill your body. Notice, Jesus didn’t promise a trouble-free life! You are not to pretend the problem or the danger does not exist. People might come and kill you. Nevertheless, Jesus said getting killed is not a reason to be afraid! Why not?
The key is to put the problem in an eternal perspective.
In the long run, this life is not the end. There is a life after this one, and what we do here, impacts how we will live there. Physical death is a blink of an eye in light of eternity. Since believers have eternal life, and you are a believer, fear of physical death is not something that should stop you from following God and living in His blessing.
Fear is nature’s way of helping you avoid dying. Just don’t let it be Satan’s way of making you avoid living.
