Jesus' Model for His Disciples
By Stephen Reed|Published Date: June 24, 2009
No doubt in order to break new (and old) Christians of their inordinate human pride, the church has taught humility as one of the most important of Christian virtues.
God can hardly work much in us if we are still insistent on doing things our way, with little communion with the Most High.
| He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.” (Luke 13:32) |
Humility is, therefore, the great antidote to years of stubborn willfulness. Humility also has the advantage of being rooted in reality. So once we are able to see all that we have to work on as individuals, the truth of humility can remain quite vivid as we go about our lives.
However, there are many moments in the gospels where Jesus clearly shows confidence for two reasons—because the occasion requires such boldness, but also because He clearly wants to show His disciples how to develop faith. For example, at the raising of Lazarus, Jesus first prays to the Father, saying in John 11:41-42:
Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.
And after getting everyone’s attention with that prayer, Jesus and the Father proceed to raise a dead man to life.
So if humility is a corrective for pride, it is also therefore the prerequisite for a godly confidence, one that draws its motivation and power from God and for His Kingdom.
This is no mere human confidence, where one might await laurels for winning a battle, with adoring fans singing our praises. No, we remain among the adoring fans singing God’s praises, even if we have been privileged to play a role in one of His actions.
Yet in order to be a fit soldier for one of God’s adventures, Jesus models a behavior that is well aware of the surroundings we face in this world. At the moment in Luke 13:32, Jesus has just been told by some Pharisees (presumably) that King Herod is seeking to kill Him—and that Jesus should get out of town.
But Jesus is not fazed by this news, and seems almost to have expected as much from Herod. He even issues a challenge back to this murderous king: “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.’”
In other words, Jesus neither fears Herod nor is about to let Herod prevent Him from doing His work. Jesus will finish the work, given Him by his Father, and only then will He cease his ministry.
In this vignette, several interesting dynamics are at play. First, Jesus is showing the Pharisees whose authority He respects: His Father’s, not King Herod’s, and really not the Pharisees, either, even if they were well-intended this time. They came to warn Jesus, to do Him a favor. But Jesus chooses not to take their advice. He has work to attend to, given to Him by the Father. That is the first priority.
Yet there is also a kind of acknowledgement of Herod’s power from Jesus. He has sized up the situation, knows what Herod is capable of, which is evidenced by Him calling Herod a “fox.” According to Biblos.com, a fox was known in Jesus’ times as “cunning,” just as it is today. Jesus doesn’t curse Herod, doesn’t castigate him as He might, considering Herod’s bloody reign.
Rather, Jesus points out Herod’s cunning, perhaps as a reminder to His followers that they need to be at their most wise and discerning when dealing with the Herods of their own lives. But Jesus’ confident statement after acknowledging Herod as a worthy opponent has an attitude that says, “But don’t worry, gang. With God’s help, this is nothing you can’t handle.”
Jesus is already alluding to His death and resurrection in this passage, referring to the “third day” when He will finish his work. So He is aware that all that Herod represents will soon be winning the day against him. But by His confident attitude, He confirms the difference between being beaten by one’s opponent, temporarily, and never allowing that same enemy to rob one’s soul.
Therein is found the supreme, even outrageous, confidence that we see not only in Jesus in this passage but in all the Christian martyrs throughout history who went to their deaths joyfully, sometimes even singing. For the pain they were about to suffer a while would pale in comparison to what awaited them on the other side.
The confidence they had in their Lord trumped all else. That is joy indeed.
Stephen Reed, a Centurion in the 2008 class, is a former talk radio host and serves as grants and foundations specialist for PFM.
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