Fear of men, fear of God

Mark 11: 27 - 33

"If we say from heaven......but if we say from men....." They feared the people....So they answered Jesus, "We don't know."

What a telling exchange between Jesus and the religious leaders of the day! These were the chief priests (former high priests and priests with permanent duties in the temple), the teachers of the law (learned legal experts) and the elders (laymen drawn from the wealthy aristocracy). They were the leaders whose security was badly shaken by all that Jesus stood for. Their security lay in their authority, their positions, their religiosity; all these worn as badges of honor. They felt they alone had the licence to speak for God and rule over God's temple. So of course they had to question Jesus' credentials...."By what authority are you doing these things?" Well, Jesus refuses to answer those who approach him with unbelief and hostility. No direct answers for them. He poses his own question, "John's baptism - was it from heaven or from men?"

This was the moment of truth for the religious leaders. They fell into their own trap. They did not have the freedom to answer truthfully. Sadly, there is no truth in those who devise their answers according to ulterior motives. So the true motivation of their hearts was exposed. They feared the people. They did not want to lose face before the crowds. As simple as that. All their show of religiosity was derived from man and not God.

Loss of spiritual freedom is a reality when we fear men rather than fearing God. Are our lives directed towards God or towards the religious structures we become identified with? We can become so identified with religious structures whether it is the church or other Christian organizations that we forget what or rather Who our faith is all about. When this happens our Christian witness is deeply compromised. People will see us not as living institutions but dead bodies of orthodoxy. It takes deep courage and honesty to question the status quo, in other words to 'rock the boat' in our churches. Those who speak up and ask questions about the way we conduct ourselves as the church will likely be segregated. Or 'put into cold storage' as one Christian told me.

Jesus showed the religious leaders that he would surpass the Temple. He announced forgiveness, healed the sick, and restored the broken. He is our living temple. Our faith is no longer cultic and at the same time must not become institutionalized - where control, injustice and exclusion occur in the name of orthodoxy. We need to regain our fear of God and be brutally honest with ourselves (as individuals and as a church), constantly checking our motivations, in order to remain open to the One our faith is all about.