Fight or Flight

Often when confronted with a threat, the natural survival instinct is to fight or to run (flight). My friend Ross has a few more "f" words to describe our responses to threats to our well-being. Things we do not understand or appreciate or perceive as dangerous will usually meet with some opposition. I was taken back by Nick Wallenda's walk across the grand canyon this week. What a feat! His philosophy of life fueled by His faith is to embrace fear and to use it as a means to accomplish wonder-filled things. He neither fights it or runs from it. When Jesus stepped on the scene He should have been embraced for the Savior He is. No one should have feared Him. Everyone should have run into His loving arms, and felt the safety they provide. If people of His day had been taught more accurately about the nature of God, His plan to bless man, and the mission and person of the Messiah in His kingdom, they would have responded to Jesus differently. The leaders of the Jews set the tone for the people just as parents set the tone for the child. If you want your child to stay calm in a thunderstorm, then you need to stay calm. If you want your child to maintain a sense of peace in the presence of danger then you too must have that peace. But, the Jewish rulers were afraid of Jesus and it manifested itself in angry aggression.

Some people fell in line with the leaders and desired to seize Jesus and silence Him. Others, kept their distance, not wanting to raise the ire of the leaders and not wanting to risk too much by following this radical Jesus. Some moved closer to Jesus to harm him (fight) and some moved away to protect themselves (flight). Perhaps if they had just stood still and listened and learned they would have had a response to Him instead of a reaction to Him. Facing fears through observation and information is what Jesus called people to do. "Be still. Before you react, hear Me. Before you start plotting to kill Me, do your research and at least find out where I was born (Galilee or Bethlehem). Before you reject Me try to understand Me, spend time with Me, and consider Me." This is our message to a world who is too quick at fight or flight in regard to Jesus. Why is Jesus so threatening to some? Perhaps we should be saying to the fearful "Give me one hour to tell you about Jesus, and reserve judgment until you hear me out." I wonder how many would give us that hour. Perhaps more than we think. But, what would we say during that hour? What information would we convey that would calm a person's fears and actually make Jesus attractive to others? Isn't all we want people to do is to put down their spiritual weapons or put down their defenses long enough to see Jesus as He really is?

Could the third alternative be "friend?" Don't fight Jesus. Don't flight Jesus. Friend Jesus.