Legend has it that
Thomas, the so-called “Doubting Thomas,” carried the gospel of Jesus as far as
India. Whether that is fact or legend,
we do know that Christianity came to India centuries ago; we also know that
Indian Christians faced incredible challenges as they attempted to live for
Christ.
Although about
three percent of the Indian population belongs to some Christian church, there
remains considerable hostility toward these followers of Christ. Efforts are being made to strengthen
anti-conversion laws that would make it difficult for Christians to carry out
the evangelism mandate Jesus left behind in the Great Commission.
Paul Marshall in
his survey of religious persecution in the modern world writes,
“In recent years
the smaller Christian minority has…become a scapegoat for many of the ills prevailing
in Indian society. While Christians are
generally regarded as peace loving, they are still perceived by Hindu
nationalists to be loyal to a ‘foreign religion.’ Systematic antiminority propaganda, fueled by
the hate speech of right-wing Hindu nationalists, has unleashed a recent
campaign of terror against Christians…”
As recently as
1999 saw Christian churches and homes burned by mobs.
Christians in
India know that following Christ calls for faithfulness, calls for them to
stand firm.
The truth is, of
course, following Christ anywhere involves special challenges. Among those challenges is the challenge to
stand firm while serving as an example or model to others. [Please
Note: This sermon was part of a deacon
ordination service. This explains the
several references to deacons.]
Modeling what it
means to follow Christ involves standing firm.
With that in mind, let’s look at this story from John 6:66-71. What does it tell us?
The church continues to need
those men and women who will stand firm for Christ in a time when it is
increasingly unpopular to do so.
This was a turning point in the story of
Jesus. Until this time he had been
riding the crest of a wave of popular acceptance. Many of the religious authorities, feeling
their positions threatened, opposed Jesus but the people seemed to have felt he
was bringing a fresh wind of hope and change.
Some even wondered if he might be the God-sent leader who would restore
Israel to its former glory.
After hearing
Jesus’ speech following the feeding of the 5,000, many of these people
concluded they had been mistaken and had abandoned him.
With the departing
crowd still in sight, Jesus turned to his closest disciples—The Twelve, to use
the term which John first uses here—and asks if, they too, plan to leave. The way Jesus structures his question seems
to imply he expected them to give a negative answer, expected them to affirm
their allegiance to him.
I don’t know why
Jesus structured his question the way he did.
I doubt if he was merely playing a mind game, hinting at the answer he
wanted. Maybe this was his way of
affirming that he saw a different quality in their commitment than was to be
seen in those who had joined the cause because of a few miracles.
Still, the
question was a challenge. They could
have announced their intentions to leave him, to look elsewhere. Peer pressure is a powerful force. Among those walking away from Jesus that
morning may have been men and women they knew and respected. Some of the disciples were from Capernaum;
they may have even worshipped in the synagogue with some of those who were
abandoning Jesus. It might have been
very tempting to join them when they said, “You know, I can agree when he says,
‘Love your neighbor’ or tells some of the Pharisees to repent, but I draw the
line at that ‘Son of God’ talk.”
We live in an age
when many openly mock Christian faith, suggesting that anyone who would believe
its fundamentals has abandoned reason.
It’s tempting to want to be counted among the enlightened and
educated. Many have opted for that
honor. Others have abandoned the faith
of their childhood, taking, instead, a watered down version of a sanitized
Christianity. To paraphrase Niebuhr,
they embrace a God without wrath who brings men and women without sin into a
Democracy without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a
cross.
At such times the
church needs those who will stand firm for Christ in a time when it is
increasingly unpopular to do so.
Peter, along with
his fellow disciples, was such a person.
As sometimes happened in the other Gospels, Peter took the role of
spokesperson and declared the group’s convictions about Jesus.
“Lord, to whom shall
we go?
You have the words of
eternal life,
and
we have believed,
and
have come to know
that
You are the Holy One
of God.”
In that statement,
Peter became a model for those who stand firm for Christ in the face of
opposition.
He became a model for the kind of person the
church always needs to have.
The Church Always Needs Those Who
Will Faithfully Affirm the Character of Jesus’ Words and Work.
Peter said, “…You
have the words of eternal life….” That statement was an acknowledgement that
Jesus’ words possessed an eternal significance.
How we respond to his words determine whether or not we will participate
in the eternal life God offers.
What Peter had to
say was no more politically correct in his day than it is in ours. You see, the force of Peter’s words is such
that they imply that Jesus alone offers such teachings. One modern translation captures this,
"Lord, to whom we would go? You alone have the words that give eternal
life.”
What got the first
Christians into trouble, especially in the Roman world, was not their affirming
that faith in Jesus could bring them eternal life. It was their affirmation that eternal life
could be found no other way. The Roman
religious philosophy was basically “the more the merrier.” They didn’t care what the peoples they
conquered believed so they generally left local religions alone. They simply asked the locals to add the
emperor to their list of gods. (Special
laws regarding the Jews only show the expediency of their policy.) In other words, they were saying, “Practice
whatever faith makes you comfortable but keep in mind that the State is the
real Savior.”
The Christian
position was found in its earliest creed, “Jesus is Lord.” Those words not only affirmed their belief
that Jesus was God in the flesh; they affirmed their conviction that Jesus alone
was to be worshipped and trusted as Savior.
It wasn’t easy for
them to hold onto that position, it isn’t easy for us. The earliest gospel preachers sometimes took
the road that began with acknowledging that their listeners possessed a
commendable spiritual hunger; then, that road became more difficult as they
pointed out that spiritual hunger, however commendable, could not satisfy if
they did not come to the Bread of Life.
Those who speak on
behalf of Christianity today have to walk the same road, the road of respectful
confrontation. If we really believe
Jesus has the words which will lead to eternal life, we will stand firm in
proclaiming those words to a world which so much needs to hear them.
Admittedly, some
bringing the gospel to another culture made mistakes. They sometimes equated wearing western style
clothing with being “Christian” but that has largely changed. Like Patrick of Ireland, they realize Christ
saves people within a culture, not necessarily from a culture. The message that “Jesus is Lord” remains
unchanged but the messengers depend upon the Spirit to shape the expression of that
message from culture to culture.
The Church Always Needs Those Who
Will Faithfully Affirm the Identity of Jesus.
Peter’s response
to Jesus doesn’t end with his affirmation about Jesus’ words. He goes on to make a key statement about the
identity of Jesus.
Peter uses the pronoun “we” in his statement,
reminding us that he was not alone in his opinion. I can imagine the disciples talking while
sitting around a fire, perhaps when Jesus was absent on one of his periodic
times of concerted prayer. The
conversation turns to Jesus. Who was
He? Oh, they knew he was supposedly the
son of a carpenter in Nazareth but that didn’t explain all they had seen. Perhaps those who had been followers of John
the Baptist repeated what he had said about Jesus, “Behold the Lamb of
God.” Perhaps those well-versed in the
Old Testament prophecies pointed out how much he resembled the long-awaited
Messiah. Others, the pragmatic among
them, may have argued that the miracles were evidence that Jesus was no
ordinary teacher. I’m sure some of them
must have prayed for insight.
In any case, they
wrestled with the evidence and came to a significant conclusion about
Jesus. Peter’s second affirmation
expresses that conclusion: “We have
believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
The words imply
that this is no hasty conclusion. Their
belief is the product of reflection and careful consideration.
Yes, they would
waver after the crucifixion but the Resurrection soon revived their
conviction.
I believe the
church must make a special effort to make known the biblical picture of Jesus
Christ. We live in an age that would
reduce him to a mere teacher, a shaman, or a traveling magician/healer. As such, his voice becomes just one of a
thousand others clamoring for our attention.
The biblical portrait of Christ must be central to our preaching and
teaching.
This is because
the message of what he has done is so closely related to the message of who he
is.
Meeting the Challenge to Stand
Firm
How should a
church respond to the challenge to stand firm for Christ, affirming the
character of his words and his identity?
One way is to find individuals who are willing to model what it means to
stand firm.
This morning we
are going to be ordaining a deacon. To
some degree, the act of ordination sets deacons apart but, in another sense,
the language used to describe deacons reminds us that they are to be examples of
traits and behavior every Christian should exhibit. If only deacons were “sincere,” sober,
honest, faithful to their marriage vows, or good parents to their children, the
average congregation would be a pretty bleak place.
Those traits
describing deacons come from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. He adds another trait we sometimes pass over
in our discussions. He says that deacons
are to “keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear
conscience.” In part, Paul is saying
deacons—like all Christians—must stand firm in upholding the fundamental truths
of Christianity but that deacons ought to be at the forefront in making such
affirmations.
Certainly the
Bible’s teachings about Jesus’ identity and what he has done for us are among
those fundamental truths.
In our church, the
deacon ministry usually focuses on caring for individuals and families,
especially as they face spiritual, emotional, or physical crises. Yet, the time may come when we will look to
them to help us stand firm for the truth of Christ’s Person and Work.
Pray that our
deacons might be faithful in the face of that challenge for all they may do to
bring comfort to those facing difficulties is based on who Christ is and what
he has done for us.
Pray especially
for this brother as he joins our other deacons in serving our church. Pray that his ministry might be effective,
carried out in Christlike love. [I’ll add a couple l notes at this
point. The church was ordaining a man
who was from India; his family had been Christian for several generations. His
family had moved to America a few years before and had begun attending our
church. This explains why I made
reference to Indian Christians at the beginning of the sermon. On a further note, my book The Place
Accorded of Old (available through Amazon) gives further details about the
Biblical view of deacons and explains why I believe both men and women may
serve in the role.]
And, remember, as
this brother makes himself available to serve as a deacon, his willingness to
serve is a reminder that Christ would have each of us make ourselves available
to serve the church, even if that service involves taking a stand for Christ in
an age when it is unpopular to do so.
