Fall 1990
Reformed Quarterly Volume 9, Issue 3 Dr. Richard Watson is vice-president for Academic Affairs and an associate professor of Educational Ministries at RTS. He is also the author of
God Made Me Laugh.
On a warm night in June after Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling in the first round, the children on our block met outside to discuss the fight. Though we had only heard the radio broadcast, I had a clear mental picture of the knock-out punch and wanted to show my friend Jake exactly how it had been. Jake thought I was going to demonstrate the punch in slow motion, and I thought Jake was going to duck. The result was that Jake joined Schmeling that night in taking an incredibly hard right to the jaw. He didn't go down or out, but he did run into the house crying for his mother. His mother evaluated the damage done by the blow and proceeded to convince her son that all he needed was a second round to get even. So Jake came out ready to fight. As sorry as I was for the mistake that started the whole ruckus, at this point I felt compelled to defend myself. It only took about two left jabs and a right to send Jake into the house crying again. His manager/mother was furious at that point and standing on the porch with Jake holding onto her skirt she shouted at the top of her voice, "One of these days Jake is going to fly right into you!" Jack, an older boy who had watched the whole thing, said matter-of-factly, "Yes, and he’ll probably fly right back out." Living on a city block with a good number of young children, I learned at an early age that a little fellow can beat a big fellow if the big fellow is afraid, and the little fellow knows it. Jake was much larger than I, but I could always beat him because he was afraid to fight, and I knew it. Some people seem to live all their lives without realizing how much fear affects the outcome of most conflicts. Even more than fear itself allowing others to know that you are afraid invites opposition and makes defeat almost certain. Jesus has been described as gentle, meek and mild, and He was certainly all of that. No one ever thought, however, that Jesus was afraid. When He stood before Pilate to be judged, there was clear indication that Pilate was afraid, but no fear was reflected by Christ. Any fear of the cross that Jesus may have felt was taken before the Father in prayer. As He went into Gethsemane with His disciples, Matthew says that Jesus was sorrowful and troubled. When He came out of the garden, however, no more trouble was written on His face or reflected through what He said and did. On one occasion, after Jesus had denounced the practices of the Pharisees and called them hypocrites, the disciples said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended...?" (Matthew 15:12) That's like asking a bullfighter in the arena, "Do you know that the bull is getting angry?" Of course, Jesus knew that the Pharisees were offended. The problem was that the disciples were scared, and their question betrayed their fear. Many times Jesus encouraged His disciples not to fear, and eventually they did become men who could be described as fearless. They were not totally without fear, of course, but they became people who were not easily threatened and were bold in doing the Lord's work in the face of opposition. Overcoming fear in the face of opposition should be a goal for every Christian, especially for those who want to be leaders within the church. Conflicts have been arising in churches with increasing frequency, and some of the greatest damage has been done when pastors and other leaders, because of fear, have failed to manage the conflicts. Many situations in which pastors have lost their pulpits or congregations have been divided could have been avoided if someone had had the courage and the wisdom to address the issues that needed to be addressed and to confront the people who needed to be confronted.
On a warm night in June after Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling in the first round, the children on our block met outside to discuss the fight. Though we had only heard the radio broadcast, I had a clear mental picture of the knock-out punch and wanted to show my friend Jake exactly how it had been. Jake thought I was going to demonstrate the punch in slow motion, and I thought Jake was going to duck. The result was that Jake joined Schmeling that night in taking an incredibly hard right to the jaw. He didn't go down or out, but he did run into the house crying for his mother. His mother evaluated the damage done by the blow and proceeded to convince her son that all he needed was a second round to get even. So Jake came out ready to fight. As sorry as I was for the mistake that started the whole ruckus, at this point I felt compelled to defend myself. It only took about two left jabs and a right to send Jake into the house crying again. His manager/mother was furious at that point and standing on the porch with Jake holding onto her skirt she shouted at the top of her voice, "One of these days Jake is going to fly right into you!" Jack, an older boy who had watched the whole thing, said matter-of-factly, "Yes, and he’ll probably fly right back out." Living on a city block with a good number of young children, I learned at an early age that a little fellow can beat a big fellow if the big fellow is afraid, and the little fellow knows it. Jake was much larger than I, but I could always beat him because he was afraid to fight, and I knew it. Some people seem to live all their lives without realizing how much fear affects the outcome of most conflicts. Even more than fear itself allowing others to know that you are afraid invites opposition and makes defeat almost certain. Jesus has been described as gentle, meek and mild, and He was certainly all of that. No one ever thought, however, that Jesus was afraid. When He stood before Pilate to be judged, there was clear indication that Pilate was afraid, but no fear was reflected by Christ. Any fear of the cross that Jesus may have felt was taken before the Father in prayer. As He went into Gethsemane with His disciples, Matthew says that Jesus was sorrowful and troubled. When He came out of the garden, however, no more trouble was written on His face or reflected through what He said and did. On one occasion, after Jesus had denounced the practices of the Pharisees and called them hypocrites, the disciples said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended...?" (Matthew 15:12) That's like asking a bullfighter in the arena, "Do you know that the bull is getting angry?" Of course, Jesus knew that the Pharisees were offended. The problem was that the disciples were scared, and their question betrayed their fear. Many times Jesus encouraged His disciples not to fear, and eventually they did become men who could be described as fearless. They were not totally without fear, of course, but they became people who were not easily threatened and were bold in doing the Lord's work in the face of opposition. Overcoming fear in the face of opposition should be a goal for every Christian, especially for those who want to be leaders within the church. Conflicts have been arising in churches with increasing frequency, and some of the greatest damage has been done when pastors and other leaders, because of fear, have failed to manage the conflicts. Many situations in which pastors have lost their pulpits or congregations have been divided could have been avoided if someone had had the courage and the wisdom to address the issues that needed to be addressed and to confront the people who needed to be confronted.
