Thursday Thirteen No. 11: No Fear

The Gospel, the story of Jesus's life, is a lesson in how to live together--how to take care of each other. It's not for us to find fault but to find beauty and to wonder. After all, it is the story of a Teacher who summed up his life's work with the command: "love one another." Reading the Christmas story as Luke tells it, I was struck by the number of times he uses the word "fear"--a word that can mean reverence when it does not mean dread. Here are 13 references to fear in the Gospel written for all people everywhere:

1. The angel addresses Zechariah in the temple: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.You will have joy and gladness...."

2. Gabriel to Mary: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now...you will bear a son..."

3. Mary's Song of Praise: "the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation."
4. The response of the people following John's birth, when Zechariah could again speak: "Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea." What will this child become?

5. Zechariah's prophecy following the birth of John: "Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear...."

6. The angel to the shepherds following the birth of Jesus: "Do not be afraid, for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people; to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the messiah, the Lord."

7. Jesus to Simon at the lake of Gennesaret: "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."

8. After Jesus heals a paralytic: "Amazement filled all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, 'We have seen strange things today.'" (more)