Hello everyone!
It has been an interesting week, to say the least. There continues to be some expressions of anger and disappointment that the easing of COVID-19 restrictions hasn’t occurred as fast and as comprehensively enough as it might have. I’m sure you’re aware of that, too. But, as I have kept saying these last few months, the church has a great responsibility in modelling to the rest of the community the kind of dignified poise and calm that would cause others to enquire as to the faith we have in an all-powerful God. We have an obligation, as citizens, to respect the laws of the day, and a crucial responsibility as citizens of the Kingdom of God to do so in a way that honours the Lord, a doesn’t bring the gospel or the church into disrepute.
Talk of “our religious rights” and so on has infected the church – this is not confined to the general population. It has troubled me that disappointed Christians have cited their “democratic rights” as a valid reason to vent their anger in the most appalling ways at the government and in a way most unbecoming of the Gospel of peace - and, worse, to flout the laws in place for the time being. The circumstances of the last seven months have been absolutely frustrating, I agree, and many people have been stretched to breaking point – and we’ve all been helping one another through it all. I have heard some amazing stories about that! But any claims of violations of our religious freedoms is, in my humble opinion, just silly talk – everyone has been affected by the restrictions except (mostly) those who are on the frontlines battling the virus’ spread and keeping law and order on our behalf.
In blunt terms, none of our religious freedoms have been taken from us – these are still enshrined in the Australian Constitution and law. No legislation has been introduced to ban or limit our religious freedoms, at all.
Let me say again, I understand the frustration. I have felt incredibly frustrated of late, myself. But I have a responsibility to Christ and His church, and to the gospel message itself. When ! was baptized I died to self – I surrendered all my rights. I gave these up to God. No longer do I have as a redeemed person before God, any “rights” as the world would see them. When I was baptized I surrendered the right to think independently of God, to want independently of God and to feel independently of God. When I rose from the waters of baptism the new obligations were now, “Lord, what do you think? What do you want? What do you feel?” My reference points for living are no longer about me and my crucified rights, but about God who purchased me at great price from the enemy, and His kingdom purposes:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20
Not once in the New Testament is there a scene of Jesus protesting His religious rights. The closest to any kind of “protest” was his righteous indignation about fellow Jews who had established their “right” to turn the temple of the Lord into a business hub that shamelessly exploited their own people on pilgrimage from afar with inflated prices and fees for access to temple ceremonies. Jesus rightly took umbrage and acted accordingly. That’s about it …
FINAL WORD
OK, so what about our “religious rights”? Well, biblically speaking, there aren’t any, are there? Jesus stands before Pilate and agrees with him that He is a king, but makes the crucial point to Pilate …
[Jesus said], "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place." John 18:36
Did Jesus have “rights” or a God-given mission responsibility? I think we know! He laid aside His rights, He laid aside His glory …
Late into his ministry the Pharisees are still finding ways to trip up Jesus. Here is one such example that gives us a crucial insight into the difference between rights and responsibilities for us as followers of Christ.
[The Pharisees said] “Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?" 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?" 21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. - Matthew 22:17-22
Here's the point: the Pharisees were arguing, essentially, about their religious rights that had been hugely suppressed (but not entirely) by the Roman occupation. They try to get Jesus to commit some kind of treason or disloyalty to Yahweh by their crafty deception. But He doesn’t fall for the trap, of course. And Jesus’ response to them really says, “It doesn’t matter how bad we have it in terms of men interfering with our religious freedoms, give them what is legally theirs – that’s the right thing to do - but make really sure that you render unto God what belongs to Him.”
And what belongs to God is … you … and all that you have.
Dear friends, what has happened during COVID-19 restrictions has been difficult, I know. But we are of a different kingdom than any government imposed temporary law. We don’t go flouting laws and so on, we don’t take matters into our own hands, neither do we engage in protests in the streets railing about our “rights” and playing into the devil’s hands. No, we take out cue from the apostle Paul …
“Join with me, Timothy, in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.” 2 Timothy 2:3-4
None of what I convey here condones everything that has happened of late. Jesus certainly didn’t condone what Caesar was doing in His day, either. He remained focused on a far greater priority. The biggest issue here is what do we need to do to try and please our commanding officer? Our Lord and King, Jesus the Christ? We please him when we are his royal priests on this planet, serving God, serving God’s people and serving the world – that God might be praised and glorified. That’s about the rights we surrendered when we died with Christ, and the responsibilities we had conferred on us when we were raised to life with Him in baptism.
[Jesus] “You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, …” - Luke 22:28-29
As children of God, we give to God what is His, and we overcome the world, as Jesus taught. “Religious rights”, or kingdom responsibilities? We must hold the line and not let the devil gain any foothold. If Jesus had not held the line in Gethsemane, and before Pilate, and claimed his rights as Son of God … none of you would be reading this.
We are soldiers in a battle. Soldiers of the Lord battle in the spiritual realm which is much harder to do it seems, than complaining and raucously protesting in the streets. Ours is a spiritual battle … in this realm is where it is won or lost.
Believe me, there will come a time in our nation when it will be appropriate to respectfully and peacefully protest against injustice and evil as Jesus did that day in Jerusalem. But this is not that time. Not yet.
You are truly, truly loved.
Ps Milton