I Will Not Fight, I Will Not Run

This past week I came across this passage once again about Jesus that, to be honest, totally astounds me:

John 18...
²Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. ³So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. ⁴Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" ⁵"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) ⁶When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." ⁸"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go."

This morning at church, Brent was speaking about the fierceness of Jesus and the apostles. There is no "Mr. Nice Guy" in Jesus. He is powerful, passionate and yet at the same time gentle. But He is not "nice." Often we assume that He is this meek and mild kinda guy, who just loves to cuddle and give butterfly kisses. Indeed, there is a tenderness in Jesus, but make no mistake, it is not weakness.

I can just picture it in this scene. Jesus has just left the garden, where He has wept and pleaded with God to remove the trial through which He is about to pass. God is resolute about the need
for Him to die, and Jesus accepts that and walks into an angry crowd. Do you think He knew what was coming? Of course He did. So does He just resolutely walk into the crowd, hold out his wrists for them to cuff? No.

Can you see the intensity in His eyes? The fierceness and tenderness mixed together to produce an divine "seatedness," a sense of confidence in God that allows Him to state clearly, "I am He." And what happens to the men there? They are so astonished and affected by his locatedness that they fall backwards! Can you imagine a whole troop of soldiers with torches and swords flattened by the words of Jesus? What must it have been like to get themselves up off the ground, regroup and then regather their courage to continue on? What do you think they were thinking when He said again..."what is it you want?" Again, icy blue fierceness penetrating them. Do you think they hesitated a moment before answering again, shifting one leg back so as to give support to sustain another "I am He" blow?

I am struck by the power in Jesus. In other accounts, He tells His friends to put away their swords. He will not fight. And knowing that they were coming, He certainly could have fled. But instead He stands boldly in front of them and proclaims [somewhat reminiscent of YHWH!], that He is the one they are looking for.

It makes me consider our responses. When something threatening happens to us, what are our natural reactions? They are to fight or to flee. Now I'm not talking about the obvious things, like running away when someone wants to mug you downtown under the bridge, or jumping the hijacker from behind. But how often are YOU faced with these kinds of threats? What I'm talking about are the kinds of threats we face every day...

• when your spouse snaps at you
• when you get cut off on the highway
• when the pastor says something a little too close to your heart
• when the neighbor asks why your kids do things like that
• when your boss asks to review your work-advance balance sheet

...when, when, when...all of the every day kinds of things that make us either want to run away or fight back. Isn't it easier to be sarcastic or avoidant, to make biting remarks in return or to just "blow it off?"

What would it be like to be like Jesus in this...to NOT fight and to NOT flee. But to remain firmly planted in the face of the threat with a tender fierceness in your eyes. What would that do to the one threatening you? I think they may "fall back" a bit. This is, I believe, what Jesus meant when He said, "turn the other cheek." It's not a statement to become a doormat for people, but rather a call to remain standing firmly in your place, both resistant to fleeing AS WELL AS resistant to slapping back.

Finally, I am coming to believe that THIS is the kind of Christian that brings healing. So much of our world is based off of the quest for power and control -- even within our own hearts. What would it be like to be so firmly planted, so clearly located in God that I have no need to fight or flee? Could that not only be freeing for our own hearts, but transformational and astounding for those we encounter? When others see that they do not make me want to run or fight, when their stories and pain are not too much for me to bear, but rather that I remain with them, what kinds of healing can occur?

I think more than we dare to imagine.