Sent Like Sheep

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Matthew 10:16 (NIV)

I’ve finally gotten around to reading A Distant Mirror, Barbara Tuchman’s splendid history of what she calls “the calamitous 14th century.” The book was a bestseller in the late 1970’s but I’ve been slow getting around to retrieving it off my “To Read” list.

Yesterday I was studying her brief description of the Christian church in medieval Europe. According to the author, the Church of Rome dominated almost every facet of society during the Middle Ages. Thoughts, words and actions were all constrained by a universal Church. The Pope and his representatives held great power. According to Tuchman, “Membership in the Church was not a matter of choice; it was compulsory and without alternative, which gave it a hold not easy to dislodge.” (p. 34)

A Force for Good

In many respects this almost total hegemony was a great benefit to Medieval society. In the daily life of the average person “the Church was comforter, protector, physician.” The saints and particularly, the Virgin Mary, were guardians against the many problems and evils in the world. They were full of compassion even for great sinners.

Salvation was available for all in the Church. And the Church provided a way of looking at the world that provided hope even in the worst of circumstances. Through its regular rituals and celebrations, even the lowest peasant was made to feel he or she had the worth of the greatest lord.

People didn’t look to the government to provide help. Rather, it was the Church that sponsored the care of the helpless of society. The Church through its massive influence provided the motivation and finances which brought relief to “the indigent and sick, the orphan and cripple, the leper, the blind, the idiot.” Many of the monastic movements focused on assisting the most disadvantaged of society, not only spiritually but also in their most basic physical needs.

But Not Entirely Good

But Tuchman also notes that the more influential the Medieval Church grew, the more the temptations of this world began to overtake the leadership. Desire for temporal wealth, luxury, and power often overwhelmed commitment to the Gospel. Indeed, “the Kingdom of God” began to look to the princes of the Church quite a bit like the kingdoms of this world.

Of course the Church confronted rivals for wealth and power. As kings and dukes and lords sought money and influence, they naturally looked longingly at the wealth of cathedrals and monasteries. Lines of battle were drawn. The leaders of the Church fought furiously with every tool at their disposal to maintain and expand what had come to be known as “Christendom.”

A Different Perspective On Christians in Conflict

This morning as part of my devotions I read Matthew 10. Of course, I had been over this territory before many times. I knew that as Christians we must expect opposition. After all, the call of Christ is a radical call. It challenges many of the values held dear in this world. So naturally it would be viewed by those outside the Kingdom as a threat.

What struck me this morning was not the likelihood of opposition, but how we as Christians are to respond. While violence and even death should not come as a surprise to the believer, our posture is to be one of courageous non-resistance. That’s right! While we are to bear witness to Christ as the only true King, we are not to take up arms against those attacking us.

Note the following images:

• 10:11-13 — As Christians seek to share the Good News they are to seek out those willing to listen.
• 10:14 — When you find those unwilling to welcome you and your message, move on. Don’t hang around to argue.
• 10:16 — Christians are to think with intelligence in the presence of wolf-like enemies, but to act like passive sheep or innocent doves. Mimicking the wolf is not an option given.
• 10:22, 23 — Christians are not called to fight. Christ gives two compatible options: “stand firm” or “flee.”
• 10:26, 28, 31 — The phrase repeated in this paragraph is “do not be afraid.” This is not a call for courage to fight back but courage to accept the discomfort that comes with discipleship.

The Call of Christ

All Christ calls his disciples to is to acknowledge Him before those who likely won’t appreciate the message that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. He says He is bringing a sword, but He doesn’t anywhere call us to take it up. Rather, he sees it will be wielded by those opposing His Kingdom. If we are to follow Him, we must embrace the fact that His objective is not to have the Church take over political, cultural, and economic control in this current world. His objective is to bring His own Kingdom, redeeming the world from sin and death, and reestablishing the rule of God. This will only take place with the establishment of a new Heaven and a new Earth.

It’s time for the Evangelical Church in America to fully embrace this call. Earthly political power capable of forcing the world to act in somebody’s idea of a “Christian” way is not our goal. Nor are we to use the weapons of this world when attacked. We are called to think clearly, stand firm, and be courageous as we bear witness to Christ’s victory. But our tools look more like a “cup of cold water” than a “sword.”