Civil Disobedience

Illegal immigration is a huge issue in our world. Not a week goes by without another story about chaos and even violence on our southern border. There are two extremes - the open borders set and the “ship ‘em all back where they came from” crowd. And both are absolutely convinced they are on the side of the angels. Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.” [Rom 13:1] On the other hand, Deuteronomy 10:19 says “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Between the two extremes you can find any number of middle-of-the-road positions. And wherever you stand, the issue arouses really strong feelings. And I’m not going to tell you which side of the fence I’m on, because that’s not the point. The point is that sometimes it is really hard to know what God wants. The key question is, when does obedience to God require disobedience to the civil authorities?

Some people think that disobedience is only warranted when the government is requiring you to do something that is clearly against God’s will. Others think that we must also disobey when asked to ignore bad behavior. Still others draw the line when our taxes are used for what we believe are unethical purposes. These are not easy choices. And yet as Christians we are required to struggle with these issues, asking the Holy Spirit and Scripture to illuminate our consciences and strengthen our wills to be God’s people in the midst of what is, let’s face it, a very immoral world.

What kinds of decisions have you had to struggle with? Have you ever faced a choice that involved real risk, whether of being fired or jailed or ostracized? Even small consequences can cause us to hesitate before doing what we know is right. In fact, sometimes I think that it’s easier to obey in large things than in small ones, for two reasons. First, the big decisions don’t come along as often. And second, if we take a really big risk or stand up for a really important issue, there may be an element of pride involved, or the thrill of having faced up to a real challenge. That’s one of the reasons why Christianity flourishes most under persecution, because it’s clear that the decisions you make really matter.

Sometimes obedience is simple, but not easy - that is, it’s very clear what we are supposed to do, but the obstacles seem insurmountable. At other times, they’re easy, but not simple. That’s when you could go either way, but can’t figure out which road is really the right one.

For Peter and the others, the choice was simple. They had gotten really clear instructions - from an angel, no less - that their call was to preach the Gospel, to tell people about Jesus: who he was, and what he had done. But it wasn’t easy. It may look easy to us, gazing back over 2000 years’ distance. But if you remember, these were the same guys who had fled the scene the minute Jesus was arrested and who skulked in their rooms until Jesus proved to them that he had, indeed, risen from the dead. Even then, they needed the Holy Spirit to follow through on his commandment to be his witnesses and to make disciples. It took courage, and commitment, and confidence.

Actually, this was the second time the Apostles had been through this. Peter and John had already been told by the Jewish leaders to keep quiet. The rulers, elders and scribes “called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard. After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people... “ [Acts 4:18-21] But then things went from bad to worse for the religious leaders, for “A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured. Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled with jealousy, arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.” [Acts 5:16-18] This is where we came in, with the angel opening the prison door and sending the apostles out to continue preaching.

It really was simple for Peter, but sometimes it is not quite so simple for Christians living today. Peter just said, matter-of-factly. “We ought to obey God rather than men.” [v. 29]