“Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” [1]
Ancient Christians were recognised for their courage; they had a reputation of running toward the plague. Today, there is a new plague that demands a response from Christians. Life expectancy in the United States witnessed a steady upward trend for decades, only to be suddenly reversed. [2] Between 1959 and 2016, life expectancy increased from 69.9 years to 78.9 years. However, life expectancy has decreased for three consecutive years between 2014 and 2017. The last time life expectancy decreased for three years in a row was during the First World War compounded by the Spanish Flu Epidemic. During that period of time, total deaths for the nation were 675,000, which would be the equivalent of 2.5 million Americans today. [3]
In fairness, since beginning work on this message, I note a more recent report which indicates that life expectancy in the United States has increased for the first time in four years. Life expectancy has gone up by one month! [4] This slight increase is the result of a decline in drug overdose deaths. While a nationwide crack-down on physicians prescribing opioids and the wide distribution of the anti-overdose drug Narcan is having an impact, deaths from fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamines increased. There were concomitant drops in death rates from heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease which helped to lower the overall death rate for the nation.
The disturbing fact remains that although elderly Americans are living longer due to improved medical care, greater numbers of young people are dying; and the causes of death are things like “suicide, drug overdoses, liver disease and dozens of other causes.” These causes are summed up in the phrase “death from despair,” coined by researchers Anne Case and Angus Deaton. [5] Youth question whether they have a future.
As is true in the United States, Canada is also facing an epidemic of young people who are giving up on life, sometimes before life even really starts for them. Public health experts contend that people are feeling worse about themselves and their futures, and that’s leading them to do things that are self-destructive and not promoting health. Our youth are giving up at a younger and younger age. Measurement of “happiness” is at the lowest level since such measurements were made. Only fourteen percent of people claim to be “very happy,” compared to thirty-one percent just two years previous. [6] Researchers tracking the happiness or sadness of those posting on social media, observe that we have reached what may be the saddest period since such studies began. [7] The same hopelessness leading to the uptick in “deaths from despair” also drives what some call “acts of desperation,” including such events as mass violence, abuse, and the increasing numbers of young people willing to self-mutilate in a pursuit of their identities.
Perhaps one evidence of the despair of youth is provided in the spectacle of a young woman from Sweden named Greta Thunbrerg. This girl has been convinced that her world is being destroyed by her parent’s generation and that only youth can save it. “How dare you!” has become her trademark accusation levelled at those responsible for government. We’ve witnessed numerous young women and young men screaming maniacally at political loss in the United States and Canada. The despair of those young people seen on videos screaming at conservatives on college campuses is evident. What are such tragic displays of seeing rage if not panic? After all, these youth have been told the world will end in twelve years if we don’t sign some papers, told that youth are mere days away from being enslaved, that the President of the United States is literally Hitler. How can a young person be raised to sensible adulthood when every adult they look up to is telling them their future will be short? How can youth not be freaked out?
The western world is confronted by a plague that threatens society as we know it. While people look to government to address the problem, conscientious Christians know that government is the problem! We know that the answer to the problems confronting us will not be found in government. If there is to be a respite from the dire conditions driving youth to despair, it will be provided by the people of God responding as Christ has directed His people to act. In order to discover a proper response to the threats posed by this fallen world, join me in study of Christ and how He witnessed the world.
THE DEPRESSING CONDITION OF THE WORLD — This particular message is one of the most discouraging messages I’ve ever been compelled to deliver. However, it is also one of the messages that I am convinced is needed most urgently in our day. Increasingly, people appear distressed in our world, so distressed that they appear to be losing hope. Happiness increasingly is an illusion as ever larger numbers of people despair of ever being happy again. People, including it would appear many followers of the Christ, are accurately pictured by the words Matthew used, “[The people to whom Jesus ministered] were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” [see MATTHEW 9:36b].
The text informs us, “Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” [MATTHEW 9:35-36].
Jesus was busy doing the work that the Father had sent Him to do. You will no doubt recall that the Master said, “My Father is working until now, and I am working” [JOHN 5:17]. Jesus’ work compelled Him to walk throughout Judea and even to journey into Samaria on occasion. In the broader scheme of things, Jesus ministered in quite an isolated area of the world. However, the impact of what He was doing has reverberated throughout the world until this day. As He travelled throughout those regions, Jesus was teaching in the synagogues that were located in those areas wherein He walked. Jesus was proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, He was calling those who heard to turn to the Father; in doing so, people would honour God by receiving the Son Whom God had sent. Jesus was also healing those who came to Him with their pressing needs.
There is a point that must be emphasised whenever we speak of Jesus healing those who came to Him. The text declares that He healed “every disease and affliction.” Jesus never had to ask those to whom He ministered, “Is that better?” He never had to apologize to those He healed, saying, “This is really difficult.” He healed those who came to Him, doing so quickly and completely. Whether it was giving sight to the blind, allowing the deaf to hear, giving the power of speech to those unable to speak, restoring strength to withered arms and legs, or even raising the dead, Jesus healed. Should someone claim to be a healer today, they need to come to grips with the divine standard.
It is important to note that in addition to healing every disease, Jesus healed “every affliction.” The Evangelist appears intent on ensuring that readers understand that Jesus also healed “every affliction.” I would imagine that we have at least a rudimentary grasp of what is meant when the Evangelist speaks of “every disease,” but I wonder if we are as certain of what is meant by the phrase “every affliction.” The word translated “affliction,” speaks of weakness. We could reasonably conclude that the weaknesses which the Evangelist had in view definitely included those resulting from a physical impairment or from the debilitating consequences of a diseased state.
We know that Jesus healed withered hands and crippled legs. We know that the Master gave sight to the blind and restored the ability to hear and to speak to those who were deaf or who were dumb. Clearly, Jesus had power over physical limitations of the body. We read that He healed lepers; and there was that time when He healed Peter’s mother-in-law when she was confined to her bed with a fever. Mark tells us that Jesus “healed many who were sick with various diseases” [see MARK 1:34].
However, the text also speaks of Jesus healing “afflictions,” and we should question what was meant with the Evangelist spoke of “afflictions.” The concept conveyed by the use of the word “affliction” in our text many times speaks of despondency, a lack of energy, or even faint-heartedness. [8] In other words, we should understand that emotional deficits, that weariness of soul that can drain us of energy are conditions undoubtedly included in the healings Christ our Lord performed. The Lord recognises and heals the discouragement that plagues us to this day.
Jesus lifted the depressed out of the depths of their darkness—and they were delivered. We should expect that the deliverance was permanent, and not temporary. This is truly good news for those so afflicted in this day. That debilitating condition we know as depression can be conquered. If this is true, then we should expect that Jesus is able to lift us out of our depression even today. There is no doubt in my mind that He can rescue us from that which drains us of energy and leaves us exhausted in this world. However, far better to recognise what drains our energies and steer clear of that thing.
There are instances, perhaps more common than we realise, in which a chemical imbalance can be the cause of depression. A variety of diseased states can block serotonin release or interfere with norepinephrine and dopamine uptake. Many of these conditions can be treated with medication. If an individual suffers from a condition that can be treated medically, that person should consult his or her physician to discuss what can be done. However, depression is far more complex than merely suggesting a chemical imbalance in the brain. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to depression; and some of these factors can be addressed through counselling, through environmental factors, or through adjusting one’s daily routine.
We are still passing through a pandemic that frightens people throughout the world; the results of political action continue to haunt us, as many people were put out of work, suffering the loss of income and the loss of opportunity to care for their families. The response of national leaders, cheered on by a clueless media ensured grief for people that should never have been grieved. Before we ever faced the Wuhan virus crisis, we read of suicide as a global health epidemic. [9] The article just cited pointed out that the suicide rate among U.K. students rose by 56% between 2007 and 2016. Then came the CoVid-19 crisis. Suddenly, we were told that suicide hotlines were inundated with calls during the pandemic. [10] The words of the Master describing the final days of planet earth took on new meaning for Bible readers. The Saviour warned His disciples, “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken” [LUKE 21:25-26].
During that pandemic, health authorities warned of a second pandemic—not a reintroduction of the virus, but a pandemic of despair. For instance, British authorities cautioned that 150,000 British citizens would die avoidable deaths through depression, domestic violence and suicide. [11] The potential for suicide was sufficiently great that one headline called the rise in suicides during the crisis “The Next Pandemic.” [12] And it wasn’t just youth who were despairing, taking their own lives—nurses were often seen as so traumatised by what they witnessed and by the threat of their own infection that some were taking their own lives! [13] Articles have been written that attempt to address the issue of suicide during this period. [14]
An article in the Wall Street Journal, cited by a writer for RedState, informs the public, “Prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications, such as Klonopin and Ativan, rose 10.2% in the U.S. to 9.7 million in March 2020 from 8.8 million in March 2019, according to the latest data from health-research firm IQVIA. Prescriptions for antidepressants, including Prozac and Lexapro, rose 9.2% to 29.7 million from 27.2 million in the same period. The information doesn’t include data on whether dosages have increased along with prescriptions.
“Some companies have seen more dramatic increases. Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit manager owned by Cigna, says prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications rose 34.1% between mid-February and mid-March, while prescriptions for antidepressants and sleep medications increased 18.6% and 14.8%, respectively. Ginger, which supplies video- and chat-based mental health services to companies, says its psychiatrists wrote 86% more prescriptions for psychotropic drugs, primarily antidepressants, in March and April 2020 compared with January and February. [15]
One news report suggested that as many could die and the deaths would be attributable to “deaths of despair” as result of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse. [16] The report states that “deaths of despair” are tied to multiple factors, like unemployment, fear and dread, and isolation. These types of deaths were already at exaggerated levels before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic exacerbated the sense of helplessness that marked an increasing number of people in our contemporary world. These conditions appear to be causing people to lose boundaries on their behaviours.
The world can be a sad and loveless place, and the demands of the world can foster a state of despair that is often exacerbated by the onset of hopelessness that accompanies a major disaster. These feelings of hopelessness account for the sense of sadness, the lack of happiness, mentioned in the introduction to the message today. Feeling as if there is no possible deliverance, a person driven by fear may be stampeded into the conclusion that they have no other choice but to take their own life. What is especially tragic about this condition is that in the world, we are never that far from such despair. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, we read of a brilliant emergency room doctor who took her own life; her despair apparently drove her to suicide. Her father said, “She tried to do her job, and it killed her.” [17]
Doctor Breen was not the only medical personnel to take her life during that emergency. A nurse in Great Britain killed herself during the pandemic. [18] An Italian nurse took her life because she feared infecting others. [19] A rookie Bronx EMT used a gun his father retained after retiring from the NYPD, to shoot himself in the head. [20] Such stories reveal people who are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Such people are susceptible to extreme discouragement and despair.
At last, medical personnel and politicians are beginning to awaken to the possibility that lockdown carries grave risks for those confined to their homes. Behavioural scientist Linda Bauld, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, says, “There are substantial mental and physical health implications. Mental health, depression, anxiety, increases in domestic violence–we’ve already seen more and more people across the world getting in touch with helplines.” She added, “People are worried about their finances, they may not be eating the right foods, they might not be getting sleep because they’re worried. Things across the world such as cancer screening have been cut back. I don’t think we should underestimate the impact of lockdown.” [21] The warning is echoed by American authorities, who contend, “We can’t stay locked down for such a considerable period of time that you might do irreparable damage and have unintended consequences, including consequences for health.” [22]
I understand that I am emphasizing something that is more widely recognized than some imagine, however, the lockdown we all experienced recently was a theory imposed on the world without adequate forethought or reason. Health professionals, untrained in economics or social policy, were largely unconscious of the consequences of their actions. The consequences of keeping ourselves safe through “sheltering in place” were far greater than the political elites could ever have imagined, especially in a world that is already emotionally and mentally fragile, a world that is devoid of mental toughness. Thus, we read that “the head of a California hospital’s trauma team says his area has seen more death from lockdown suicides than from the pandemic itself.” [23] Dr. Mike deBoisblanc of John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek said, “We’ve never seen numbers like this, in such a short period of time… I mean, we’ve seen a year’s worth of suicide attempts in the last four weeks.” [24]
It isn’t just medical personnel who are stressed and in despair. People engaged in full-time ministries often feel keenly a sense of despair. [25] Recently, another pastor in despair took his life. This pastor had just recorded a podcast discussing the loneliness of ministry. This man said that the position of a pastor puts someone in “a lonely and confusing place” as a pastor often shares quite personal stories about themselves and their families while preaching, though they haven’t the time or ability to actually be friends with everyone in their churches. [26]
I’ve invested considerable time documenting the pain associated with this fallen world. I’ve really only focused on the end product of the battering so many experience, which is despair—despair leading to death. As surely as strychnine kills, as surely as a gunshot to the heart extinguishes life, as surely as falling into a deep mountain crevasse takes life, despair leads to death. Years ago, I heard Chuck Swindoll say something to the effect, “A man can live forty days without food, four days without water, four minutes without oxygen, and four seconds without hope.” That sounds about right.
When a person begins to feel hopeless, they cease acting with boldness. They cease seeking to know what is pleasing to the Lord. Jeremiah confronted Israel with her sin, and the Lord said of the people of the land, “They will say, ‘It’s hopeless! We will continue to follow our plans, and each of us will continue to act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart’” [JEREMIAH 18:12 CSV]. Turning our back to the Living God, we have nothing left but the pursuit of our own evil desires, and our desires lead to despair, because nothing good can come of what is sought. And despair leads to death.
I’ve ranged broadly at this point in the message. Nevertheless, something I’ve said resonates with you; you identify with that loss of happiness, that growing sense of dread at what lies ahead. Perhaps the message delivered to this point has spoken to you, possibly even alarming you. And I believe there should be an element of alarm for each of us in light of what is happening in our world.
Increasingly our world reveals the restlessness of soul that marks this as a society in turmoil. Among those who identify with contemporary culture, living only for this life, the turmoil, the riots, the unimaginable demands made of others create a sense of despair. Growing out of the despair is a sense of hopelessness. It is as though the world has changed, and there is no turning back. That precipitous transformation must be something like what the residents of Rome experienced as the Vandals advanced to the walls of the city and then swept into the city.
Even followers of the Christ can despair. The pressures of life can begin to press down on our soul, and we can begin to focus on the pain we are experiencing rather than focusing on the Saviour who delivers us from hopelessness. I understand that this can be the case. I want to remind the people of God that we do have a Saviour, Jesus Christ the Righteous. I want each Christian to remember that “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” [PROVERBS 18:24b]. I want each believer in the Risen Saviour to know that you can “cast[] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” [1 PETER 5:7]. Amen.
THE DEMANDING CALL OF THE WORLD — “[Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few’” [MATTHEW 9:37]. The world cries out for deliverance, and almost without thinking about what is happening, we shut our ears to the destitution of the world. However, their cries represent a peril that threatens even our own families. The world is a hostile environment, especially to the Faith of Christ the Lord. The world in which we now exist is spiritually impoverished. People are friendless, as becomes evident from the virtual friendships we create via Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.
The impoverishment of the soul of this world is evidenced by events swirling about us. Youth “occupying” city blocks make demands that simply cannot be met by society. Should these anarchists succeed in their demands, they will unleash forces that no one can control, and chaos has never brought peace to the soul. The young people who are protesting are easily manipulated by cynical people intent on destruction; and their destructive tendencies reveals that they have never known the peace of God. It would be easy to conclude that it is impossible for them to be captured by the Spirit of Christ. Yet, it is our responsibility to tell even these anarchists of Christ’s salvation.
Our children are seduced by the siren call of the world. Many arrogantly imagine that they have sufficient experience to inform parents how things should be. Consequently, our children become overconfident in their own abilities. Making money to buy “things,” consumes our children so they no longer have time for the matters that should occupy the attention of the children of God. Or they are caught up in the drive to have fun, which means that every weekend will see them sledding in the mountains, or finding a stream to fish during the summer months, or spending time seeking wild game each weekend during the fall months. The drive for fun will preclude worship of the Living God. Yet parents continue to assure the pastor, “But my children really love God!” Really? The evidence that your children really love God is what?
Parents need to learn to speak the truth in love. If your child does not want to come to the House of God, if your child says, “Worship is boring,” be honest enough to admit that your child does not know the Lord. If there is no love for the things of God, it is because the love of God does not reside in your child. Don’t complain that someone speaking to your child and urging that child to consider Christ the Lord will shove your child away from God—your child is already far from the Lord!
We live in the midst of a broken world, a world in which people are increasingly and desperately searching for meaning, a world in which each person seeks significance. My favourite coffee cup bears a quote by President Ronald Reagan. One side of that cup has the EGA printed on it, and the side that I see each time I lift the cup to take a sip bears a quote that the President made in 1985. He said, “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they’ve made a difference. The Marines don’t have that problem.” Well, whatever difference Marines may make, it must always be recognized as being transient; it is a difference bounded by time, a difference for this moment. If you wish to make a difference that matters, determine you will make an eternal difference.
When you commit yourself to follow the Risen Saviour, you will make a difference that lasts for all eternity. Your life will be transformed because you will be following the One Who conquered death, you will be following Him Who redeems all who look to Him for life. When you follow the Son of God, you are committed to the One Who brings victory for all eternity. Those to whom you testify and whom you bring to Him will be eternally saved. Throughout eternity, those who have been saved through your witness, through your prayers, will glorify the Son of God. You will have made a difference for each one. Those to whom you minister will be strengthened and enabled to continue the labours He has assigned for time, touching the lives of others for eternity. As you follow the Master, the faithful will be built up, encouraged and consoled—you will make a difference.
The difference we make as servants of the Risen Christ will not be accomplished in the manner in which the world seeks to find significance. We are engaged in a great conflict, but it is not a conflict that is fought with the weapons of this world. As the Apostle has said, “Though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” [2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5].
We who follow the Master refuse to compromise the truth, not even through giving tacit approval of that which is errant. We cannot be silent in the face of wickedness; we cannot acquiesce to that which is opposed to righteousness. Because we are servants of the Risen Saviour, we acknowledge that we are not yet perfected, but we know that we are moving toward perfection in Christ. We know our flaws, our sinful proclivities, our brokenness; but we also know what we are becoming in Christ our Lord. In this life, we are committed to speaking the truth in love. We seek to do good to all people, refusing to give way to anger when we are opposed. We know that those of the world can do no more than what the world is capable of doing, but we live by a higher standard given us from the Lord Himself. Moreover, we have the Spirit of the Risen Christ living within, and He empowers us to fulfil the will of the Master as we allow Him to work through us. Therefore, we have compassion for those who suffer death by despair because we were once trapped by the same despair when we were in the world.
Because this is true, we who know the Saviourd lift our hearts in prayer, asking that the Saviour would reveal His mercy to hurting people. We seek to provide refreshment to those who are wearied, just as we’ve been taught by the Master when He said, “The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” [MATTHEW 10:41-42].
THE DEFINITIVE CURE FOR WORLDLINESS — “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” [MATTHEW 9:38]. There is no magical cure for the broken condition of this fallen world. There is a cure, but it does require dedicated souls to carry that cure into the world. Christians, followers of the Risen Lord, hold the cure. We have a unique opportunity to change the condition for those to whom we minister.
It would be an easy thing for us to refrain from changing our world, decrying the condition in which it now exists. However, if the faithful do not respond, then the cure will never be delivered. Again, some may contend that the problem is so great, and we are so few that we can make no difference. However, I remind you that we serve a great God, a God so powerful that He created a universe with His word. Though I may not touch vast numbers, I can reveal Christ to those I know. And as I reveal Him to those whom I meet, some will believe.
I am intrigued that the Master commands His followers to “pray earnestly.” Moreover, the prayer which we offer is to be directed to “the Lord of the harvest.” The phrase reminds us of a parable Jesus told on one occasion. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn”’” [MATTHEW 13:24-30].
Clearly, Jesus communicated that He is the Lord of the harvest. According to what He has taught in this parable, if we are obedient to His will we will pray earnestly, persistently, importunately asking Him to send harvesters into the harvest fields. What Jesus has taught here reveals His heart for the hurting people of this broken world. Jesus longs for the lost to find solace in Him. In this parable, the field is the world, and the harvest is the souls of people who are dying. We are commanded to pray for the Saviour to send missionaries, to send preachers, to send evangelists, to send people with a testimony of grace, to go out into the harvest fields. We are to pray, asking Him to equip and send out from our assemblies those who will perform the hard work of confronting the desperate people of this broken world. We are to ask the Lord Himself to send out those who will rescue the inhabitants of this world from succumbing to death by despair.
How are you doing with this prayer? This is a serious question for each follower of the Risen Saviour. Honestly, when did you last ask the Lord of the Harvest to send harvesters into His harvest fields? When did you last ask the Saviour to raise up those dedicated individuals to labour among the desperate, hurting souls of our world? What would happen if each of us listening to this message were to commit ourselves to pray at least once each day, specially asking the Risen Saviour to send forth harvesters? Surely, we would honour the Lord who reigns over our hearts, without a doubt. And do you doubt that He would begin to raise up men and women to go out from our own congregation and likely from other churches in our area! Who would get the glory for this work if not the Risen Saviour? And who would benefit if not the desperate, lonely people who are now dying by reason of their despair?
Perhaps He is calling someone from this congregation to go into His harvest field! Perhaps it is your child, or even you! Will you obey the call? The great question this parable poses for you is, “Are you obedient?” Have you stood before the Risen Saviour to say, “Here I am, Lord; send me?” Have you offered your own life, the life of your child, the life of your grandchild, to the Master’s service should He require that life?
The pericope that has been the focus of study this day informs Bible readers, “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” [MATTHEW 9: 36]. The Greek word that is translated “compassion” describes a visceral reaction, not a mere sentiment. In other words, Jesus felt this one in His gut. His response to their plight was to tell his disciples to “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Of course, the answer to the prayer the disciples were to offer would begin with themselves.
The current epidemic of the death of our young should elicit a similar response from us. As Chuck Colson used to say, “It’s time for the Church to be the Church.” If we don’t see the suffering displayed in the lives of those about us, does it not indicate that we have failed to see with the eyes of the Master? And if we claim to see and we are not moved with compassion, then it must indicate that we don’t have the heart of the Saviour. If that is the case, then it means that we need to pray that God would speak to our hearts, it means that we need to pray that God would show us how He would have us respond.
Speaking in the Areopagus, Paul testified, “[God] made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” [ACTS 17:26]. If this statement is true, and you know very well that it is true, it means that because God has determined the time and place where we live, we cannot be spectators to the unfolding tragedies of this moment in our own culture. In short: God has placed us here to act.
I don’t mean to imply that we can “solve” this problem, any more than those earlier Christians who ran towards the plague in ancient Rome could stop it. The restoration of all things will only be complete when Christ returns in glory. Nevertheless, we can offer a preview of that restoration here and now. This is what we, and only we, have to offer. If we can’t bring ourselves to do this, then something else is terribly wrong—this time, with us. [27]
Are not the riots now taking place in cities around the world a demonstration of misery in the hearts of people? If people genuinely grieved at what they imagine to be taking place are so easily moved to become looters and rioters, is it not indicative of a brokenness in their lives? If the response of people to these disruptions is anger and a barely contained rage, does it not reveal lives that are at the mercy of the moment?
Can one person make a difference? Rome gloried in the gladiatorial games. Around A.D. 400, a monk named Telemachus felt God compelling him to travel to Rome to preach against the city’s corruptions, especially against the gladiatorial games. He preached on a street corner, but no one paid attention to his preaching. Then came a day for the games. As the crowds bounded to the amphitheater, Telemachus decided to walk with them. He entered, saw, blanched, and acted. He leaped into the arena and shouted to two combatants to cease their bloody contest. Telemachus’ protest so disrupted the proceedings that he was torn to pieces by the crowd. [28]
Superficially, you might conclude that Telemachus’s protest failed. However, Jesus says that four things can happen when godly character manifests itself. We might be “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” [MATTHEW 5:10]; we might be “the salt of the earth,” retarding its decay [MATTHEW 5:13]; we might be “the light of the world,” enlightening all who see it [MATTHEW 5:14]; and that light might shine so clearly that witnesses “see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven” [MATTHEW 5:16].
Telemachus was persecuted, and ultimately gave his life, for righteousness that day; but the story of Telemachus’s protest spread. His “salt and light” strengthened those who protested the games. For centuries, most people had seen the games as entertainment. It took a long time, but eventually, with the help of Telemachus, the world came to view the games as a crime and an abomination. In God’s providence, the prosperity of the empire was crumbling, making it harder for governors to sponsor the contests. By A.D. 450, to God’s glory, they had essentially ceased. [29]
We who follow the Saviour seek to give hope to hopeless people; and by doing what we are commanded to do, we seek to glorify God where we live and in this day in which we live. By His mercies, we are making a difference. Through your prayers, through your righteous life, through your powerful stand for what is good and holy, you are making a difference. Keep on doing what you are doing for Christ’s sake.
And to any who are outside of the precincts of grace, hear this message of hope. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, gave His life as a sacrifice so you may have peace with God. Having peace with God, you will be at peace with yourself. Believe this message of life in Christ and receive the forgiveness of all sin. Believe, even now.
And what should one believe? The message is that the Son of God took your sin upon Himself; in giving His life, He provided a covering for all your brokenness. Now, you are called to make Him Master over your life, believing that He died because of your sin and that He has risen from the dead to declare you right with the Father. Scripture says, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” [EPHESIANS 2:8-9]. Believe this message today. Receive the life that is offered in Christ the Lord. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Steven H Woolf, MD, MPH; Heidi Schoomaker, MAEd, “Life Expectancy and Mortality Rates in the United States, 1959-2017,” JAMA, November 26, 2019, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2756187?guestAccessKey=c1202c42-e6b9-4c99-a936-0976a270551f&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=112619, accessed 6 December 2019
[3] Lenny Bernstein, “U.S. Life expectancy declines again, a dismal trend not seen since World War I,” Washington Post, November 21, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-life-expectancy-declines-again-a-dismal-trend-not-seen-since-world-war-i/2018/11/28/ae58bc8c-f28c-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html, accessed 6 December 2019
[4] Lorie Johnson, “Good News! Life Expectancy Finally Increases as Fewer Die From This,” CBN News, 01-31-2020, https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/health/2020/january/good-news-life-expectancy-finally-increases-as-fewer-die-from-this, accessed 1 February 2020
[5] See John Stonestreet, “Desperate and Young,” Breakpoint, 12/5/18, https://www.breakpoint.org/the-point-dying-desperate-and-young/, accessed 1 February 2020
[6] Tamara Lush, “Poll: Americans are the unhappiest they’ve been in 50 years,” AP, June 16, 2020. https://apnews.com/0f6b9be04fa0d3194401821a72665a50?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=89962435&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_a-OJxlQ66csHcoIx1pYBMoBYVcnF49QzXYJUwPMGUbapbmsC6fJ0OBuAZijel0EeouuYUCp0jyfpIV6ZMH5F11nvB-w&utm_content=89962435&utm_source=hs_email, accessed 22 June 2020; Sophia Ankel, “The majority of Americans say this is the lowest point in US history since they can remember, according to new survey,” Yahoo! News, June 20, 2020, https://www.yahoo.com/news/majority-americans-lowest-point-us-125325563.html?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=89962435&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_2lrcI4u2kc-CtvdxEmPpSffDdfrgv8Cj9ziVYvTGAUCT0Vgy8WThq8VkYse-QkzHOVLWVRMrRMYDWcWX6McFvImONGA&utm_content=89962435&utm_source=hs_email, accessed 22 June 2020
[7] Nora McGreevy, “New Research Suggests We’re Living in Historically Unhappy Times,” Smithsonian Magazine, June 19, 2020, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-research-suggests-were-living-historically-unhappy-times-180975123/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=89962435&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--FLCvpbBwLEDqtNaW-7WEjT1YQdSH6PBRTWlRDg58InP7k2ftakvEMD5bK3S5qk89WC0Eis23xTU2LBC0p2s5gEhUUpQ&utm_content=89962435&utm_source=hs_email, accessed 22 June 2020
[8] Cf. William Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature: a translation and adaption of the fourth revised and augmented edition of Walter Bauer’s Griechisch-deutsches Worterbuch zu den Schrift en des Neuen Testaments und der ubrigen urchristlichen Literatur (University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL 1979) 488
[9] Nicole Fisher, “Suicide Isn’t A U.S. Problem. It’s a Global Health Epidemic,” Forbes, Jun 15, 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2018/06/15/suicide-isnt-a-u-s-problem-its-a-global-health-epidemic/#a507e6d2f7b0, accessed 13 April 2020
[10] Solange Reyner, “LA Suicide Hotline Surges With Calls Amid Pandemic,” Newsmax, 31 March 2020, https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/los-angeles-suicide-pandemic-unemployment/2020/03/31/id/960805/, accessed 13 April 2020
[11] Vanessa Chalmers, “150,000 Brits will die an ‘avoidable death’ during coronavirus pandemic through depression, domestic violence and suicides,” Daily Mail, 10 April, 2020, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8207783/150-000-Brits-die-coronavirus-pandemic-domestic-violence-suicides.html, accessed 13 April 2020
[12] Glen Beck, “The next pandemic: Suicide during COVID-19 crisis,” iheart.com, Apr 1, 2020, https://news.iheart.com/featured/glenn-beck/content/2020-04-01-glenn-beck-blog-the-next-pandemic-suicide-during-COVID-19-crisis/, accessed 13 April 2020
[13] Allison Smith, “Nurse suicides rise in Europe amid stress of COVID-19 pandemic,” World Socialist Web Site, 31 March 2020, https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/31/trez-m31.html, accessed 13 April 2020
[14] Jagdish Khubchandani and Robert Cramer, “Preventing Suicide During COVID-19 Pandemic,” Community Journal, April 10, 2020, https://communityjournal.net/preventing-suicide-during-COVID-19-pandemic/, accessed 13 April 2020
[15] Brandon Morse, “New Numbers From Psychiatrists Show Just How Damaging the Lockdown Is to People,” Redstate.com, May 26, 2020, https://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2020/05/26/new-numbers-from-psychiatrists-show-just-how-damaging-the-lockdown-is-to-people/, accessed 26 May 2020
[16] Serena Gordon, “Coronavirus pandemic may lead to 75,000 ‘deaths of despair’ from suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, study says,” CBS News, May 8, 2020, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-deaths-suicides-drugs-alcohol-pandemic-75000/, accessed 10 May 2020
[17] Elizabeth Rosner and Kate Sheehy, “Top Manhattan ER doc commits suicide, shaken by coronavirus onslaught,” NY Post, April 27, 2020, https://nypost.com/2020/04/27/manhattan-er-doc-lorna-breen-commits-suicide-shaken-by-coronavirus/, accessed 27 April 2020
[18] Ryan Merrifield, “Coronavirus: Nurse ‘kills herself in UK hospital’ where eight have died from bug,” Mirror, 24 Mar 2020, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coronavirus-nurse-kills-herself-uk-21749225, accessed 27 April 2020
[19] Yaron Steinbuch, “Italian nurse with coronavirus kills herself over fear of infecting others,” NY Post, March 25, 2020, https://nypost.com/2020/03/25/italian-nurse-with-coronavirus-kills-herself-amid-fears-of-infecting-others/, accessed 27 April 2020; Jane Wharton, “Nurse kills herself after being infected with coronavirus,” Metro, 25 Mar 2020, https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/25/nurse-kills-infected-coronavirus-12453133/, accessed 27 April 2020
[20] Susan Edelman, Tina Moore, Khristina Narizhnaya and Dean Balsamini, “EMT John Mondello kills himself after less than three months on the job,” NY Post, April 25, 2020, https://nypost.com/2020/04/25/nyc-emt-commits-suicide-with-gun-belonging-to-his-dad/, accessed 27 April 2020
[21] Alec Fenn, “How coronavirus lockdowns are a danger to physical and mental health,” CGTN, 08-Apr-2020, https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2020-04-08/How-coronavirus-lockdowns-are-a-danger-to-physical-and-mental-health-PvmddXfRDy/index.html, accessed 24 May 2020
[22] See Joshua Espinoza, “Dr. Fauci Warns Prolonged Lockdowns Could Cause ‘Irreparable Damage,’ Complex, May 22, 2020, https://www.complex.com/life/2020/05/dr-anthony-fauci-says-extended-lockdown-may-cause-irreparable-damage, accessed 24 May 2020
[23] Lee Brown, “California doctor claims he’s seen more deaths by suicide than coronavirus,” NY Post, May 24, 2020, https://nypost.com/2020/05/24/california-city-has-seen-more-deaths-by-suicide-than-covid-19-doctor/, accessed 24 May 2020
[24] Ibid.
[25] Michael Stark, “O Lord, Just Kill Me!” August 25, 2019, https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/o-lord-just-kill-me-michael-stark-sermon-on-suicide-241802?ref=SermonSerps; Michael Stark, “Life at the Back of the Cave,” February 17, 2019, https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/life-at-the-back-of-the-cave-michael-stark-sermon-on-elijah-237590?ref=SermonSerps; Michael Stark, “Casualties of Divine Service,” February 8, 2019, https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/casualties-of-divine-service-michael-stark-sermon-on-ministry-237399?ref=SermonSerps
[26] Megan Briggs, “Darrin Patrick Died of Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound,” Church Leaders, May 11, 2020, https://churchleaders.com/news/375534-darrin-patrick-died-of-self-inflicted-gunshot-wound.html?utm_source=cl-news-nl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text-link&utm_campaign=cl-news-nl&maropost_id=742210145&mpweb=256-8860087-742210145, accessed 11 May 2020
[27] For further information, consult John Stonestreet & Roberto Rivera, “Americans Are Dying Younger… Where Is the Church?” Breakpoint, December 6, 2019, http://www.breakpoint.org/2019/12/breakpoint-americans-are-dying-younger/, accessed 6 December 2019
[28] See Philip Schaff and David Schley Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3 (Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York 1910) 124
[29] Daniel M. Doriani, 1 Peter, Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani (ed.), Reformed Expository Commentary (P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ 2014) 192–193
