During his last night with his disciples, before his arrest, Jesus concluded his teaching with these words: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul needs only a few words to describe his personal experience of this trouble and this peace: “When we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.” (2 Corinthians 7:5-7)
The values, priorities, and expectations of the kingdoms of this world are completely at odds with the values, priorities, and expectations of the Kingdom of God. Conflict is inevitable. The more dramatically attention is drawn to the differences between the values, priorities, and expectations, the more dramatic the ensuing conflict…and the greater the miracle of the peace that passes understanding.
On September 20 of this year, a young man named Noah Riner had an opportunity to stand before a group of his peers and speak. He could have chosen to amuse, to inspire, to flatter, to educate, or to impress. He chose, instead, to share the Good News.
Noah Riner wasn’t speaking to his youth group at church. He wasn’t speaking to the local Christian Varsity group. He wasn’t speaking at a retreat center for young adults. As elected student body president, Riner was addressing the students of Dartmouth College at the annual convocation marking the beginning of the academic year.
(I learned of Noah Riner’s address and the reaction to it from a commentary by Albert Mohler, “Division at Dartmouth—A Christian Speaks His Mind”, Friday, October 07, 2005, which can be found at http://www.albertmohler.com/commentary_read.php?cdate=2005-10-07.)
A commentator named Albert Mohler described the event this way:
"You really are special," he told the
Dartmouth class of 2009. …
"But it isn’t enough to be special," he
continued. "It isn’t enough to be talented,
to be beautiful, to be smart. Generations
of amazing students have come before you,
and have sat in your seats. Some have been
good, some have been bad. All have been
special."
Just a few words into his convocation
address, Riner signaled that he intended
to address the incoming students with
something more than emotionalism,
congratulations, and simplistic
affirmation. He had another issue in
mind—character.
…Riner recited a list of Dartmouth
graduates who had ended up as examples
of deficient character. A member of the
class of 1939 became a Soviet spy, even
as a later graduate committed murder and
yet another was arrested for sexually
assaulting a fifteen-year-old student.
"These stories demonstrate that it takes
more than a Dartmouth degree to build
character," Riner asserted. …
From that point, Riner expanded his focus
to include developments such as looting in
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and a
crisis of character that affects the entire
nation.
"We have the same flaws as the individuals
who pillaged New Orleans. Ours haven’t been
given such free reign, but they exist and
are part of us all the same."
… "Let’s be honest," Riner insisted, "the
differences are in degree."
… "Character has a lot to do with sacrifice,
laying our personal interests down for
something bigger," Riner argued. "The best
example of this is Jesus. In the Garden of
Gethsemane, just hours before His
crucifixion, Jesus prayed, ’Father, if
Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me:
nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be
done.’ He knew the right thing to do. He
knew the cost would be agonizing torture
and death. He did it anyway. That’s
character."
Noah Riner went on. "Jesus is a good
example of character, but He’s also much
more than that. He is the solution to
flawed people like corrupt Dartmouth
alums, looters, and me." As he later
explained, "Jesus’ message of redemption
is simple. People are imperfect, and there
are consequences for our actions. He gave
His life for our sin so that we wouldn’t
have to bear the penalty of the law; so we
could see love. The problem is me; the
solution is God’s love: Jesus on the cross,
for us."
According to this commentator, “Mr. Riner’s speech was relatively short, intensely personal, and intellectually courageous.”
Not surprisingly, some members of the audience did not agree with Riner’s comments. Some were offended. Some were outraged.
Again, according to Mohler, “the response to Riner’s speech included vitriolic outrage. He was denounced, criticized, and lambasted for the content of his controversial address,” and “the cartoonist for the college’s campus newspaper, The Dartmouth, drew a comic strip depicting Riner as a crusading theocrat and Jesus as a marijuana smoker.” The vice-president of the student body resigned in protest, accusing Riner of being an “embarrassment to the organization.” A guest columnist used the phrase “fire and brimstone” to describe Riner’s address.
Noah Riner learned by experience that it can be dangerous to share the Good News outside of the circle of believers who already agree that the Good News is indeed good.
Noah Riner, like all Christians, lives between two worlds. As a Christian, his ultimate allegiance is to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As a student at Dartmouth College—a formerly Christian institution gone secular—Noah Riner is immersed in the kingdoms of this world.
Noah Riner learned by experience that when he chooses to stand up for the Kingdom of God in the midst of the kingdoms of this world, he can expect that his ideas will be attacked…and he can expect that he, personally, will be attacked.
The values, priorities, and expectations of the kingdoms of this world are completely at odds with the values, priorities, and expectations of the Kingdom of God. Conflict is inevitable. The more dramatically attention is drawn to the differences between the values, priorities, and expectations, the more dramatic the ensuing conflict…and the greater the miracle of the peace that passes understanding.
Saul, who later was renamed Paul, knew about this conflict from both sides of the fence.
Before coming to know Jesus, Saul was a driving force behind attacks on not only the ideas but also the lives of Christians.
After coming to know Jesus, Saul’s own life was soon at risk.
In Damascus, the newly converted Saul preached the Good News. Before long, someone was trying to kill him. His friends smuggled him out of the city to save his life.
In Jerusalem, Saul continued to share the Good News. He debated publicly with those whose viewpoint was different. Before long, someone was trying to kill him. Once again, fellow believers helped him get out of town before it was too late.
Saul knew by experience that it can be dangerous to share the Good News outside of the circle of believers who already agree that the Good News is indeed good.
Saul, like all Christians, lived between two worlds. As a Christian, his ultimate allegiance was to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Living in the Roman Empire of the first century, Saul was immersed in the kingdoms of this world.
Saul knew by experience that when he chose to stand up for the Kingdom of God in the midst of the kingdoms of this world, he could expect that his ideas would be attacked…and he could expect that he, personally, would be attacked.
The values, priorities, and expectations of the kingdoms of this world are completely at odds with the values, priorities, and expectations of the Kingdom of God. Conflict is inevitable. The more dramatically attention is drawn to the differences between the values, priorities, and expectations, the more dramatic the ensuing conflict…and the greater the miracle of the peace that passes understanding.
Not every Christian experiences this conflict in ways that are quite as public as the way that Saul or Noah Riner experienced it.
For some of us, the conflict shows up inside of our family.
A friend of mine is a devoted disciple of Jesus, but she is the only Christian in her family. She’s not a confrontational evangelist at all. Still, any mention of the Lord, any quiet singing of a praise song, any action that highlights her different values, and her siblings roll their eyes and give her that special patronizing look that they reserve for people they deem naïve and deluded.
For some of us, the conflict shows up at work.
The pressure can be subtle or not so subtle. If you don’t participate in the gossip around the water cooler, you must think you’re better than everyone else. If you don’t look the other way when co-workers take advantage of a customer, then you’re not a team player. If you don’t sign on to company policy not only to accept but also to affirm lifestyles that the Bible calls sinful, then you’re a fundamentalist bigot.
For some of us, the conflict shows up in the marketplace.
Your realtor can’t understand why you don’t want to get the biggest mortgage the bank will approve. Your car dealer can’t understand why you don’t want every upgrade in the book. Just the other day, a door-to-door vacuum salesman subtly ridiculed me for not wanting to go into debt for the sake of a fancy vacuum cleaner; after all, according to him all my neighbors are doing it.
For some of us, the conflict shows up in our circle of friends.
You used to be a party animal. Now you’re getting to know Jesus, and the people you used to hang out with think you’re getting weirder all the time.
For some of us, the conflict is internal as much as external.
Your whole life you’ve been taught that up is up and down is down, maintaining appearances is all that matters, and success has to do with money, advancement, and prestige. Now you’re learning that the first shall be last and the last shall be first, inner healing requires truth-telling, and success has to do with faithfulness, obedience, and love. It’s not that easy to change a lifetime of habitual attitudes. Faced with new decisions, old habits compete with new values.
The values, priorities, and expectations of the kingdoms of this world are completely at odds with the values, priorities, and expectations of the Kingdom of God. Conflict is inevitable. The more dramatically attention is drawn to the differences between the values, priorities, and expectations, the more dramatic the ensuing conflict…and the greater the miracle of the peace that passes understanding.
Ok, so conflict is inevitable. Where does the peace come from?
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Just like the conflict, the peace is internal and external.
Internally, Jesus speaks peace into our hearts. Like the hymn says, “Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus, …”
Externally, Jesus gives us brothers and sisters to comfort us in our distress and encourage us when we are downcast.
Don’t ever think you have to face it on your own, on the strength of your personal relationship with Jesus and nothing else. Listen again. Internally, Jesus speaks peace into our hearts. Externally, Jesus gives us brothers and sisters to comfort us in our distress and encourage us when we are downcast.
This is the part that I really want you to hear in Paul’s words to the Corinthians. He spoke of conflict, but then he spoke of peace—joy, he calls it here.
“When we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.”
In the space of a few sentences, Paul moves from describing the conflict to describing the peace. What happened? Where did the peace (joy) come from? It came from his fellow believers—first Titus, and then, through Titus, from the believers in Corinth.
Paul, who came to know Jesus through an intensely personal experience—a flash of light and a voice on the road to Damascus—found comfort in his distress and encouragement when he was downcast through other believers.
It is my confident prayer that Noah Riner, too, knows the comfort and encouragement of fellow believers.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! Jesus has overcome the world. And Jesus has given you brothers and sisters so that you don’t have to face the trouble in this world alone.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
