When confronted with danger, we'll either fight or take flight.
We've seen it a million times. A zebra is peacefully grazing on an African plane. But suddenly, a ferocious lion, baring its canines, closes in for the kill. In the blink of an eye, the zebra takes flight, narrowly escaping its predator.
Or consider this scenario. A cat is sleeping peacefully on the arm of the couch when all of a sudden, Dopey the dog decides to sneak up behind the cat and surprise her. But before the dog can even raise its paw, the cat spins around, arches her back, hisses, and bears her razor sharp claws. Game on!
Psychologists call this our "fight or flight response". When confronted with danger, we'll either fight or take flight. Some psychologists add a third response which is called, "fight, flight, or freeze". Freeze is what our schnauzer Rock E does. He cowers and shakes.
On the night Jesus was betrayed, Jesus and his disciples are praying in the garden of the olive press, or Gethsemane. It's late at night-- faces are indistinguishable in the dark. Suddenly, Judas appears with a small band of men who are wielding swords and clubs. Mark 14:43 They've been sent from the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders to arrest Jesus. But since it's dark and they cannot recognize Jesus, Judas arranged to betray Jesus with a kiss.
As soon as the men seize Jesus and arrest him, one of the disciples standing near Jesus draws his sword, and aiming for the jugular, strikes the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. This is our "fight" response. Fight hostility with hostility. Strike hard, strike first, and strike fatally. Take your enemy's life in your hands. Confront injustice with violence. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth! Project power and domination, and exterminate the evildoers!
Fighting and raging is common in our society.
How quickly we draw our swords. It's the American way. Someone criticizes us, calls us a name, cuts us off in traffic, wrongs us, cheats us, or hurts us. We impulsively shoot off our mouth, raise our fists, grit our teeth, and ram our way forward.
Rage is an emotion we're all too familiar with. Rage at your husband. Rage at your wife. Rage at your kids. Rage at your ex. Rage at your boss. Rage at your coworkers. Rage at your enemies. How quickly we draw our swords and aim for the jugular. What other option is there? Behind such rage is the assumption that others are intrinsically evil, more evil and violent than we are, beyond redemption, unchangeable, and incapable of repentance. Behind rage is a belief that God needs our violence.
Jesus refuses to buy into the rage of the moment.
The reason the temple guards came with swords and clubs is because they anticipated rage. They anticipated a fight! But in Mark 14:48-49 (NIV) Jesus intervenes. " 'Am I leading a rebellion,' said Jesus, 'that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.' "
In Luke 22:51 (NIV) Jesus says, " 'No more of this!' And he touched the man's ear and healed him." No more of what? No more violence! No more hostility! There are those who see violence as God's means of advancing his kingdom. Swords, clubs, guns, bombs, death, destruction, violence, and militias. But Ephesians 2:14 (NIV) says, "Jesus himself is our peace, who has made the two one and destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility."
Some followers chose to take flight.
Upon Jesus' intervention, Mark 14:50-52 (NIV) tells us, "Then everyone deserted him and fled. A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind."
This is what psychologists call our flight response. The disciples take flight. They feel powerless. The situation seems hopeless. They feel God has abandoned them. They disbelieve in Jesus' power, his identity, and his promise to conquer sin and death, and overcome the grave. Later on we learn that they go back to their old way of life, fishing, seeing the way of Christ as one more dead end in a life filled with dead ends. "Well, I tried Jesus. That sure didn't work out too well."
If you're not drawing your sword, perhaps like the young man in Mark you have fled in total humiliation for having followed Jesus. Maybe you've given up hope in the way of Jesus-- the way of mercy and sacrifice.
Mark 14:54 tells us that Peter follows Jesus at a distance. He courageously sits in the courtyard of the high priest, warming himself by a fire, among the guards who had just arrested Jesus!
Meanwhile, the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin fabricate a case against Jesus so they might put him to death. Mark 14:55. They arrange for a series of false witnesses, with conflicting testimonies, to speak against Jesus. Mark 14:56.
Mark 14:60-62 (NIV) says that the high priest stands up and asks Jesus, " 'Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?' But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.' "
The third response to hostility or danger is freezing.
Condemning Jesus to death, some began to spit on Jesus. They blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and mocked him. Mark 14:64-65. The guards took Jesus and beat him. Meanwhile, out in the courtyard a servant girl looks and studies Peter's face by the light of the fire. Finally she says in Mark 14:67 (NIV), "You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus."
Mark 14:68-72 (NIV) continues, "But Peter denied it. 'I don't know or understand what you're talking about,' he said, and went out into the entryway. When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, 'This fellow is one of them.' Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, 'Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.' He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, 'I don't know this man you're talking about.' Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: 'Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.' And he broke down and wept."
This is the third response to danger and hostility-- freezing. Peter is caught. He feels trapped. He cowers. He moves away from the fire, into the entryway, into the freezing darkness. Peter freezes.
Fight, flight, or freeze. Let me ask, what is your impulse in the face of stress? In the face of threat? In the face of hostility? In the face of real danger? In the face of gross injustice? Is it fight? Punch them out. Strike first. Strike hard! Rage! Is is flight? Run for your life! Save yourself! Or is it freeze? Resignation, paralysis, hope against hope, survival at all costs.
What was Jesus' response to danger?
Mark 15:1-15 (NIV) details Jesus' response to danger. "Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 'Are you the king of the Jews?' asked Pilate. 'Yes, it is as you say,' Jesus replied. The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, 'Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.' But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed."
"Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 'Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?' asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 'What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?' Pilate asked them. 'Crucify him!' they shouted. 'Why? What crime has he committed?' asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, 'Crucify him!' Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified."
For Jesus, the last option was faith.
There is fight. There is flight. There is freeze. But for Jesus, there was one other option. Faith.
In 1 Peter 2:22-25 (NIV) Peter writes of Jesus, "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."
1 Peter 3:8-18 (NIV) says, "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, 'Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.' "
"Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. 'Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.' But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit."
The cross gives us a new template with which to pattern our lives. It is not a template of violence. It is not a template of cowardly flight or pacifying evil. Nor is the cross a template of paralysis and fear. It is a call to transcendent faith, hope, and love. A faith that trusts in a God who is infinitely greater and more powerful than anyone we face. A love that courageously conquers evil through pain and sacrifice. A hope that waits on God to provide deliverance in his time, according to his set purpose and foreknowledge, and according to his word. The cross is a template in which we entrust our very lives to God and willingly suffer, knowing God will achieve salvation for many.