Be afraid, be very afraid
The Great Revealing - Part 5
Scared to death
Perhaps you’ve heard the common adage, “People are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death.” In fact, that assertion is based upon “The Book of Lists,” published in 1977. The book states, in its chapter titled “The 14 Worst Human Fears,” that 41% of people are most afraid of speaking before a group. Only 19% of people said they were most afraid of death. You might be surprised to discover that this study is anecdotal, and doesn’t have any sources to substantiate it. I reject the idea that people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death, and not just because of the questionable data surrounding the 1977 book. I reject that idea because I was alive and alert between the years 2020 and 2022. I was a witness to what many people said (or didn’t say) and did (or didn’t do), and I am quite certain I know what people fear most. COVID has revealed, in bright-neon flashing letters, that people are terrified of death, as well as anything that they believe will lead to death.
Fear-mongering
Once the reality of the virus had set in, in his March 16th, 2020 paper, Neil Ferguson, a professor and epidemiologist from Imperial College in London, released his projected deaths from COVID in countries around the world. His models predicted that there would be over 2.5 million deaths in the United States. With a population of over 330 million people, that represented just under 1% of the entire country’s population. In Canada, with a population of over 38 million people, Dr. Ferguson’s models projected over 325,000 deaths, again, just under 1% of the entire population. I will admit, those are terrifying numbers, and many people, perhaps justifiably so, welcomed any and all measures to mitigate those projected deaths. People around the world were very, very afraid.
So afraid, in fact, that unprecedented forms of quarantining, draconian lockdown measures, hyper-hygienic practices, perpetual masking, six-foot personal bubbles, economy-devastating restrictions, and freedom-decimating rules were both put into place AND joyfully accepted by the majority of people. Even after the models were readjusted, and the newly projected deaths were significantly lower, most people applauded the new course without seeing the need for any correction. Even now, almost three years later, when the actual Infection Fatality Rate represent a fraction of the originally projected numbers (0.07% to 0.03% worldwide), many people approve of doing whatever it takes to #StopTheSpread. But why? Fear, that’s why. The fear of getting the virus and dying from the virus. The fear of spreading the virus and causing the death of someone else, especially a loved one. The seeds of the fear of death were planted deep into the hearts and minds of people in 2020, and almost as quickly as the soil was watered, the plants came into full bloom. Now, those plants have produced a bitter fruit many times over, and the harvest has been collected, and collected again, and will be as long as that seed lives.
Fearless
How should we respond to the reality of so many people so utterly afraid of death? How are we as followers of Jesus supposed to move forward in this climate of deep and profound fear?
For followers of Jesus, those who have been made new in Christ, who have counted the cost of discipleship, and who have submitted their lives to the will of God, our declaration is simple. We will not fear death. We must not fear death. We have no reason to fear death. How can the fear of death direct our lives when we have been called by Christ to take up our crosses, join the “death march,” and be prepared to lose our lives for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-38)? How can we fear death when there are greater things to be afraid of, namely, a holy and righteous God who offers a fate worse than physical death (Matthew 10:28)? Why should we fear death when our great Shepherd has promised to raise us up to eternal life (John 6:37-40), to guard our salvation and never let us go (John 10:27-30), and to prepare an eternal home for us (John 14:1-4)? For the follower of Jesus, death is a gain (Philippians 1:21-23), because we get to wait with Christ until He returns in glory.
The fear of both getting and spreading COVID cannot determine how we live; obedience to the commands of Christ and glorifying our Father in Heaven, that is the path we trek. In all things, our primary concern should not be, “What if I get the virus and give it to another person?” Rather, we must discern, “Does this please the Lord? Is this what He requires of me? Will this exalt the name of Christ far above anything or anyone else?” These are not mere platitudes; catchy phrases emblazoned on coffee mugs. These are the questions that drove the life and ministry of Christ Himself when He was on this Earth. They have driven every single person used by God to advance His Kingdom. “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).
The fear of the Lord
Now, having asserted all of that, I would be remiss if I did not address everyone else, those who have not bowed the knee to Christ as Lord and King. What of those who are not united to Christ? Should they fear death? Yes, absolutely and totally, with every atom in their bodies. Why must they fear death? Because their life on this Earth, lived apart from union with Christ, is infinitely more glorious than the eternal fate that awaits those who reject Christ and die in their glad rebellion to the King of Kings. They should be afraid of the fact that they will drink the cup of God’s wrath all the way down, paying for their willful sins for all eternity. Truly terrifying stuff.
But this, my dear brother or sister in Christ, is what drives our proclamation of the Gospel, the Good News that God the Father, through the obedient life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of Christ has reconciled all things to Himself and is making all things new. If they would turn from their sin and trust and submit to Christ, then they too would not have any more reasons to fear death. This virus has flung open the door of evangelistic opportunities. Let us boldly, with no reason to fear, proclaim that Christ is God and not the State. Let us walk in the freedom purchased for by His blood. Let us go to church and worship with the saints. Let us fear not, because Christ is with us, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).