Do we fear death? That is a question that likely crossed many of our minds in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. A Catholic should not be afraid to die because they know death is not the end. Death marks the beginning of our eternal life. What we should worry about is spiritual death. That is to say, allowing our soul to be lost and tossed into the eternal fires of hell. Are you more concerned about your physical life or your spiritual life? As you read the Gospel, allow the Lord to illuminate your heart and answer that question for you.
Warnings and Encouragements
Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12 : 1-7
Scriptural Analysis
Jesus’s fame had spread and a large crowd has gathered. He will soon address them but before he does, he addresses his disciples. He first warns them to be, “on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees” who he decries as hypocrites. They are hypocrites because externally they act like they are upright but their interior is full of evil. They pointed out others faults but failed to see their own. Jesus associates their hypocrisy with leaven which the Israelites removed from their home at the time of the Exodus: “On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.” (Exodus 12:15) Jesus is calling the Pharisees a corrupting influence on the people and warning the disciples not to allow that influence into their heart.
Jesus then presents a series of contrasting statements to illustrate that no-one will get away with such hypocrisy. Anything that is hidden will be revealed. Recall that Jesus had a similar statement in chapter eight of Luke’s Gospel, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” (8:17) In that instance what was hidden was the word of God. In this instance, it is their hypocrisy.
Jesus opens the next section by calling his disciples my friends, philoi, which is otherwise only found in the Gospel of John. Friendship is presented as an antidote to fear, marking Jesus’s transition into the central point of his dialogue with his disciples. Persecution, fear of being persecuted could cause the disciples to deny Jesus and he knows this. Jesus warns them that what can kill the body should never be feared. Instead, fear that which can cause one to be tossed into Gehenna. Jesus is putting the life of the body into perspective. The inheritance of eternal life must be our ultimate concern: not the preservation of this life. Proverbs tell us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (9:10) In this statement, fear means religious awe. Out of that awe comes the knowledge that the most important thing is God.
Fear of the Lord also necessitates trust: we must trust that the Lord will provide so that there is no reason to feat those who would persecute you and put you to death. We see Jesus again reason from the lesser to the greater. God cares for the sparrows: an animal so small where 5 of them are sold for two small coins which is about 1 hours wage. If God does that, how much more does he care about people, about you and I, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5) He knows the number of hairs on our head so of course he knows our needs and will provide for them. All we must do is trust.
Daily Application
Our modern world is focussed on physical health. Between all of the advertisements for various diets, exercise routines, supplements, and healthcare providers, a fortune is spent each and every year on trying to maintain, achieve, or repair our physical health. In 2020 alone it was estimated that over $4 trillion was spent in the United States alone on health. Now, on the surface there is nothing wrong with maintaining good physical health. Our bodies, as St. Paul tells us are temples, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6 : 19-20)
The problem is when our physical health becomes so important that we neglect our spiritual health. Data is harder to come by, but it is estimated that $1.2 trillion in economic value was created by religion in 2020. It is not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, but we spend about 25% of what we spend on health on religion. On the surface, it would seem that our spiritual health is only about 1/4 as important to us as our physical health. Again, not a perfect comparison but certainly, as a society, we place more emphasis on physical health.
Yet this Gospel tells us to do the opposite, “do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.” The Lord is clearly telling us that, while physical health is important, there is something far more important than that. He goes on to tell us, “Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.” Fear him who has the authority to throw you into hell. It does not get much more direct than that. The one whom we are to fear is the one who can cause us to spend eternity in hell. In other words, while physical health is important, but when all is said and done, spiritual health is far more important.
Do we live like this? Do our lives reflect that fact that spiritual health is far more important than physical health? At a societal level, when one looks at what establishments were allowed to remain open compared to what was closed during the pandemic, it does not appear to be the case. Our church attendance numbers are declining yet there is a gym on almost every corner and in every neighborhood. Individually, do we spend more time working out than we do in prayer? Do we spend more of your financial resources on healthcare and health related purchases than we do on spiritual resources? Now no single point above alone is an inditement but rather these are warnings: warnings that our priorities may be out of line and I may be valuing the wrong thing.
At the end of the day you and I will either spend eternity in heaven or hell. It is time for our lives to reflect that: time for us to stop worrying about our earthly life so much and worry about our eternal life a whole lot more. Ask the Lord for the peace that comes from knowing that God never forgets you. He has you in this world so you can focus on the eternal life to come.
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