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MORE SKI RUNS MEAN MORE SPILLS

“Go on Meet the Press and fix it.” How many times has a presidential spokesman had to get up early on Sunday morning, take a White House limo over to NBC studios, get makeup put on their face, and then face moderator Tim Russert for half an hour and try to explain that, no, the President of the United States didn’t really mean that?

Way back in 1976, some of you old-timers may remember that a man named Ron Nessen agreed to host the edgy late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live. Well, that long-running staple has had hosts every week for about three decades now, but the unusual thing here was that Mr. Ron Nessen was THE official White House press secretary, THE public voice for one Gerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th President of the United States. And in one of the monologues, he addressed the question: “What is it you really DO for the President?”

“Well,” Nessen replied — and we’re kind of recreating this many years later — “it’s my job to explain to the press: ‘What caused the President to trip and fall and knock over five Salvation Army volunteer ladies was thus-and-so. The accident on the ski slopes last week was really precipitated by this or that unforeseen obstacle. And in yesterday’s press conference, what the President REALLY MEANT to say was “such-and-such.”’” President Ford apparently had a bit of a penchant for falling down the steps of Air Force One, of beaning innocent bystanders on the golf course, of sliding down snow-covered slopes on his backside instead of on his skis, and of saying amazing, confusing things into the cassette recorders and humming TV cameras of slack-jawed reporters.

In a way, last week and this, we’ve been — in a very humble, on-our-knees way — doing somewhat the same thing. As you read through the Gospel transcripts — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — every now and again a Christian comes across a Bible verse, clearly marked in red. That means that Jesus Himself is speaking; these are His words. And we shake our heads and mutter to ourselves: JESUS, YOU DON’T REALLY MEAN THAT! Did Jesus really say such a harsh-sounding, or judgmental-sounding, or the-Gospel-to-the-Israelites-only-sounding kind of thing? Do we need to come along here and “spin” for Him a little bit? Are there some Greek nuances we can find to cast His speeches in a better light?

Today we want to get into one that’s not really shocking or offensive; it’s simply unbelievable. Many of you are familiar with this one, I’m sure, because it’s not only part of the beautiful Sermon on the Mount, but also right at the conclusion of Jesus’ famous “Beatitudes.” Blessed are the poor, the meek, the peacemakers, etc. Most of us go along with those just fine. But now in verses 11 and 12, this one is harder to swallow in one bite:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you, because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

I guess we can all accept that persecuted saints do enjoy the blessings of heaven. But it’s interesting to note that some Bible versions like the Amplified actually say: “HAPPY are you when you’re persecuted.” “You can be joyful when people beat up on you and throw verbal pies in your face.” And even the King James, as we just heard, says: “Rejoice and be glad.”

If you haven’t yet read it, we can certainly recommend the recent Doubleday bestseller, Prisoners of Hope, the story of Dayna Curry and Heather Miller, the two young missionary girls who were imprisoned in Afghanistan during the 9/11 crisis. I mean, these two believers were persecuted for their faith; no question about it. They were in a dirty jail in a faraway country, just as surely as Paul and Silas were put into stocks in Philippi. Now, Paul and Silas sang in their cell, and these two beautiful ladies look happy on the cover of the book . . . but of course, that’s after they were let out. When they were incarcerated in Afghanistan and facing death, there were many nights when they shed tears of fear, anxiety, frustration, and just plain sorrow. They tried to “rejoice and be glad,” but I’m sure it was hard to do.

And what if they HAD been killed. Here in 2003, missionaries continue to sometimes die for their faith. Can those people rejoice in their martyrdom? More to the point, can their families back home?

Let’s see what insights we can glean from a modern paraphrase like the Message. Does Jesus really mean these hard words?

“You’re blessed,” Jesus tells us, “when your commitment to God provokes persecution. Not only that — count yourself blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit Me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens — give a cheer, even! — for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.”

We notice, first of all, that Jesus is speaking here about persecution that comes because we’re carrying His banner. Both Dayna and Heather confess in this book that they faced some difficult times earlier in their lives, as teenagers, because they were making wrong choices, living sinful lifestyles. But Jesus isn’t talking about that. He’s speaking specifically of difficulties that come because we’re living for Him, defending His kingdom, living His lifestyle at the workplace, upholding His values in the community and in our families and in our sphere of political influence. And often, we get such persecution — if and when we do — BECAUSE OF Jesus. People are trying to discredit Him. Trying to minimize Him. And yes, often it is because the truth is hitting too close to home. How many times have the tyrants and the dictators tied someone’s hands and lit the flames at the stake, knowing in their hearts that they were opposing heaven? Certainly in Afghanistan, the Holy Spirit, who tries to communicate with all people, forcefully convicted the consciences of those Taliban captors, and reminded them that they were wrestling with God.

It’s a heart-warming thought to realize that, friend, Jesus really does know when you’re persecuted or insulted for Him. Do you think He misses that, doesn’t see or hear it happen? Of course not! He knows! “All heaven applauds,” says that Message paraphrase, and I truly do believe that. The Tyndale commentary for Matthew, by R. T. France, has this to encourage us:

“Since Jesus Himself was abused and slandered, it should be no surprise that His followers receive the same treatment on my account. Indeed it should make them glad, because it shows that they are in the true succession of God’s faithful servants.”

I certainly hope that Dayna and Heather, there in that Islamic reform school for boys where they were incarcerated, thought to themselves regularly: “Just like Paul. We’re captives for Jesus — just like Paul. And just like Peter. And John the Baptist. And John Huss.” What a thrilling realization that would be! In a sense, you know you’re on the right track when that kind of hardship comes along.

The Adventist commentary adds this beautiful thought:

“Whatever life may bring, the Christian is to rejoice” — that’s in Philippians 4:4 — “knowing that God will work all things for his good” — and THAT’S in Romans 8:28! “This is particularly true of temptation or trial, because suffering develops patience and other traits of character essential to citizens of the heavenly kingdom.”

Friend, it always ends well for the persecuted Christian. And not just because U.S. Navy Seals come and rescue you from Afghanistan, with cries of Aaazaad! Aaazaad! – “You’re free! You’re free!” – as Dayna and Heather experienced, singing a Christian praise song entitled “You Have Turned My Mourning Into Dancing” as the American helicopters whisked them to freedom. But because God’s eternal kingdom simply is not going to be defeated, and neither will its loyal subjects.

Here’s a final point. I heard of a Christian kid who dreaded going into the army. He was sure he’d be teased, ridiculed, persecuted for his faith. But after a month of basic training he wrote and told his mother, “Things aren’t that bad at all.” “No persecution?” she asked. “Nope,” he said. “Nobody here’s figured out I’m a Christian.”

And the reality is that if you and I are daring for the Lord, openly living for Him, not hiding it . . . something is going to happen. Back to that Gerald Ford story — the simple fact was that President Ford fell down more ski slopes because he’s one of the most athletic presidents America ever had. How many Chief Executives could even get up there on Vail’s toughest mountains on a pair of Rossignols? So he golfed and he skied, and he had a few wipeouts because of it. When he was running for reelection against Governor Ronald Reagan he unleashed a pretty good joke: “Reagan and I both played some football. I played for University of Michigan. He played for Warner Brothers.” And because he played football and dared to get on a ski lift chair, he experienced a few bumps on his way to glory.

And friend, we can rejoice when it happens that way for us too.

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