George Anderson wanted to write a book. He had the subject of his book in mind. The title would be Handling Troubles. He knew that if he could get a publisher, the book would help other people. He knew he could do it, but he didn't know how, so he joined a writers' group.
A famous and successful author was addressing a group of novice writers at the writers' group meeting. The would-be writers, including George, hung on his every word. "There must always be conflict," the speaker said. "Conflict is the presenting problem, the nerve, of all good fiction. As a matter of fact, without conflict, there is no story."
George found himself thinking about that. He was a pastor. As he thought about all the people who had shared their life stories with him, he realized the truth of the speaker's point. All the people he knew had conflicts. He had them too. Currently, he was having a conflict with one of his church council members. "Conflict isn't necessarily bad," he thought. "It all depends on how you handle it." Then George thought about Jesus and the stories in scripture. "Lots of conflicts there," he thought.
In good fiction, there must always be some kind of conflict. In the world of the Bible, which is not fiction, we see the same principle at work. There is always conflict. God created us, but we rebelled and disobeyed him -- conflict.
Abraham was called by God to leave his home country, his comfort zone -- conflict. Moses was called to go back to Egypt, from which he had fled. He was called to confront Pharaoh. He was called to lead the Jewish people out of bondage. Conflict occurred over and over again. Isaiah had conflict. So did Jeremiah and all the prophets. So did Jesus.
In Mark 6:1-6a, we see that Jesus, in the midst of conflicts with the religious establishment, also had a major conflict in his hometown, even with his own family. At first astounded, the townspeople began to turn against Jesus as they began to say to one another, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, are not his sisters here with us?" Mark reports, "And they took offense at him" (Mark 6:3). Conflict was beginning to brew.
When Jesus said, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin" (Mark 6:4), the brewing conflict boiled over. It moved from serious confrontation to explosive violence. Resentment and hatred filled the air like a blinding fog.
According to the same story in Luke's gospel (Luke 4:16-30), the additional details missing from Mark's account show resentment, hatred, and violence. "After preaching on the prophet Isaiah, Jesus said that the text was fulfilled in him, offending many of the people in the synagogue because the Isaiah text (Isaiah 61-1-2) was about the hated Gentiles being included in God's plans for a jubilee celebration related to the coming Messiah.1 Controversy upon controversy about the Gentiles and the coming Messiah caused a major reversal from the initial cheerful good reception. The atmosphere of hospitality for a hometown boy preaching in the hometown congregation moved to the accusation, "Just who do you think you are?" Murmuring replaced greetings of welcome.
Jesus' comments got things stirred up. They got more stirred up when Jesus, looking into the eyes of the people and reading their minds, added, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did in Capernaum' " (Luke 4:23).
Going from bad to worse, the crowd entered a kind of mania as they shouted slurs against Jesus and pushed and shoved him in front of them, headed for a hill. The Luke text suggests that some of the members of Jesus' family were in that crowd. Were they trying unsuccessfully to protect him or were they part of the mania against him? We don't know, but this much is clear: Jesus' family members were in that synagogue crowd. The mob reached the end of a cliff and were about to push Jesus over when he suddenly turned and looked directly at the mob leaders, with a look of absolute authority, as if it was his to command. Then Jesus just "walked through the midst of them," like a general walking through his troops. What a sight it would have been to be there, see that look, and watch that reversal!
Heightened conflict filled the air. Conflict personified was suddenly resolved by the look of the Lord God incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ. There isn't much I wouldn't sell to buy a ticket to that drama, but of course, no such thing is possible, except in a certain sense of sanctified imagination carrying us there. The story can draw us in as participants, not as audience. As the Spirit of God works in us, we can be there in our minds. We can feel the conflict and resolution. Jesus just walked right through them, like he walked on water. He commanded the violent mob like he commanded the violent wind and waves. Suddenly, there was quiet astonishment, as if God himself was present. He was.
That Jesus calmed a violent mob or a violent storm shows his power in the face of conflict. That Jesus is in charge of the universe and he promises to be powerfully present with his disciples is a great encouragement. Believers are victors, or "more than conquerors," as Saint Paul says (Romans 8:37), not because they have no conflict, but because Jesus befriends them in conflict and overcomes it.
Disciples have conflicts. After Jesus' conflicts with his family, he gave instructions to his disciples as they were directed to go out on missions for him. In Mark 6:6b-13 we hear that Jesus' disciples dealt with conflicts galore as they went out on missions for the Lord. Jesus told them of the conflict before they went out. He said, "If any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them" (Mark 6:11).
In Luke's gospel there are more details in the account of the sending of the disciples on mission. If it is the same mission commission, and not a separate one,2 Jesus sent out seventy disciples, in partnerships of two, to go ahead of him into the towns where he would be going (Luke 10:1). "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few," Jesus said. "... Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves" (Luke 10:3). I'd say that's a firm prediction of conflict. The story gets more exciting because of the opposition of the enemies to be faced.
The demonic forces trying to keep the kingdom actions of these early Christians from fulfillment are great. Colossal conflict awaits the disciples of Jesus. "In this world you will have trouble," Jesus promised. He also said, "Take heart, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33 NIV). Whether people believe it or not, whether they like it or not, whether they oppose it or not, whether they raise havoc against God's disciples or not, when the disciples of Jesus go out on mission, the kingdom of God comes near to those who hear the gospel message (Luke 10:11). Conflict may come, but God's kingdom is stronger than all opposition, including the kingdoms of the world.
In the light of the story of Jesus and his disciples and the conflicts that characterize their stories, we should not expect that being Christian disciples today will be easy, peaceful, and devoid of conflicts, but we do. We are often surprised when with family, friends, or people who are outside the faith, we face conflict. We are often surprised when in society or even in the church, which is supposed to be a preview of the kingdom of God, we discover and have to deal with conflict. "It shouldn't be that way," novice Christians say. "That's the way it is," more veteran Christians respond. "We are all sinners. Where there is sin, there will be conflict."
A new Christian, let's call her Amanda, came into the pastor's office with a startling announcement. "I quit," she said. "I quit the church. I just joined a few weeks ago, but I can't stand it any longer. I quit." Fortunately the pastor had been a pastor for a long time. He thought that Amanda might have some false expectations about her newfound faith. He didn't try to argue her away from her conviction that her entrance into the world of Christians was over. He just responded, "Can you tell me about it?"
"Yes," she said, "but don't try to talk me out of it. I quit. That's it."
"I promise," he said. "Let me just listen to your story."
"In the pastor's class I took before joining this church, you said that Christians have peace that passes understanding. You promised that my life, and the life of non-believers, would change and improve by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. You said that I would be happy and successful. I gave it four weeks. It didn't work. I quit."
"Amanda, are you sure you heard me say those things?"
"I think that's what you said. At least, that's what I heard."
The pastor then responded, "Before we go back to what I said or what you heard, are you willing to fill me in a little more about your background and your need for help? Can you tell me some of the conflicts you have had or are having?"
After an hour of sharing with the pastor about her upbringing outside the church and her feeling inferior to others and ignorant around Christians, Amanda burst into tears. She said, "Pastor, I was raped a month before I started coming to church. I feel awful about myself. I know in my head that the rape wasn't my fault, but I still feel guilty and dirty about what happened to me. I need help. I came to the church looking for help. Instead, I've just gotten more conflicts added to the ones I had before I came to church. Not only has my family rejected me because I've become a Christian; in addition, there are some nasty women at work who are calling me names like 'holier-than-thou Mandy.' I can't stand it any longer."
"Amanda, we can get you into a rape counseling group I know about. We can also get you into a women's prayer and Bible study group where the women will be able to help you. I happen to know that some of the women in that group have suffered sexual abuse. They have helped other younger women, like you, who have suffered abuse."
"Pastor, you are so kind to offer all this. I know I should have sought help with the rape, but I was afraid others would look down on me if they knew this happened and as far as the prayer group goes, I'm so ignorant of the Bible and the ways of Christians, I'm totally uptight about attending a group like that."
"Would you be willing to come to the Bible study group if Mary attended with you? She's your friend, isn't she -- the one who first brought you to church? Would you be willing to try it? If you don't like it, you can always quit."
"Well, if Mary will go with me, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a try."
"Good, and if you are willing, I'll give you the name and phone number of the contact person at the rape counseling group. You can contact her whenever you are ready."
"I would be willing to take the name and number. I'm not sure I have the courage to contact her, but I'll think about it."
"Would you mind if I pray with you?"
"That's fine, just don't ask me to pray out loud. I'm not ready for that."
After the pastor prayed for Amanda, she started toward the door. "One more thing. If you'll let me stay as a member, I'll try to do better. I really want to be a Christian. I just need help. I'm lonely and filled with stress. And by the way, I guess you never really said those things I said at the beginning. I just heard what I wanted to hear."
"Amanda, just remember, God loves you more than you can imagine. He wants the best for you and he won't ever desert you. It isn't easy to be a Christian today because we live in a culture that opposes much of what Christians teach, but I believe in you and God believes in you. You have great potential to be a fine disciple of the Lord. We just have to get you through this very difficult period of stress which is very real. Here is a Bible verse for you to take with you. You might want to use it every morning in your prayers and memorize it. The Bible verse is John 16:33 (NIV). "Jesus said, 'In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.' "
Three weeks later Amanda came back to see the pastor. She said, "The group you sent me to has been wonderful. They have really welcomed me. I thought I'd feel awkward, and I did a little at first, but Mary being there really helped and the other women were very supportive. One of them even took me out to dinner and listened to my troubles and conflicts. I'm feeling a lot better since I talked to you three weeks ago."
The pastor responded, "I'm really glad that the group has helped you. Sometimes, just being with other Christians who listen to your story helps to sort things through. Conflicts come to all of us. How we come out is not so much what happens to us as how we respond to what happens to us. We usually respond better to our conflicts if we have understanding people with whom we can share what is happening to us. That's what the community of the church is all about. In the Bible, that special fellowship in Christ is called koinonia."
"That's a new word for me. There are lots of new things in the church I don't know about, but I want you to know more and believe it or not, I memorized that Bible passage about Jesus overcoming the world. I haven't gotten over that terrible experience I had a few months ago but I have set up an appointment with the rape counseling center and I will be going to see someone there this week. That Bible passage you gave me has really helped. I say it every morning."
"I have another one for you," the pastor said. "It's Jeremiah 29:11. 'For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.' " The pastor handed her the verse on a card. "Just remember, that doesn't mean you won't have troubles or conflicts. On the contrary, everyone, Christian or atheist, has conflicts that must be faced. Conflict is a part of every person's story. This passage just means that when you have troubles and conflicts, you won't have to deal with them alone. God will be right there, going through whatever you go through with you."
"Yes, I know," she said. "In this world I have troubles. But Jesus has overcome the world."
1. Jubilee (Isaiah 61:1-2) derived its name from the custom of proclaiming it by a blast of the trumpet. On the tenth day of the seventh month every fiftieth year the Jubilee trumpet was sounded. It proclaimed liberty for all Israelites who were in bondage. It was a time of new beginnings for the Jews and for the land.
2. The two mission commissionings in the gospels of Mark and Luke appear to be the same story. Luke gives more detail than Mark who typically is brief in describing Jesus' actions.