God Doesn’t Expect More from Us Than from Himself

I hear it all the time, or something like it. “I can’t do that. I’m not perfect like God.” It is so easy to turn our attention away from the life God desires for us. It isn’t that we don’t want to follow God. Our soul is most definitely called by God, and deep down in our mind we know we would prefer to follow God. It is just that when push comes to shove, we can’t muster up the courage or strength, or both, to do it. Thankfully, God did it for us.

Today is the Fifth Day of Christmas, and the Church draws our attention back to the reality that the world is fighting against God. The Gospel today recalls the plot of Herod to kill Christ. Then, when he found out he had been tricked, he began to slaughter every child within his reach. By accounts, more than 14,000 innocent children were killed by Herod.

When the wise men departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.” But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaos reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Matthew 2.13-23

The world was out to get Christ, and it is out to get us too. We keep getting warned by God and His angels, but I’m starting to think we are ignoring the warning signs. At least it seems like we’ve stopped trying to ‘stay alive in Christ’ in exchange for being left alone on earth. What was God thinking when He asked us to stand up to the world? What was God expecting when He challenged us? “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10.39)

As we turn every corner face with temptation and persecution, we should remember that Christ did and experienced everything we are asked to do and experience. He was tempted and He was persecuted. He doesn’t ask us to do or experience anything He is not willing Himself. This is the essence of Saint Paul’s reminder in today’s Epistle lesson.

BRETHREN, he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, “I will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I, and the children God has given me. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage. For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Hebrews 2.11-18

When we suffer, we should remember that Christ suffered. When we are tempted, or persecuted, or shunned as outcasts, we can be comforted knowing it was no different for Christ. The world was out to get Him, but the world didn’t realize it was fighting against God. You can’t win against God. You just can’t win.

Our benefit is that God knows exactly what it is like to be tempted and persecuted and outcast. He knows what it is like to be isolated by the world. When He asks us to be willing to experience that same, He isn’t us to be better than Him. He is just asking us to trust Him. He has our back. He is holding our hand. He is always saving us, sometimes even when we don’t want Him.