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Mark 3:1-6: Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

The power of words.

Jesus confronted the religio-societal powers on their home court. He spoke words – twenty-five of them in the Gospel according to Mark. Of those words, six were directions given to a suffering man. The remainder was not a statement contrary to the Pharisees and scribes. Instead, those words formed one question that the religious authorities either could not, or would not, answer. This nineteen-word question exposed their hypocrisy.

Because of these bold words, Jesus’ opponents colluded with the government to destroy him. They could not win neither the debate nor the narrative. They were losing their influence. They reacted with plans of destruction.

Fast forward to today.

A college campus is not like a synagogue. The actions and speech in a synagogue are regulated and controlled. On the other hand, an American college campus is a base of free-speech where wide-eyed wondering students encounter competing ideas that work against each other.  If an idea is worthy of logical support, it should survive the debate. If the idea has no basis in truth, then it is exposed.

Our country has long stood for freedom of speech. It’s a bedrock of our constitutional republic. It is built on the idea that ideas should collide in the public square so that wrong ideas can be shown to be wrong, right ideas can ultimately prevail, and all those opinions in-between can be refined. Because we have freedom of speech, Christianity has flourished on our soil. 

When someone cannot win the war of ideas, they may resort to violence. 9-11 is the biggest reminder of that. Charlie Kirk’s death is another. Kirk was criticized for expressing his opinions on a college campus. 

Let that sink in for a moment. In America, he was criticized for using college campuses for the constitutionally encouraged purpose for which college campuses exist – to enter into the arena of competing ideas. His opinions were called “divisive.” That critical label can be pinned on anyone who exists outside an echo chamber where only one idea is allowed.  

Jesus came to be divisive. After he told his disciples to be anxious for nothing (Luke 12:22-31), he tells them that their personal peace will be lived in the midst of earthly division:

Luke12:51-53 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”  

Pastoral Reflections and Takeaways:

(1) Violence will always surround us. Those who cannot win a public debate will seek other ways of silencing their opponent. The martyr, Jan Huss, knew it. Polycarp, Perpetua, and Felicity knew it. John the Baptist knew it. As Christians, we are called to be messengers of light. We proclaim freedom in Christ. According to the Scriptures, we proclaim life and justice for all, especially those among us who are so weak or undeveloped that they have no voice. We proclaim love and clarity, especially to children who are struggling to find meaning in a world that celebrates, promotes, and affirms childhood and adolescent chaos. We proclaim in faith, with hope, through love.

(2) Love is the greatest of all. Speech is effective for God’s Kingdom when rooted in his truth and delivered in love.  I Corinthians 13:4-8a says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

(3) We understand that true change only comes from Jesus. When someone is convinced that their behaviors are destructive, they may change behaviors. When someone’s ideas are proven errant, and they can swallow some pride, they change their position on an issue. But until the Lord builds the house, there is no real change. Without the saving power of Jesus, that person is like a house that is being eaten by termites on the inside while getting new siding and landscaping.  It looks nice but is dead on the inside.

Therefore, strive to proclaim Jesus to this world with love, kindness, and clarity.

Go forth with courage and humility.

Stay rooted in God’s Word and prayer.

Be committed to his calling.