Looking Out for #1

Within the genre of science fiction storytelling, there exists this idea of self-preservation. In these futuristic stories, scientists have developed ways of extending human life way beyond what is natural. Maybe you’ve heard of the concept of cryo-sleep. Cryo-sleep is when a person goes into a deep sleep inside of what looks like a high-tech capsule or chamber. They go to sleep in that chamber sometimes for months or even years. And while they’re inside this chamber, the natural biological processes of the body are put on pause. So things like the aging process go on pause. And this is a plot device that is used so that characters can travel through time or through long distances in outer space without any changes taking place. Of course, cryo-sleep doesn’t exist yet, but scientists are studying it as we speak. They are studying hibernation in animals to see if something like that could happen for human beings, especially in the context of outer space long-distance travel. Now, as interesting as that all is, there’s still a more disturbing idea of self-preservation. I’m talking about cryogenics or cryonics. It’s similar to cryo-sleep, except that in cryogenics or cryonics, a person is actually dead. They’re not sleeping. It hinges on the idea that if you were to die today from an incurable disease, that you can put your corpse in this freezing tank and then somehow wake up way in the future when supposedly there’s a cure that exists. Now, of course, you have to contend with first raising a person from the dead in order to give them the cure that they need. Now, again, as crazy as this all sounds, it hasn’t stopped people from trying it. The two most famous cases that deal with the controversial procedure of cryonics or cryogenics is James Bedford and Ted Williams. James Bedford was the first person to undergo this procedure. He was an American psychologist in the 1960s. Ted Williams, he was a former MLB player, and his case was famous because he was a high-profile athlete. Now, according to various sources, there have been hundreds of other people who have undergone this controversial procedure. Now, we may think these people are crazy. They’re eccentric, millionaire atheists. And if Dr. Luke would have to assess them, he would say that they are suffering from narcissism, from selfishness. Okay, so maybe we’re not these millionaire atheists who sign up for these kinds of procedures, but we are all familiar with selfishness. We are all familiar with the concept of self-preservation. We tend to do what’s best for us instead of others. We lean towards self-preservation, especially if it means having to undergo pain or suffering. You see, we were created not for pain and suffering. We were created for peace and levity and laughter and those kinds of things. And so we naturally steer away from pain, from discomfort. Now, perhaps, like I said, perhaps we’re not these people who sign up for these procedures, but we see selfishness in our everyday life, whether it’s at home, at work, or at school. We’ve all seen selfishness in all of its various forms. And again, we especially steer away when it’s something painful. Just to give you an example on a smaller scale, one of the reasons why it’s difficult to stay consistent with the workout program or exercise routine is that we don’t like feeling pain, right? It’s painful to strain the muscle. No one likes feeling sore. We all know what that’s like. Now, let’s just imagine for a moment that the laws in our country changed. And the new law or the new rule was that if you break any rule, if you break any law, the punishment is that you will be severely flogged. It doesn’t matter what the rule or law is. If you break it, this is what will happen. Now, let’s say that you happen to break these laws. You weren’t trying to, perhaps. Let’s say you broke one of these laws. Would you be willing to undergo that punishment? And what if you were actually innocent? Or would you be willing to undergo that punishment for someone who was guilty? Or would you lean towards self-preservation? My friends, this is why what Jesus does here in our text is so amazing. Although he could have chosen self-preservation, he chooses sacrifice instead. But the same cannot be said of his disciples. His disciples chose self-preservation. Even though on the night of his betrayal, all of his disciples claimed that they would stick with Jesus right up until the end. But they didn’t. And then we have Peter publicly denying Jesus to his face. You see, Peter didn’t want to be treated the way Jesus was being treated. It’s shameful. But how often have we been like Peter, brothers and sisters? How often have we not spoken up for somebody because we didn’t want to suffer wrath? How often have we been ashamed of Jesus? How often have we been afraid to show our faith because we didn’t want to suffer wrath or verbal abuse? Just think about other Christians around the world, places where Christianity is heavily persecuted. Do you think sometimes they’re tempted with this thought of, maybe it’s just easier if I just pretend to be Muslim or Hindu or atheist. Because if I do that, then at least I won’t go to jail or at least I won’t be killed. Brothers and sisters, the things that we go through here in our country, it’s nothing compared to what other Christians face around the world. Likewise, it’s nothing compared to what Jesus underwent. But Jesus knew that he had to be there. Jesus knew that he had to suffer abuse from the Sanhedrin. You see, this is why Jesus is called the Christ or Messiah. These titles, they mean the same thing, but they come from two different languages. Christ is Christos in Greek, Messiah, Meshiach in Hebrew, and they both mean anointed or the anointed one. Anointed for what? Anointed to die, brothers and sisters. Jesus was born to die. Jesus was born to suffer on the cross for crimes that he did not commit. God himself chose to be punished on our behalf so that we could live. Jesus did not choose self-preservation. Jesus chose sacrifice. Now, brothers and sisters, even though he was truly number one, he wasn’t looking out for number one. He was looking out for what was in our best interest. This is why the love of God is so amazing. It’s completely contrary to the way we do things. It’s the opposite of how we love. God’s love is perfect. It’s unconditional. It’s selfless, not self-seeking. And so may this truth empower us to reflect his love to others. You see, the fact of the matter is you don’t belong to yourself. You belong to God because you were purchased with the priceless blood of God. And the proof of that purchase is Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. And so, let us live a life that reflects that fact, brothers and sisters. The way that we show selfless love in our lives, it’ll look different for different people. If you’re a nurse or a doctor, maybe even though you’re tired, maybe it’s working extra shifts during a health crisis. Maybe it’s speaking up about unethical practices at your place of employment, even though it can mean that you lose your job. Maybe it’s helping somebody leave an abusive relationship, even though it might put an emotional strain or a physical strain on you. Maybe it’s standing up against cyberbullying, even though it might bring backlash on you. If you’re a first responder, what does going that extra mile look like? Regardless of whatever our vocation in life happens to be, whether it’s a parent, a son, a daughter, a husband, wife, what does selfless love look like? Brothers and sisters, may God remind us of his selfless love, and may we reflect it in our own lives. As I was speaking about before, people desperately search for self-preservation, but they look for it, they look for it in vain. Meanwhile, we have the message that will actually grant immortality. You see, you who have been crucified with Christ, will also be raised with him to everlasting life. Amen.