“Can’t keep quiet”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Saturday, March 23, 2024

2 Corinthians 4:13-18 (Forward, p. 54) CEV p. 1208

Compelled to speak, to speak out: that a ‘refrain’ that we find frequently in the Holy Scriptures. Moses was compelled, literally so, to go and speak to Pharoah (see Exodus 3:10,18). Jeremiah, likewise, felt compelled. Indeed, God’s message felt like a burning fire within him (Jeremiah 20:9). To quote him directly, “But when I say, ‘I will forget the Lord and no longer speak in his name,’ then your message is like a fire burning deep within me. I try my best to hold it in, but can no longer keep it back.” The twelve disciples certainly felt this compulsion. Indeed, they had been commanded to go out into all the world with God’s message (see Matthew 28:19-20 and Luke 24:47). And likewise, the same can be said of the apostle Paul. He says, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16).

In today’s passage he relates something of the origins of that compulsion. He believes, yes, but there is a rational, objective, tangible reason for that belief. It is because God raised Jesus from the grave: a reality that he experienced upon the Damascus Road and that many of his colleagues had experienced in the Upper Room, Galilee and elsewhere. “So we speak, because we know that God raised the Lord Jesus to life” (verses 13b-14a).

And so, it is based simply on an order, or a commission, that has been forced upon him, but something that he simply cannot help. He simply cannot keep quiet—because of what God has done in history by raising Christ from the dead.

But compelled as that might seem, there is more to it than just that. There are also the implications, the results, of Jesus being raised from the dead. Here Paul mentions four of them:

a) There is the reality of eternal life for every believer: “Just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life” (verse 14b).

b) And the promise of being with God forever: “Then he will bring us into his presence together with you” (verse 14c).

c) There is an increased knowledge of the goodness of God, and increased praise, and presumably increased faith as well: “All this had been done for you, so that more and more people will know how kind God is and will praise and honour him (verse 15).

d) And because we know that God has conquered death once and for all, we have an unbeatable resilience and bravery in what we face here on earth: “We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen” (verses 16-18.)

No wonder Paul can’t keep quiet, and seeing as we, you and I, are fully aware of those same realities, neither should we—for, as we have seen, such a belief and awareness not only impacts how we can live through difficult and perilous times but how others too can live. And, surely this too, is something too good, too precious, to keep to ourselves. Thanks be to God.

Forward notes: “Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” (verse 15).

“Many years ago, I encountered a new co-worker who was curious about my faith. He had constant questions, but I didn’t talk about my faith at work. Over time, however, we became close friends. I began to share information about my experiences of church.

“Being authentically me helped my friend engage the presence of Christ as the authentic person he was made by God to be. This spirit of grace and openness revealed something far more profound than any persuasive witnessing would have done. The power of God was present in the grace.”

Moving Forward: “Forward Movement provides daily devotionals, Bible studies, and other resources to nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons. You can join in this ministry with a donation…”