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Jesus’s Words on Quieting the Anxiety and Fear Within

by Shirley Paulson, PhD

Jesus never got a chance to vote. He lived in an occupied state, where he had no say in policy decisions that controlled every part of his life (and death). But he did have things to say to people who felt oppressed by unjust forms of power. First, anger can’t win. Second, people are not to be feared, because they are not the real enemies.

Even though we do not live in the conditions of Roman occupation, we feel tension almost everywhere. Today, with anxiety instigated and amplified by 24 hour news cycles, social media, and hyper-partisanship, it’s easy to slip into the thinking that we are doomed if things do not go “our way.” Fear claws at us more powerfully than hope and inspiration, and it can be overwhelming.

Jesus’s teachings speak to these deep concerns and can help us navigate contemporary tensions.

The early Jesus people lived in a world that was not as it should have been. Everyday life was full of suffering and pain, and human beings enacted great cruelty and violence. And yet, despite all of that, Jesus’s message, that people were also capable of love and good works, grew stronger over time.

Jesus and his followers had already “lost” from a political standpoint. His words didn’t offer solutions to change government policies and he didn’t suggest ways to gain state-recognized power. But despite that, Christians throughout the millennia have still sensed that Jesus, “the Savior,” is the one who can rescue human beings from the wretched state of worldly pain and restore love and justice.

How did he, and how can he, help? In the Dialogue of the Savior (from the Nag Hammadi collection), Jesus addresses anger and fear directly. The passages include some annoying gaps in the manuscript, but we can still get the idea. Speaking specifically to some of his disciples, he said,

I say to you, always rise above (unreadable) … time … I say to you, … do not be afraid of those (unreadable) … you…  I say to you, anger is frightening, and whoever stirs up anger is a frightening person.  …

People received these words about anger and fear with trembling. Anger established rulers over them, for no one escapes anger. But when I came, I opened a path and taught people about the way of passage for those who are chosen and alone, who have known the Father and have believed the truth.

“The chosen” usually refers to those who know that they are ‘chosen’ to do good, in obedience and love.

Continuing in the Dialogue of the Savior, Jesus said,

Do not be afraid and say, “Look, the time has come.” . . . In truth, fear is the power of darkness. So if you are afraid of what is about to come upon you, it will overwhelm you, and not one among them will spare you or show you mercy. Rather, look at what is within, since you have mastered every word on earth. This will take you up to a place where there is no dominion and no tyrant.

Simply put, Jesus implies that people are not the enemy. It’s our own anger and fear that cause us to be victims. We have the power to choose our thoughts.

It’s easy to forget that Jesus was not sitting on a throne of glory when he taught moral virtues. His power and strength came from the context of living with violence, oppression, and injustice. Knowing where he came from strengthens our willingness to follow his guidance, even when it’s hard.

The “way of passage” could be asking us to look at our own inner strength, rather than fearing the acts and words of others. Admittedly, this is not easy to do.

Since most Christians have probably learned the basic teachings from the canonical gospels quite well, this is a good time to check our willingness to put them into practice.

In the context of hyper-partisanship, am I willing to “love my enemies”?

Jesus said: But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. (Mat 5:44,45)

In the context of unrelenting expressions of doom and gloom, can I do something to bring more peace to those around me?

Jesus said: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Mat 5:9)

In the context of political turmoil, can I be a “good Samaritan,” noticing and attending to the needs of others who may not be on “my side”?

But a Samaritan, while traveling, came near him [the man beaten and left to die]; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (Luke 10:33,34)

In the context of my own fear and anxiety, can I “acquire his peace within myself?”

Jesus said, Peace be with you. Acquire my peace within yourselves. (Gospel of Mary 4:2)

It must have been quite challenging in the context of Roman oppression for the early Jesus followers to quiet the anger and fear within themselves, to love those who instigated their experience of subjugation and violence, to be peacemakers when confronted with profound injustice, and to attend to the needs of “their enemies.” But Jesus told them how to do it, and many of them used his words to find peace within.

Jesus’s message is still impressively relevant.

We can do it too.