As I drive around the Barossa, at times I see people who are driving towards me raise their hand to acknowledge me. It’s something I’ve often seen motorcycle riders do over the years. They often give each other a wave or a nod to express solidarity and camaraderie to others who share their passion for motorcycling. What is a bit different with the people in the Barossa, however, is a personal connection. These aren’t some random strangers who give me a wave as they drive past. These are people I know as neighbours and Christian brothers and sisters. We can acknowledge each other because we have a connection and are growing in our relationships with each other.
Usually when people acknowledge me on the road, I acknowledge them back. More than just a polite thing to do, it signifies a mutual relationship. I sometimes wonder what some might have thought earlier in my time in the Barossa when I was still meeting people and was only just starting to get to know them. There were probably times when people would have acknowledged me that I might not have returned the acknowledgment, either because I didn’t recognise the car or the driver, or I didn’t realise what was happening. I suspect the same thing might happen when I go shopping at the Barossa Fresh supermarket sometimes. I might be so focussed on getting in and out as quickly as I can, or trying to remember the list of items I need to buy, or there might be so many people around that I might not acknowledge someone that I know.
If I’ve ever done that to you, please forgive me. Because I know what it is like to see someone you know, give them a wave to acknowledge them, and not be acknowledged back. It’s happening more and more on my motorbike. I’ll give someone on a Harley Davidson or a motorbike police officer a wave or a nod, and they will just ignore me as they ride past. It happens pretty regularly with Harley riders – they can tend to think they’re better than other motorcycle riders. It’s worse, though, when it’s someone in the shops or driving their car that you know. It could be that they haven’t seen you, but when you catch their eye, give them a wave, and they look the other way, it can be a bit hurtful.
What makes it even more difficult is what happens the next time you see that person – do you try acknowledging them again? Or do you not even bother…?
When Matthew was writing his gospel, many of Jesus’ followers were being persecuted. There were several persecutions of Christians in the time between 75 AD and 90 AD when scholars think that the Gospel of Matthew was compiled. In some of these persecutions, Christians were forced to acknowledge Caesar as their lord. One of the earliest Christian confessions of faith was that “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 12:3, Philippians 2:11). A lot of early Christians were given a clear choice: they could either acknowledge Jesus or Caesar as their lord. If they failed to acknowledge Caesar as lord, then they could be imprisoned, tortured, or killed.
This is why Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:32,33 were so important when he says, “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven” (NLT). If the persecuted Christians acknowledged Jesus, they might lose their lives on earth, but Jesus would welcome them into heaven. If they denied him, they might save their lives on earth but might not be welcomed into their eternal home in heaven.
In our service this Sunday, we will also hear these verses in the Confirmation rite as the eight young people of this year’s Confirmation group are given the opportunity to publicly acknowledge Jesus. While they don’t face persecution the way the early Christians did, there can still be a cost to acknowledging Jesus. Being a Christian in our time and place isn’t always popular. Young people in particular can sometimes face opposition from their peers, ridicule from their culture, and even estrangement from their families. Acknowledging Jesus might not be a choice between life and death like it was in ancient times and still is in some parts of the world, but it can cost our young people popularity or acceptance among their peers.
That’s why giving our young people opportunities to acknowledge Jesus is a gift rather than an expectation. In the early church people acknowledged Jesus because of their faith in him and their love for him. It is vital that modern disciples of Jesus do the same. We can acknowledge Jesus to others when we trust in his goodness, believe in his love, and rely on his grace in our lives. It comes from a deep faith on the gospel – God’s infinite and life-giving love for us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Being willing to acknowledge Jesus, no matter what it might cost us, grows from knowing him and the sacrifice he made because of his love for us. The grace God gives to us in the life, death and resurrection of his Son gives us the desire and the strength to acknowledge him, no matter what others might think or what it might cost us.
We can acknowledge Jesus in many ways. Confirming our faith publicly like the young people are doing on Sunday is one important way. We can also acknowledge Jesus to others in the way we live our lives. When we love others, show grace to others, have compassion on others and treat others better than they treat us, we acknowledge Jesus as the giver of love, grace, compassion and mercy to us. When we speak well of others and to others, even if they are speaking badly to us or about us, we acknowledge the life-giving words God speaks to us in the gospel. Whenever we forgive others, accept others, and love others in the way God has forgiven, accepted and loved us in Jesus, we acknowledge him to the world.
It might seem like a small thing to acknowledge people we know at the shops or on the road. However, acknowledging others shows that we know them, we value them and we are grateful for our relationship with them. In our Confirmation service, our young people are given an opportunity to acknowledge Jesus who is with them in all things, gave his life for them on the cross, and gives them a life which overflows with God’s goodness in this world and the next. We can support our young people in acknowledging Jesus by acknowledging him ourselves in our lives and extending to them the same grace, love, acceptance & value that God shows us in Christ.
More to think about or discuss:
- Do you usually acknowledge people when you see them on the road or in the shops? Why do or don’t you do that? What does acknowledging others mean for you…?
- What are some ways you can acknowledge Jesus in your life? Do you find it easy or difficult to do? Why is that?
- How can you support & help a younger person in your life acknowledge Jesus?
Pastor Eugene Online 
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