Discouragement is a common known sentiment by everyone upon this earth. This becomes visible when we lose interest in completing a project we have begun or meeting a goal that we have set. Perhaps, it is very likely that many of the popular “resolutions” we had determined for ourselves at the beginning of this year are now nothing more than a broken promise. In several instances, we are easily disillusioned when the “finish line” is further away than anticipated. We may lose heart when the weight of the sacrifice is heavier than what we had assumed, or probably the lingering jeers and taunts from our peers becomes the wall blocking our path. Whatever the reason may be for becoming discouraged, when it is permitted to fester it will eventually influence its victim to ultimately quit. Tragically, this phenomenon has always existed inside the walls of the Lord’s church; especially when it relates to attendance. Several surveys have been conducted in the United States inquiring about the reasons people choose to stop attending worship services, and the top result in the majority of these has been the same. The number one reason given? They became disenchanted by the preacher and/or the church. A great percentage of these surveyed people stated that the root of their disillusion was the preacher’s lesson being too “judgmental.” A very close second, as revealed by several of these surveys, states that their discouragement was a result of feeling excluded by certain “exclusive circles” formed by members of the church. Although these reasons presented by these polls are sorrowfully true in many congregations, one must realize that these cumbersome dilemmas are not new, nor do they justify absenteeism. Undoubtedly, during His tenure here on earth, Jesus had strong disagreements with several of the lessons He heard taught at the synagogue and Holy Scripture makes it very clear that He was indeed kept at arms length by several of the Jews because of this. Scripture records Christ exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees many times and openly opposing their strict execution of their traditions (Matthew 15:1-20, 23:1-36). Without a doubt, He adamantly disagreed with the Sadducee sect, who denied resurrection and the existence of angels or spirit, having charge of the temple as priests (Matthew 16:5-12, 22:23-33). Therefore, we are able to read enough evidence that our Lord not only disagreed with the religious leaders of His time, but was very much excluded from their “circles” as well. However, Holy Writ confirms that despite the corruption He encountered in His Father’s house, the Master “as His custom was, went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16). Despite the fact that He did not concord with the majority of their opinions, Jesus did not allow this disillusion to separate Him from His duty to worship His Father. Instead of running away from the problem, our Master encountered it head on. Hence why those people who saw it “best” to stop attending as their solution are not justified. Unlike the example set by the Lord Jesus, a person who decides to abandon worship is being indifferent to the problem. Their arctic heart blinds them to the true terror rising from this apathy. Observe that it was “His custom” to attend the synagogue on the Sabbath day. The Jews honored the Sabbath day (or “day of rest”) every week. Since Luke reveals to us that it was the Lord’s custom to go into the synagogue, this means that He was there every week! In other words, our blessed Redeemer kept His zeal burning by always having in mind the purpose of attending the synagogue. He was well aware of the poor spiritual state of the places of worship of His time, but He also understood that “blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You” (Psalm 84:4). Jesus, through His example, reminds us that the purpose of worship is not for human comfort; rather it is for praising God. In the passage above, the Hebrew poet subtly hints at the promise of everlasting life to those “who dwell” in His place of worship. The original word in Hebrew used by the poet is yâshab, and the lexicographers interpret it as “to remain, stay” (Strong/Thayer, H3427). Therefore, the inspired psalmist is assuring his readers that to remain in the house of God is how we can secure an everlasting life. Typically, when we speak of our dwelling place, our mind quickly associates it with our home. This is how the Lord and the psalmist viewed God’s place of worship, and it is also why they defended it so zealously. The inspired gospel author details that Jesus not only went to the synagogue, but He “stood up to read” (Luke 4:16b). The Master was active in His attendance. He did not wait for another to resolve the issue, or else He would have remained stagnate. This stagnation is the equivalent of dumping snow on a campfire; it kills the flame. Once more the Master proves to be the unequivocal pattern to follow if we desire to reach eternal glory. His active participation of reading at the synagogue, granted Him the opportunity to speak to those in attendance. Biblical history teaches us that it was customary for the Jews to expect an exhortation or sermon after the reading of an excerpt of Holy Writ, typically from the reader. It was this opportunity that Jesus, and later on Paul, used to seek and return the hearts of men to God (Luke 4:17-22, Acts 13:14-41). They embraced the psalmist’s words and they too would “rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10). If a man sought to break into your home and cause harm to your family, would you run away and abandon your home and family? The answer is very obvious; you would stay and fight for your home and especially your family. This small illustration is what it means to be a doorkeeper. In ancient times, there were guards at the entrance of the gates examining everyone who entered and left the city. It was their duty to expose any hidden danger that the watchmen may have missed from up high on the wall and detain it from entering the city. This is how our Master confronted the contamination to His Father’s house. He exposed the deceitful doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadduccees from within the gates of His kingdom, and detained it with God’s undivided word. This was how He melted the ice of discouragement. For this reason, we must strive to become doorkeepers in our Father’s house of worship; not abandon our spiritual home. If we encounter these issues, then let us stand up to read and confront them; not allow them to linger, by leaving.
