May 6, 2023
On The Fence
“The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, ‘Why did you not bring Him?’ The officers answered, ‘Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.’ The Pharisees then answered them, ‘You have not also been led astray, have you? ‘No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.’” John 7:45-49 (NASB)
On the Fence: The phrase ‘On the Fence’ is used to describe being undecided about something. Example of Use: “Has he decided whether he will take the job yet?” Answer: “No, he’s still on the fence.” Interesting fact about On the Fence: The origin of the idiom 'on the fence' has its roots in Middle English, when the word 'fens', short for 'defens' was originated. Later, an “e” was added to the term to form the word defense as it is used today. Fences often define ownership, and to sit on a physical fence is to straddle a position between two different properties. Metaphorically, sitting on the fence is straddling the position between two ideas without committing to either of them.[1] The temple guards find themselves in a similar situation.
They were stunned as to what to do. “The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, ‘Why did you not bring Him?’ The officers answered, ‘Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.’” “The temple guards or police were religiously trained Levites and Jesus’ words left them stunned. While they did not accept Him as the Messiah, neither did they openly reject Him. They did not know what to do with Him. Caught between the power and grace of His message and the hatred of their leaders, they were paralyzed into inactivity.”[2] Isaiah 11:4 says, “And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.” Jesus accomplished this when He spoke. Calvin says, “Let us, therefore, learn that the doctrine of Christ possesses such power as even to terrify the wicked; but as this tends to their destruction, let us take care that we be softened, instead of being broken. Even in the present day, we see many persons who too much resemble those officers, who are reluctantly drawn into admiration of the doctrine of the Gospel, and yet are so far from yielding to Christ, that they still remain in the enemy’s camp.”[3] The leaders were expecting to see Jesus standing before them. They were surprised when He was not delivered. “Pharisees then answered them, ‘You have not also been led astray, have you? ‘No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.’” The power the leaders had over the temple guard was slipping through their fingers. They weren’t interested in excuses. They were afraid, and yet angered by their inability to arrest Jesus. So they insulted the temple guard. Jesus statements left the temple guard sitting on the fence. It’s a terrible place to be for anyone. You don’t belong to one side or the other.
Riding the fence is a place with splinters. It takes no position, but yet endures all the pain. Don’t be a fence rider today. The time you spend on the fence can be painful and it leaves you no closer to a decision. Get off the fence and listen to the One who cares for you. Listen to Jesus and you will be on the correct side every time.
[1] https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/phrases/on-the-fence/
[2] (John MacArthur, 2006), 318.
[3] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 314.