1 Maccabees 2:14-18: a reflection

14Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned exceedingly. 15And the king’s officers who were enforcing the apostasy came into the city Modin to sacrifice. 16Many of Israel came to them, and Mattathias and his sons were gathered together. 17The king’s officers answered and spoke to Mattathias, saying, “You are a ruler and an honorable and great man in this city, and strengthened with sons and kindred. 18Now therefore come first and do the commandment of the king, as all the nations have done, including the men of Judah and those who remain in Jerusalem. You and your house will be numbered among the king’s friends, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts.”

As the king's officers enforce apostasy, pressuring the Jews to abandon God's law, they come to Mattathias, a respected leader, with an offer. You are a leader, honored and great in this city, they say; be the first to obey the king's command, as the other nations have done, and you and your sons will be numbered among the king's friends and honored with silver and gold and many gifts. It is a bribe, dressed as an honor: compromise your faith, and be rewarded with status and wealth.

Notice the shape of the temptation. It was not raw force but seductive reward: status, honor, riches, the king's friendship, all offered in exchange for abandoning faithfulness to God. And it came with social cover, everyone else is doing it, even others in Judah. The pressure to compromise was made attractive, cloaked in honor and gain, with the crowd already going along. That is often how the temptation to compromise our convictions comes to us too, not as an obvious evil but as an attractive reward for going along.

Mattathias, as the story goes on, refuses, choosing faithfulness over the offered honors and gifts. And that refusal is the challenge held out to us. We are often offered rewards, advancement, acceptance, gain, for quietly compromising our convictions, for going along with what everyone else is doing. The bribe is real, and the cost of refusing is real too. But some things are not for sale. When you are offered status or gain in exchange for compromising your faithfulness to God, remember Mattathias. Do not trade your faithfulness for honors and gifts. Some things are worth more than the reward for going along.

Lord, Mattathias was offered honor, wealth, and the king's friendship in exchange for abandoning his faith, and he refused. When I am tempted to compromise my convictions for reward, for advancement, acceptance, or gain, dressed up as honor and made easy because everyone else is going along, give me his resolve. Help me not to trade my faithfulness to you for status or gifts. Keep me faithful when compromise is made attractive. Some things are not for sale.