The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It's not the end but it's also not something we discard along the way either. We need always to keep the tension of fear and love in mind because familiarity sometimes means we forget Abba is also Yahweh. The people at Sinai feared God so much they asked for a mediator but the mediator's great fear was they would get comfortable in the Land and forget that fear. And they did. In the Gospel lesson the one who fears is actually an unclean spirit, a demon, He fears what Jesus will do to the people of Capernaum. He fears so much he obeys Jesus' command to leave. The people are amazed and astonished but question who Jesus is. Paul says don't let knowledge and familiarity cause you to lose sight of the most important thing, love. They are inseparable, not phases.
