We Don’t Understand
The instructions were given, we heard the specifics for the coming events, and everyone seemed ready to move out with new enlightenment. Or so we thought. Somehow, we missed a little information.
Jesus was busy teaching the crowds, sharing the
exciting news of the coming Kingdom of God.
While teaching, He healed anyone who was hurting and in need. His life was totally given over to meeting
needs, whether spoken or physical healing.
However, Jesus took time with us, the disciples, in teaching, filling in
additional information from previous teaching, and sometimes just sharing His
life and thoughts with us.
On one memorable afternoon, Jesus took us aside
and began to share information about His coming death. We were shocked and I must say, we understood
nothing that Jesus was saying. We
assumed that He would be with us forever…or least for a long, long time. Afterall, He was Jesus! Why would He leave us?
Here is the gist of what Jesus said to us:
Taking the
twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem,
where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come
true. He will be handed over to the Romans, and
he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. They
will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise
again.” But they
didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from
them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about. Luke 18:31-34
I am sorry to say, we understood nothing of what Jesus said that day. We missed it! How could we accept that Jesus would endure such horrible torture and ultimately die? He was our leader, our shepherd, our friend.
Jesus’ face was set as a flint, moving directly
toward Jerusalem. We were amazed,
shocked and fearful as we watched him move in a direction that was new to
us. We didn’t understand why He seemed
so determined to travel to Jerusalem.
As we traveled, we discussed among ourselves
what Jesus could possibly have been saying to us. Why would He allow someone to mock and
shamefully treat Him? Even more, why
would He willingly give Himself to the Romans?
That was unthinkable! We were
appalled!
Our first day in Jerusalem was met with crowds
and cheering. People lined the road
waving palm branches, calling out greetings, praising Jesus for His work. Everything seemed wonderful. Did Jesus make a mistake? Did He miss something?
Our week, which began so well, quickly
degenerated into misunderstanding and fear.
Jesus cleared the Temple area of the money changers and animal sellers,
nearly causing a riot. He actually said
that one of us would betray Him. That
hit home like a sharp arrow to the gut.
Why would any one of us turn against Him? Who could possibly betray Him.
As I said, the week just got worse…He was
betrayed. Our religious leaders turned
against Him and yes, the Romans killed Him.
It was not a memorable time because we all turned and ran. Jesus was taken from us and everything that
He predicted earlier, happened to Him, just as He said.
I am older now, and looking back, the events
were frightening, unsettling and yet ultimately they were fulfilling. How so, you may ask? All of the events that Jesus revealed to us
earlier, came to pass, including His death and finally His resurrection. Remember, at the time, nothing made sense to
us. We stumbled through all of the
events and only later did we begin to grasp what Jesus had said earlier.
One last thought from someone who loved Jesus
deeply. His appearance in the upper room
frightened us, but then He opened our minds to understand all that He had said
concerning that awful week. It was so good to see our friend, our master. He was alive!
We miss Him, yet we understand. His eternal plan is completed on earth. Now we begin the work of sharing all that He
taught us. Hopefully, many believers
will follow in our steps and share Jesus’ teaching and words. The work has
begun. Will you join us?
“We don’t understand” has changed.
Comments
Post a Comment
Feel free to comment.