Good News for Messed-up Disciples
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter answered him, "Though they fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same. Matt. 26:30-35, ESV.
If Jesus' prediction that one of the twelve would betray Him shook the disciples, His new announcement that all of them would desert Him that very evening should have knocked them flat and woke them up at the same time.
But that is not what happened. They either didn't understand what Jesus was telling them in plain words or they chose not to believe Him.
Here we have a problem that we modern disciples can (or should) identify with. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, each of us tends to pick and choose those aspects of the Lord's teachings that we want to believe and emphasize. And the real problem is that we often ignore or skip over those areas of His counsel that we need to hear the most.
Be that as it may, today's passage presents several important truths. First, Jesus indicates once again that He is not stumbling toward the cross blindly. He knows what He is doing. And He even knows that He will rise again to meet His followers in Galilee.
A second truth in the passage is that Jesus' support group are stumbling in a massive way and have no knowledge of either what He is doing or how they will react. They are excellent examples of false self-confidence and total misunderstandings. Still visualizing Messiahship in terms of a conquering King rather than a suffering Servant, they have yet to grasp the very purpose of Jesus' sufferings. Such a misconception will disorient them in the time of crisis.
A third thing to note is the absolute grace of Jesus. In spite of their cockiness, failures, and betrayals, He will meet them in Galilee. There is grace supreme.
And in that grace you and I need to revel, because we also are messed-up disciples. Here is a promise worth remembering: Jesus doesn't reject us when we fail Him. He did not abandon His first disciples, but continued to work with them. So it is with us. No wonder the Bible calls the message of Jesus the "good news."
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter answered him, "Though they fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same. Matt. 26:30-35, ESV.
If Jesus' prediction that one of the twelve would betray Him shook the disciples, His new announcement that all of them would desert Him that very evening should have knocked them flat and woke them up at the same time.
But that is not what happened. They either didn't understand what Jesus was telling them in plain words or they chose not to believe Him.
Here we have a problem that we modern disciples can (or should) identify with. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, each of us tends to pick and choose those aspects of the Lord's teachings that we want to believe and emphasize. And the real problem is that we often ignore or skip over those areas of His counsel that we need to hear the most.
Be that as it may, today's passage presents several important truths. First, Jesus indicates once again that He is not stumbling toward the cross blindly. He knows what He is doing. And He even knows that He will rise again to meet His followers in Galilee.
A second truth in the passage is that Jesus' support group are stumbling in a massive way and have no knowledge of either what He is doing or how they will react. They are excellent examples of false self-confidence and total misunderstandings. Still visualizing Messiahship in terms of a conquering King rather than a suffering Servant, they have yet to grasp the very purpose of Jesus' sufferings. Such a misconception will disorient them in the time of crisis.
A third thing to note is the absolute grace of Jesus. In spite of their cockiness, failures, and betrayals, He will meet them in Galilee. There is grace supreme.
And in that grace you and I need to revel, because we also are messed-up disciples. Here is a promise worth remembering: Jesus doesn't reject us when we fail Him. He did not abandon His first disciples, but continued to work with them. So it is with us. No wonder the Bible calls the message of Jesus the "good news."
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