Just Like the Disciples

Do you ever have difficulty believing something you know Christ has promised? Perhaps you have heard Him whisper, “you will have that child you so desperately want, just wait” or “your marriage is not over, trust me” or “I will provide for you, you will have everything you need.” Sometimes we think the things He has promised us, the things we dream of, just can’t possibly be true. Then we feel like second rate Christians, not worthy of carrying His name and promise to the lost. We think, “If I can’t trust Him, how can I be worthy to ask anyone else to?” If you have found yourself doubting or confused lately, don’t be so hard on yourself, you are surprisingly just like the disciples.

When Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb, the disciples scattered. Most went back to Jerusalem. They felt defeated and abandoned. They were having difficulty understanding and believing a promise Christ had made to them – the promise He would rise from the dead. They were definitely not telling anyone about the Christ they had just been asking everyone to follow.

Not long before the crucifixion, Peter, James and John had joined Christ on a mountain where they saw him transfigured before their eyes. Mark 9:9-10 says

“As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what ‘rising from the dead’ meant.”

They weren’t sure exactly what Christ meant by this promise. They were confused.

Then there’s the matter of them not going where He had asked. Twice in scripture, Christ told His disciples after He had risen, He would go ahead of them into Galilee.

“But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Matthew 26:32 and Mark 14:28

I like to think if I’d been one of the disciples, and Christ had told me He would die, rise from the dead and meet me in Galilee, I wouldn’t go to Jerusalem – I’d run as fast as I could to Galilee to find Him. But many times when I have thought a dream has died, He has resurrected it and told me to go to a certain place. Yet instead of obeying, I’ve cowered in fear, hiding – just like the disciples.

But often in that place of fear and confusion, Christ comes to us.

“Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:14-16

Even when we doubt, disobey, or become disillusioned, Christ still calls us as believers to go spread the word about Him, about His resurrection. He might chastise us a little, but He still trusts us to be His hands and feet and to tell others about Him – just like the disciples.

One Response to Just Like the Disciples
  1. Angela
    April 13, 2009 | 6:25 pm

    Beautiful,beautiful post my friend. I so often do not trust His truths as if they really apply to me. I actually can understand the disciples perspective better than my own. When someone tells you he will rise from the dead…it may be tough to believe the first time, but for me…I have experienced His love and His mercies over and over, yet still there are times I falter. Thank you for this much needed reminder.