It seems that Jesus is always having to remind the disciples who he is and what he has come to do (and be). The disciples were trying to redefine Jesus in their own image of what the Messiah should be, in the same way the Pharisees and other leaders of the Jews were doing. It must have been hard for them to have their whole understanding of the Messiah be uprooted and changed.
One example is Jesus needing to deal with their dispute of who is the greatest among themselves (We've never seen that in a bunch of Christians have we?) I guess it must be part of our nature to desire the positions of authority and to compare ourselves with one another. The disciples were already molding the movement of Jesus into the pattern of contemporary religious renewal movements and structures. Jesus answer is classic: "I am among you as the one who serves." (v. 27) Servanthood is the key, not authority.
After Jesus was raised from the dead, the disciples again tried to redefine Jesus by telling the women that they were telling an idle tail, even though Jesus told them on at least three occasions that he would rise from the dead. Jesus had already given them the model of resurrection, but they were changing the model to something they could control and understand.
They were learning, though, and did stay in the city until the received Power from on high. (We'll have to wait for that story for the book of Acts) How easy it is for us to create God in our own image, to make God more digestible for us. But when we do that, we might miss out on the amazing things that God wants to do.
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They were kept from recognizing him 24:16
Slow of heart to believe 24:25
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him 24:31
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures 24:45
Until you have been clothed with power from on high 24:49
I often wonder why the disciples were kept from recognizing Jesus. What is the slowness in my own heart that keeps me from believing God in my life and in my world? Would I have been like the disciples and not recognized Jesus? Would my heart have been slow to believe? Some days I am like the disciples – I don’t recognize Jesus in my life and my world. Some days I am slow to believe. Some days I am busy on the road directing my day, my life, my will instead of recognizing Jesus on the road and just following him and doing as he leads. I pray that God would continue to be gracious to me and continue to open my eyes, my heart, my mind so that I will believe and understand. I pray that He will clothed me today with his power from on high. Amen.
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