“Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.’” (Luke 18: 31-33)
Jesus made the sure the disciples knew what was about to happen to Him as He made His last trip to Jerusalem. They had walked with Him, and lived with Him for three years talking about the Kingdom of God and how they were to live as members of that kingdom. We know from all four Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that even though He had spoken plainly, and had explained in detail the meanings of the various parables he spoke, they still did not understand how it was that He was to die and then rise from the dead. He would fulfill the Scriptures that spelled out what would happen to the Messiah. (See Isaiah 53)
Jesus had a simple plan. He would pour His life into these twelve men (even though he knew that one would betray Him) and these eleven would then have the job of telling the rest of the world. He made it clear that they did not chose Him but that He had chosen them. (John 15:16) If you are a follower of Christ, that is still true today. You did not chose Him, He chose you!
How can Jesus have such faith in us to carry out His will when we are weak and unqualified people, just like those disciples, 2000 years ago? He can because after He died on that cross for our sins, He came back to life and spent 40 days teaching those disciples, and then ascended into heaven. He then sent us someone to be with us and teach us every day for the rest of our lives: the Holy Spirit!
Oswald Chambers can always put things in the proper perspective. He has this to say about the brave comradeship of God:
“The bravery of God in trusting us! It is a tremendously risky thing to do, it looks as if all the odds were against Him. The majority of us don’t bother much about Him, and yet He deliberately stakes all He has on us. He stands by and lets the world, the flesh, and the Devil do their worst, confident we will come out all right. All out Lord succeeded in doing during His life on earth was to gather together a group of fishermen—the whole church of God and the enterprise of our Lord in a fishing boat!
We say, ‘It’s out of all proportion that God should choose me—I am of no value’; the reason He chooses us it that we are not of any value. It is folly to think that because a man has natural ability, he must make a good Christian. People with the best natural equipment may make the worst disciples because they will ‘boss’ themselves . It is not a question of our equipment, but of our poverty; not what we bring with us, but what He puts in us; not our natural virtues, our strength of character, our knowledge, our experience; all that is of no avail in this matter; the only thing that is of avail is that we are taken up into the big compelling of God and made His comrade. (I Cor. 1:26-28)” (Oswald Chambers, Place Help)
Have you been “taken up into the big compelling of God?” Why not start today?
PRAY
1. Oh dear precious Lord, thank you for choosing me to be Your disciple! Fill me with Your Spirit today that I may be used by You to advance Your Kingdom on earth.
2. Thank you that “not many mighty, not many noble are called.” (1Cor. 1:26) Thank you for choosing unqualified me!
3. Help me today to stay focused on You, and being obedient to the path You have directed me to walk today. Help me not to turn to the right or the left but to stay on the straight
and narrow.
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