The Difficult Task
Matthew 26:30-35
30 After singing the Hallel (Psalms of Praise sung during Passover), they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Yeshua then said to them, “Tonight you will all lose faith in me, as the Tanakh (Bible) says,‘I will strike the shepherd dead, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into the Galil.” 33 “I will never lose faith in you,” Kefa answered, “even if everyone else does.” 34 Yeshua said to him, “Yes! I tell you that tonight before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” 35 “Even if I must die with you,” Kefa replied, “I will never disown you!” And all the talmidim (disciples/students) said the same thing.
Zechariah 13:7
“Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is close to me,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the young ones.
Jesus knew that when the time came for Him to be taken that His loved ones would turn. He told them to prepare themselves. He knew that when He, "the Shepherd" was struck, that "His sheep would scatter."
Those who said they loved Him would turn...
Jesus also knew He would return to the Galilee. "After I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into the Galil."
He was crucified and buried in Jerusalem. When He rose again He began the journey to the Galilee. This is where the disciples found Him when they searched for Him.
In the midst of all of this, Jesus still cared for His disciples. He did not seem to care that they were going to "scatter." He did not seem to care that they would "lose faith in Him."
Peter denied that He would do this. Peter spoke up and said, "NEVER will I lose faith."
I guess this is why I try not to use the word, "never." I have found that when I say the word, "Never" that is exactly what God ends up telling me to do. I try to remind myself to "never say never."
How should this all be relevant for us today?
Reflect on what you do when you know that God is asking you to do something, or places on your heart to do something, and it is a difficult task. Do you do it? Or do you run from it. Do you deny what He is saying? Or do you accept it and do your best to walk it out?
There are going to be times that He requires us to do something that goes against what we think or feel. It seems unnatural. But, if HE is in it than HE will take care of the details. It is all about trusting HIM in the midst of the storm.
The picture I found on Unsplash says it all: Jesus is worth everything you are afraid of losing.
Love and blessings,
Rose
All donations are tax deductible through TBG. Click the picture below to take you to the TBG homepage and from there you can "Give Online.”
