Comfort

A Word of Comfort

A Word of Comfort

Jesus and the disciples were in the upper room. They had just finished eating their supper when Jesus announced that He must leave them, and they would not be able to come with Him – at least for now. Remember, they had given up everything to follow Him. He had been the center of their lives for the prior three years. And now He was going away?

They had no idea whatsoever as to what was going to happen in the next few hours. The idea that He would soon be arrested, by that time tomorrow His body would be laying in a tomb, and in three days He would arise from the dead, was not even a possibility in their minds. Instead, they were still all contemplating what position they would hold on His cabinet when He declared Himself to be the Messiah and established His earthly kingdom.

To make matters even worse….

The Sorrow Won't Last

The Sorrow Won't Last

Jesus was speaking words of encouragement and truth to His disciples that night as they walked from the upper room to the Garden of Gethsemane.(1) Earlier that night, He had used the traditional observance of Passover to teach His disciples new truth. And His teaching did not stop when they left the upper room, it continued throughout their journey.

Allow me to point out that Jesus never wasted a moment or a motion. Nothing with Jesus is perfunctory. No moment of traditional “religious” reflection passes without Jesus using it in our lives to open our eyes and hearts to His truth. No journey we take is solely about the journey. Jesus uses every moment of the journey to reveal His truth about Himself and about ourselves. His reflections along the way are not purposed to scold us or defeat us. His words to us throughout the journey are intended to lead us to a greater understanding of Him, as He draws us closer to Himself. Jesus knew what was ahead for His disciples. He was using that time to prepare them. He knows what is ahead for us, as well – and He is using this time in our respective journeys with Him to prepare us.

i wonder how attentive the disciples were to all Jesus was saying. Were they even listening?