I like to imagine what things must have been like in Bible times. What was it like to not have air-conditioning or running water...how was it to make your own bread everyday from scratch...how did the moms of big families ever keep the laundry washed up...just crazy questions like that. The question that I'm thinking of this week though takes on a whole different aspect of Bible life. What was it like to be one of the Apostles?
These were the men who had seen the miracles firsthand. They were the ones who'd felt healing go from the body of Jesus to the body of one begging Him for His touch. The Apostles knew the Savior intimately. He'd chosen to share with them little nuggets of truth throughout the 3 1/2 years that He walked the earth ministering. They'd known the thrill of victory, the challenge of great crowds, and the humbleness of seeing Jesus intervene in people's lives to help them. They'd been on an emotional high, but they were about to face something far harder than any of them ever thought possible.
The Lord knew their weakness, and on the night He took them to Gethsemene to pray, He begged them to stand with Him. One by one, their eyes grew weary and they gave in to sleep. What was it like to wake up just in time to see the Roman soldiers grab Jesus with crippling force? Peter, the hothead, reacted swiftly and cruelly, cutting off the ear of the soldier who'd grabbed Jesus. What must it have felt like to watch the events unfold just like Jesus said they would, realizing that when the Friend of all friends needed you most, you failed Him. Finally, what was it like to watch the Son of God take His last breath, knowing that He loved you until the very end?
The Apostles saw what we take by faith. If you are an "imaginer", what do you think this week meant to believers over 2000 years ago? What does it mean to us now?
Scripture Reading for the Day:
Mark 4
Proverbs 17
Wow this really makes you think. I think a lot of people really neglect what Easter is really all about. It must have been such an indescribable feeling that the apostles felt watching Jesus endure all that stuff. I'm so thankful for the sacrifice made
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine the grief that these apostles faced.. and the shame they must have experienced for not being able to come through for Jesus on his last simple request. I imagine the way they felt must be the way we are supposed to feel when we let Jesus down.
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