“For He taught His disciples and said to them, ‘The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.’ But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.”
Mark 9:31-32
Christ’s teaching permeates our lives.
When Jesus told them about His suffering, death, and resurrection, the disciples reacted in different ways. How do we react to the Spirit’s proclamations?
They did not understand and did not ask questions.
The disciples believed that Jesus was sent by God. He could perform great miracles to help people. He taught them to behave in a way that was pleasing to God. They loved to be with the Lord and served Him willingly. This situation suited them perfectly, and they had no desire to change it. Jesus’s proclamation disturbed them, so they chose to ignore it.
We believe in Jesus Christ, and we come to Him when we need help. The Apostles teach us how to behave to be blessed. We value the fellowship of the faithful and are willing to invest in our congregation.
Unfortunately, some believers are content with that. They do not like to hear about suffering and sacrifice. They are not concerned when the Spirit urges them to deny themselves and kill the old Adam. The proclamation of the first resurrection does not affect them. They do not feel the need for an introspection because they do not understand that Christ’s return will change everything and that it is urgent for them to prepare for it.
- Let us be taught by the Spirit and take to heart what He announces to us!
Peter did not agree (Mt 16:21-23; Mk 8:31-33)
Peter could not imagine that Christ, the Son of the living God, could suffer. He wanted Jesus to use His power and call upon His Father’s power to remove the danger. He did not understand that the Lord had to face death to save people. He had to overcome evil by remaining faithful to His Father despite suffering.
We can always come to our heavenly Father and ask Him to end our afflictions. But we cannot tell Him what to do. No matter how hard we pray, our prayers do not force God to do what we want! Let us ask him, first of all, to help us to remain faithful to Him and to serve Him in all circumstances. This prayer is answered by God!
- Let us submit to God’s will and trust in His help!
The disciples were deeply saddened (Mt 17:22-23)
When they realized that the suffering to come was inevitable, the disciples were deeply troubled. So much so that they forgot the essential part of Christ’s message, the proclamation of His resurrection! Let us think of Thomas. He was willing to follow the Lord to Jerusalem and die with Him (Jn 11:16). But the Passion of Jesus completely disconcerted him. To the point of not being able to believe the proclamation of His resurrection.
The Spirit tells us that Jesus’s return will be preceded by a troubled period. The growth of the Church may have made us forget this message. We thought that the number of believers would continue to grow until the last soul was sealed. On the other hand, the interpretation of certain Bible passages has sometimes led us to think that we should suffer persecution—in one form or another—before Jesus returns. But the greatest challenge facing the Church today is not persecution, but disinterest in God! But let us not lose heart. Let us focus on Jesus’s promise: He will return!
- We hope and prepare for the imminent return of the Lord!
James and John longed for a special place (Mk 10:33-45)
Understanding that Jesus was soon to rejoin the glory of His Father, James and John wanted to secure their future. They asked the Lord to reserve a special place for them with Him. Jesus began by telling them that they should drink from the same cup as Him. To live with Christ, one must die with Him. In other words, we must kill the old Adam and become like Christ. But Christ came to serve and bring salvation to humankind, not to rule. If the love of Christ lives in us, we do not seek to obtain more than others. We want our neighbour to be saved like us, so we contribute to the plan of salvation.
- We serve Christ and contribute to His plan of salvation!
The disciples did not take Jesus’s warning seriously (Mk 14:27-31)
They were convinced that they would never deny the Lord. And yet they did. They owed their salvation only to the grace that Jesus gave them. Let us not ignore the Holy Spirit’s warnings! Let us remain humble, knowing that we depend entirely on grace.
- We place all our hope in grace!
We take the Spirit’s teaching to heart. We submit to God’s will and trust Him. We await and prepare for Christ’s return. We contribute to the salvation of others. We hope in grace.