Disciples, Deserters, or Both?

Have you ever been part of the wrong crowd? Have you ever fallen in with rebels? Have you ever been led by a dangerous criminal? If so, then you know just how the Apostles felt. As Jesus’ ministry grew, so diminished became the reputations of the Apostles. Can you hear the crowds? “Simon used to be such a good boy!” “I used to sit at the bar with Nicodemus every night! Now look what he’s up to!” Those that used to be part of the culture were now part of the counter-culture. They had fallen in with a rowdy bunch of miscreants. Sure, it was fun for a while; seeing new places, meeting new people, walking on water, getting back at their parents…and then things went bad. Their ringleader was caught and arrested! So what did they do? The Bible tells us exactly what happened. “…Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.” (Matt. 26:56 NIV)

Does that sound practical to you? When things get dangerous we get out. The story is not shocking, but it does raise an interesting challenge to us. What would we have done? Imagine being present at every miracle. Watching water become wine. Lepers become whole. Lame become quick. Blind become seeing. Possessed become normal. Two become 5,000! Would you desert a man that had done all that? What if your life was on the line? When the fun stopped would you still be around? Would you have gotten in a few more swings with that sword? These are all interesting questions to consider, but it’s hard to put ourselves in the Apostles’ shoes. How many jugs of water have you seen become wine lately?

The questions may seem abstract, but I don’t think they are. Miracles? How about the cancer that disappears? The woman who walked away from the high speed crash without a scratch? The premature baby that confounds doctors with every breath he takes? The extra money right when you needed it? The job when you wanted it? Your…very…existence? Would you desert a man that had done all that?

By Aaron Blackwell

The Sense Behind Sacrifice

As you close out Exodus, Leviticus picks up right where Exodus leaves off. The Hebrews are at the foot of Mount Sinai and God is trying to help them lead a life that will be pleasing to Him. The most striking thing about these first chapters are the demands God makes of His people. For atonement of their sins, God commands the Israelites to make animal sacrifices as offerings to Him. All who were guilty had to pay the price in blood. Only the blood of the purest animals could conceal the sins of the guilty and every sin had to be atoned for. How many thousands of gallons of blood is that? When reading and thinking about this, does the word BIZARRE come to any one’s mind? How about just GROSS!?

Fast-forward to the New Testament. As we read about the Last Supper and the betrayal of Jesus, we can not help but fast-forward to what’s coming. More blood. More pain. More sacrifice. Most understand the main idea behind the sacrifice. Jesus, the spotless Lamb, died perfect so that the price would be paid for our sins. He carried our cross, bore our pain, and died our death so that we could come before God in Heaven as perfect as Jesus was. Underneath of that idea is a nagging question though. Why is all this sacrifice necessary? We have seen in Jesus that God has the power to defeat sin, so why does all this blood have to be spilled? Couldn’t He just clean the slate for us without having to sacrifice His only son? What do you think? Out of all the options God had, why did He pick that one? Or maybe, there were no other options?

By Aaron Blackwell

The Story We Find Ourselves In

I have really enjoyed going back through the bible chapter by chapter. I have been through it many times before, but there is always something new to be found each time. For instance, I was reading through Genesis chapter 17 late one night and just burst out laughing. My poor wife being half asleep could not contain her curiosity as to what would be so funny in the Bible so I told her what I just imagined. Picture Abram coming back from a visit with God and sharing the news with his people, "Hey guys guess what? God just changed my name to Abraham and said he was going to bless me and give me so many children I can't count them. Plus he is going to give us and our descendants a land flowing with milk and honey. He is going to care for us and make sure we are all blessed. Oh and one more thing, see this long finger nail of mine, this is going to hurt a little…" What would you say to that? Here comes this old man talking of Godly encounters, blessings, and by the way, let me cut away this skin on your… Uh, did this guy just say what I think he said? Did he say God told him to do that? Do you think they formed lines and faithfully followed without question? Was there a bunch of dissenters who were rebelling? For that matter did the teenagers follow right along with the bunch? And after the deed was done, was there like a week without work? I mean come on that had to hurt more than just a little, in fact with my limited medical knowledge I would guess God was supernaturally involved to keep out infection and other natural results from a lack of sterile environments and tools.

I really enjoy digging through the Old Testament. Often when I read the bible I am so focused on what I am supposed to get out of it at that moment, you know, life application stuff, that I forget to just enjoy the read. So I am taking this year to read the bible and enjoy its story. Putting myself in the shoes of biblical fathers such as Abraham and Moses. Imagining what it is like to be a prophet, king, and judge. Picturing what it was like to be so close with God, yet so far away. Take time to enjoy the bible for the amazing stories, remember this is our eternal story and we are part of it!

By Justin Johnson