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
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This is a toughie for me. I've thought about it many times before. I came to the conclusion that my heart and head want to say yes, but don't really know. I'd love to proclaim I could stand firm through my world being tossed upside down, and then I go back and doubt my faith in comparison to those who actually saw and experienced the miracles and still faltered. I have no doubt they truly believed in their heart, but they still messed up. It makes me think, haven’t I turned away before? I’ve had my times of shying away and then coming back to God. Then I feel renewed because I realize I never really deserted God. I can’t, that’s not my place. It’s impossible. I can’t desert God because he hasn’t deserted me. When I accepted God in my life, the option of losing him was non-existent because now I know God lives in me.
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