“But all this has happened in order to make come true what the prophets wrote in the Scriptures." Then all the disciples left Him and ran away.” (Matthew 26:56)
All the disciples left Him. This was part of the bitter cup He took. It was the temptation Jesus had warned them about. He knew it was going to happen. He told them they would forsake Him. But they promised Him they would never leave Him. “Then Jesus said to them, "This very night all of you will run away and leave Me, for the Scripture says, 'God will kill the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I am raised to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you." Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, "I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!" Jesus said to Peter, "I tell you that before the rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know Me." (Matthew 26:31-34)
How many of us have pledged our allegiance to Jesus only to choose something that offends Him. It’s so easy to say what we will do. But we don’t know our own weaknesses. We say we will do or say this and that, but at the very hour of testing, we fail. We have boasted our strength not knowing how hard it is for us. We have to take our flesh into account. We really do not know what we will say or do in a particular instance. We can’t boast in our strength. But we can boast on the strength we can receive from the Holy Spirit. “For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, His Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.” (2Timothy 1:7) He will help us say and do what pleases the Lord. He will give us the strength we need in a difficult time to do what needs to be done and to say what needs to be said.
We may be unfaithful, but the Lord is ever faithful. He will not fail us. He will not abandon us. He will always be there for us. “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never leave you; I will never abandon you." (Hebrews 13:5) It may seem out of place that the beginning of that Scripture tells us not to love money and to be satisfied. But if our heart is not completely the Lord’s, but in money or other things of this world, we will continue to be unfaithful. The things of the world will pull us to make those decisions that offend the Lord. Does the Lord want us to have nice things? Yes, but He wants to give them to us.
We don’t have to run after the things that make our lives better or that are nice. When we seek Him first before all things, He will gift us with those things that will glorify Him. “Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all these other things.” (Matthew 6:33)
The disciples of Jesus fled for their lives. They loved life more than Jesus. I always think of persecution, whether I could be faithful under duress, pressure or torture. Would I consider my life more that I would the Lord? I think of those in restricted countries, banned from their families, their homes, their communities and in some instances, their countries. They have endured the murder of their husbands, their parents or their children. They love the Lord. It emboldens some to share Jesus more passionately, even if it means their lives. We’re wimps here in the US. We bend easily to the world. We don’t like to be disapproved by the world. God help us. Help us to be courageous in the face of disapproval and distain. Help us to love the Lord our God with all that is within us. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’” (Mark 12:30)
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