Doubt

"The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. " - Matthew 28:16-17

When I read this passage to my little girl (who is starting to become a theme on this blog...), the first thing she asked me was "what's 'doubted' mean?". And I told her that the disciples weren't sure.

But what did they doubt? Matthew is noting that they doubted - not in the traditional sense that I explained to my daughter, but simply noting that they didn't quite have the amount of faith that they should have. That they were still unsure about the whole situation. After all, their leader was murdered for what he was preaching. And now, he's asking them to do the same? What assurances do they have that they too wont suffer the same fate?

Stay tuned...

Too Much

"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. " - John 16:12-15

I spent 4 years working on an undergraduate in Computer Engineering, only to spend two more working on a Masters. And by this time of the year, I knew one thing.

I. Could. Not. Fit. Any. More. Stuff. In. My. Head.

It's not that I was a lazy student. It's just that, at some point, your brain gets tired of remembering things. At some point, you need to do, rather than learn. And when you reach that point, even the most amazing things can fly right over your head.

And I think Jesus recognizes that about the disciples. Yes, this is life changing, earth-shattering revelations he's providing them. But he too knows that they can only absorb so much, until they're just ready to head out and preach it themselves. After all, they were just regular folks like you and me. So he's essentially saying "school's out" - but not to be worried, because the Holy Spirit will be with them always, showing them amazing things during the day, and lighting their path at night. And that, while Jesus is finished here, he will be with them always, through the Holy Spirit.

And luckily, this carried over throughout the generations to us - that we too can be guided by the Holy Spirit. We just have to decide when we're ready to listen, and we will be taught.

The Beginning

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.' " - John 15:26-27

My little girl graduated from preschool on Friday. And during her graduation ceremony, they have a presentation with pictures about all the different things they did over the course of the year. There's pictures of them making things to eat, touring fire trucks and police cruisers (hopefully a 'tour' is all she'll ever experience...), reading books and dressing up. And while I like to think I spend a lot of time with her, I realized she's starting to have her own little life - with her own friends, her own experiences, all of which are outside of what her mom and I get to see.

This, of course, comes to no surprise to me - my seven year old's answer to "what did you do at school today?" usually involves words like "nothing", "stuff", or "math". But it's that first leap to independence they make that always reminds you that, someday soon, they'll be their own person. They'll have their own life, their own experiences, their own ups and downs. And you probably will be involved with some of it, but not all of it.

And it's ok.

And as I read the last verse above, I have to wonder if Jesus is recognizing that, very soon, his disciples will be on their own. That he'll be up there watching over them, and helping when necessary, but that they're going to go about this their own way. In their own time. That he's reassuring himself, as much as them, that they'll continue to testify and carry on his message. And that he'll have to trust that it's all going to get done.

It's a good lesson for all of us.

Goodbye

"So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. " - Mark 16:19-20

It's taken me awhile to figure out the best way to talk about this particular moment. It's not that I don't understand what's happening, rather it's understanding the gravity of the situation - the emotions, the feeling that you're on your own, the memories of what's behind, and the expectations for what's ahead.

As a disciple, this must have been bittersweet. Jesus had already died, and the disciples were well into grieving when he came back. He's spent more time with them preparing them to spread the Good News, but now he must leave again - and this time, it's permanent. The next time they'll see him is in Heaven. And not only that, the purpose of their lives has dramatically changed. No longer fishermen, they're leaving everything behind to preach to others about Jesus.

It must have been overwhelming, to say the least.

But Jesus has confidence in them - he knows they're ready, and they just need that extra push to get them started. He's done his part, now it's their turn. So he empowers them with the Holy Spirit, and says goodbye. I'm sure it was tearful, some might already be longing to see him, but they have a mission, a purpose. One that's much greater than themselves, but one they must succeed at.

Thank God - they did!

Almost Invincible

"These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." - Mark 16:17-18

I wonder what it would have been like, to be a disciple and hear those words. To hear how safe and protected I would be, as long as I preach the good news. What wonderful things I could do now that I know I'm protected from harm!

And while Jesus is informing them of the protection they'll experience, there's a bit of an unspoken gap here - that the disciples will encounter hardened hearts. People that wont change, that wont like what they say, and will openly debate, yell or even fight with those trying to spread that Good News. And while they'll be able to perform these miracles as proof, there will always be those who won't believe them.

And that's as true as it was then, as it is today. It's an unfortunate side-effect of our humanity. That we can be presented with overwhelming evidence, and still choose to ignore it. Maybe because it makes us feel small, or less in control, or maybe even a little scared. Maybe because we think we have enough "things" to keep us happy or safe. Maybe it's because we're too embarrassed or proud to place our trust in something bigger.

But we need to be reminded that there's a loving God, looking out for us. Even when bad things happen, even when our lives are at their darkest, God is with us. And we need to remind ourselves that, while God may not clear away every branch, may not fight off every beast, He still loves us, and wants to be with us.


It's up to us to decide - do we want to be with Him?


Or do we want to go it alone?

Every Creature

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.' " - Mark 16:15-16

I'm pretty sure Jesus doesn't mean every creature - but his instruction - "go into the whole world" - was taken quite literally. And it was quite easy, because Jesus's message - that anyone can be baptized - was universal. No matter who you are, no matter who your parents were, no matter what you've done - you can experience God's mercy and forgiveness, and live in His everlasting love.

It's that simple. No exclusions apply!

Make It So

"While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.

Then Peter responded, 'Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?' He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. " - Acts 10:44-48

There's still a bit of entitlement in the air with Peter's Jewish followers - Peter's already committed major breaches in the Jewish law, which no doubt set those with him on edge. But how shocking it must have been for them to witness this event - Gentiles - folks the Jews looked down upon - have been blessed by God. What soul searching they must have had to do after this!

But, in the words of a famous 24th century captain, God is telling Peter very clearly to "make it so" - so Peter orders the baptism of these Gentiles. Not as Jews - but as Christians. He's prayed with them, preached to them, and talked right to their hearts. They've experienced the power of God. A God they've been missing out on for so many generations, and now is the time for them to follow the new path.

And from here, an entirely new religion is born. Baptized with the Holy Spirit, and sent out across the earth to preach the Good News. No matter what.

(And for fans of that 24th century captain, consider this the first "prime directive". (-: )