The Power of God and the Weakness of Man
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Every good commander of an army spends enough time with his lieutenants drilling them on war tactics. This includes how to avoid the firepower of the enemy, how to keep a safe distance from long-range missiles, how to avoid land mines, and how to avoid pyric victory. Jesus, like a great army commander, took his time to train his apostles (the soldiers of Christ). He made sure that they understood the demands of discipleship and the challenges that faced them in the real world where they lived. He watched them make their mistakes occasionally, but he was also handy to correct them, guide them, and nurture them to growth. What he required from them was a commitment to his goal and, of course, tenacity of purpose. Hence, he instructed them, "If you take up your cross and look back while following me, then you are not worthy to be my disciple" (Luke 14:27). Jesus spent most of his time teaching his apostles, simply because he wanted his missions of healing, forgiveness, unbinding the captives, teaching, and preaching the good news to the poor to continue after his departure. Occasionally, the apostles appeared to be too slow in learning. An example could be found in the case of a man whose son was possessed by a demon and who came to the apostles seeking a cure (Luke 9:37). The apostles were simply hopeless in the face of such challenges, which led the disappointed man to take his son to Jesus. Within a brief period, the demon threw the boy on the ground as he departed from his victim. The timid apostles were simply bewildered and they could not but ask their master how he was able to accomplish that feat. Jesus replied that such could be done through prayer. Jesus taught them and they were very willing to learn. When Jesus figured out that they must have learnt enough, he decided to send them out on their own to see how they would fair. He sent first the twelve and latter, the seventy-two (Matt. 10:5; Luke 10:1). He detailed them on what to expect on their mission and how to respond to further challenges. This, to them, became a great challenge, since they were used to being around their master and not on their own. Surprising to the apostles but not to Jesus, they came back full of joy for having met with success. "Master, they said, even the devil is subject to us in your name" (Luke 10:17). Jesus responded that they should rejoice not because the devil was subject to them in his name but because their names were written in heaven. Given this successful outing, the apostles started gaining some measure of confidence. Yet, despite the much they had learned, some vital aspects of teachings were still elusive to them. Recall when Jesus told our Lord that he would be going to Jerusalem and there he would be handed over to the chief priests and elders to be crucified-- Peter quickly responded that such would not happen to his master and friend. Obviously, Peter meant well in his response but he had not yet grasped the mission of Jesus, which was that of suffering, the concept of ‘ebed Yaweh (the suffering servant of God, according to the second book of Isaiah). Here, Peter was rebuked like Satan for constituting an obstacle to the mission of Jesus. As Jesus prepared for his departure after the resurrection, he asked the apostles to gather together in Jerusalem. Even there they were still asking whether he would, at that time, restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). They still entertained these lofty ideas of Jesus as a mighty king and conqueror and not a suffering servant. This was despite the fact that he had consistently told them that he was among them as one who serves. No wonder the crowd kept besieging him to provide food for them and not necessarily for their own spiritual well-being. And at another time, they sought to make him a king. Despite these drawbacks, Jesus never gave up hope that they would come to understand with time. Even if they were not able to grasp every teaching, he would still send the Holy Spirit to continue from where he stopped. Jesus handled his disciples with exceptional patience but also with tremendous hope that they would realize his vision for them and for his kingdom.
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The Power of God and the Weakness of Man
You would certainly be right if you regard the book as an inspirational work because it was designed to uplift the hearts and minds of those who are on the verge of losing hope or giving up on life due to life’s many challenges. It helps us to understand that a bend in the road is not the end of the road unless we fail to make the turn. We could easily be one dimensional, parochial and, even, tunnel visioned, as we grapple with life’s challenges. For believers, they appreciate that Jesus never leaves their side, not even in very difficult moments.
Above all, what should challenge our mind is the fact that if God the Father approved suffering for his own son, why then do we think that ours’ will be any different? The scripture tells us that God loves his son so much, which might imply that if the one he loved so much was allowed to suffer and die then suffering and death are only a means to a happy reunion with him. From a spiritual angle of vision, suffering and death are portrayed as being good which eventually leads to the greatest good, which is life in God. Some are negatively influenced by certain worldviews that tend to see suffering as a curse and a calamity. This kind of perspective or paradigm, only serves to ginger us to be in acquisition mode, in order to escape suffering by all means, so as to look good in the eyes of the world.
Christians as pilgrims are called upon not to lose focus of their goal despite the many challenges and distractions in our world. That probably was why Mark and also Luke (Evangelists) always warned about Jesus second coming because they know our sleepy nature and how we could forgo our spiritual observances in search of ephemeral things.
May the spirit of enlightenment open your mind to understand and appreciate the faith to which you are called.