The Twelve

The Twelve were with Jesus every step of the way.  They were with Him on that final journey to Jerusalem, but then they were also those who had been with Him since the very beginning.  When they started the journey with Jesus, they had no way of knowing where it would take them.  They did know what they left to go with Him.  Each left a way of life.  Each left a livelihood that provided for their family.  And, while they likely saw family during those years, it was nothing like being there each day to experience what was happening.  Each left a life that seemed somewhat certain for a life that was totally unpredictable.  They understood something of the cost of what it meant to follow Jesus, but not nearly what He wanted them to understand.

 

Out there on that final journey, Jesus started driving home the reality of what awaited Him in Jerusalem.  It would be no ordinary Passover.  They were all going to the Holy City, but He was going there to fulfill the plan of God.  It was a plan that required Him to submit to the evil that not only lurked in the hearts of men, but that would cause Him great suffering, terrible pain, and finally, death on a cross.  As hard as such a word was to comprehend, His Word to them about rising from the dead must have truly been too much to grasp.

 

It always seems that following Jesus puts us in a position of being challenged to accept things about life that seem impossible to consider.  Sometimes years will pass before we are to understand things that the Spirit has been trying to teach us in our own hearts.  The Twelve came to a place of being able to look back and see that Jesus was straight with them and utterly dependable.  As we walk the journey with Him, we will surely learn such a lesson as well.  We may be slow to learn, but if we keep listening for the voice of the Spirit, we will surely come to the place of knowing what seemed impossible to understand.