When You Cannot See
A significant interaction took place between Jesus and the disciples the night before Jesus died. In this conversation, Jesus foretold that after his death, before his resurrection, all of the disciples would be scattered. It isn’t until his resurrection that their faith will be restored. There is spiritual insight that we can uniquely apply to our own individual journey with Christ by looking closely at this passage.
SCRIPTURE:
Mark 14:27-28 ESV
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.
DEVOTIONAL:
Before Jesus died, the disciples followed him unwaveringly. They were tested, but they had never experienced a spiritual storm so big that it caused them to stray from him. When Jesus died it was the biggest test yet to be experienced of their commitment to him. The passage says that when the shepherd (Jesus) was struck down, it caused the sheep (the disciples) to be scattered. During the three days that Jesus was dead, the disciples had to question, like never before, if Jesus really was who he said he was, and if they wanted to stand with him even in the face of adversity. Matthew Henry’s commentary says this of the disciples’ response to flee:
“Christ knew this before, and yet welcomed them at his table; he sees the falls and miscarriages of his disciples, and yet doth not refuse them. Nor should we be discouraged from coming to the Lord’s supper, by the fear of relapsing into sin afterward; but, the greater of our danger is, the more need we have to fortify ourselves by the diligent conscientious use of holy ordinances.”
The disciples were scattered when they could no longer see Jesus. Isn’t it the same with us? When we cannot see evidence of the hand of God in our lives, when we cannot feel the presence of God, when we cannot hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, that is when things get really hard. That is when we are the most inclined to flee.
You may be facing a storm so big that it has caused you to scatter from Jesus. Maybe your storm is so big, and so distracting, that you cannot see him in the midst of it. Be encouraged that his hand is working things together for good even when you cannot see.
Be encouraged that Jesus welcomes you to his table, despite your shortcomings and despite your lack of faith. Take heart in knowing that even when you cannot see God, he is near to you. As Christians, we cannot let emotion be our guide, following Jesus only when it is easy and only when it feels good. We will face adversity, we will doubt, we will be shaken up, but we are always with him, and he is always with us. We stand on the truth of God’s word, not transient emotion. Even if you feel alone or abandoned by God, stand on the truth that you are not alone, he is with you in the midst of every storm and every season. His plan remains and he continues to work even when we cannot understand it or see what he is doing. Even though we doubt, he welcomes us into relationship with him, as imperfect as we are.
APPLICATION:
God is gracious, he is all knowing - he is aware of every mistake you will make; past, present, and future, and he still invites you to sit at the table with him. If your storm is big, and it has caused you to take some steps away from him, remember that he is with you in the midst of it and begin to actively seek him again. You’ll find his voice again, you’ll feel his presence again, you’ll see his hand in your life again.
Looking at the disciples response when they could no longer see Jesus is a comfort, because it reminds us that it is only a human response to stray when we cannot see God anymore. Remember that when we waver, God is firm. When we let go of God, he doesn’t let go of us. When we begin to believe lies, the truth still stands. Take heart in this today.
SCRIPTURE:
Mark 14:27-28 ESV
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.
DEVOTIONAL:
Before Jesus died, the disciples followed him unwaveringly. They were tested, but they had never experienced a spiritual storm so big that it caused them to stray from him. When Jesus died it was the biggest test yet to be experienced of their commitment to him. The passage says that when the shepherd (Jesus) was struck down, it caused the sheep (the disciples) to be scattered. During the three days that Jesus was dead, the disciples had to question, like never before, if Jesus really was who he said he was, and if they wanted to stand with him even in the face of adversity. Matthew Henry’s commentary says this of the disciples’ response to flee:
“Christ knew this before, and yet welcomed them at his table; he sees the falls and miscarriages of his disciples, and yet doth not refuse them. Nor should we be discouraged from coming to the Lord’s supper, by the fear of relapsing into sin afterward; but, the greater of our danger is, the more need we have to fortify ourselves by the diligent conscientious use of holy ordinances.”
The disciples were scattered when they could no longer see Jesus. Isn’t it the same with us? When we cannot see evidence of the hand of God in our lives, when we cannot feel the presence of God, when we cannot hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, that is when things get really hard. That is when we are the most inclined to flee.
You may be facing a storm so big that it has caused you to scatter from Jesus. Maybe your storm is so big, and so distracting, that you cannot see him in the midst of it. Be encouraged that his hand is working things together for good even when you cannot see.
Be encouraged that Jesus welcomes you to his table, despite your shortcomings and despite your lack of faith. Take heart in knowing that even when you cannot see God, he is near to you. As Christians, we cannot let emotion be our guide, following Jesus only when it is easy and only when it feels good. We will face adversity, we will doubt, we will be shaken up, but we are always with him, and he is always with us. We stand on the truth of God’s word, not transient emotion. Even if you feel alone or abandoned by God, stand on the truth that you are not alone, he is with you in the midst of every storm and every season. His plan remains and he continues to work even when we cannot understand it or see what he is doing. Even though we doubt, he welcomes us into relationship with him, as imperfect as we are.
APPLICATION:
God is gracious, he is all knowing - he is aware of every mistake you will make; past, present, and future, and he still invites you to sit at the table with him. If your storm is big, and it has caused you to take some steps away from him, remember that he is with you in the midst of it and begin to actively seek him again. You’ll find his voice again, you’ll feel his presence again, you’ll see his hand in your life again.
Looking at the disciples response when they could no longer see Jesus is a comfort, because it reminds us that it is only a human response to stray when we cannot see God anymore. Remember that when we waver, God is firm. When we let go of God, he doesn’t let go of us. When we begin to believe lies, the truth still stands. Take heart in this today.
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