Disciples who Still Don’t Get It

Scripture:

Luke 18:31   Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. ³² For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. ³³ After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” ³⁴ But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Observation:

For the third time, Jesus tells the disciples about the days ahead. He wants them to know exactly what is going to happen to him, but they still don’t get it. They are on a journey of discipleship, and have watched Jesus closely, but they still don’t understand the true nature of God’s plan. 

In the preceding verses, the disciples demonstrated that they remained unable to internalize the values of the kingdom of God. Neale relates this scene to the story of the lost son: “In the story of the lost son, he removed himself from his bet ’av, clan and tribe, and suffered the ultimate humiliation at the hands of those in ‘a distant country’ (15:13). One can suffer no greater separation from the support of the kinship system than to be handed over to the Gentiles. What was true for the lost son was now to be true for the Son of Man. His exile into the hands of the Gentiles signifies his complete separation from the house of Israel” (NBBC).

Again, they could not comprehend the significance of what Jesus was saying. Interestingly, we interpret Isaiah 53 as referring to the Messiah, the suffering servant. They Jews of Jesus’ day embraced Isaiah 11 instead, where we find the portrait of a conquering, or victorious king. The paradigm the disciples were being asked to embrace remained beyond their ability to envision. 

Application:

If we are followers of Christ, then we are disciples, and we are called upon to envision God’s kingdom today. Could it be that we are also clinging to false paradigms of life in the kingdom? The reality is that earthly power and influence does not come from the kingdom of God. Trying to use the kingdom of God to assert our own rights and authority looks nothing like Jesus, who willingly went to Jerusalem to be handed over to the Gentiles. 

Our Messiah looked more like the “suffering servant” than he did the “conquering king.” Jesus’ actions are a reflection of life within the kingdom of God, and if that is the case, then we must consider our actions and responses to the world around us. Currently, the world is not receiving a very positive image of Christianity. We have stepped into a realm where we appear to be in battle with the world. Maybe we are disciples who just still don’t get it. 

The first century disciples have much to teach us about what it means to follow Jesus into life in the kingdom. They gave up everything to be with him, and ultimately, most of them lost their lives for that decision. At the same time, there was a winsomeness about Jesus, and the disciples. They reflected an extraordinary peace and calm in the midst of the stormy world. When they did finally get it, the disciples remained steadfast, committed to life in the kingdom of God. That’s the invitation for us, to remain undeterred from living life in God’s kingdom. 

Prayer:

Lord, may your kingdom come, and your will be done, this day. Amen.