What the disciples may have felt after being told of their last commission
As Jesus was dying on the cross, he said some important words to the disciple whom he loved, thought to be the youngest disciple John.
but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
John 19: 25-27
After Jesus died and rose again, he was later seen by his disciples and he had an important commandment for them:
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 16-20
When I was young, I used to think that all of the disciples felt happy and said "Yay! I get to spread the good news!" and I assumed John was sad when he remembered he had to stay at home with Jesus's mother Mary.
I know now that this is a very simplistic view and probably entirely inaccurate for how they actually felt. I recently asked my son (as a child) what he thought the disciples felt. He remarked that John was the youngest disciple and was most likely still a teenager at the time. He suggested that perhaps he was actually happy to make a home with Mary the mother of Jesus. I had to admit I had not thought of it that way before.
As for the other disciples, as I became older I realized that the spreading of the good news was not necessarily the joyful experience I had thought it would be. Instead it was a road fraught with danger and risk. It was certainly a high honor to be selected for this crucial mission, and the disciples would have been happy to obey. But it did not come without a cost. It was not all smiles and joy all the time. Not everyone to whom they told the news would believe, and many of these disciples would be persecuted. This is much the same experience that Christian missionaries today face in certain areas of the world. Yet, like the missionaries of today, the disciples were obedient to God's call and they knew that the good news was the truth.
If you found this post interesting, you may also like these related posts on this blog:
but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
John 19: 25-27
After Jesus died and rose again, he was later seen by his disciples and he had an important commandment for them:
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 16-20
When I was young, I used to think that all of the disciples felt happy and said "Yay! I get to spread the good news!" and I assumed John was sad when he remembered he had to stay at home with Jesus's mother Mary.
I know now that this is a very simplistic view and probably entirely inaccurate for how they actually felt. I recently asked my son (as a child) what he thought the disciples felt. He remarked that John was the youngest disciple and was most likely still a teenager at the time. He suggested that perhaps he was actually happy to make a home with Mary the mother of Jesus. I had to admit I had not thought of it that way before.
As for the other disciples, as I became older I realized that the spreading of the good news was not necessarily the joyful experience I had thought it would be. Instead it was a road fraught with danger and risk. It was certainly a high honor to be selected for this crucial mission, and the disciples would have been happy to obey. But it did not come without a cost. It was not all smiles and joy all the time. Not everyone to whom they told the news would believe, and many of these disciples would be persecuted. This is much the same experience that Christian missionaries today face in certain areas of the world. Yet, like the missionaries of today, the disciples were obedient to God's call and they knew that the good news was the truth.
If you found this post interesting, you may also like these related posts on this blog:
- Being worried about something that may never happen is like the unfaithful servant in the parable of the talents
- BIBLE - Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth
- Why are Christians always wanting to tell people about Jesus?
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