Word to the Wise
Monday, May 21, 2012 - 7th Week of Easter - Mon
[Acts 19:1-8 and John 16:29-33]"Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you believe now? Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone."
This passage is a sad and blunt warning to the disciples at the table and to those who would come after them. No matter how strong we may think our faith is, the possibility of persecution may cause us to run away from it. This is what happened in the Garden of Gethsemani when the authorities come to arrest Jesus. It sets the stage for Peter's dramatic denial of Jesus.
We who read this now, centuries later, must still face Jesus' question: "Do you believe now?" We are really challenged everyday with what the Lutheran theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called "the cost of discipleship." How do we respond? Do we feel indignant when Jesus says that we will flee and leave him alone? At the end of this week, we will, with Peter, have to answer another question from Jesus, "Do you love me?" We have a lot to think about between now and then. AMEN