THIS WENT RIGHT BY THEM
Matthew 17:22-23 NKJV
22 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful.
It is always easier to look back as far as gaining understanding and context. We can look back at some of the things our parents said and realize how right, or wrong, they were. We can also look back and see God's workings much easier. There is an old adage, hindsight is 20/20. And the same principle applies to reading the teachings and statements of Jesus. We look back from a perspective of knowing what happened to Him and why He came. The disciples did not have that advantage, and when it came to what Jesus shared today, they completely missed what Jesus was saying.
Jesus foretold what would happen to Him. He had a scriptural understanding of what was about to transpire with His death and with His resurrection. But when Jesus spoke to His disciples about His upcoming death, evidently, that was all they could focus on. The disciples completely missed that Jesus was going to be raised from the dead. The resurrection went right by them.
This miss is evident in verse 23 when we see their response to Jesus' words. They were exceedingly sorrowful—not just a little sad, sad in a big way. But Jesus told them that He would be raised from the dead. If they had grasped that truth, it would have tempered their sadness. But being raised from the dead was not on their radar. When Jesus said He was going to be killed, that's all they could see.
But the disciples were with Jesus when He raised a widow's son from the dead. They were there present, some were in the room, when Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead. They had at least two instances that we have record of. But they still did not grasp that Jesus would be raised.
APPLICATION
We can't be too hard on the disciples. In looking back on my life, there were some things that the Lord impressed on me that went right by me. When the Lord impressed on me that I was going to be a pastor, I immediately took off to make it happen. In going to my hometown to start a church, I missed it. Big time! In looking back, I can see the Lord dealing with me to be a pastor, but I missed the timing and the place. It's too easy to look at everything from our own perspective.
So how do we keep from missing it? Following the Lord is not an exact science, so as we strive to hear what He is speaking to our hearts, chances are we may miss it at times. Don't be discouraged; if it happened to the disciples, then you are certainly not alone. They turned out okay. So can you.
PRAYER
Lord, show me what I am missing. Help me understand what you are speaking to my heart.