Season 4 Podcast 160 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 20:17-19, Pt 2, “The Importance of the Twelve Apostles.”
Season 4 Podcast 160 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 20:17-19, Pt 2, “The Importance of the Twelve Apostles.”
Jesus foretells his crucifixion to his twelve disciples.
“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
The terseness of the Holy Bible can be astonishing at times. Christ just made one of the greatest announcements in the world, yet there is no record of a discussion. In fact, the narrative moves abruptly to a squabble among the disciples about who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
This moment is the last time they will go up to Jerusalem, the last time they will go through the countryside teaching the people, the last miracles he will perform healing the sick, except of course of Christ replacing the servant’s ear that Peter cut off. We cannot tell from the narrative whether or not the twelve disciples grasped the enormity of the situation. We can assume, of course, that Judas Iscariot is among the twelve at that propitious moment. Does he know then that he will betray his master? Are they still in disbelief? Certainly, this has been taught to them from the beginning for all along Christ has been preparing them for this moment. Some of them have even been told that they will also be required to give their lives for the cause of Christ, and most of them do.
But still this bleak announcement contains hope for he said,
“And the third day he shall rise again.”
One thing is certain. It is Christ who will triumph, not his enemies and not Satan his arch enemy. An abiding theme of the Bible is that out of evil comes good. Another theme is that the wisdom of God is greater than the cunning of Satan. And finally, that Christ and all those who follow him will triumph. That is the reason Christ came into this world. How often it leads back to John 3: 16-17.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
Perhaps we don’t consider this, but Christ could have gone the other way. He didn’t have to go up to Jerusalem. He didn’t have to die for our sins. It was his choice. How many of us, when warned of danger, run the other way? And keep in mind during his ministry more than once Christ escaped death by eluding those who sought to kill him. The difference of course is that it is now his appointed time to die that had been prophesied for centuries.
The final words recorded in Matthew are these, given to them by Christ after his resurrection.
“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
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