March 22 | Matthew 17:22-23
DAILY READING
Matthew 17:22-23
REFLECTION
Taking our Head out of the Sand
by Judy Webb
Matthew 17:22-23 NIV
"When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.' It filled the disciples with grief."
Jesus informed his disciples for a second time of his impending death. He also told them “on the third day He will be raised to life.” Did they miss this? Were they so focused on the bad news, the devastating news that Jesus would die, they missed the best news of all? Did their shock and grief close their ears?
Can you imagine a conversation between the disciples when they were finally alone? Perhaps they processed the statement Jesus made and emphatically proclaimed to each other, “No Way! We can’t allow this to happen. He can’t die! What will we do, where will we go?”
It seems the Good News the Disciples would share for hundreds of years, got missed in that moment of panic. They might think they can protect Jesus or shelter Him from harm. Perhaps devise a plan to hover over their friend, maybe even arm themselves. That is where the human mind and heart goes at a time like this. Thankfully, reality eventually steps in and takes over.
Their sorrow completely overshadowed Jesus’ reason for living. They never asked each other, what did he mean, “on the third day he will be raised to life” ?
Mark 9:32 tells us, “But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.” This is a typical human response to a situation that is fraught with pain and fear. We assume that what we don’t know can’t hurt us. These devoted followers of Jesus had so much to learn, and time was running out.
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, we must not let our questions go un-asked. We need to understand about Jesus and His reason for living and dying as He did. Salvation, our Salvation is the only reason. Help us embrace Jesus and tell others as well, before it is too late. Amen.
