Who Do You Say Jesus Is? Part Two
Who Do You Say Jesus Is: Those Who Watched Up Close and Personal
The Question
Last week we looked at those who lived the same time as Jesus and watched Him from a distance – the Jewish multitudes and the religious leaders. While some of them chose to believe in Jesus, most of them completely missed the point of why He came. His purpose was to be a light to all people and to give His life as a ransom for the payment of our sins. This did not fit into their idea of the Messiah. This week, let us look at the lives of many who followed Jesus closely – the women of His day and the twelve disciples. Who did they say Jesus was? What did they believe about Him?
The Stories
Particularly of interest to me are the reactions of several women who followed Jesus during His earthly ministry. The fact that Jesus even allowed that to happen was unheard of in His time. Women were not allowed to be disciples, yet we see many who followed Him. One of Jesus’ close friends, Mary, “sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said” (Luke 10:39). This was the posture of a disciple. Mary’s sister Martha confessed to Jesus that she believed He was “the Christ, the Son of God” (John 11: 27).
Luke 8:1-3 tells of several “women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases”, including Mary Magdalene. They were helping to support Jesus and His twelve disciples out of their own means. Another woman who was called the “sinful woman” poured an alabaster jar of perfume on Jesus’ feet. She wiped His feet with her hair and tears out of pure and utter devotion to Him (Luke 7:36-50). Jesus broke every Jewish and cultural norm of the day when He spoke privately with the Samaritan woman. He told her He was the Messiah, and she went out and told the whole town about Him (John 4:1-30). He showed both grace and truth to the woman caught in adultery. The religious leaders tried to use her as a pawn to trap Jesus (John 8:1-11).
Lastly, when Jesus was carrying His own cross on the way to Golgotha, many women followed Him. They were mourning, and wailing for Him (Luke 23:27). When Jesus hung on that terrible cross dying one of the most excruciating deaths of all time, all His disciples except for John deserted Him, but several women were there, including Jesus’ mother (Mark 15:40-41; Matthew 27:55-56, 61; and John 19:25-27). I believe the reason these women followed Jesus so closely was because He treated them with the dignity no one else at that time did, and they knew He loved them. In return, they not only believed in Him, but they also followed, worshiped, and mourned for Him out of their love for Him. However, they did not yet understand He needed to die for their sins and rise again.
The twelve disciples also followed and believed in Jesus, but they did not fully understand His mission until after the resurrection either. They left everything familiar to them when Jesus bade them come and follow Him. They walked with Him, talked with Him, and learned from Him for three years. In fact, when Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds, He would later explain privately to them the “secrets of the kingdom of God” (Mark 4:11). They witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles firsthand. Jesus also sent them out to preach repentance and to perform miracles (Mark 6:7-13). When many of His followers deserted Him, Jesus asked if they were going to leave Him also. Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).
However, the fact that they did not understand His true purpose was evident as the time drew near for the crucifixion, especially with two of His disciples, Peter and Judas Iscariot. Right after Jesus told them He was going to be killed and later raised to life, Peter rebuked Him. Jesus responded by calling him Satan (Matthew 16:21-23). Peter vehemently stated he would die for Christ, but Jesus predicted he would deny Him three times (John 13:37-38).
Judas Iscariot was upset Jesus allowed Mary to pour a pint of perfume on His feet instead of giving it to the poor. He really was a thief and wanted the money for himself (John 12:3-6). Eventually, he gave up on Jesus. Satan entered into him during the last supper, and he betrayed Jesus with a kiss for thirty pieces of silver. He later took his own life after realizing what he had done. Unfortunately, he never fully believed Jesus was Who He said He was.
After the last supper, Jesus took His disciples with Him to the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked His three closest friends, Peter, James, and John to come further with Him into the garden and to stay alert and pray while He went off and prayed alone. He was about to enter the most difficult time of His life, and as He agonized in prayer, the disciples fell asleep three times. They did not understand what was about to happen.
When Jesus was taken, Peter at first tried to be a hero and attempted to kill a man. He only succeeded in chopping off his ear, which Jesus promptly healed. However, after his short-lived heroics, he denied Jesus three times just a few hours later, and he went away and wept bitterly. The rest of the disciples all fled the scene at the garden, except for John. He was the only one who stayed close during Jesus’ trials and crucifixion, but not even he fully understood what was happening according to his own words in John 20:9. The disciples retreated and hid away in fear of the religious leaders and the Roman government. They had believed in their Messiah, but they were very confused and scared about what had happened.
The Response
What about you? Are you close to Jesus, but perhaps something is happening in your life that you do not understand? Do you believe that He still loves you and that He is still trustworthy? Do you believe He is working behind the scenes even when you cannot see it? Are you choosing to worship Him anyway or are you running away in fear of the enemy? Will you say yes to Him even when life doesn’t make sense? Psalm 73:28 says, “But as for me, it is good to be near God.” Would you be willing to trust Him and say with me, “Even though… (fill in your own blank) God is still God, and He is good, and I will trust Him.”