Have you ever wondered why none of the disciples went to Galilee after Jesus was crucified? I mean he TOLD them to go to Galilee and he would meet them there. The angels at the tomb said “He is going to Galilee. Go tell the others to meet him there.” And yet…not one did. How did they not get it?
In the Gospel of Luke, 24:13-32 we are told of another encounter that Jesus had with a couple of disciples. They were not part of the inner 12 yet were followers none the less. They were on the road but were headed northwest towards Jaffa (Tel Aviv) not towards Galilee either. Jesus came and traveled a great deal with them, yet they did not recognize him until he ate with them and broke the bread.
Jesus arose, and according to John stayed right there by the tomb. He met Mary, yet Mary did not recognize him until He said her name. In Luke he met the women at the tomb.
It wasn’t until 2 weeks after Jesus arose that Peter, James, and John went out fishing, in the Sea of Galilee. Jesus showed up, but they didn’t recognize him. Jesus said he would meet them there and he did.
I find that interesting. He could have gone there from the beginning and waited to see if anyone would show up. He could have belittled them when he found the huddled masses hiding out in the upper room. He could have chewed the two disciples out when they sat down to supper since they didn’t recognize him. And he could have given the 3 a hard time that it finally took this long before they followed directions. Yet Jesus didn’t do any of that. I would have and hence why I’m not Jesus.
The directions seemed simple enough and given prior to everything going awry. So why didn’t one person follow them? Did you notice how even though the disciples really struggled in that area Jesus met them right where they were. He came to them in the midst of their confusion, grief, sadness, anger, shame and guilt. He didn’t make them come to him.
Even through all of this they still didn’t get it. They didn’t get him, they didn’t get the resurrection, they didn’t get the directions and they definitely did not get what their new roles would look like, not yet anyway.
Have you struggled with “getting it”? Have you struggled with knowing Jesus on a personal level, so that you would recognize him if he were literally walking beside you? How are you listening and following directions?
These are hard questions, ones that if we were honest, we probably fail miserably at. It is a lot easier to sit here 2000 years later and go “I would not have done that,” or “I would have listened and noticed.” Would you have?
Jesus is still calling. He is still giving directions and instructions. Yet are we listening? For many in our world they are still having trouble accepting that he is the Messiah, The Son of God, the Lamb of God who did take away the sins of the world. Many struggle with him saying, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me.” John 14:6.
Here’s the thing, just like Jesus met the disciples right where they were at that point in time, he also will meet you right where you are. Whether it be in the messiness of life, the crazy chaos whirling around, or the flood of doubts, years of searching and seeking, or a hardened heart of denial. Jesus came for all. And he offers the same free gift of salvation regardless of if we are following his directions or not. He died for complete forgiveness, and he reminds us that when life gets really hard he will even come to us right where we are and walk beside us for a spell.
