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Day 92 Luke 22:24 Luke 22:24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27 For whether is greater, he that sits at meat, or he that serves? Is not he that sits at meat? But I am among you as he that serves. 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. 34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou know me. 35 And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing. 36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. 37 For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. 38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough. When you know there is something important about to take place, but the people around you aren’t aware of it, you face situations, which to you are insignificant in light of what will soon take place. The disciples were concerned with side issues. They thought Jesus would set up his kingdom, and somehow defeat Rome. I doubt they thought that through. Yet they wanted to be the greatest in his kingdom. Jesus told them they needed to rethink what they desired. Yes, he would set up his kingdom, but not yet. When he did, they would each sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Sounds important, doesn’t it. They still didn’t grasp what it meant. They would sit at his table and eat and drink with him, and they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel. There is no greater position in a king’s kingdom than that. However, there would be a price to pay for such position. A price they didn’t realize yet. Though they were ready to go to prison or die for him, they didn’t know it would be required of them before he set up his kingdom. Jesus told Peter that before the night was over, he would deny he knew Jesus, not once, but three times. Then he told them it was time to buy swords. Until then, Jesus’ ministry was one of peace and love for everyone. Had it changed? No, nothing changed in Jesus. Jesus would fulfill his ministry that night, though the disciples were still unaware of what would take place as they headed for the Mount of Olives. When it comes to certain events in your life, wouldn’t you like to go back and relive them and do it different for a different outcome? As Christians, you know what was about to take place. You’ve read the story many times. Yet, if you were one of Jesus’ disciples, sitting at his table during the Passover meal, you wouldn’t know what was about to take place, anymore than the disciples did. In ignorance, you would do what they did, squabble over seemingly insignificant issues in light of what was about to take place. It wasn’t until later that everything Jesus taught them would fall into place like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Then they would understand what Jesus did for them that night, and the last instructions of the Upper Room would also make sense to them. For now, it was enough they followed Jesus. It was enough he was there to talk to them. When you look back on your life, you can see the different paths your life took, and you can see how you got where you are today. You needed to follow those paths, just as the disciples needed to follow the paths they were on, and follow Jesus to where he would lead them. At the moment, they followed him to the Mount of Olives where their lives would take another path before the night was over. You might be standing on the most important path of your life. You don’t understand what is happening. However, you don’t want to pass up the opportunity to do whatever God is calling you to do right now. It’s time to follow him wherever he will lead you. It will all become clear to you when the situation you’re facing is over. Let’s pray: Father, my path is unsure. I’ve stumbled on rocks. I’m at a crossroads, Lord. Show me the way. Lead me, even though I don’t understand what you require of me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 23 November 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay