22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
Reading these verses, it might come as a surprise to us – as I am sure it did to the disciples after hearing the Lord’s Words in our Scripture today – that God is the inventor of pleasure, the source of pleasure, the secret of pleasure and at His right hand, we are told in His Word, are pleasures forevermore – eternal pleasures. King David pens:
11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalms 16:11 (NIV)
This calls for clarity in our vision - eyes set on things above and not earthly things as Paul tells us in Colossians:
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Col 3:1-4 (NIV)
While presently, as we sojourn here on earth, we live in pleasure while we live/abide in Him. We abide in Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. The disciples - ignorant of the coming indwelling of the Holy Spirit within believers in Christ – were clueless. What they heard was the Son of Man was going to be killed – taken away from their presence – and doubtful they dwelt on His being “raised to life.” His Words to them were like daggers cutting through their hearts as a hot knife in butter. They were exceedingly sorrowful over His conversation. This was not news their ears wanted to hear. Yet, Jesus knew, soon their grief would turn to joy. John records Jesus’ Words regarding this Truth:
20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. John 16:20 (NIV)
If they perhaps would have but sought to have seen the big picture or at least sought to have understood what His Words had meant – the purpose behind what was about to occur – they would have known His actions were for the saving of their scrawny necks and ours as well. We as humans can become so anxious, discontent, grief stricken and without joy when our constant focus remains on the tyranny of the temporal - things that will surely be burned up. Things which our eyes can see and our minds can make sense of and our fingers can touch. This habit is both consuming and robing of our present peace and joy. Yet God’s ways are not man’s ways – never have been, never will be. He will not be placed into boxes of our own making.
“We need to stop trying to domesticate God or confine Him to tidy categories and compartments that reflect our human sentiments rather than His inexplicable ways.” Francis Chan
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
When we have what we don’t want or when we want what we don’t have we are disgruntled and dissatisfied. We become whiners and complainers, grief stricken or emotionally paralyzed. Rather than daring to delve deeper into the sureness of God’s constant love for us – trusting He has our best interest at heart even when we do not comprehend His ways - we become like His guys in our verses for today – exceedingly sorrowful. We should have the Prophet Jeremiah’s words inscribed on our minds and on our hearts:
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jer 29:11-13 (NIV)
“His love in times past forbids me to think, He’ll leave me at last in trouble to sink.” John Newton
“You see, we all have what Paul Tripp calls ‘Gospel amnesia.’ We (probably) know the truth; we just don’t allow the truth to set us free, to quote Jesus. We have to remember that every hardship in life and ministry—marriage conflicts, parenting questions, financial struggles, fear of the future, loss of vision or focus, divisiveness in leadership, etc.—is an opportunity to apply the gospel. Even saying it like that is wrong. We don’t “apply the gospel” to the issues of life, as if it was a mathematical formula. The gospel is not a principle to master or a procedure to follow. The gospel is life. It is how we live life as a believer. It is how we relate to ourselves, to God, and to each other. The Scriptures put it like this: “The just shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). The just, the righteous, the people of God, live only by faith. We don’t live by effort or insight or emotion; we live by faith in the work of Another, and his name is Jesus.” Dr. Tom Wood
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15 (NIV)