“So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the saying that Jesus had spoken.” —John 2:22
Hindsight is always twenty-twenty, is it not? As they recalled their Master’s words, the disciples were finally ready to believe the Scriptures and what Jesus had spoken to them. While Jesus had plainly told them what was going to happen, they had not grasped it–they simply needed the light of the resurrection to point them to the truth of it all. The disciples were able to understand the meaning of what Christ did as they reflected upon the Scriptures. God’s Word and God’s work go hand in hand.
“If you wish to know God, you must know his Word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works by his Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.” —C. H. Spurgeon
In the book of Luke we find Jesus chiding the disciples for their lack of understanding:
“So he said to them, “You foolish people – how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the scriptures. —Luke 24:25-27
Unbeknownst to them at that time, the crown always comes by way of the cross. We would do well to remember that in our own lives as well. Paul tells us:
“Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” —2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Considering the harsh travails Paul endured, it is amazing that he could deem them “light and momentary,” yet Paul’s fixed vision of the goal kept his mind in proper perspective. While the torture he endured was supremely difficult, it was nothing in comparison to the glory that he would later receive. We might easily dismiss this if he had not written a considerable amount about what he suffered for the sake of Christ:
“And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” —Romans 8:28
“Are they servants of Christ? (I am talking like I am out of my mind!) I am even more so: with much greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with more severe beatings, facing death many times. Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with a rod. Once I received a stoning. Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea. I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my own countrymen, in dangers from Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers from false brothers, in hard work and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing. Apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concern for all the churches.” —2 Corinthians 11:23-29
Despite all of this, we are told in Acts how Paul continued to preach God’s good news, encouraging and strengthening new Christians!
“After they had proclaimed the good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch. They strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, “We must enter the kingdom of God through many persecutions.” —Acts 14:21-22
Take It to Heart
“Christians shouldn’t be surprised when, in seeking to do God’s will, we find ourselves trapped in painful, frightening, difficult, or impossible situations. Life is hard–especially for Christians.” —Robert J. Morgan
“Never shall you come into such a position that Christ cannot aid you. No pinch shall ever arrive in your spiritual affairs in which Jesus Christ shall not be equal to the emergency, for your history has all been foreknown and provided for in Jesus … ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’” —C. H. Spurgeon
Further Reflections
“To trust too much upon feeling, disturbs our peace as soon as it is gone; but to rely on the word of God, preserves a settled assurance.” —K. H. Von Bogatzky