In Matthew 20 Jesus tells his disciples he must go to Jerusalem and that he will be condemned to death. He even tells them how he will die, from being crucified, and that he will be raised on the third day. Despite Jesus being so specific and detailed with his disciples, when the events he’d spoken of began to unfold the disciples were in complete disbelief.
Maybe the disciples looked at the events of Jesus’s arrest, beatings and death through what they could see in the natural and pushed aside the supernatural perspective forgetting what Jesus had said and all that they had seen him do when they walked with him. Are we much different? We can have such incredible encounters with God, see miracles performed in our lives and hear of miracles in the lives of others, yet when we face challenges our human nature automatically defaults to looking at the circumstances in the natural. We have to be purposeful in refocusing to look at things through a supernatural perspective. We have the fall to blame for that. But we have ourselves to blame if we don’t take ownership of the perspective we chose.
Sometimes we recognize we need to shift our focus and look at things through a supernatural lens and are able to. Sometimes we recognize we need to have that shift in focus, but don’t have the strength or courage to. In those moments we need people around us to hold our hands up like in Exodus 17 when Moses’s arms were growing tired Aaron and Hur stood with Moses, holding his arms up when he couldn’t do it. People who will encourage us to keep digging in and pressing in to God despite what is happening in the natural. Then there are times when we are blinded by the enemy or circumstances and we don’t recognize our need to shift our gaze to look at circumstances through a supernatural lens. Even if other people say fix your eyes on Jesus, it’s like we just don’t hear them or don’t even understand what they are saying. We are blind and deaf to the need we have to change our perspective. That is a very dangerous place.
Imagine the shock and fear the disciples felt when the army marched into the peaceful Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus. It is much easier to be engulfed by supernatural darkness when we’re in natural darkness, much easier to fear when dawn seems a lifetime away. How much did the darkness of the night play a role in how the disciples responded? What perspective were the disciples looking at the circumstances through? I wonder how John the Baptist would have responded to that moment had he been there. Would he have fallen to his knees and prayed, knowing and trusting the hour and the time had come for Jesus to be high and lifted up and to raise from the dead? Or would he have responded like the other disciples, full of fear and shock?
Imagine watching the person you have laid down your life for, be arrested and marched away into the darkness then to be unfairly tried and beaten beyond recognition then lifted up on a cross to die. It’s no wonder some of the disciples fled in fear but also fled in grief and confusion, unable to watch Jesus’s beatings and execution. Would you want to watch someone you love go through that? What perspective did the disciples have throughout the course of the day Jesus died, regardless of what they did or did not witness? Was it only when Jesus came back to them after rising on the third day that they were able to look at the circumstances from a supernatural perspective?
It can be so easy to criticize the disciples for how they responded when Jesus died and even when he rose, speak of the little faith they had. How could they doubt, they walked with Jesus and saw firsthand the miracles he performed? But, they faced the reality of seeing Jesus arrested and some saw him beaten and crucified, drawing in his last breath. Then three days later they were faced with the reality of Jesus standing before them. How could they reconcile the two scenarios, especially if they weren’t looking at them through a supernatural perspective? It is easy to see how they responded in the way they did when faced with the reality they saw if they weren’t looking at it through a supernatural perspective.
But then perhaps the disciple’s perspectives shift… They see Jesus and the circumstances now from a supernatural perspective… Jesus resurrected and walking with them, the prophecy fulfilled and they become radically transformed filled with courage and determination to spread the gospel no matter the cost. And the cost was great. But the gain was more.
What helps you to shift your lens to a supernatural one? Who are your go to people who help you to shift your perspective when you need some encouragement and prayer? What circumstances lead you to be blinded to seeing that you need to shift your perspective? How would you have responded when you saw Jesus arrested, beaten then raised on the cross? How would you have felt when you saw him appear three days later? What cost would you pay if you were one of the disciples, having walked with Jesus, see him perform miracles and listen to his teaching firsthand then see him arrested and raised from the dead? Is that different to the cost you would pay now? What encounter do you need to have with God to be willing to pay the cost the disciples did, of laying down their life and spreading the gospel no matter the cost?
Maybe the disciples looked at the events of Jesus’s arrest, beatings and death through what they could see in the natural and pushed aside the supernatural perspective forgetting what Jesus had said and all that they had seen him do when they walked with him. Are we much different? We can have such incredible encounters with God, see miracles performed in our lives and hear of miracles in the lives of others, yet when we face challenges our human nature automatically defaults to looking at the circumstances in the natural. We have to be purposeful in refocusing to look at things through a supernatural perspective. We have the fall to blame for that. But we have ourselves to blame if we don’t take ownership of the perspective we chose.
Sometimes we recognize we need to shift our focus and look at things through a supernatural lens and are able to. Sometimes we recognize we need to have that shift in focus, but don’t have the strength or courage to. In those moments we need people around us to hold our hands up like in Exodus 17 when Moses’s arms were growing tired Aaron and Hur stood with Moses, holding his arms up when he couldn’t do it. People who will encourage us to keep digging in and pressing in to God despite what is happening in the natural. Then there are times when we are blinded by the enemy or circumstances and we don’t recognize our need to shift our gaze to look at circumstances through a supernatural lens. Even if other people say fix your eyes on Jesus, it’s like we just don’t hear them or don’t even understand what they are saying. We are blind and deaf to the need we have to change our perspective. That is a very dangerous place.
Imagine the shock and fear the disciples felt when the army marched into the peaceful Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus. It is much easier to be engulfed by supernatural darkness when we’re in natural darkness, much easier to fear when dawn seems a lifetime away. How much did the darkness of the night play a role in how the disciples responded? What perspective were the disciples looking at the circumstances through? I wonder how John the Baptist would have responded to that moment had he been there. Would he have fallen to his knees and prayed, knowing and trusting the hour and the time had come for Jesus to be high and lifted up and to raise from the dead? Or would he have responded like the other disciples, full of fear and shock?
Imagine watching the person you have laid down your life for, be arrested and marched away into the darkness then to be unfairly tried and beaten beyond recognition then lifted up on a cross to die. It’s no wonder some of the disciples fled in fear but also fled in grief and confusion, unable to watch Jesus’s beatings and execution. Would you want to watch someone you love go through that? What perspective did the disciples have throughout the course of the day Jesus died, regardless of what they did or did not witness? Was it only when Jesus came back to them after rising on the third day that they were able to look at the circumstances from a supernatural perspective?
It can be so easy to criticize the disciples for how they responded when Jesus died and even when he rose, speak of the little faith they had. How could they doubt, they walked with Jesus and saw firsthand the miracles he performed? But, they faced the reality of seeing Jesus arrested and some saw him beaten and crucified, drawing in his last breath. Then three days later they were faced with the reality of Jesus standing before them. How could they reconcile the two scenarios, especially if they weren’t looking at them through a supernatural perspective? It is easy to see how they responded in the way they did when faced with the reality they saw if they weren’t looking at it through a supernatural perspective.
But then perhaps the disciple’s perspectives shift… They see Jesus and the circumstances now from a supernatural perspective… Jesus resurrected and walking with them, the prophecy fulfilled and they become radically transformed filled with courage and determination to spread the gospel no matter the cost. And the cost was great. But the gain was more.
What helps you to shift your lens to a supernatural one? Who are your go to people who help you to shift your perspective when you need some encouragement and prayer? What circumstances lead you to be blinded to seeing that you need to shift your perspective? How would you have responded when you saw Jesus arrested, beaten then raised on the cross? How would you have felt when you saw him appear three days later? What cost would you pay if you were one of the disciples, having walked with Jesus, see him perform miracles and listen to his teaching firsthand then see him arrested and raised from the dead? Is that different to the cost you would pay now? What encounter do you need to have with God to be willing to pay the cost the disciples did, of laying down their life and spreading the gospel no matter the cost?