HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH

For any other rabbi, the actions of the disciples of Jesus would have ended their positions as followers. They had totally failed their Master Teacher. Maybe they thought it was all over because John 21 tell us that the disciples had decided to go back to fishing. That was their occupation before Jesus called them out to follow Him.

But Jesus wasn't like other Rabbis. Instead of rebuke, He reinstated them. He encouraged them, and then He commissioned them. WHY?

GRACE--HIS GRACE

They certainly didn't deserve it. There was not one thing they could do to earn the favor of their teacher, and they knew it. So they did the only thing they knew to do, they went back to their old life. But Jesus had no intention of letting them go back to their old lifestyle, and He has no intention of letting us return to our old life either.

Why would He reinstate them? Because Jesus had faith in His disciples. He knew what they were capable of doing. When we see in the text Jesus becoming frustrated with the disciples, it isn't because of their failure, it is because of their greatness. They just didn't realize how capable they are. (Rob Bell)

Then He commissioned them to go and make disciples themselves. WHOA!!! Jesus wants this bunch of rejects to go out and find someone like them and make disciples of them? Yes!! Yes!!! (Do you realize that the future of the Church and the spread of the Gospel was in the hands of the 11 "not-good enoughs"?) But Jesus had done His work well. They would indeed become like their Rabbi, and in turn, would make disciples who would would be like them and in turn, like Jesus. And they did.

We don't have a record in the Bible of the 40 days between the resurrection and the day Jesus ascended, and oh, I wish we did!!! I would imagine those guys absorbed every word Jesus spoke. But before He left them, He told them to go into the world, to preach and make more disciples. And with the power of the Holy Sprit, they did, and the world hasn't been the same since. They turned this world upside down.

Because of their obedience, we are here today, 2000 years later. And the same commission is for us. We are to become like Jesus, and teach others to do the same.

Here is our problem. Just like the disciples, we have sinned--over and over. We have failed Him so many times, we think there is no way Jesus would ever want to use us. But He does. The same grace that extended to the disciples, is extended to us today. He has a plan for our lives, and it isn't to go back to the old way of life. He wants to restore us, and make us whole.

Here is what I want us to think about. If grace costs us nothing, and it doesn't, what is keeping us from accepting it? It really isn't an issue of enough or not enough grace. The Bible says that His grace is sufficient. It just requires the loving gift of our Heavenly Father who willingly gave it to us the day he gave His Son on the Cross. He gave it to everyone who would accept it. The issue is, do we believe this?

Our Rabbi thinks we can be like Him. (Do you realize that the future of the Church and the spread of the Gospel depends on us, the "not-good-enoughs"?) What is stopping us??????
-jl

IS THERE ENOUGH GRACE

Matthew 28:8 "So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. 'Greetings,' He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

I have been thinking about something.

We have tried to re-live every moment with Jesus His last week before the crucifixion through the eyes of His disciples. I can understand their frustration, their fear, and even their denial. Unfortunately, I understand all too well the denial part. How many times have I too denied Him. I can even understand their disbelief after hearing the news of His resurrection.

But the thing that I have been pondering is, what were they thinking when they heard the news that he had indeed risen and wanted to meet with them? They were going to have to come face to face with the one they had betrayed and denied. They were going to have to look into the eyes of their teacher, their Rabbi.

To really understand this, we need to know the teacher/disciple relationship at the time of Christ. At the age of 6, young Jewish boys would begin learning the Torah (first five books of the Bible), and as they grew, they would memorize it. By the age of 14 or 15, the best of the best students would continue studying. Most students would leave the school, and learn the family business. (That would be most of the disciples of Jesus). Those remaining in school would seek a well known rabbi to become one of his disciples. The goal of the disciple wasn't just to know what the rabbi knew, but to be just like his rabbi. If the rabbi didn't think the student could make it, he would send him home to work with his parents. (Where did Jesus find His disciples? Working with their parents. That meant they had been rejected by other rabbis.)

But if the rabbi believed that a student had what it took to become like him, he would say, "Come, follow me." (When Jesus chose His disciples, what did he say? Matthew 4:18-22) The student would probably leave his father and mother, leave his village and his friends, and devote his life to learning how to do what the rabbi did. He would follow the rabbi everywhere. He gave up his whole life to be just like his rabbi. (Luke 5:11)

This kind of devotion is what it meant to be a disciple.

So, after following Jesus for three years, listening to His teaching, seeing His miracles, watching Him heal the sick, even raising Lazarus from the dead, the ones He chose to follow Him have failed Him miserably. They were NOTHING like their Rabbi. And now, they have to come face to face with Him.

What were they thinking--and more importantly--what was Jesus thinking?? How would He respond to their failure?

The thing that burdens me is, I too have failed to become like my Rabbi. I know how I feel. But what does Jesus think about me?

Why did He chose those guys to be His disciples? Why did He chose me?

One of the comments this past week on this blog was, "Will there ever be enough Grace for me?"

Was there enough Grace to cover the failure of His disciples? Had Jesus wasted three years of God's divine plan for mankind on a bunch of failures!!

Does He have enough Grace to cover me?

And if the answer is NO, I have another question. Was Calvary necessary??

THINK ON THESE THINGS!!!!!!

We will study more this week. -jl