Dejected

This graphic, titled Sea of Sadness, makes me think of Jesus’ followers the day after His death. How lonely they must have felt.  Especially Peter, having denied his Lord three times – just as Jesus prophesized.

All their hopes were in vain.  There would be no Messiah saving the children of Israel from Rome.  Soldiers would continue to march through Jerusalem.

If this was all there was:

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (1 Corinthians 15:19 KJV)

Don’t you know they were miserable?  Very, very miserable. Like us, they only half listened to Jesus during those three years.

They heard what they wanted to hear. Kingdom! We read that word127 times in the four gospels.

Three times it is used by Jesus as “my kingdom” – twice in one verse we should heed closely, where He answered Pilate’s question, “Art thou the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (John 18:36 KJV)

Fifty-five times in the gospels the reference is to “kingdom of God.” The verse that I like best that includes that phrase isn’t in the gospels, though.  It’s in the 28th chapter of Acts where Paul and Luke journeyed to Rome. The journey itself is remarkable.  In verse 17, Paul is in a private home – a prisoner of Caesar, but with certain privileges.  He calls upon the leaders of the Jewish community to visit, and he explains to them why and how he was in his current situation.

And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against. And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. (Acts 28:21-23 KJV)

You see, he told them what happened after this Saturday of dejection and despair.  He told them why the followers of Jesus were called Christians, followers of the Messiah.  He told them about what happened on the first day of the week after the crucifixion.

What happened after Paul’s visitors listened is just exactly what happens today:

And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. (Acts 28:24 KJV)