Failure: Not an unforgivable act!

Posted on by olm

Doers of the Word                  
Monday, Sept. 28       

                                 

We have been reading the 9th chapter of St. Luke’s gospel for six days.  There is a sense of urgency in the mind of Jesus.  Luke gives us the impression that there are only a few more weeks before Jesus will go through his passion and death.  His instructions to the apostles are nerve-wracking.  They respond unwittingly.  Chapter nine actually has 8 mistaken reactions by the apostles to situations that Jesus is confronted with.  Are we also mistaken with some of our responses to situations in our lives?

  • They were short-sighted.  When a crowd eager to meet Jesus interrupted their retreat, they had trouble seeing past their limited resources (Luke 9:12,13).
  • They fell asleep – literally – at a crucial moment of opportunity.  When Jesus met with Moses and Elijah, two of the greatest leaders in Israel’s history, Peter, James and John were caught napping (9:28-32).
  • They overvalued the status quo.  Peter tried to freeze the moment rather than move on to the next thing Jesus had in store (9:33-36).
  • They gave in to fear.  They witnessed the healing of an epileptic boy but were too afraid to ask questions to clear up their confusion (9:43-45).
  • They fought for position and privilege instead of practicing servanthood.  Their agenda directly conflicted with Jesus’ treatment of children and “the least” (9:46-48).
  • They were consumed with feuding.  Faced with a rival teacher, the disciples claimed an exclusive connection to God.  But Jesus instead welcomed anyone who served God in His name (9:49,50).
  • They wanted to destroy the opposition.  When their ethnic enemies became inhospitable, the twelve turned vicious. Jesus responded with one of His strongest rebukes (9:51-56).
  • They bit off more than they could chew.  His followers overstated their commitment and failed to deliver on their promises (9:57-62). 

Despite these shortcomings, Jesus continued to prepare the Twelve.  Even though they were weak, competitive, self-centered, unrealistic about themselves, and insensitive to others, Jesus kept training them, as He does us!