Filled With Grief

Scripture:  Matthew 17:22-23 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

22 After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. 23 He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with grief. (Matthew 17:22–23 NLT)

I believe Jesus was becoming increasingly aware of the forces aligning against him. He was still immensely popular with the “common people” in Galilee, Decapolis, and the Jordan Valley around Jericho. The Pharisees and religious teachers all across the country were increasingly viewing him as a dangerous disruptor. The Sadducees whose activity was concentrated at Temple, Inc. in Jerusalem were aware of him and were prepared to do whatever it took to silence him when he got to Judea and Jerusalem. Jesus knew that this would be his last Passover and that when he arrived to spend time in Jerusalem, his death would be near.

At this point, it was clear to Jesus that the Pharisees and Sadducees were aligned against him and that once he was in Jerusalem, the Herodians would join in to have him killed. His remarks to his disciples about “Taking up your cross” as he predicted his death in Matthew 16 indicate he was aware that the Romans would be involved and that it would be at their hands he would actually be killed.

He knew his death was inevitable, and he was confident he would be resurrected. But the promise of resurrection was of little comfort to his closest followers who had left everything to be his disciples, with great hope and expectation of important positions in the Kingdom of Heaven (which wasn’t actually what they expected it to be!)

His disciples were filled with grief! It’s easy for us to look at this from 20 centuries later and think how faithless they were. But don’t forget that when we experience real-time loss in the present, it hurts! Even if we have expectation of eventual recovery, of life-after-this-life, of seeing loved ones again, it hurts! And we grieve! Don’t ever deny others or yourself the freedom to grieve! Death will be defeated through Jesus’ resurrection, but the pain of death and the loss of loved ones hurts now!

Prayer:

Father, Please help us to learn to grieve well, to grieve in faith and hope, and to give others the same freedom. Help us to help those who grieve, not with platitudes, but with our compassionate presence. For Jesus’ sake, Amen!