Luke 22:54
Then seizing Him, they led Him away and took Him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance.
Jesus' disciples had followed him for three years. In the final year of Jesus' ministry He continually told His disciples, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and will be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Somehow, the disciples didn't seem to understand what Jesus was telling them when He said these things, or they just didn't want to accept it. Whichever is the case, on that Thursday night in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus' words became very real for His disciples. When Jesus was arrested they all ran away in fear.
It became so real for Peter that a short time later he denied knowing Jesus three times. It became so real for the disciples that they locked themselves away in a room for the next three days, only John was at the crucifixion. The disciples were afraid. They didn't understand that Jesus had to die. They were unsure what He meant when He told them, "...on the third day I will rise again." They were afraid and confused.
This is how it has been for many of you over the last week or so in the United States. Things have progressed quickly with the corona virus. Many Americans were simply watching the updates on the news each day like it was just another Netflix series. Few Americans really understood the significance of this virus. Few really thought it would come here and effect their life.
And that was the case, until it wasn't. One day there were infections in the United States. One day the WHO finally declared it a pandemic. One day your children's school was closed, with hardly any warning. One day, this got real for you.
As schools and businesses close, and are going to stay closed for weeks (probably months), this has gotten real for everyone. Sadly, too many are only just now waking up to the real ramifications of the corona virus- the collapse of the Global Financial System/Markets.
Just like it did for Jesus' disciples on that Thursday night/Friday morning, things might seem hopeless. You're afraid. You're confused. Somehow this has totally blindsided you despite the years of warning (for the financial markets, not the corona virus).
But what did Jesus say? On the afternoon of Resurrection Sunday, Jesus appeared to His disciples as they were locked away in that upper room and said, "Peace be with you." Then He showed them His wounds and told them to touch Him and see that He was truly raised from the dead, in the flesh. Jesus showed them that He had conquered sin and death. This world had no hold on Him, and because of Jesus, it has no hold on us. We are no longer slaves to sin and fear and worry. In Jesus, we are free from all of it. We still experience the effects of living in this broken sinful world, but we are no longer slaves to it.
Just as all of the disciples' fears and worries and confusion melted away when Jesus appeared to them, ours will as well, when we turn our focus and attention to Jesus. As Christians we don't have to fear what the future holds. We know Jesus has already taken care of it. None of this has caught Him by surprise. Before He created the universe, He knew this was going to happen. It is not by accident that you are living at this time and place in history. God has placed you here on purpose as part of His plan. You have been born for such a time as this. Now is not the time to cower in fear. Now is the time to look to God's Word for guidance, and to LEAD!
Our world has changed forever, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Like Noah, we can trust God's plan for our world, and for our lives. Like Noah, we also receive this promise from our Heavenly Father:
"Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil form childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease."
-Genesis 8:21-22
God's got this!
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Jason Fredrick
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