In the lamp-lit upper room reserved for them, they celebrated the Passover with Him. The scents of roasted lamb and bitter herbs hung in the air as they reclined at table. It was a night familiar to them all, a commemoration of the very first Passover, a night of sanctuary amidst the darkness and supernatural evil surrounding them. Did they feel the weight of the world’s anger and resentment toward them, as Israel had so long ago? Or did they feel the hushed expectation for what their God had done before and would do again—spread His protection over them and guide them safely to His heavenly kingdom? Recent political threats, the confrontation with legalism and with mental strongholds keeping their people captive were all heading toward an unknown conclusion. Did they feel the same way as Israel had, huddled behind the blood-soaked doors of Egypt as the Angel of Death administered God’s judgment upon their captors? Were they wondering and anticipating what God was going to do next?
Suddenly, their leader captured their attention as He paused during the meal:
And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Luke 22:15-16
He told them many things that night, explaining what was going to happen to Him, but that they should take comfort in the fact that He would be with them and show them the way. Following Him was the way. He had come to each of them and called them, and after a personal encounter with Him their lives had never been the same.
Were they reminded of the past, of the encounters God had with men chosen to make covenant with Him? Did they remember Abraham, who heard the voice of God telling him to leave his home and begin a journey toward a land God would show him? Abraham knew that the journey and the destination were secondary to following the One who called him.
What about Jacob, who dreamt of a staircase connecting heaven and earth, and who wrestled with a man that appeared out of nowhere, a man he would not let go of until He blessed him. And after that encounter, his life had never been the same.
Surely they remembered how Moses, tending sheep in the wilderness, came upon a bush that burned and lit the darkness, and from which the voice of God called him. As Moses edged closer, he met the God of Israel: “…’I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob…I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them.'” Exodus 3:6-8
Joshua, who was charged with leading the nation of Israel into the Promised Land, was camped just outside the powerful fortress of Jericho when “…he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked Him, ‘What message does my Lord have for His servant?’ The commander of the Lord’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so. Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men…’”Joshua 5:13-6:2
The disciples realized the importance of following, rather than leading; they were Yeshua’s disciples. When we struggle with our sin, when the days we live in are dark and the times are perilous, our focus is to be on Him. The writer of Hebrews confirms this:
“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Yeshua, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, despising its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3
Once we have an encounter with God, our lives change. Our focus changes. Though our values and how we conduct ourselves are important, the most important thing is to keep our focus on Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Be waiting for His leading, be listening to His voice, and do what He says to do. That is really all that matters.
* Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3
K'vod Yisrael 