| ELEVEN APOSTLES ~ 1 |
| Finally, all the apostles arrived at the northern province of Galilee where they lived. They waited and waited for Jesus to make another visit. They needed instructions what to do now. Every time Jesus had appeared so far it was on a Sunday. So on Saturday night they tried to get ready for him. They sat in a circle and prayed to him. "Jesus, quit leaving us." "Jesus, where is heaven?" "Jesus, we need you. Come back." "Jesus, can you ever forgive us for deserting you?" Of course Jesus had. The next morning they sat quietly and waited. Waited for Jesus. Then they heard it. "Good morning, everyone!" Yes, it was their Jesus. So far they had been amazed at Jesus, but somehow they knew it was not enough. He was more than the man some of them grew up with. He was more than a carpenter. He was more than just a preacher. He was more than the man who worked miracles. Moses worked miracles too. He was more than the man who came back to life. The little girl, the widow's son, and Lazarus all came back to life. But none of them had done everything the prophets had said he would hundreds of years before he was born. Prophets are people who can tell the future. Everything the prophets told about Jesus came true. He would be born in Bethlehem, escape to Egypt when in danger, live in Nazareth, and perform miracles. Someone would betray him for 30 pieces of silver money, he would die by being pierced with sharp objects, die with thieves, be buried in a rich man's tomb, and so on. John, who just recently figured out that Jesus was God, was the first to kneel. Thomas, the first to call him God, kneeled next. Peter, the first to call him Lord, kneeled next. Andrew and Philip, the first to realize he would be their king, kneeled next. Then James who will be the first to die for Jesus (though he doesn't know that yet). They waited for Jesus to tell them to rise. Then he explained that they were to spread out to the whole world and tell everyone about him. They were to do the same thing John the Baptizer did to Jesus ~ they were to baptize everyone who believed in Jesus and wanted to do the things Jesus did. Just eleven to cover the whole world? They didn't think they could do it. Jesus said they could. He would give them special gifts to help them. Jesus helps everyone who tries to tell others about what he went through to save them. He will help you too. |