giving up on God
by JVS on Oct.18, 2010, under 2010
We are most deceived when we abandon God for not doing things our way.
I just realized that this is what happened with Jesus’ disciples when they all deserted him as he was being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. First Jesus prophesies that they’re all going to take off, leaving him in the lurch. Then, to a follower, they said, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” Then Jesus responds by telling them they will. We will. What I realized this morning, in reading the Gospel of Matthew, is that the abandoning happened immediately after the disillusionment. They ran after Jesus chastised one of them for attempting to defend him (cutting off the High Priest’s servant – Malchus’ – ear). Here his disciples were willing to fight for him and Jesus basically gives up without a fight. It’s been noted before that the disciples had the wrong idea re: the kind of revolt Jesus was leading; they thought political reform (overturning the Roman occupation), while Jesus had other plans. I knew this truth, but had never quite seen the sharp edge of that sword as it played out in this scene. The disciples must have been hugely disillusioned when Jesus did what he did – at the point where a true revolt should have taken off, Jesus showed his cards; enough so for them all to bail on him.
I think we followers do this all the time, whenever we don’t get what we want. Whenever he’s not the God we expect him to be.
October 19th, 2010 on 7:13 am
I read once an interpretation of U2′s “Until the end of the world” as Jesus waiting for the redemption of Judas. I guess that can go into the “For What It’s Worth” file.
October 18th, 2010 on 10:54 pm
Disillusionment is pretty powerful. When your reality is not longer solid its like the rules don’t apply anymore and your left bewildered and powerless.
October 18th, 2010 on 10:47 pm
…just as a further aside:
I’ve been reading through Matthew right now too, and coincidentally I’m up to the point right before Gethsemane where Jesus points out that one of the 12 would betray him. Now the text reads “the man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man – better never to have been born than to do this!”
I thought today, what if this phrase doesn’t mean what we’ve always been taught? What if it isn’t a condemnation of Judas’ soul (it always bothers me when people believe Judas went straight to hell because God would never forgive him, it sort of doesn’t fit with the crucifixion and redemption story!) What if, instead, it is Jesus’ overwhelming pity for Judas because he knows that Judas will have to suffer the knowledge of betraying the Son of Man? Or perhaps not pity, but his love of Judas?
Judas felt so horrible for what he did that he hung himself. Perhaps Jesus’ phrase was not meant as a condemnation, but as an understanding.
Just a thought.
October 18th, 2010 on 10:45 pm
Some people abandon God when their lives fall apart.
October 18th, 2010 on 10:17 pm
Thanks for sharing your insight on that story. I love finding new things in old stories.