Following Jesus takes courage

I've always prayed for light enough for the next step and the courage to take it.  --David Crowder

There is a television commercial for Dick's Sporting Goods that is airing in the United States in advance of Mother's Day.  As it fades in, a little boy, not older than five or six, is holding onto his mother's hand.  Mom, who as it turns out is Aimee Waters, Executive Director of Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation, engages her son in conversation.  "Hey, Bud, how are you doing?" she asks.  Somewhat timidly, the boy answers, "Good."  She gets down to his eye level, and asks a probing question: "What's up?"  The shot widens, and it is apparent that they are going to soccer practice, and also that Ms. Waters is the soccer coach.  After a pause, the boy admits, "I'm kinda scared."  Mom nods, knowingly.  "Yeah," she says, urging him on.  "How come you're scared?"  In childlike honesty, the boy says, "Because...I never tried before."  Affirming the boy's words, she says, "Yeah," then asks him, "What do you think is gonna happen?"  He shrugs: "I don't know."  Mom gets to the heart of the matter.  "Do those other kids look like they're playing really well?."  The boy nods.  "Mm-hmm"  Mom encourages him.  "But do you think you could play pretty well, too?"  You can almost hear the boy smiling.  "Yeah," he says.  "I think so," the mother says, encouragingly.  Then she continues, "I get scared, too, but I gotta also make sure you play, because if you play, you also might try something new.  And maybe if you try it, I think it could be a lot of fun."  The boy expresses his dream, "Maybe I could score a goal!"  Her eyes widen in amazement: "You thing you could score a goal?  Yeah?  I promise you, if you keep trying, you'll do a good job, and it'll be FUN."  As the boy agrees with a muffled "mm-hmm", Mom gathers him up in her arms and says, "I'm so proud of you, Buddy.  I love you." (see it  here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6N6SSMPCwI )

In this 60 second spot, there is a lot of emotion: fear, honesty, love, encouragement.

I think that when the disciples followed Jesus around, living with Him and eating, sleeping, breathing with Him, there were some honest conversations that occurred, much like the conversation in the sporting goods commercial.  No, they weren't playing soccer.  No, the goal was not to just have fun.  I do think, however, that sometimes the disciples, though they were grown men, were as clueless as a five year old about what was happening around them.  For His part, Jesus did His best to encourage them with love and honesty, but sometimes His words made them fearful.  Let me tell you what I mean.  

Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  --Mark 10: 32-34

There are two emotions mentioned here that are not explained in the passage.  They were amazed, and they were afraid.  To get some context, we should look at John 11, the story of Lazarus.  Jesus was very good friends with Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha.  These three siblings lived in Bethany, near Jerusalem.  John chapter 10 implies that Jesus had fled Jerusalem because the Jewish leaders took up stones again to kill Him (John 10:31--this was the second time Jesus' life had been threatened by the Jewish leaders, the first in John 8:59).  When Jesus got word that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was, "beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing at first" (John 10:40).  The disciples probably thought the reason Jesus did not go heal His friend was that He was afraid to go near Jerusalem.  After Lazarus died, however, Jesus said they were to go to Judea again.

"The disciples said to Him, 'Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and you are going there again?' " (John 11:8).  Jesus explained why He was going, and the disciples were amazed at His courage.  "Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with Him.' " (John 11:16).  So when Mark 10:32 says they were both amazed and afraid, we can understand why.

Jesus sensed their fear, and took them aside and explained what would happen to Him.  This was the third time He had explained it to them.  The first time He explained it, Peter rebuked Him: "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" (Matthew 16:22; also ref Mark 8:32).  The second time Jesus explained these things to them, they were confused but afraid to ask for clarification.  "And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 'Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.'  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying." (Luke 9:43-45; also ref Mark 9:32).  This third time, they were amazed at His resolute attitude--Jesus was leading them down the road, and they were lagging behind because they thought they would die with Him, too. (See John 11:8, 16).

Each time He told them in detail what would happen, He always ended with the hopeful message of His resurrection.  "His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him." (John 12:16).  The Resurrection is our hope, but it would not have been possible without His sacrificial death.  Jesus courageously went to Jerusalem where He knew He would be put to death, but He was always honest and open with the Disciples about it.  He sensed their fear, but spoke words of encouragement to them.  They did not understand the full story, much like a five year old has no idea of the world around him, but as their experience level increased, so did their confidence.  Some might even call it faith.