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What Were The 12 Disciples Thinking? - Part One
Everything To Lose
The 12 disciples of Jesus Christ gave up everything to follow him. They came from all walks of life. As he walked through the areas where they lived and worked, he would call them to follow him. Their intrigue and belief that a messiah would come some day to save them and their people compelled them to leave their work and follow him.
They were committed to him and yet it is clear from their actions that they did not understand the things that were to happen.
History Of Israel
The Jewish people had a rough history. They had seen the blessings and protection of God many times. They also experienced the chastisement and judgement of God many times.
Yahweh had chosen the nation of Israel to be the ones through which He would carry out his plan and eventually bring salvation to those who would believe. He told the children of Israel He would bless them if they obeyed Him and they would suffer consequences if they refused to follow after Him.
Throughout their history, Israel would experience both blessing and cursing. Their rejection and disbelief would, over time, cause a separation from the One who loved them. Their disobedience caused great heartache, captivity and destruction but God never forgot His promises to them.
God knew their hearts and that they would reject Him and His plan. Man's pride causes many problems and just as Adam's pride led to the introduction of sin and death, so their pride would lead to the destruction of everything they had built with their own hands.
But Yahweh still loved them and prophesied in Genesis 49:10 that He would send a messiah to save them and restore their position once again.
The Disciples Mindset
The 12 disciples were taught these things from their parents and grandparents. God was very real to Israel and He was very much a part of their lives and understanding. However, the traditions and commandments of their religious leaders had led them into a false worship and belief system.
God always has a remnant of people who are truly interested in seeking and knowing His truth. The 12 disciples were some of those people in the first century. They lived with the understanding and belief that their messiah would become the ruler (king) of their people and setup a kingdom where they could live in peace and safety (2 Samuel 7:10).
Now that we understand the mindset of the disciples of Jesus (Yahshua) a little better we will be able to bring reason and harmony to our understanding of what they were thinking when they asked Yahshua (God is our salvation) about future events. It is important to look through their eyes, so to speak, so that we can fully understand and grasp the statements made by Christ and others in the first century. We will use this basis in future articles as we contemplate statements made by Yahshua and his disciples.