The Magic Gospel Bullet

Which famous Christian celebrity would you like the be discipled by? Paul? Augsutine? Calvin? Piper? Or how about Jesus Himself.

Of course, that's a bit of a false dichotomy, but in Mark 8:22-10:52 we find Jesus' private discipleship lessons, remembered by Peter, recorded by Mark, and given to us. Think of it! In these chapters we get to wander around Galilee with Jesus, listening in to some of His most intimate and important teaching, before striking off south, face set to Jerusalem.

Mark bookends these lessons with two stories of Jesus healing the blind. First of all in chapter 8 there's the man who sees trees walking. This was a real event that really happened, but it's also a parable. When the disciples looked at Jesus, they saw a tree walking. They saw Him feed five thousand men with a boys lunch, and then worried about where they were going to get bread. They looked at Jesus and didn't get it. If He's the Messiah, where His sword? More importantly, if He's the Messiah, where is our sword?

In this section Jesus predicts His death and resurrection three times, and three times the disciples misunderstand. Peter is often at the forefront of the misunderstanding, at least initially. It seems Jesus closest friend was not one to retweet compliments. Jesus says i'm going to be handed over to men, who'll treat me shamefully. The disciples argue over who is the greatest. Jesus says He'll be mocked, spat on and flogged. James and John wonder if they can sit either side of Him when He turns the Temple Mount into the centre of His earthly Kingdom. They don't get it. Even after Peter's great confession, even after the transfiguration, they still look at a man, and see a tree.

I wonder if Jesus was frustrated with them. He was certainly indignant when the twelve tried to turn away a child. Here's the great encouragement for me from these verses. Jesus was in charge of these guys discipleship, and they still grew slowly. They still misunderstood, they still didn't get in. Very shortly the leader of their group would cut a guy's ear off! Next time, when i feel like i'm failing in the same area for the hundredth time, or helping someone else who has, i need to remember that.

Everyone's Christian growth is normally incremental. Sure, there are times when growth occurs like a bolt of lightening across the night's sky, but it's more often like the sunrise. I was thinking yesterday how much i wished there was a magic bullet for Christian growth, but how, at the same time, i'm glad there isn't. As Jesus keeps teaching slowly their eyes opened as they learnt to depend on Him. The final increment didn't fall into place until the ascension, but their eyes opened in the end.

And so will everyone's eyes, yours and mine included. One day, we won't look at Jesus and see a tree, one day we'll be like Bartimaeus, the living example of what Mark 10 is about. Committed enough to stand out from the crowd, humble enough to ask for help, his only ambition to follow Jesus into the last week of His life. Slowly but surely, as Christ Himself disciples us, God's Word will do God's work, our eyes will be opened. We'll see, and we'll follow.