Matthew 10:5 & John 17:6-19
This is the second installment in our series on Jesus’ thoughts. In the first part, found in last Week’s “Wednesday at the Well” column, we talked about what Jesus
thought about God, His Father.
Today, we will talk about what Jesus thought about his disciples.
Jesus valued His disciples. This confidence is demonstrated in Matthew 10:5 which starts with the words, “These twelve Jesus sent out…” Jesus had confidence in their ability to obey Him and do the work he had for them.
In Matthew 20:17-19 Jesus’ words show us that He trusted His disciples. In this passage, Jesus is explaining His coming arrest and crucifixion to His disciples. Jesus trusted His disciples enough to confide in them and to want to share his inner pain with
them.
Just prior to His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus heart was filled with love for His disciples. This love led Him to think about His disciples while He prayed (John 17:6-19). These thought prompted Him to pray about the plans He had for His disciples (Matthew 16:18 & 19), how He had shared His mission with them (John 17:6-19), and how pleased He was with their understanding of who He was (John 17:8).
As His crucifixion neared, Jesus entrusted His disciples to God’s protection (John 17:9-12) and asked God to fill them with joy (John 17:13) and to set them apart for God’s service (John 17:17-19).
Finally, Jesus was concerned for their well-being. He knew that His disciples would be hated by the world because they believed and trusted Him (John 17:14-16).
It is awe-inspiring to think about the thoughts that had been in Jesus’ mind as He neared His arrest and crucifixion. He only had hours to live here on earth, but He thought not about Himself, but about the men who followed Him.
Psalm 139:17 says, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” Jesus’ thoughts truly are precious! Let’s praise God, for Jesus’ precious, amazing thoughts!
Heavenly Father, Your thoughts and the thoughts of Jesus are truly awesome! They are very precious to us. Teach us to pay attention to them, learn them, and learn to think those same kinds of thoughts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Until next Wednesday when we will delve further into Jesus thoughts…God bless!
(Please claim your free copy of the Inductive Bible Study Guide.)
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