Death of the Dream

Musing today on the disciples, after Jesus’ death.

We know so little of the time between the end of one chapter (Jesus’ death) and the morning he rose.

I would go out on a limb and guess that in those hours their expectations of what was coming had been completely and finally decimated. I’m sure they had been disquieted by some of Jesus’ “odd sayings,” but here was the final and complete death of their Messianic dreams.

Surely, they felt disappointment in their own behavior - and were grieving the betrayal and death of Judas as well. The “what was it all for” must have been strong. Peter “wept bitterly.”

I muse: perhaps this “death” was the only way for the church to be born. Perhaps the disciples had to have the nationalistic messianic dream shattered. Then, when Jesus rose from the dead, something far greater than this could be understood and realized. (Obviously, not the only reason for death/resurrection!)

Yet it seems strange that even here, the old still pulled: “Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1).