Jesus had heard the disciples arguing amongst themselves about who was the greatest. He offered them the opportunity to own up to their conversation, but they chose to stay quiet.
We will never know exactly what led the disciples to have that discussion. Perhaps they were each wondering what would happen to them if Jesus were not
around anymore. It is natural to plan for the future. Perhaps the disciples recognised that they would need to organise themselves into a formidable team to survive, and each was testing their ability to convince the others that they should be the leader. Each of these men was still young and capable and undoubtedly had the ambition to be recognised as someone of authority.
But faced with Jesus’ question, they were suddenly worried.
“What would Jesus think if he knew the desires of our hearts?”
But here’s the thing. Jesus knew their hearts, heard their words and saw their actions and attitudes because Jesus is always present. Whether something is good and right has a way of finding clarity when we consider that Jesus is present in every situation. We cannot hide anything from our Lord. It is not that Jesus is trying to catch us out. The closer we journey with
Jesus, the more our spirit becomes acutely aware when we are living contrary to what Jesus desires for us. Jesus, for his part, will help and teach us with love and care if we are willing to be honest with him about what is on our hearts.
Are there feelings of guilt in your heart because of a mistake you think Jesus noticed? Jesus invites you to bring any guilt to him so that he may free you from it and help you learn a new way.
Do you have hopes and dreams for your future? Have you discussed them with Jesus so that he may help you reach your full potential?
Reflections by Cherie-Lynn van der Merwe
