Blind World

Blind World Men they were who’d die with Him, as they said on Simon’s lead; but the world has criticized them when to Him they did take heed. He said that they would scatter; it was written, yes, indeed. He said the written must be done; in the end they took His lead. He’d taught them how to follow Him, who it was they should deny; and when our eyes are opened, we will know the reason why. You see, He had prepared them for the thing that must be done. Losing sheep was not the thing, but His words, “I have lost none.” For two thousand years the world has judged the apostles of Jesus deficient in loyalty to him when they scattered at the scene of his arrest. It has been a judgment according to appearance. Truly, the apostles of Jesus were men who would die with him. That is why they were scandalized when he told them it was written that they would scatter. But at the scene of his arrest, when he declared that the scriptures must be fulfilled, they saw in his declaration a cue to scatter; and they scattered on cue. (Mark 14:49,50) They denied themselves as the men that they were, men who would die with him, in order to follow him. For each, to scatter was to take up his cross. In showing his disciples what must happen at Jerusalem, Jesus faced opposition from them. His corrective to this opposition was the instruction, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Mark 8:31-34) Here is righteous judgment: The disciples of Jesus followed him when they scattered at the scene of his arrest. Nevertheless, I say this only in my own name.