Direct, honest, and to the point, Jesus constantly challenged how people thought about him. He also corrected their ideas about what following him should look like–as many times as he needed to until they understood.
On one such occasion, Jesus pulled his twelve core followers away from the crowds for a private conversation, warning them again that life was going to demand much from them. Jesus had already told them he was going to be crucified, so what should they expect for themselves?
All these years later, Jesus’ words ring as true for us as they did for the disciples. We don’t ask, “Will we face trouble?” We know trouble comes to us all. Instead we ask, “How will we face trouble when it comes?”
Jesus didn’t warn the disciples with gentle soothing words–that wasn’t his way. He painted some pretty stark word pictures to describe the choices they would face–and the consequences of those choices. But Jesus also reminded them of a huge advantage they would have on the journey: each other! We too will share that amazing privilege–just so long as we don’t lose our saltiness somewhere along the way.
