Throughout Jesus’ journey during the Holy Week into Jerusalem, Jesus interacted with his disciplines who were naysayers because they could not or would not go the extra mile with the Lord for his cause. Recall that the term “extra mile” was itself a literary gem from the Messiah Himself:
If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:41-42)
These cautionary roadblocks on Jesus’ road to Calvary and his salvific death and resurrection occurred because the disciples were as yet unclear as to the meaning of the Kingdom of God and what it meant to for Jesus to offer the ultimate sacrifice as the Messiah .
Thus, along the journey, to many opportunities for generosity, responsibility, or giving, they rejoined with an unwillingness to help, an approach to simply dismiss the issue or ‘problem’ away, and often in justification, to maintain that they do not have enough to help, even though Jesus is asking for everything they have instead.
13 When Jesus heard this (the death of John the Baptist by Herod), he left that place and went by boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of it and followed him on foot from the neighboring towns. 14 When he got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them and healed their sick. 15 When evening had come, the disciples went to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and it’s already late. Send the crowds away so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”16 But Jesus told them, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.”17 They told him, “We don’t have anything here except five loaves of bread and two fish. 18 He said, “Bring them to me.” ” Matthew 14:13-17
And again,
21 Then Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Suddenly, a Canaanite woman from that territory came near and began to shout, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed!” 23 But he didn’t answer her at all. Then his disciples came up and kept urging him, “Send her away, because she keeps on screaming as she follows us.” Matthew 15:21-23
And yet again,
32 Then Jesus called his disciples and said, “I have compassion for the crowd because they have already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away without food, or they may faint on the road.” 33 The disciples asked him, “Where in the wilderness are we to get enough bread to feed such a crowd?” 34 Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” Matthew 15:32-34
And when Jesus next revealed his plan, Peter remonstrated. St Peter remonstrated because at that point in time, without understanding the unfolding story of Eschatology centered on the Jesus as God made Man, it would have been easier to wish away the arduous mission than to be part of its great commission.
21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer a great deal because of the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God be merciful to you, Lord! This must never happen to you!” Matthew 21-22
It was only later, in the Transfiguration, that great act of revealing the true glory and divinity of Jesus by His Father, witnessed by only a select few of the disciples, would they finally begin to understand that Jesus was not to be just another messenger, another prophet, another messiah, another king in the temporal tradition of David, but a new beginning in the history of the world.
(Photos at Montserrat, Spain, & Lake Shitoksu, Japan, Nikon D40)