Just As Jesus Told Them

^“The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them.”  Mark 14:16

 

Some say close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and dancing, and though this list is not exhaustive, it is very true that many times in life close enough isn’t good enough.  Ask a surgeon, a pilot, or the IRS!  Better yet, ask a Christian.  Why the latter?  Because nowhere does exactness matter more than in matters of eternity. 

A long time ago in a land far away, our Lord sent two disciples on a mission—“Go fix supper.”  To be exact, the divine directive was, “Go to town, and you will meet a guy carrying a jug of water.  Follow him home and ask the owner where my guest room is where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” (Mk 14:13-15)  Though the instructions may have seemed strange, ^“the disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them”(Mk 14:16).  

What if what they found had just been close?  What if the man they met had been carrying a jug of wine instead of water?  What if he hadn’t headed home but had stopped instead at the market?  What if a guest room hadn’t been available but merely an outdoor picnic table? The end result of Jesus celebrating Passover with His pals might have been the same, but what would that mean for them and for us?  When it comes to the words of God, is close enough really good enough?

Never.  And that’s why on that famous spring day and on all other days—ordinary or amazing—all of Christ’s disciples will always find all things “just as Jesus had told them.”  We never need worry that He will be with us “almost” always, that He will “usually” supply all our need, or that “most likely” whoever believes in Him will live forever.  In every word, in every way, in matters as large as eternal life or as simple as directions for dinner, our God means exactly what He says and will do exactly what He says.

Because He is our faithful Friend, He says He will “never leave us nor forsake us”(Heb 13:5).  Because He is our loving Father, He says He will “guide us and watch over us”(Ps 32:8).  And because He is our gracious Savior, He says He will “present us before His throne without fault and with great joy”(Jude 1:24).  We never have to worry.  We never need to doubt. The words of our Lord are sure and secure, and because they are so, so are we. In every moment on earth and in eternity, down to the smallest, most delightful detail, the joyous mantra of the saints shall always be that they “found things just as Jesus had told them.”

Great is His faithfulness.