Protection and Danger

Jesus was more than two day's journey from Jerusalem, where envious religious leaders had previously tried to stone him. Yet many people were hungry for His ministry. So they had walked out to the baptism site at the River Jordan where Jesus was teaching. Two days previously He received a message saying that His friend, Lazarus, was very ill. However, He seemed in no hurry to help him even though we deduce from the narrative that Lazarus probably died about that time. Now, two days later, He tells His disciples to get ready to go back to the area around Jerusalem; an idea that they thought was foolish and irresponsible and probably feared for their own lives.
 
Jesus taught the disciples that they were safe while the Light was with them. He meant that they should not be afraid to follow Jesus, even into dangerous areas. It is the people who walk in the dark and reject the Light who don't know where they are going. Those people would always stumble and fall. Jesus knew nobody could succeed against Him without the Father's permission; and there was plenty of time to do everything His Father commanded Him. So He was never in a rush. He always met the Divine deadlines to complete His mission. The disciples learned much from this. It was good training to be apostles under persecution when the task was so great even though the time seemed so short.
 
The Lord always knows what He is doing, even if it may seem foolish or dangerous to us. It was a lesson the trainee apostles needed to learn before they started to lead the church. Safety does not depend on our location or the absence of danger. It is God alone who keeps us safe and will do so through whatever means He chooses. It may seem that He sometimes asks us to risk everything but, at the same time, we know that in Christ we are fully protected. So do not be frightened or discouraged from following Jesus. Nothing and nobody can stand against you when the Lord is with you!