In His final message to the disciples, Jesus prepares them for His death and resurrection, as well as their own persecution and martyrdom. Church tradition indicates that all but one of the twelve disciples died martyr's deaths except for John, who died in exile on the island of Patmos. This is actually one of the most convincing proofs of the resurrection to me. That they went from hiding and denying His name to being willing to die for His name's sake, suggests a dramatic shift in circumstances. They were not willing to die for Him as he was headed to the cross. They scattered and hid. but after His appearance to them after the resurrection, all but one faced torturous deaths for Him. Many will die for something that is false if they believe it to be true, (terrorists will blow themselves up believing that Allah will grant them countless virgins in paradise), but who would die a painful death for something they KNOW to be a lie. If Jesus had not been resurrected, would they have died for that claim? What would have been the motivation to propagate such an elaborate ruse at such extreme personal cost? There is none but love for a REAL Savior...
Tomorrow's reading: John 18:1-24; Mark 14: 32-52; Matt. 26:36-56; Luke 22:39-53
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