Reading through the gospels, I was amazed at how patient Jesus had to be, not just in his dealings with the religious leaders and the general public of his time, but also with his hand picked band of twelve disciples. In fact I am of the opinion that they probably tested his patience more than any other group of people. Consider the following examples:
Jesus and and his disciples are travelling in a boat after Jesus has finished a long day of preaching, one of His greatest sermons, the sermon on the Mount. Jesus falls asleep in the boat. A storm arises. Notice, the disciples go wake Jesus and say, 'Teacher do you not care we are drowning?' Jesus gets up and rebukes the storm, the wind ceases and the waters are calm, He then rebukes his disciples: “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”(Mark 4:40). This isn't the first time they have seen Jesus perform a miracle, Luke records Jesus healing five different people within a few days before this event (Luke 5-8).
Another busy day for the disciples (Mark 6). Jesus sends them out to preach, 'And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them'. The disciples are delighted with the new power given to them. They then see Jesus feed five thousand people with tow fishes and five loaves of bread. He then sends his disciples to the other side of the lake to get some rest while he stays behind to pray. Early morning the disciples see Jesus come to the boat walking on the water, they mistake him for a ghost and are terrified. Jesus calms them down and gets into the boat. The are still awe-struck, The Message bible adds ' They were stunned, shaking their heads, wondering what was going on.' Then Mark explains why (7:52): They had failed to understand the miracle of the feeding the five thousand; their hearts were too down to get this one.
The very next chapter of Mark tells of another interesting episode. The religious people complain his disciples don't wash their hands before eating, He answers 'There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man'. When the crowd has left and the disciples are alone with Jesus, they ask him what he meant. Now, Jesus has to put it into plainer words again: "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' (Mark 7:18-23)
In Mark 8, the disciples push him even further. Jesus has just fed another 4000 people with seven loaves of bread. The Pharisees come to test him asking him to show them a sign. Jesus tells his disciples to be careful of the 'yeast' of the Pharisees and Herod. They are in a boat and the disciples have forgotten to bring bread, they have only one loaf. So after a discussion and reasoning among themselves, they come to the absurd conclusion that Jesus must have said this because we have no bread.
Over hearing their conversation Jesus asks them, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" "Twelve," they replied.
"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" They answered, "Seven." He said to them, "Do you still not understand?" (Mark 8: 14-21)
"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" They answered, "Seven." He said to them, "Do you still not understand?" (Mark 8: 14-21)
And then, there is the discussion between Jesus and His disciples recorded in John 14. Its Jesus last night before his arrest and crucifixion and he is eating the passover meal with is disciples. Now the disciples have been with him for some three and a half years of his ministry. They have seen sick healed, demons flee, multitudes fed, dead raised, storms silenced and most of all they have heard him teach. Now, after having hinted at it many times before, Jesus clearly tell his disciples about his death and resurrection.
John 14: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The Father Revealed 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
The Father Revealed 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
There are many other examples in the gospels where the disciples refused to believe Jesus, so much so that even after his resurrection, Thomas had to put his finders in his wounds in order to believe. I am sure there must be many other such discussions between Jesus and his disciples that have not been recorded as not everything could be written down. But from what we read, I find it amazing how Jesus dealt with his disciples. Not once do the gospels record that he got irritated, short-tempered and frustrated with his disciples. Not once is it recorded that Jesus was so annoyed with their disbelief that he shouted at them and told them to go away and leave him alone because he was tired of them. Not Once. When I picture myself in this scenario in place of Jesus, I believe my attitude and dealing would have been very different from Jesus', with his disciples. I probably would have given up on them altogether, saying 'they'll never learn anything!'.
So how did Jesus manage to be so patient with his disciples, I wonder. How does he manage to be so patient with me? Why doesn't he ever say 'I've had enough of you!', why is it that His well of patience, grace, mercy, and forgiveness never runs dry?
I believe it has to do with how Jesus saw people. He did not see his disciples as who they were or what they ought to be based on what he wanted them to be like, but rather he saw them as what they will be. Jesus saw beyond the weaknesses of his disciples, he saw that each of them had potential, He knew they would change the world. And that is why it did not bother him that they were far from ideal, that is why he did not place extremely high expectations on them and he wasn't disappointed when they failed Him. Jesus saw them as masterpieces in the making, clay in the potter's hand; they were under construction and God was at work. And Jesus also knew that any good work of art takes time to complete.
Our behaviour would be a lot more different if we treated everybody the same way God treats us: clay in the potter's hand, masterpieces in the making. If we could imagine what the person we don't like would look like when God's finished working on him, it would give us the patience to bear him for now. God did the same for me. Romans 5:8 says, 'But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us'.
Jeff Lucas makes the point very well: 'Perhaps it's as well to know that God is not waiting for me to be complete before loving me. He considers me his workmanship: scaffolding, broken tiles, wonky bricks and all. ........The people around you, who have the capacity to make you scream, should probably be wearing a red triangular road sign around their necks-as should we all who are his apprentices. 'Take care-God at work' ' (from lucas on life)
