Do Not Stumble

by Hugh DeLong

Let’s imagine we were one of the twelve (not Judas!). Jesus has been in conflict with the religious leaders for almost the whole duration of your association with Him. Jesus has been telling you repeatedly that He will die – as a rejected Messiah. Yet, you have heard the wisdom of his teaching. You have witnessed the miraculous signs He has done. You have even participated in both the preaching of His messiahship and having miracles worked through you. Yet, the tension keeps building!

Now, what will become of this on the eve of His betrayal and crucifixion? He talks with you.

Bluntly.

“These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling” (John 16:1).

Though these chosen apostles would get off to a shaky start that night, forsaking Him in His hour of crisis, still they would radically change and stand firm in their faith. Reading Acts shows us a whole different disposition and character of these men.

What can account for this change? Their answer: The resurrection of Jesus. They hung their very lives on this. Indeed, most of them became martyrs. With the truth of Jesus' resurrection and what it implied, they faced death and won. Yes, they died. They died the death of believers.

How many times did they remember these words of Jesus? When faced with the choice of renouncing Him or die, they did not ‘stumble’.

‘Stumble’ comes from the Greek word σκανδαλίζω [skandalizo /skan·dal·id·zo/]. One of the meanings of this is “to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey.”

Most of us will never face such an ultimate test as did these apostles of Jesus, but throughout our lives we will be tested. Will we stumble? Will we?