The Path of Brokenness

When the Lord Jesus began His ministry, He called His twelve apostles. Later, many disciples followed him. Walking with Jesus, they began to hear about the kingdom of heaven and felt superior, knowing that they were the ones following the Messiah. They had learned as children that the Messiah would come to reign and deliver them from the hands of their oppressors.

They all had an expectation of the kingdom and, being his apostles, they would surely have a prominent place. So much so that once the sons of Zebedee asked the Lord to give them a prominent place in his kingdom, that is, to sit one at his right hand and one at his left (Mark 10:35, 37).

Again they raised an argument as to who among them was the greatest, and Jesus said to them: "For he who is least among you all is the greatest" (Luke 9:48). They were all full of pride, to the point that John and James wanted to burn a village of Samaritans with fire, because they refused Jesus' passage as he was going up to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-56).

They were sent to preach, to heal the sick and were given power to overthrow every force of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Thus they were, but Jesus had a purpose for His servants after His resurrection, and for the building up of His church, for which He would go to death. Then He began to give them a way of brokenness.

First, many of his followers deserted him after his hard speech; only the twelve remained before his death (John 6:60-71), and from then on, he also bore witness to the treachery of Judas. Next, Peter denied him, and then all deserted him.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he again gathered his own, and for a period of forty days he appeared to many, and spoke to them about the kingdom (1 Cor. 15:6, Acts 1:3). Of these, only one hundred and twenty were in the upper room persevering with one accord in prayer waiting for Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Looking at this account, how were these people now? Did they still think who was the greatest among them? Surely not.

How was Peter in this new call of the Lord to him? Broken. "Go, tell his disciples, and Peter, that he goeth before you into Galilee" (Mark 16:7). And all the others whom the Lord reproached for their unbelief? And his mother and his brethren? All surely, also broken.

Just as all had to be broken, knowing their own weaknesses, unbelief and unfaithfulness to enter into the ministry of the Lord Jesus (Acts 1:17), we also need to be broken. If the Lord places any of us in His unbroken ministry, we will most certainly exalt ourselves, and long for the primacy. If we are not yet broken by the Lord, and do not yet know our real situation, we are not yet fit and have no part in His ministry.

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