Disciple in the Shadows
John the Baptist was destined to announce the Savior of the World to the world, and was picked to do so even before he was born. He was the one who first recognized Jesus as the Son of God. John continued to baptize as he did before, and all but two of his disciples continued to follow him (John 1:29-40).
John was not the Hidden Disciple.
Many women gave much support to Jesus and the Twelve, were boldly present at the Crucifixion, and were the first (and would have been the only) to visit the tomb, while the "Mighty men of God" hid in an upper room.
They were not the Hidden Disciple.
Multitudes, well over 5,000 at one time, followed Jesus. Then when He spoke to them of things they didn't want to hear, they went their own way (John 6:28-71).
None of them were the Hidden Disciple.
No, the Hidden Disciple was not one who wore goatskin, nor an apron, nor sat on a mountainside listening to Jesus. This disciple was not one of those with little to lose, or one of little reputation, as was Jesus and His followers.
In fact, one Hidden Disciple was one of the best known men in all Israel. He was one of those who could have had a hand in changing the destiny of all creation.
But he was hiding in the shadows of Fear.
The Sanhedrin was the most powerful class of people of its time. It was made up of 70 men taken from the Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes, and was presided over by the High Priest (who at that time was selected or allowed by the Romans).
This council governed both the National and the Religious activities of Israel. It was not considered expedient to get on the wrong side of them - which, of course, Jesus always did.
We know of two "Rulers" that may or may not have been one of the Seventy. One came to ask Jesus how he could get to Heaven (Luke 18:18-23), and the other asked Jesus to save his child's life, and instead Jesus brought the child back to life.
But these, as far as we know, were not disciples of Jesus.
One night, under the cover of darkness, a member of the Sanhedrin approached Jesus:
1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:1-23)
Nicodemus apparently had a question to ask Jesus to risk being seen with Him. And by the answer that Jesus gave him, it was probably the same question the rich young ruler asked (Matt Chapter 19).
So here we have a Disciple in the Shadows - literally.
But how can we know that Nicodemus was a disciple? Were there any more? And why were they In the Shadows?
38And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. 39And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, (John 19:38-42).
Now we have two disciples. The scriptures above do not say that Nicodemus was a disciple, but the intimation is pretty clear.
Jesus had much trouble with the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Scribes. It seems as if every one of them had nothing to do but follow Jesus around and try to cause Him problems.
We now know that at least two out of the tormenting groups believed in Jesus, are there any signs that there were others? That question was asked by the more powerful of the Sanhedrin:
47Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 48Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? 49But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. (John 7:47-48).
It sounds like there wasn't many who did believe in Jesus. But what was it that Nicodemus said?
"Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him."
These were the words of Nicodemus that first night. It sounds like he believes that the others believed.
25Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? 26But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? (John 7:25)
It sounds like at least some of the people believed that they did.
42Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. (John 12:42)
And there we have the reason that the disciples of Jesus stayed "In the Shadows."
Nicodemus tried once to Stand Up For Jesus:
47Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 48Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? 49But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. 50Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) 51Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? 52They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. 53And every man went unto his own house. (John 7:47-53)
But perhaps those men in power really didn't know that Jesus was the Messiah. Maybe they were just honest men doing what they sincerely believed was right.
47Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 48If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. (John 11:33-57)
It sounds like they might be sincere - if they are actually concerned with their nation, and not with their "place" (position).
Were there any signs that might have pointed them to the fact that their Messiah might be coming at that time? After all, the Messiah would be coming to drive out the Romans and give back the nation to the Jews. Of course He would have also driven out all the phony priests, High Priests and other unfit rulers as well.
3When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. (Matt 2:1-8)
Well they certainly knew that the Messiah had been born, and by Daniel Chapter 9 they knew the precise date as well.
But did any bother to go see this Blessed Child? Oh yes, many. Herod sent his soldiers to butcher this future King, and any other who might possibly fit into His age group.
But maybe once these rulers knew that they had made a mistake they would repent and correct their error:
50Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Matt 27:50-54)
62Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 63Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 64Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. (Matt 27:62-65)
11Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. 14And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. (Matt 28:11-14)
So it appears as if Truth is not what these Rulers were after. Then we might consider; what was it that they were working so hard to protect?
This study of Hidden Disciples is not for the intent of exposing the faults of 2,000 years ago, but to portray some of the various problems Jesus had from the beginning to create His Church.
And the problem didn't cease when He died, as can be seen in the writings of one of Jesus' one-time biggest problem - Paul of Tarsus.
A great deal of time and space in the Epistles is devoted to keeping "wolves" out of the church. These wolves would enter a church Paul started, gain position, then fleece the sheep, try to take control and lead them astray, and/or separate them off from the Head, which is Jesus, and create a distorted version of the True Church (Acts 20:29).
Somehow the Church has survived in spite of all this deviousness.
But in what form?
The church has been mangled, divided and diluted until many factions believe they are the only true church, and all others are "lost" (1 Cor Chapter 3).
What is the True Church? Is it possible to find it amongst all the denominations and cults? Is there a church building, or at least a group of people with whom you could associate and know that you are with the Church Jesus intended?
I don't think anyone can answer that question, but I am going to do it anyway.
The answer is a resounding NO!
I say this for several reasons, most of them being restatements of what Jesus said Himself.
To begin with, wherever there is a genuine Wheat field planted intended to grow a pure Harvest for the Lord, the Enemy will come along and plant his tares (Matt Chapter 13:).
Tares are a plant that likes to grow in the fertile wheat fields and are essentially undetectable since they look like wheat until they are ready to be harvested.
Once the plants have reached maturity they are easily identified, but difficult to separate without "filtering" (the tares' seed is smaller than that of wheat).
And where wheat is nutritious, the darnel (tares) are poisonous to both man and beast due to a smut fungus they attract.
In the church it is the same way; Tares will cause strife, division, doubt and in many other ways keep the church from functioning properly.
Do you know any tares? They are likely to be among the most active and respected members of the congregation. And if you try to "root them out," you will pull out much of the wheat as well (Discourage them or cause them to leave the Faith altogether). Tares are the Christians that the World looks upon and causes people to decide that Christianity is not real, much like the "Ugly Americans" who create a bad image of Americans throughout the world.
Tares have small seeds (of Faith). Tares "fill out" the church. Other church members don't recognize them as tares. And worst of all - tares don't know they are tares! And often they are very fine people, but with no "Life" in them. In fact, tares believe they are better Christians than anyone else, and that the church couldn't function without them.
And they are right!
Christians rarely get involved with the "government" of the church. They stay out of the limelight, and prefer to busy themselves with jobs like maintenance of the church, visiting the sick, prayer chains, helping the elderly and infirmed, and Missionary work.
Tares love the limelight and shove others out of the way in order to be seen and be highly regarded.
Christians work toward Jesus' admonition to be meek and humble, that is working with the Lord to rid themself of Ego and Ambition (Matt Chapter 6:). Christians look toward a Heavenly Reward and the desire of their heart is to serve the Lord.
Tares expend great effort on the church government and activities. Appearances and Activities and Entertainment are their direction. They are often the Leaders of any function. They have all the answers, but are less likely to be doing the actual work.
Tares are often frustrated and angry at Christians who "waste their time" on missionary work rather than serve tables at a picnic the tares have decided to organize.
Tares look to this world for their rewards.
Tares are also hard to recognize because they so strongly resemble True Christians who are earnestly working for the Lord by setting up functions and helping with the governing of the church.
So what do you do about the tares? Jesus said to let them stay among you, and He will take care of them when He does the winnowing, that is, separating the chaff from the grain (Mat 13:30).
In the mean time, is there any way we can tell the tares from the wheat? Jesus said that by their fruit you can recognize them (Matt 7:20).
As tares dominate and push out the wheat, so do wolves shove their way into high places and overpower the sheep. Of course wolves don't come into the Sheepfold in their own garb, but rather enter dressed as spotless Sacrificial Lambs. By the time they are recognized as a wolf, it is often too late. By that time the wolf has either divided the church, separated the congregation off from others, fed the sheep false doctrine (teachings) or has them following his own voice instead of the True Shepherd's (John Chapter 10:).
Somehow, by the Grace of God, the Church has managed to continue in spite of these overwhelming odds.
But for what purpose? Why does God bother with such a rebellious and weak church? He didn't put up with Israel, who was following very strict rules, why does He allow such a wishy-washy church to continue?
For hundreds of years the Church has gone from a beginning where Christians would lose all they had, be hunted by people like Saul of Tarsus, and be fed to the lions rather than renounce Jesus.
Then it went through the Dark Ages where the church became so corrupt that some of the most heinous crimes were committed in the name of Christianity. Innocent and even honorable names were given some, like the Inquisition and the Crusades.
Later we had martyrs such as Martin Luther who struggled to change all that, and others who were also martyred in order to put the Bible in our hands rather than have to accept what the corrupt church leaders were saying it said.
Followers of Jesus were led blindly astray with seemingly no help in order to follow Christ.
How could Our Lord possibly find any Faithful during those Satan ruled centuries?
Then, and even much later we had "wolves" who began as sheep, then turned on their flocks to destroy them. Hitler and Jim Jones are two such examples, though there are many, many other less notorious and obvious examples as well, many who have not killed their sheep, just kept them from moving on in the Lord; left their congregation standing on the "Fire Line" so to speak.
Jesus gave His life to create a Church. The apostles lived their life in order to leave us instructions on how to build that Church.
But we, the sons of Adam, have taken that Church and turned it into "churchianity."
Church is no longer a place where True Believers come together with a heart-rendering desire to serve the Lord and His Body. It is a place to socialize, and be entertained.
The church is a kindergarten of lambs fed milk to keep them small, soft and tender for the wolves, rather than fed wholesome "meat" in order to become strong and useful for the Lord (Hebrews Chapter 6:).
And even the best of churches and congregations, those with full intent of serving the Lord, are geared toward the lambs (fed milk) and not toward those sheep desiring to grow toward maturity.
And how could it be otherwise? The church is similar to a One Room School where the teacher must spend all her time working with the first graders who constantly demand her attention and has to leave the older students with nothing but the Book and the exhortation of each other in order to grow in wisdom.
But we do have the Book. And True Christians also have an Instructor to help them understand the Book.
During the past two thousand years, through the Dark Ages there was no real instruction, and no Bible to read, and few if any examples of what a Christian was to be like. In spite of this there were many notable Christians who rose above the field of tares to bring the Truth to the people (and lost their heads in order to be silenced, just as did Jesus and the Apostles).
The Holy Spirit has been active.
But only True Believers were listening.
"The world has gone mad," and is getting madder. But this is nothing new. It has been going mad since Adam, and God wiped this world out once because of it, and will do so again.
In the madness before Noah, there was Enoch, who rose above the tares of his day.
And their was Noah who found favor with God.
In the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah there was Lot who stood alone as a witness to God.
In Canaan, a nation to be destroyed for its abominations, there was a Priest so honorable that he is used as a type of Christ, by the name of Melchizedek.
In the desert of Midian, Moses had to be instructed by his father-in-law, a priest in an idolatress land.
Elijah cried to God, while hiding in a cave, that he was the only one left who was loyal to God, and that everyone else was looking to kill him. But God told Elijah that He had "left me 7000 that had not bowed the knee" to Baal (1 Kings 19:14,18).
When it looks as if there is nothing but tares, and that all have forsaken God to worship things, strange gods, or themselves - take heart; God has reserved for Himself a Remnant.
Are you one of them?
Are you rising above the tares in your heart by letting the Holy Spirit expose the tares and selfish fruit in your own nature?
Are you seeking God rather than the praise of men as are the tares?
Are you striving for strength to speak out for what is right, what you believe in, rather than pulling into yourself in order to not "look foolish"? Tares have no problems forcing others who oppose them to shrink away timidly. Shouldn't a Child of God speak up for our Lord? (Matt 10:33)
So then, where is the True Church?
The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:20-37).
The True Church is within you. It is the Seed of Jesus Christ planted in your heart called the Holy Spirit that works within you (1Thes 2:13). It is the Light of Jesus that shines forth in the darkness, made to grow until it is a Shekinah Glory too bright to be looked upon (John 1:1-18; Matt 17:2-9; Ex 34:29-35; Acts 6:15).
The True Church is scattered here and there throughout a monstrous field of tares. And in many cases the True Seeds are buried, unrecognized, even to themselves, because they are made to feel inferior to the majestic tares and wolves.
Jesus and the Apostles continued to attend and participate in the dead rituals and services of the Temple and the Synagogues. Even though there was no life in the Temple, that is where people who were looking for God came to seek Him, and it was important that True Saints be there as representative of God.
But they were not held back by those in the Temple; though much effort was made to do so by the tares.
We are told to be a "Light unto the World." A Light in Darkness. The church is very dark. It needs light as well. Even though that darkness believes that it is the light (2 Cor 11:14; John 3:20).
So, the question left unanswered is "Why does God bother?"
He bothers because of you, if you are a "Child of Light," and not just another tare.
Who is the Hidden Disciple?
Is it you ?
