Why Failure Is Not the End of the Story

“I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.”Mark 14:27Thank God this is not the end of the story: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” (14:27-28).The striking of the shepherd will not be the end of the story. Nor will the scattering of the sheep. Why not? Because Jesus speaks here about His own resurrection. And though Jesus stood alone in His suffering, He was not, like the disciples, overcome by it. Then Jesus gave this great promise to His disciples: “After I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”The sheep may be scattered, but they are still His sheep. And this Jesus will not let one of His sheep be lost. The failure of the disciples will not be the end of the story. The shepherd will gather His scattered sheep. There will be a reunion in Galilee after the resurrection of Jesus.This looks like a clear promise to us, but the disciples didn’t really grasp it. It seems to have gone right over their heads. They didn’t latch onto the resurrection or to the hope of Him gathering the disciples in Galilee. But we need to latch onto this promise today.We have failed Christ in many ways. We have fallen into temptation. We have run from Him when we should have run to Him. Maybe you feel defeated. You need to hear this word of hope: “After I am raised up, I will go before you.”What do these words of hope mean to you?