If you were a disciple of Jesus, what would you feel? How would you feel if you heard Jesus say that He was going to die? Would you feel terrified, sad, overwhelmed? What thoughts would go through your mind? Would you think that it was some kind of sick joke that He said that He was going to die? A number of his disciples didn’t want Him to die. Peter was even the one who denied that Jesus would ever die, and told Jesus to His face, “Never Lord! This will never happen to you.” Would you be in deep denial when it came to Jesus telling you that He was going to die? How would you feel about Him saying that even though you may not understand things that are happening right now, eventually you will understand? All of that information can be pretty hard to swallow.

His disciples found out, He really did die for the sins of the world. He really did go to Hell and then go to Heaven, and raise to life three days later. The love that He had for everyone on Earth must have been overwhelming to His disciples. What would you feel if you realized once and for all that He is the true Messiah? How would you feel after witnessing Him perform many miracles? Would you feel honored, skeptical, fearful or would you be put in awe at the realization that He was true God and true man?

What must have gone through the disciples head when Jesus told them that one of them would betray Him? What would you feel if someone told you that they knew that you were going to betray them? Of course, you’d probably stick to the ultimate denial and say that you won’t betray them right? The disciples must have looked at one another over and over. Fear must have crept into their hearts and their minds. To hear that one of them was going to betray Jesus must have made them second guess each other and second guess themselves completely.

Some of the questions they may have asked themselves might have included “Did I not follow Him everywhere?” “Wass I, not a good enough follower?” “Did I miss something?” “Did I miss one of His crucial points in His teachings or in His sermons?” “What have I not been listening for?” “Why didn’t I listen more closely to His sermon’s?” “What did I miss?” “How could He not tell me or any of us this sooner?” “Which one of us will hurt Him?” “Betray Him? Ha, me? Yeah right. I’m one of His disciples. Someone else might betray Him but not me.” “There’s no way He could say any of us could betray Him.” “Oh my gosh..what if it’s me that betrays Him?”

The list of thoughts in their heads could go on and on. I’m sure it could go on and on in our heads if we were ever in that situation too.

What about when Jesus tells the disciples that someone will deny them? That someone was Peter. He didn’t want to believe that he would be capable of such an atrocious act. He denied that he would deny Jesus and then as soon as the rooster crowed three times, he knew exactly what he had done and he ran away and hid in shame. You really can’t blame him for hiding in shame though, either.

What must have the disciples felt when the guards and Judas showed up to take Him to Pontius Pilate? Look at Peter. He was angry enough at the guards for taking Jesus that he cut off one of the guards ear in a sword fight and was prepared to kill the guards until Jesus told him to put his sword down. The disciples must have been in complete shock as the realized that Judas who used to be one of them, betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Some of the thoughts that may have been going through their head during that time might have sounded like this. “How could he betray Him like this?” He used to be one of us. He not only betrayed Jesus but he betrayed us too!” “Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him?” “I gotta get out of here before the soldiers arrest me for being a follower of Jesus too.” “Why are they arresting Him? I gotta help Him But, how? What do I do? I can’t go against the Roman soldiers or Pontius Pilate. If I do, then I’ll wind up arrested or worse.”

The word fear was very real in those times leading up to Jesus’ death on Good Friday. We know Jesus was so afraid that He sweats blood. No other human being has been so stressed out that they actually sweat blood. So, the next time you think you’re stressed out, remember, you aren’t the one who sweat blood. Your situation, even as dire as it may seem is nothing compared to what Jesus went through. Your situation is almost nothing compared to what the disciples heard and witnessed that week leading up to Jesus’ death on Good Friday.