DISCIPLES DESERTED HIM

what was the response of the chosen twelve; of his own "mother and bretheren!" (mark 3: 34), as he called them? i will allow professor momerie to describe it in his own inimitable words—

"his immediate disciples, were always misunderstanding him and his work: wanting him to call down fire from heaven; wanting him to declare himself king of the jews; wanting to sit on his right hand and on his left hand in his kingdom; wanting him to show them the father. to make god visible to their bodily eyes;

wanting him to do. and wanting to do themselves. anything and everything that was incompatible with his great plan. this was how they treated him until the end. (and) when that came. they all forsook him. and fled."

it was most unfortunate that jesus christ (pbuh) had no real choice in selecting his disciples. they let him down as no other group of devotees had ever let down their prophet before. it was no fault of the master. he bewailed his plight: "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh (clay) is weak" (matthew 26: 41). truly, this is not the clay out of which a new adam could be made. he passes on that responsibility to his successor, whom he calls here — "the spirit of truth," ie the prophet of truth, the prophet of righteousness!