RRR_Loyalty
Loyalty is a trait that we believe that we understand because loyalty is something that we believe that we can easily see. And that we can render into a believable category in our minds, as we think about what it means to have the characteristic of loyalty.
But loyalty may not be exactly what we think most of the time.
For example, when a person is with someone everyday day in Day Out, 24/7 is that loyalty or is that presence? Does presence merit loyalty?
Here's a simple contention to consider.
Loyalty is the characteristic of an individual being by your side; when being by your side is going to cost them. Now loyalty is also the characteristic of remaining in your way of teaching or in the master's way of teaching when that's going to have a cost ascribed to it. Otherwise, it isn't necessarily loyalty so much as it might be merely a relationship. A loving relationship, a friendship, a loving friendship, a kind relationship that exists among people among human beings.
But when we talk about Jesus, and we talk about loyalty, it's really not something that you can describe with adequate words, for example. When Jesus went to the cross, only one disciple is recorded as standing with Christ's mom and the other ladies; that were there at the cross. And that was John the other disciples left and we don't know exactly why they left.
I don't know that the Bible spells out why they left. We presume that they left for many different motives. Maybe fear may be trying to prepare for something else.
Maybe they simply didn't have any clue at all what was going on? And at that moment, would they be guilty of disloyalty or not being loyal? That we don't really know?
And in my sense, it's best never to presume. But here's one thing that we can for a fact know. John was loyal.
And loyalty in this instance meant that it would cost him. Because we believe that John was the son of a rather well off man. And that he was also probably a Rabbi, a well represented member of the synagogue, who now because of this deeper association with Christ, who is hanging on the cross and being crucified by the Romans, John is setting his future interactions in terms of any religious merit, which in the synagogue; was essential and for a rabbi to exist was essential.
John is setting his course in a whole different direction.
Based upon his association to a leader, a loyal follower is one who is with them when the chips are down. When everything is going fine, when everything is going good, there's nothing to standing with the leader.
But when a leader is getting blasted when they're getting lamb basted when they're getting talked about in mean and cruel ways, standing by them, and often even standing by them, when they have no idea that you're standing by them; is one of the most important aspects of loyalty.
Because nothing calms the quacking tongues of gossiping folk, more than an individual who says that's not how it is because I know this leader, and that's not how they are.
Now in the case of your disciples in bringing them back to Jesus is Jesus loyal, how about 100%?
And what actually is forgiveness and grace, if not the characteristic of loyalty to his people whom He has saved. So who better to bring a disciple back to than one who is 100% loyal, and to point to Jesus and say this Is the definition of loyalty?
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