Season Five Episode Seven - Where Were You?

[Dr. Shane]

The disciples make their way from where they were lodging in Jerusalem to the upper room where they eat the last supper. In this episode, they travel alone, or with a partner, and not in one large group. They fear they are being followed and in danger. Most of this episode involves memories the individual disciples have about where they were and what they were doing when Jesus found them. It begins with Peter and John and continues with several of the others.

When I was young, the question those a few more years older than me could answer was where were they when they heard that President Kennedy had been shot. It seems like a snapshot of the moment was taken in the life of every American at the time. In my generation, the question is where were you when you heard a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. In this episode, the moment they first heard of Jesus, or first met Him, is that snapshot they reflect upon.

Where were you? Ellen White makes a comment in Steps To Christ that not everyone can pinpoint the time and place when they first converted. However, I think most of us can remember the era. What was going on in our lives? For me it was a combination of serving in the Army National Guard and going to college. I recently published a book about it. I had made a mess of my life. I was in way over my head and didn't realize it. There are a handful of moments that made a big impact on my faith development. One of them was a sermon I heard at a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting. The sermon was about eternal torment in hell. It didn't sit right with me. I was raised in a back-slidden Adventist home and had not attended church since I was 14. The sermon led to me reaching out to the local Adventist pastor and afterward calling him often on the phone.

Most of the disciples' narratives in The Chosen are made up by the writers. Adventists that have read The Desire of Ages and Act of the Apostles, have a much better idea of where the disciples were spiritually when they met Jesus. That is a legitimate story. It deserves our reflection. Jesus took a lot of misfits and turned them into leaders that founded His church. Peter, James and John were His closest disciples and they all had anger issues. Jesus changes us and He is patient. He doesn't give up easy either.

It seems the best Christians are often the ones with the roughest backgrounds. There are a few believers that are raised in good Christian homes, educated in Adventist schools, smoothly transition into the workplace after college and have no history of trauma or besetting vice. From what I understand, those types of believers tend to me more lukewarm than on fire. Those that came from broken homes, addicts, ex-convicts or that left the church all together are the Adventists that often times are the most dedicated, warm and generous. 

Where were you when Jesus found you?