Husbands and wives need to learn how to communicate with each other in marriage. Parents, likewise, learn to communicate with each of their children. Friends, too, learn to appreciate each other and how best to be a friend. Teachers learn how best to communicate with each of the students in the classroom. Workers and supervisors learn how to most productively communicate with each other (hopefully!) These relationships are made more complex by the personality styles of each person involved. Fortunately, there are personality profiles available to help us better understand one another. There’s Type A, Type B. There’s Introvert, Extrovert. There’s the lettering system of the Myers-Briggs Personality Test. More recently, there’s the Enneagram Test, identifying 9 Types. And plenty more. None of these is flawless, but each can help in understanding why certain people become ‘my’ people and others are our ‘irregular person’ irritating and frustrating with every interaction. And as Emerson Eggerichs counsels in his marriage book, Love and Respect: ‘Not bad, just different.’
Of the twelve men Jesus chose to become his disciples, there’s a pronounced mix of personalities. There’s one who’s guileless, more than one who’s zealous, more than one competitive, more than one don’t-confuse-me-with-the-facts, one blunt, one pensive, one emotion-led, one brash, one ready-fire-aim. Jesus’ excellent leadership skills were greatly tested in taking this mixed bag of characters from a rough-and-tumble, ragtag group, to one with some semblance of unity.
On the morning of his resurrection, he interacted with some of his female disciples, notably, Mary Magdalene. Because of her character makeup she was sobbing in deep mourning, and profound confusion. Upon hearing Jesus’ voice speaking her name, her weeping instantly changed to tears of joy and a new confusion within her as her faith soared. Later that day, he walked into an impromptu meetup with two disciples who, because of their personalities, were so overwhelmed with grief they couldn’t discern who it was giving them a walking, Old Testament refresher. That is, until Jesus broke bread, revealing himself and birthing fresh faith. Back in Jerusalem a few hours later, the larger group was meeting in secrecy for fear of reprisal from the religious authorities when Jesus popped in and gave proof positive that he was alive. Astonishment filled the room, some faith flickered again, some were still just unable to process this new and startling development.
If we take a minute to imagine being one of that group, how would we have responded? It’s simple to read this familiar passage and gloss over it, but what might it have done to us to have witnessed the crucifixion and burial of Jesus only to see him back again a few days later? They had been plunged into a pit of darkest despair, then had experienced an incomprehensible reversal called resurrection! Would we have believed or would we have refused to believe? Would we have received it as truth or would we have needed time to process? Regardless, I’m looking forward to examining this phenomenon together with y’all, tomorrow, 10 AM, 3 PM UK. PD
Don graduated from Regent University in 1988 and moved to France for seven years, coming back to the US briefly to marry Sue in 1990. The work in France included working in a Christian School and helping plant a church before returning in 1995. He’s been pastor of Peninsula Vineyard since 1999. He enjoys counseling, especially married couples, traveling back to France (with Sue), reading, doing Sudoku puzzles and sleuthing out good, dark chocolate. Don serves as the senior pastor of the Vineyard Church Peninsula, in Newport News, Virginia.