We find ourselves at the beginning of this month, in a bit of a quandary. The happy sounds of the gospel jazz service on Transfiguration Sunday are still ringing in our ears, and we now eagerly await the trumpet blast on Easter morning. The quandary is that we must travel a few more miles before we can peer into the empty tomb.  Somehow we must take our place alongside the disciples, and we must walk with our Savior up the dusty road to Jerusalem.

Several years ago John and I visited the church of his childhood.  As we walked through the halls of this Baptist Church in west Texas, we were both drawn to a display of paintings along the wall.  The collection by Kenneth Wyatt, a Methodist minister and renowned Western artist, is titled “The Apostles” and includes portraits of the twelve disciples and Jesus and Paul.  What made the portraits so interesting to us was that this artist had used a living model for each of the men.

For several years Wyatt searched throughout the Southwest until he found just the right character to portray his Matthew or his Simon Peter.  In the exhibit, the artist includes the small amount of information that we have about each disciple as well as legend that has been handed down, and he also shares information about the contemporary men that posed as models.  

I spent a long time looking at these portraits.  I found myself mesmerized by the expression on each face and the strong character that came through the hand of the artist.  One man was a construction worker, one a teacher.  One came riding in on a motorcycle, and another came in a Lexus.  Two stories, side by side.  The story of the disciple interspersed with the story of the man.

Mostly, the portraits reminded me that the disciples of Jesus were people like you and like me, with families and jobs and busy lives. Some carried a sparkle in the eye, and others bore the look of a hard life.  As I skimmed the summaries and looked at the faces, I realized that I was searching for my story.  Which character was most like me?  Which disciple would I be?

As we continue to walk through the days of Lent, let us ponder the meaning of discipleship.  Let us consider the job description and responsibilities that go along with signing on as a follower of Jesus.  As we place our everyday story alongside our faith story, how do we measure up?  Do we find ourselves sleeping when Jesus has asked us to watch?  Do we betray our Lord with the lives we lead?  Are we able to stand at the cross and identify ourselves as one who intimately knows the one crucified?  Are we willing to find our lives transformed by resurrection? Two stories, side by side.  The story of the disciple interspersed with our story.