Pastor Stephen Crotts tells the following story: When I was in college my post office box was right next to a pretty little blonde's. She was a tanned Florida Freshman, if you know what I mean. And her name was Sally.  Now John, a fellow on my hall, was secretly in love with Sally. And he kept trying to get me to switch post office boxes with him. That way he could be close to Sally.  You see, John was painfully shy. Though he longed to know Sally, he couldn't muster the nerve to ask her out. So, he secretly loved her at a distance.  Once he rode a bus four blocks past the place where he wanted to get off just so he could be near her a little longer. (She was in the front of the bus. He was at the rear.) He went to the administrative building and got a copy of her class schedule so he could just happen to be where she was. Another time he signed up for zoology because she would be in the class. 

And, yes, I traded post office boxes with John. But it cost him! For three dollars, a coil of rope, a Spanish 101 book, and a nice ball point pen, John got my box next to Sally's.  Well, come the school year's end, John finally summoned up the courage to ask Sally out for a date. She agreed. And over supper John confided in Sally, telling her of his year long love. And you know what? Sally said she'd loved John the whole year too!  Think of all the joy they missed! Think of the romance and comfort and tenderness that will never be because their love was shy.

And aren't we bashful like John was with Sally when it comes to our own love affair with God? We are reluctant to draw near, timid to ask for help. We're shy to ask questions, to find out more about him. Yes, we're bashful lovers of God. 

Our text for today tells us that the disciples, too, were shy with Christ. The Lord told them of his impending conflict with the Jewish authorities. He said he'd be killed and later rise from the dead. Such talk confused the disciples. Their minds buzzed with wonderment, but according to our text, "They did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant."