“And taking the twelve, [Jesus] said to them, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.’” (Luke 18:31)
Luke wrote extensively about Jesus’ birth, His teachings and the miracles He did. He describes how people came to faith, others firmly rejected Jesus, and even His most intimate followers sometimes did not understand His words.
One of the topics the disciples struggled with was Jesus’ announcement of His own death. Actually, Jesus’ words were pretty clear and were repeated several times. And yet… This news went so against their hopes and expectations that they just couldn’t understand it. Jesus spoke of Himself as “the Son of Man” and explained: “He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise” (Luke 18:32-33).
This detailed prophecy shows that Jesus purposefully went to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s plan for His life. He knew what a horrible fate awaited Him, but did not run away from it. On the contrary, He prepared His disciples for what would happen.
In the coming days, we will see Jesus’ announcement fulfilled by reading the following chapters from the gospel of Luke.
What do these words about shame, suffering and death evoke in you? Can you understand why Jesus was willing to bear all this?