Monday April 10, 2017
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he
set his face to go to Jerusalem. -Luke 9:53
Have you ever tried to distract yourself from something that is going on in your life? I know I have.
We often try to find ways to ignore the fact that our children are out of control, our job is less than perfect, our finances are choking us, or our health is deteriorating.
However, Jesus didn’t ignore the issue at hand, or pretend like it wasn’t happening. Instead, scripture actually said he turned toward it.
Jesus setting his face towards Jerusalem meant something very different for Jesus than it did for the disciples.
The disciples saw the visions of greatness that danced in their heads. They saw Jesus taking the throne as King.
Jerusalem meant for Jesus: certain death. He knew it was not going to be a quick and heroic death.
He predicted in Luke 18:31?33: ?See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For 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.?
When Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, he set his face to die.
For him to set his face towards vicious whipping, beating, spitting ,mocking and crucifixion, was not easy. It was hard.
If we were to look at Jesus?s death merely as a result of
a betrayer?s deceit and the Sanhedrin?s envy and Pilate?s
spinelessness and the soldiers? nails and spear, it might
seem very involuntary.
Jesus was not accidentally entangled in a web of injustice.
The saving benefits of his death for sinners was not
an afterthought.
God planned it all out of infinite love to sinners like us, and he appointed a time.
Jesus, who was the very embodiment of his Father?s love for sinners, saw that the time had come and set his face to
fulfill his mission: to die in Jerusalem for our sake.
He turned His face towards our salvation.
Today, turn your face to Jesus. Turn your face to the one who turned His face towards death….for you!
Prayer: “Jesus, thank you for turning your face to Jerusalem. Help me to turn my face to you like you turned your face to saving me. In your name I pray, Amen.”
-Whitney Flach
