Going up to Jerusalem
Today's focusJesus tells the Twelve plainly that he will suffer, die and rise again, yet they cannot understand — the way of the cross is hidden from them.
Read
31Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Reflection
As Jesus leads the way toward the city, he takes the twelve aside to share the weight of what lies ahead. He speaks with startling clarity about his coming path, stating that "all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished." He does not hide the pain of the journey; he tells them plainly that he will be "mocked," "spitted on," and "scourge[d]" before being put to death. In the midst of this dark report, he also gives the promise that "the third day he shall rise again."
Even though Jesus speaks these words directly to his closest friends, the passage reveals a profound mystery: "they understood none of these things." The true nature of the cross was "hid from them," and they could not yet grasp the necessity of his suffering. You may sometimes feel like the disciples, walking with Jesus but struggling to make sense of the hardships you see or experience. Take heart in knowing that even the twelve did not immediately see how God was working through the shadow of death to bring about the light of the resurrection.
AI-written reflection on the passage above. Let Scripture itself be the main thing.
Reflect
What parts of God's ways are hard for you to understand right now, and how can you keep following anyway?
Pray
Lord, there is much about your ways I do not understand. Like the disciples, I often miss what you are saying. Open my understanding, and keep me walking with you toward the cross.