-November 20, 2022-
Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,
“Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.’”
(Luke 18:31-33).
Jesus knew before the foundation of the world what He would go through to suffer and die on the cross to save us from our sins. In His humanity He realized it was approaching the time. He was committed to the Father’s will and made the choice to go up to Jerusalem. Had it been any of us, we would have avoided Jerusalem completely, especially knowing that death by crucifixion was just ahead.
Three times Jesus predicted with specific detail how He would suffer, die, and rise again. He tells the twelve disciples that the prophets wrote of it and it will be accomplished. He would be delivered to the Gentles (the Romans) who would mock Him, insult Him, spit on Him, scourge Him, and kill Him. This is exactly what He went through for you and me. He died in our place as our Substitute and bore our sins. This was certainly not what His followers wanted to hear. But then comes the encouraging news came at the end of verse 33 that says, “And the third day He will rise again.”
The following verse shows the mercy of the Lord to these men that He loved, “But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken. Sometimes in life it is better that we don’t know the sad, difficult, and fearful things that will happen to us. Even after Jesus rose from the dead they did not remember how He told them He would rise again.
Jesus faced agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, was arrested, put on trial, falsely accused, and was crucified. We in America know very little of persecution or martyrdom. Many Christians around the world face persecution and death for their Savior. Thank God that Jesus knowing all, suffered all, and died for all.
Have a blessed Lord’s Day in praising and worshipping Him. Stay safe and healthy.
All glory to our Lord and Savior who died and rose again,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 