”Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” 34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.” Luke 18.31-34
It’s ironic how in the moment we can totally miss what’s happening. Hindsight is always 20/20 because we see clearly what has already happened. The disciples, who were with Jesus in the moment, understood very little about his final and complete mission. Even in verse 34 it says, “the disciples did not understand any of this.” The text tells us that “its meaning was hidden from them,” and, they “did not know what he was talking about.”
How could they no know that Jesus would have to suffer, die and resurrect for the sins of the world? How did they not catch a clue that his mission was to rescue them? When John the Baptist cried out, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” how did they not understand the meaning? How could they miss the meaning of the message? Even though Jesus took them aside and told them about how they were to go up to Jerusalem, and that “everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled,” they did not clue in.
It makes me feel like I am in good company. A God who hides mysteries then, will also hide his mysteries now. He will keep from us the details of tomorrow but not the promises of today. Just because he does not reveal everything to us the moment we want it doesn’t mean he is not in the business of revealing. He loves to surprise his people with promises fulfilled and prayers answered.
Jesus was going up to Jerusalem to die. He would be mocked, insulted, spit upon, delivered to the Gentiles, flogged, killed. But on the third day, he would reveal the next part of God’s plan for the world and be risen from the dead.
Jesus is continuing to work among us right now. He is speaking to his people by his Word, revealing himself in prayer, awakening his church through the Spirit in worship, wining the world through sacrificial service. Are you a part of God’s revelation? If not, ask him to involve you in his work. Give him your heart, surrender your life to his cause, ask Jesus to meet with you today and help you be the person he has called and created you to be. By his grace and for his glory.
”O Lord God, thank you that Jesus is the fulfillment of all your promises and all our hopes and dreams. Thank you for loving us and allowing us to be your hands and feet. Thank you Lord for suffering, dying and rising again so we might have life today and life to come. I love you Lord. I praise your name. Help me find my rest in you. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen