Jesus’ Prediction #4

Matthew 20:17-19

17 While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, 18 ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; 19 then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised.’

The die has been cast, Jesus is now headed for Jerusalem and the showdown with the religious and political leaders. Jesus found a quiet moment to say again to the disciples what he has been saying for awhile – that when he got to Jerusalem there would be a showdown and he (Jesus, the Son of Man) would be mocked, flogged, and crucified. He wanted the disciples to know that this was the time when what he has been talking about was going to happen, no longer was it some event in the middle or distant future. The moment was now.

As he had always done before when he spoke this clearly, Jesus said, “and on the third day the Son of Man (meaning Jesus) will be raised.” Jesus’ death is not the end, he wanted the disciples to know that he would die, but he also wanted them to know that death would not be his end, he would be raised. It is worth noticing how he points to his resurrection. He does not say, “I will rise to life” – which would imply that Jesus was going to raise himself to life. No, Jesus says that he will be “raised”, someone else would act to raise the dead Jesus. God the Father would act to raise the dead Jesus to life again.

Jesus in going to Jerusalem is committing himself into the care and plan of God the Father. Jesus is trusting that God will raise Jesus to life. In this Jesus acts as our example, inviting us to put our lives into the hands of God, trusting that God will in God’s time and in God’s way raise us to life. For this is the promise that Jesus makes to all who will follow him, the promise of a resurrected life with God. While our road may not take us to Jerusalem, the road we are invited to follow as we trust God will not be easy, but it will end in the hope and promise of being raised to life to be with Jesus. 

PRAYER:

In this season of Lent, O Lord, teach us to trust you. Teach us to trust that even when the road is difficult, that you are with us and will see us through to the end. We rejoice in the promise of the resurrection made to Jesus and to us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.