Headed for Jerusalem

August 13

(Luke 18:31-32 NIV) “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 handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him.”

(Matthew 27:24-31 NIV) ““When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" {25} All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" {26} Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. {27} Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. {28} They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, {29} and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. {30} They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. {31} After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.””

(Matthew 16:24-25 NIV) “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  {25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” 

When Jesus told His disciples they were headed for Jerusalem, they thought about victory and glory, not about pain, suffering and crucifixion. But the Scriptures would be fulfilled. Jesus would be a suffering Messiah. We all have a Jerusalem. We all have a cross. We all have that time and place where the roads merge and we step up to what God has been calling us to. Sometimes it’s glory. Sometimes it’s suffering. We all have that time and place where we decide to follow God all the way… or go back to fishing, playing guitar, driving a truck, smoking dope, or whatever we did before hearing the call of Christ to follow Him. We all have a Jerusalem where we have to choose a side -- where we decide if we’re in all the way, or we’ve just been flirting with Jesus. We all have a cross. We all have a Jerusalem. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day