Seeds for 12/01/2023 - Matthew 20:17-19
Scripture: Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, He took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day He will be raised to life!”
Observation: This is the third time that Matthew records Jesus predicting his suffering, death, and resurrection.
We do not have the disciples’ reaction to Jesus’ words, so offering comments here involves some level of speculation. Speculation can get us on uneven ground very quickly with scripture. So, I’m going to wonder in as well-grounded a way as possible, holding these thoughts loosely.
Given their later shock and surprise about the events when they unfolded, it’s hard to imagine this landing with them in the moment. From evangelism to secular sales, there’s a maxim that it takes a number of touches before someone is ready to take the next step, whether that step is seriously considering belief in Jesus or making an important purchase. I can’t help but wonder if Jesus repeats this prediction simply to lay groundwork. Knowing they lack an adequate frame of reference or set of categories to make sense of what He is telling them, perhaps He nonetheless wants to plant a seed that may sprout later, after He is risen from the grave.
One also wonders if Jesus is “calling His shot” as it were so that after His resurrection, His followers would recognize that He was not surprised by that amazing turn of events and that there must be even more to it than they yet imagine.
One last thing. This passage begins with Matthew’s comment, “Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem.” In a few more verses, at the beginning of chapter 21, Jesus will enter Jerusalem on a donkey with a crowd waving palm branches as He rides before them. There are a couple more stories, but this short passage is marking a decisive turn. Jesus has Jerusalem in His sights, His last week lying bare before Him. It seems that’s why He is telling them one more time about what awaits Him there. For those of us who know the rest of the story, it is a powerful reminder that Jesus “was going up to Jerusalem” with full knowledge of what lay ahead. And He chose it just the same.
Bravery. Sacrifice. Love. Even the best words seem hollow when we consider the depths of what He did. Only one word brings it all together adequately, one word that is synonymous with all those exemplary words rolled into one. One name, in fact: Jesus.
Application:
When have you known the challenge that lay before you and kept going?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for setting your sights on Jerusalem and “for the joy set before [you] endured the cross, despising its shame.” Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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