Matthew 20:17-19

Matthew 20:17-19

And while Jesus went up into Jerusalem He took the Twelve disciples to themselves and in the road He said to them, “Behold!  We are going up into Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes.  And they will condemn Him to death and they will hand Him over to the Gentiles in order to be mocked and flogged and crucified.  And He will be raised up on the third day.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I think it is interesting to note what isn’t here in this passage.  There is no note of the disciples’ reaction to the third time that Jesus tells them of His impending trial.  The first time Jesus said something, Peter and the other rebuked Jesus and denied it.  The second time Jesus said something about His trial the disciples were distressed but didn’t rebuke Jesus.  Now we have no note of the disciples’ reaction whatsoever.  Human beings tend to operate this way.  When things are far off we can react big and dramatic because they seem so incredulous.  But as things draw more and more near, they get more real.  We can see how it is becoming more and more likely.  Our reactions typically get more subdued.  In the case of bad things, we often become resigned and accepting.  We often say little, knowing our course and knowing that we’ll have to get through it.  This is largely how I see Jesus’ disciples reacting to this third message.  At first they were in disbelief.  Then they were distressed.  Now they have seen enough of Jesus’ interaction with the chief priest and scribes to see that Jesus might be telling the truth.  I still don’t think they are accepting the fate of Jesus, but I think they can see it as possible now.

Have you ever had this experience when big change has come along in your life?  Have you ever moved from non-acceptance to disbelief to resignation?  How does that feel?  How can God work through even those human emotions?

Second Thought:

I also think that it is neat to see that the Gospel message tells us that Jesus pulled the Twelve aside to themselves on the road.  Even as the death and resurrection draws near Jesus continues to have intimate moments with His disciples.  Even as the story draws to its climax Jesus understands the importance of preparing those who have been with Him through it all so that they will be able to pick up and carry the work when He is gone.  Jesus doesn’t teach this message to the crowd.  He teaches this to His core followers, who are most likely to be able to deal with what is about to happen.

Why would Jesus need to tell this message to just His closest followers at this point?  What could have happened had Jesus tried to teach this to everyone who followed Him regardless of how close they were to Him?

Third Thought:

I think there is something here to be said for Jesus’ obedience.  Jesus clearly knows what is going to happen to Him.  He knows the plan.  He knows the pain.  He knows the rejection.  He knows how difficult the next week is going to be in His life.  He gets it all – far more clearly than any of us can ever understand the future.  Yet Jesus was obedient.  He never strayed from the path.  In the face of incredible pain and persecution, Jesus walked ahead in the will of God and embraced it for our sake.  That’s obedience in its finest.

How is Jesus able to be so obedient?  What can this teach us about Jesus’ priorities?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 20:20-28