Knowing What's Ahead

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

KNOWING WHAT’S AHEAD

Mark 10:32-34

32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise." 

NIV

There is a great truth for us within these words of Jesus, but first, it is interesting how this translation and some others, but not all, would make it seem there is a distinction between the disciples and those who followed, as it were two groups of people. Certainly, there were more than just his disciples that were following him up to Jerusalem, however, the Greek does not make that distinction. It is more like as they followed him they were amazed and afraid. This could have been just the disciples or all the people that followed him. The reason for this may well be on account that for some time now the Pharisees and chief priests have been trying to kill Jesus and now he is going right into the hornet’s nest, so to speak. If we were to actively and purposefully put ourselves in danger, some of our family and friends might well be astonished that we would do that, as well as could exhibit some fear for us, or be afraid of what was going to happen. This is the sense we get from what Mark is saying about the disciples and those who were following him. So, to calm them, He assured them all that is going to take place has already been determined and is the plan of God. Here now is the truth we can glean for our lives. Jesus knew full well what was ahead for him.  He knew that he was going to be condemned to die at the hands of the very people he came to save. They would betray him and convince the Romans, the gentiles to kill him. He would suffer at their hands and die and subsequently be buried, but in three days-time he would once again be alive, that he would rise from the dead. What we see here, is that Jesus was not afraid of death for he knew that was not to be the end of him, but rather that he would then be back in his once glorified state, and would soon after return to his rightful place at the right hand of the Father. Having known that, he also would have known that he was going to be in the place where he would be preparing for us. What we know here, is that we too should not fear death, for it is simply our staging area for life, that we too will rise from the dead and we will be in a glorified state, for this corruptible with put on incorruptible and this perishable with be clothed with imperishable and we will be in that prepared place with Jesus, for we can be assured that he will return to take us there. So then the question we have to ask is why so many of us cling so dearly to this corruptible, perishable life? Is it because this is known and the life everlasting is still in some sense the unknown? Jesus knows all things and he has told us all that we need to know about the life after the death of our bodies and, therefore it is not the unknown, but the known. So then why do we cling to this life? Why do we do anything and everything to keep it going? It is strange. We can understand why those who have no hope in Jesus, who have rejected Him and live for their own self pleasures would not embrace death. Of course, so many of them think because they are a good person they will go to heaven, but then if that is true, why do they still put off death for as long as they possibly can? Now, Jesus also knew this was his time. There were times when he avoided Jerusalem so that he could continue his ministry among the people, but now he knew the time was right. That too may be a clue for us, that we may know when the time is right, for the Spirit will tell us our time has come and we should face our destiny, our future of everlasting life. Until then we will continue to minister among God’s people, right up to our time. Jesus never retired from ministry, nor should we. Let us live this life to its fullest until the beginning of our everlasting life, for we know what’s ahead.