Mark 10:32-34 (NLT)
They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him. “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”
Yesterday, we discussed the Biblical principle The Message refers to as the Great Reversal- when you give up your life, you actually find it. While today’s Biblical principle has no catchy moniker (other than the one I used in the title), it nonetheless permeates all of Scripture and once again displays GOD’s divine love for us. The principle is as follows: GOD always tells us what to expect. Always dishes the consequences our choices make. Always gives us a cheat sheet- or the answers- to this test we call life.
In the reading today, Jesus sees that the disciples are “puzzled and not just a little afraid (verse 32, The Message) about all they were experiencing and involved in. They were following a radical teacher who was speaking things like, “To live, you got to die” and “to be first, you got to be last” and “eat my body and drink my blood.” They were hearing whispers about people out to get them. They were being probed for information and asked why they were following him. They weren’t aware of the end-game. They needed answers. Seeing this, Jesus offered them clarity- maybe just not the way they wanted to hear it though. Jesus says (my paraphrase), “Here’s the end-game. I will be beaten and killed. But will rise again and make all things right.”
While this may not have sounded very comforting, Jesus provided answers to ease their mind. Much like he’d been doing throughout Scripture. Starting with Adam and Eve: Don’t eat from the tree of good and evil. When you do, you’re dead. (Genesis 2:16-17). Continuing with the Israelites: You have two choices in life. Choose me and find life or choose rebellion and find death (Deuteronomy 11:26-32). Culminating with Jesus: In this world, you will have troubles. But be encouraged knowing I’ve already overcome them (John 14:29-30).
*all the Scriptures I’ve paraphrased. I’d encourage you to look them up- along with other examples- and read them on your own.*
You get the picture. GOD never leaves us hanging. Never forsakes us. Always gives us an answer- whether we see it as such or not.
Application: Using your Bible, find for yourself (or with the help of your pastors) the answer to the question troubling you the most right now.
