“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31)
Jesus was not surprised. By any of it. He knew who Isaiah was writing about. He knew why the angels’ birth announcement called him Savior. He knew why John the Baptist called him the Lamb of God. And he said it right out loud to his followers long before Palm Sunday or Good Friday or Easter morning.
Jesus knew He would die. He knew he would be betrayed. He knew he would be rejected. And he knew the suffering would be intense.
And he kept going, kept walking straight toward the buzz saw. He refused to avoid the choices, words, or confrontations that would create the perfect storm of political, religious, and criminal animosity that would leave him hanging dead on the cross as the substitute and sacrifice for our sin.
Think: Are you awed by Jesus’ courage? Are you amazed by his lifelong commitment to the mission his Father sent him to complete?
Pray: Thank God for Jesus’ courage and commitment to successfully complete the mission he came to fulfill, knowing all along exactly what it would mean for him.
Do: If you’re interested in reading from the Bible what happened on each day of the week leading up to the Resurrection check out this collection of posts from Justin Taylor’s blog.