Last chapter Jesus told His
disciples for the first time that He would suffer, die and be raised to life
again. This news wasn’t exactly received with warm regard by the disciples.
Peter corrects Jesus and Jesus harshly scolds
Peter.
What I noticed in today’s
chapter is that Jesus continues to reinforce the teaching about His death and
resurrection. Jesus seizes a teachable moment right after His transfiguration to
mention His resurrection again. Verse 9, As
they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone
what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the
dead." Then a few minutes later He mentions that the Son of Man is going to suffer at their
hands (12).
Later that same day, after
healing the epileptic boy, Jesus tells His disciples, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the
hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to
life" (22-23).
The focus of Jesus’
ministry has changed. Jesus is intent on preparing His disciples for what will
soon happen to Him. He wants them to be prepared so they can weather the storm
of His death and understand what He is about so they can witness to Him
later.
The cross and resurrection
are central to understand Jesus and His ministry. We must never forget this. The
cross and resurrection is why Jesus was born into human flesh. Modern attempts
to minimize the cross or worse, dismiss the cross, undercut the foundation of
the Christian faith itself.
About a month ago we
celebrated Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Today God is reminding me to keep
those celebrations alive in my faith and to never stray from Jesus who gave His
life on the cross to pay the ransom for my life and the life of all who believe
that Jesus is Lord, that Jesus is God, and that Jesus is the Lamb of God who
takes away the sins of the world…
O sacred
Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down, now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, Thine only crown: how pale thou art with anguish, with sore abuse
and scorn! How does that visage languish which once was bright as morn!
What thou, my
Lord, has suffered was all for sinners' gain; mine, mine was the transgression,
but Thine the deadly pain. Lo, here I fall, my Savior! 'Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor, vouchsafe to me thy grace.
What language
shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend, for this thy dying sorrow, thy
pity without end? O make me Thine forever; and should I fainting be, Lord, let
me never, never outlive my love for Thee.
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