LENT 2016 - GOING TO JERUSALEM

Friday, February 12

Jesus Foretells His Death & Resurrection (Matthew 20: 17 – 19)

            You have to wonder how Jesus can seem to be so matter-of-fact about this whole going-to-Jerusalem thing. It is not as if he is setting out the itinerary of a casual day, touring Jerusalem with his disciples. “O.K. guys; let’s paint the town red!”

This is not about visiting the art gallery, the museum, and then a visit to the temple, and so on. It’s not like Jesus is going to stop at his favourite restaurant in the city and treat the lads to supper and then it’s off to a nice hotel for a restful night’s sleep.

Many of us have visited the Holy Land and Jerusalem and enjoyed that kind of tourist experience. I enjoyed several leisurely walks through many of the old parts of Jerusalem.

But, for Jesus, this is no stroll in the park, no site-seeing trip, no trip down memory lane. “Did I ever tell you about the time when I was just a boy and my parents and I went to Jerusalem….?" At its best, or worst, I suppose this was a business trip, once again being about his Father’s interests.

Jesus is even more horrendously specific than the first time when he told the disciples this news (16:21 – 23).  Mocked. Flogged. Crucified. Not something one would want on a souvenir T-shirt.  

            Why does Jesus have to keep reminding his disciples about this, anyway? Like many of us when we encounter the tough news about following Jesus, the disciples exhibit selective hearing and simply screen out the words they may not want to hear.

They are conspicuous by their silence. No protests; no defiance; no resistance. Perhaps, they really don’t believe that things will turn out this way; that something will happen so that it all turns out okay in the end. Just ignore him; he gets like this every now and then. He’ll snap out of it. You know how he talks sometimes – in parables and riddles.

Mocked. Flogged. Crucified.

I am not sure that we are really getting it, yet!