Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Three weeks from yesterday is Easter Sunday 2023. I wonder what will be significant about Easter weekend for you, for your family, for our world, this year? Here’s a better question: As Jesus looks at you and me and our world this year, from His perspective in the throne room of God in heaven, to which He ascended 40 days after His resurrection nearly 2000 years ago, what does Jesus see and what would Jesus like to accomplish around our world this year on Easter weekend?
Now ponder that for a moment. How often do you think about the fact that God is watching, (Ps. 14:2,3; Ps. 33:18) constantly watching, all that is happening with 8 billion people on our planet? What do you think Jesus would like to accomplish among us this Easter?
Beginning today, join me please in following Jesus and His disciples to that Passover/Easter weekend which changed the world. Matthew, you may recall, was one of those disciples walking with Jesus. Matthew had been a tax collector. As such Matthew was hated by his fellow Jews and likely disowned by his family. He was viewed by all as a traitor for he was employed by Roman officials to collect taxes from his fellow Jews. Furthermore, everyone knew Matthew, and all tax collectors, were permitted to demand additional money and keep for themselves anything over what they were required to pay Rome. Roman soldiers were often the muscle behind tax collecting thus it was a frightful and despicable business.
No respectable person had any association with tax collectors. For that reason, it was beyond shocking when Jesus stopped by Matthew’s tax collecting booth in Capernaum one day and invited Matthew to close up his shop and follow Jesus!
Perhaps even more shocking was that Matthew did exactly that! I’ve often wondered what the relationship was like between Matthew and the other disciples, especially Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip and Nathaniel, all of whom were likely people Matthew had collected taxes from in the past!?
In Matthew’s account of his months with Jesus he writes this in his 20th chapter: “Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, He took the Twelve disciples aside and said to them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day, He will be raised to life.” (Matt. 20:17-19)
Dr. Luke adds this commentary in his report of this same incident: “The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what Jesus was talking about.” (Luke 18:31-34)
So, my “Walking with Jesus” friends, let’s join Jesus and His traveling troupe, which included these 12 disciples, and let’s follow them over the next 20 days to that Passover/ Easter weekend as it is recorded by eyewitnesses who were there with Jesus. We don’t know exactly where Jesus and His followers were coming from that day, but what Jesus said was beyond shocking to their ears. Jesus often referred to Himself as “the Son of Man” and usually when that phrase is written in the Bible, you’ll notice both words Son and Man are capitalized. The significance is that Jesus was reminding us that God the Father referred to Jesus as the Son of God. It happened when a voice from heaven was heard when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. (Matt. 3:17) It happened again when Jesus was with three disciples on the mount of Transfiguration. (Matt. 17:5)
The word Man is capitalized to indicate Jesus was both fully God and fully human, born of virgin Mary, and as such sinless, holy Jesus could pay the full atonement sin price with His human death, which God would accept for the redemption of all sinful mankind.
When Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man it was a call not only to recognize His God defined, unique identity, but also the mission for which Jesus had miraculously come to live here among us on earth. That mission would come to accomplishment on Passover/Easter weekend. But what Jesus predicted would happen to Him in Jerusalem was beyond anything His disciples and friends could imagine. They’d seen Jesus do many unexplainable miracles. His power seemed to have no limits. They’d heard Jesus speak wisdom unlike any other person, thus they could not imagine any religious or political figure could have more authority, more wisdom or more power than Jesus.
It was therefore unthinkable that the horrific things Jesus described in that statement would be done to Him. It’s safe to say the disciples looked at each other in bewilderment. We have no record that any of them questioned Jesus or discussed it among themselves. It seems the words of Jesus were so far beyond reason that they heard it but none of them believed it or wanted to know anything more, at least not that day.
For the followers of Jesus, and almost everyone alive in the country of Israel on that day, excitement was building as Passover was approaching. The annual Passover celebration was unique to Jewish people around the world, as they celebrated the night God led their ancestor slaves out of Egypt when the angel of death passed over the homes which had lambs blood sprinkled on their door posts. (Exodus 12) Every Passover all Jewish families spent several days in celebration of God’s declaration that they were His chosen people. (Ex. 19:4-6) For as many as could possibly make the trip, Jerusalem was the place to be every glorious Passover week, thus thousands upon thousands of people were doing as Jesus and His disciples that day… their hearts and their footsteps were turned toward Jerusalem with great anticipation of Passover.
Look around your world today my friends. Who is excited about the approach of Easter this year? Well, businesspeople who produce and sell Easter cards, Easter candy, Easter new clothes…they’re excited. College students delighted for Spring Break are excited. But how many people are excited about the words Jesus spoke to His disciples that day? “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. on the third day, He will be raised to life.“ (Matt. 20:17-19) What do those words mean to you and me today, my friends? With what emotions, thoughts and plans are we anticipating Easter ’23?
Let’s pause right here and put ourselves in the sandals of those who were with Jesus that day. How would our world be different if what Jesus predicted that day had never happened? What new things does Jesus want to teach us this year as we walk with HIM to Easter? How are we listening for what Jesus wants to say to us through what the record tells us He did and said almost 2000 years ago as Jesus walked toward Easter? I’m determined to not miss what Jesus wants to say to us this year, how about you? Here’s a song to help us listen well on this journey to Easter with Jesus…
Today’s Scripture is Matthew 20:17-19.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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