Jesus took the Twelve aside in private and told them, “We are going to Jerusalem so that everything prophesied about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. They will betray him and hand him over to the people, and they will mock him, insult him, and spit in his face. And after they have abused and flogged the Son of Man, they will kill him. But in three days he will rise again.” Luke 18:31-34 (TPT)
If a respected prophet approached me to tell me that I would be dying in a car wreck on Saturday, I might decide to stay home that day. Jesus knew when He would die, and He knew in detail HOW it would happen. Yet, He determined to continue toward Jerusalem and the torture awaiting Him.
This may have been only a week or two before that fateful day, so it was weighing heavy on His mind. Yet, we see in the next paragraphs, He stopped the massive crowd twice; to have compassion on a blind beggar, and next on Zacchaeus, ministering to His particular spiritual need.
We are often called to set aside our own overwhelming concerns and focus on the needs of individuals around us who may be hurting as much as we are. As a human being, with Heaven’s grace enabling Him, Jesus did this, to show the Kingdom way. Today, He is still advancing the Kingdom working in us and through us, if we will, to reach the neediest ones.
And when we give attention to the neediest, casting our own concerns upon the Lord, we know Heaven will remember and reward us.
William Seymour, Spirituality Director
Signature HealthCARE of Galion
chaplain.galion@signaturehealthcarellc.com