Do you remember our review of God’s promises from the other day? If not, may I suggest that you go back and review the review.
I say this because it’s important that we understand the message of hope and power that we have been given by Jesus, our Lord. In the verses we look at today, Jesus plainly tells the disciples about his death, burial and resurrection – but they didn’t understand.
“17 Jesus was going to Jerusalem. His twelve followers were with him. While they were walking, he gathered the followers together and spoke to them privately. He said to them, 18 “We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the leading priests and the teachers of the law, and they will say he must die. 19 They will hand him over to the foreigners, who will laugh at him and beat him with whips, and then they will kill him on a cross. But on the third day after his death, he will be raised to life again.” Matthew 20:17-19 ERV
It really couldn’t have been much plainer than that.
Handed over, beaten, killed on a cross, three days after death he will be raised to life again.
Jesus was preparing his disciples for what was coming very soon, really only a matter of days away. But they didn’t understand.
He went on to tell them at the last supper “Jesus said, ‘Don’t be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me.” John 14:1 ERV
“I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am leaving, but I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be happy that I am going back to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. 29 I have told you this now, before it happens. Then when it happens, you will believe.” John 14:27-29 ERV
Why do I say they didn’t understand?
“The women were very afraid. They bowed down with their faces to the ground. The men said to them, “Why are you looking for a living person here? This is a place for dead people. 6 Jesus is not here. He has risen from death. Do you remember what he said in Galilee? 7 He said the Son of Man must be handed over to the control of sinful men, be killed on a cross, and rise from death on the third day.” 8 Then the women remembered what Jesus had said.” Luke 24:5-8 ERV
“But the apostles did not believe what they said. It sounded like nonsense. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb to see. He looked in, but he saw only the cloth that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. It was just lying there. Peter went away to be alone, wondering what had happened” Luke 24:11-12 ERV
They didn’t understand.
Now, I am not faulting the disciples because we are just as guilty as they are in not understanding God’s instructions and His promises. When He tells us not to worry about anything, ANYTHING, but to pray about everything then why do we worry?
When He says trust in the Lord with all our heart, why do we doubt and wonder? When He tells us He never lies, His word is always true why don’t we hold fast to the promises He has made?
We have the example of the disciples not understanding what God was saying to them to learn from. God is faithful to His word. His promises never fail!
When the Lord began to teach me this, I made Numbers 23:19 my favorite verse in all of Scripture.
“God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change. If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.” Numbers 23:19 ERV
What God says is always true! We need to be confident of that and not be afraid.