In preparing a recent message, a verse in Luke's Gospel stuck out at me in a way it never had before. It's the 51st verse in chapter 9, where the writer declares of Jesus,
As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
It dawned on me as I read and studied this entire passage that verse 51 marks the official turning point in the earthly ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Since the wedding in Cana, Jesus had been ministering in the wilderness and countryside, healing, teaching, and performing miracles. But here in this verse, everything changes and the focus of Christ becomes rigidly centered on His crucial mission, the ultimate purpose of His coming to earth – the act we remember particularly on this day.
It's interesting to think how the disciples of Jesus likely felt a great deal of anticipation and excitement about Jesus resolving to go to Jerusalem. In their minds, that's where the promised Messiah would rule from; so, after time spent building his following in the backwoods, they were now on the road to glory. For Jesus, the road to Jerusalem was one that ended with three iron spikes at Calvary. He predicted it repeatedly, but his earthly-minded disciples could never make sense of it.
But Luke 9:51 does something more than just offer us a historical marker in understanding the timeline of Christ's ministry. Many of us will watch depictions or hear descriptions of the crucifixion this weekend, and if we're not careful, we will once again think of it as an event that happened to Jesus.
- Chief priests conspired against Him.
- Judas betrayed Him.
- The Sanhedrin perpetrated a sham trial against Him.
- Pontius Pilate weakly compromised in condemning Him.
- Soldiers flogged, spit at, nailed, and crucified Him.
We observe all those things and are tempted to view Christ as the unwitting victim of all that occurred on Good Friday. But Luke 9:51 dispels that notion as utterly unbiblical and untrue. Jesus knew all that was coming and "resolutely" set out to complete it. And when He had done so, he resolutely acknowledged that it was all "finished" or "accomplished" exactly as His Father had willed it.
Many of us will be reminded of the words Jesus spoke on the cross today. But let's also make sure to remember what He said to the religious leaders long before Golgotha:
No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.
He chose it all. He chose the nails. And He did so because He is the embodiment of the Father's unfathomable love for you, me, and all of sinful humanity.
"Behold the man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life –
I know that it is finished."
