As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
Luke 9:51 NIVUK
For us mortals, there are very few times in life when we experience the true feeling of bring ‘in the zone’: of being so hyper-focused on a goal that we are utterly determined to complete it, no matter what.
I can think of a few times in my life: when I returned to Romania as a missionary; when I was learning Romanian; when I was saving money to get married; when I set out with my wife to get her a spouse visa; every time I’ve found myself looking for work.
Jesus here is hyper-focused. To use a picture from the Old Testament, His face is set like flint (Isaiah 50:7): it is set, hard and unbending. Jesus is, to use the modern word, ‘in the zone’.
However, there are a few questions we need to ask ourselves.
Firstly, what is He determined to do?
Well, the answer is simple: to go to Jerusalem.
But not because of a pilgrimage or because He likes the place. The Passover is approaching, but that is not the reason. He is not going there to celebrate a festival.
No, His reason is this:
Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve 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 NIVUK
Consider that thought for a second, because it is very powerful. Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem because He was determined to die there:
In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day – for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
Luke 13:33 NIVUK
And we know that He died there for us.
So this is ample evidence that His death was not mere chance. No, Jesus actively sought it and embraced it.
But what we must also be aware of is the confusion and concern this caused those around Him:
And then he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’ ‘But Rabbi,’ they said, ‘a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?’
John 11:7-8 NIVUK
They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. ‘We are going up to Jerusalem,’ he said, ‘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, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.’
Mark 10:32-34 NIVUK
Do you see it? The people travelling with Jesus are fully aware that to go there is dangerous for Him. They even try to deter Him. The prospects of what awaits Him there scare them. But still He goes on nevertheless.
When we have a goal we are determined to meet, we often find that we are misunderstood, or that people simply don’t agree with us. I cast my mind back to my much younger days in 1997. I had a job in the call centre of an insurance company in the evenings. It wasn’t a great job, but I got paid and that was what counted. One evening the computer system went down, so the chat soon turned to why anyone would do that job. I told them I was doing it to raise funds to be a missionary in Romania.
Not for one second will I ever forget the confused, questioning and utterly disapproving looks from my colleagues. They just didn’t get it at all.
If you are utterly determined to do what the Lord has revealed to you is His will, don’t expect to be understood. Jesus wasn’t.
Despite not quite understanding what Jesus was doing, one disciple was willing to follow Him, even if it meant death. Back in John 11, we read these words:
Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’
John 11:16 NIVUK
For a long time, these words sounded fatalistic, even morose, to me. Yet Thomas, in all his hang-dog glory here, is at least willing to follow Jesus.
And, let me tell you, when you are seeking to follow God towards a scary, demanding, troublesome future, there is nothing that encourages you more than someone being prepared to walk it with you, whatever their reasons.
So in Christ’s determination to go to Jerusalem, we see that He chose it. We see that others misunderstood it. But Thomas goes with Him.
When it’s our turn to be focused, single-minded and determined to achieve a goal God has given us, may we have the support of men like Thomas. And when it isn’t, let’s make up our mind to support those who are.
Questions
1. Why was Jesus so determined to go to Jerusalem? What was He about to do?
2. Why did His friends and followers misunderstand this?
3. How can we be more like Thomas towards those who are determined to follow Jesus in difficult situations?
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