PT-1 "The Plan of His Suffering" (Matt. 20:17-18b)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/14/2023 8:16 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                          Focus:  PT-1 “The Plan of His Suffering”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                           Reference:  Matthew 20:17-18a)

 

            Message of the verses:  “17 As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem;”

 

            I want to first take a look at how Jesus got to where He and His disciples got to where they are when He spoke these words.  In an earlier SD we talked about how Jesus had finished His Galilean ministry and then He had crossed into Perea, which is on the other side of the Jordan River.  “When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;” (Matt. 19:1).  This is the way that many Jewish travelers went in order not to go into Samaria, but this was not the reason that Jesus went this way. The very first person that became a believer in Him as recorded in John chapter four was a Samaritan woman who had five husbands and was living with another man.  Now Jesus would travel down the east-side of the Jordan and then cross over to Jericho which is seen in Matthew 20:29 “29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.”   

 

            I can’t tell you why but Jericho has always fascinated me and I suppose it is because of its location.  Jericho was the first city that the children of Israel conquered after leaving Egypt.  It is much lower than Jerusalem and to travel to Jerusalem the Bible says “going up to Jerusalem,” as it is the highest place in that area of Israel.  Jericho was at the end of the northern part of the Dead Sea, which is over 1,000 feet below sea level. Jerusalem is only 14 miles due west of the Dead Sea, it is at an elevation of 2,500 feet above sea level, making the trip up from Jericho quite steep.

 

            There can still be troubles in a trip from Jericho to Jerusalem even today, and especially during the time when Jesus walked the earth as many robbers would hide out and attack travelers going either up to Jerusalem or down to Jericho.  Now as we look at verse 17b we see that He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and this shows that they were traveling in a group which was the safest way.  I believe that many in this group had been following Jesus for a while now as seen in verse 29.  The Passover was coming shortly and that is why many people were traveling up to Jerusalem as I have learned that close to a million people would be in the city of Jerusalem during that time of the year.  Jesus had always attracted a large crowd, that is until the crowd turned on Him as He was about to suffer during His crucifixion. 

 

            I will stop at this point even though this will be short.  I have to meet a friend for breakfast this morning, people that I have not seen for probably 25 years.

 

4/14/2023 8:41 AM