TEXT:
‘Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him’ (Mark 10:32).
During the early hours of March 29th this year, the Holy Spirit showed me what I am sharing in this teaching. Some of it will be particularly relevant to what you are going through and I want to encourage you that God knew ahead of time what you are facing today.
Our text is the start of Jesus’ final few days on earth before the cross and there are four key truths we can take from the text.
1. Ahead – ‘Jesus was going before them’
True leaders always lead and have others following them. Psalm 23:1-3 says,
‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.’
To get horses moving, some drivers crack a whip. Others simply say, “Lead on” and the horses respond to the sound of their voice. Jesus said, ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me’ (John 10:27). Paul wrote, ‘Follow me as I follow Christ’ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Some leaders prefer to sit in the office issuing orders, like generals commanding the troops. It stirs the rank and file to see their officers on the frontline with them. Jesus first showed His disciples what to do with a hands-on approach, before sending them out on their own to put into practise what they had learnt.
One of the main criticisms against leaders is that they do not support those going through difficult times by visitation and prayer. Once people feel forgotten it becomes much easier for them to stop following.
2. Amazed – ‘And they were amazed’
The disciples could not understand why Jesus would want to go to Jerusalem, the very place He had predicted would cause Him so much trouble and suffering.1 Jesus set His face like a flint2 to go and nothing was going to change that. To the disciples that was an amazing attitude.
The Apostle Paul showed the same attitude after receiving personal prophecy, ‘He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles’” (Acts 21:11 NLT). His friends immediately pleaded with him not to go but Paul replied, ‘I am ready, not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus’ (Acts 21:13). Seeing Paul was unwilling to change his mind they said, ‘The will of the Lord be done’ (Acts 21:14).
Have people been amazed at some of the things you have said and done as a Christian, particularly maintaining your faith in the Lord during difficult times? You are in good company!
3. Afraid – ‘And as they followed they were afraid’
It was one thing for Jesus to head for Jerusalem and become the sacrificial lamb, but He was taking the twelve disciples with Him and they certainly thought they too would end up in trouble. What things can scare us?
- Vision
I remember one minister saying, “You do your best work for Jesus when you are too scared to get out of bed!” He was referring to the demands of the ministry he headed up and the finances needed to achieve the goal of one million decisions for Christ in South Africa through evangelistic literature.
True vision is always more than we are capable of on our own. Wanting to purchase a church building in Wadebridge, I needed to sign the contract without the guarantee of the mortgage and this was challenging to say the least. God spoke to me, “You can walk up and down the Red Sea shore but you will never find a place to cross, it has to be a miracle” and God performed His miracle!
- Opposition
The recorded prayers of Nehemiah reveal his fear of being sad in the King’s presence and of the enemies of the Jews around Jerusalem.3
- Confrontation
Some leaders choose to avoid trouble because they are afraid of confronting people about attitudes and actions that are sinful and weaken the church. The Bible says, ‘The fear of man brings a snare’ (Proverbs 29:25). One topic that many leaders are frightened to preach about is tithes and offerings. Then they wonder why the church has to reach out with its begging bowl into the community to raise money to keep going!
4. Aside – ‘Then He took the twelve aside and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him’
- Intimacy
John chapters 14-16 record Jesus’ final heart-to-heart with His disciples before the cross. He shared wonderful truths about the Holy Spirit, who would be another comforter to them as He had been. Paul acted in the same way with the Ephesians Elders, ‘I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you’. ‘I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20:20, 27).
- Clarity
The disciples were left with no illusions as to what would happen to Jesus once He reached Jerusalem. The disciples said, ‘Now you are speaking plainly’ (John 16:29).
- Certainty – ‘Faith comes by hearing’ (Romans 10:17)
This is why Jesus said, ‘My sheep hear My voice’ (John 10:27). When He speaks, faith rises and we can act.
Right after launching the vision to clear the mortgage on the Wadebridge church, the offerings dropped and we were not even paying our way. In desperation for the situation to turn around, I set aside time to pray and fast. My prayer was not for God to give me the money but for God to speak and for faith to rise in my heart. God spoke and showed me a scripture. I walked out of the office and said to my wife, “I’ve got it!” Within a week we had cleared the deficit with double the amount we were down and later in the year the mortgage was paid off leaving the church debt-free!
The scripture really is true, ‘I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears’ Psalm 34:4
Four simple truths but taken together can work powerfully in our lives. Try them and see!
Endnotes:
1 Luke 13:34 2 Isaiah 50:7, Luke 9:51 3 Nehemiah 2:1-4, 6:9
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