As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51) Today marks a new season for many of us: the official end of summer and start of fall, the beginning of school, the beginning of a new season of activity.  And so as we start off a number of other things, it's a good idea to consider how we start anew in our commitment to follow Jesus into all those places too! Jesus starts out for Jerusalem already way back here in chapter 9, early in the Gospel of Luke.  It's a simple little throwaway sentence that starts it off.  "As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem."  A simple statement on the face of it, but it marks a hard pivot in the Gospel of Luke that shapes the character of everything and everyone that follows.   In the chapters before this, we discover in ever increasing dimensions how Jesus is the Son of God.  Just before this in chapter 9, we see Jesus reveal the heights of His glory in the feeding of the 5,000 and being transfigured in bright splendor on the mountaintop.  But Jesus had also begun to reveal the depths of His suffering just before this too: predicting His impending death, twice.   When Luke says that Jesus has "resolutely set out for Jerusalem," those of us who know how the story goes know that "Jerusalem" really means the cross and Jesus' death. And so it's here in Luke, just a third of the way through, that Jesus resolutely turns His face toward his purposes in death, resurrection, and ascension.  The depths of suffering, the heights of glory.  And everything that follows is done, said, and written in light of this journey to the cross.   Immediately after these verses, in fact, Jesus will have some hard words for all those who would seek to follow Him in this journey.  The same words we heard preached a few weeks back.  Words like, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."  Jesus says this now as one who has firmly put His hand to the plow.  Jesus is resolute.  He is headed for Jerusalem.   The question, is are we resolute in our desire to follow him?  He's headed to Jerusalem.  There is no way to follow him there that does not involve taking up our cross and facing our own death.  So today as you resolutely set out to face any number of other things before you in this Fall season, are you also resolute in commitment to Jesus?  Ready to follow, daily?   For those who do resolutely take up their cross and follow, the promise of Jesus' gift of life waits just on the other side.    

Ver todos los episodios