City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh.

The Word

³¹ And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. ³² For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. ³³ And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” ³⁴ But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

–Luke 18:31-34 ESV

So train your heart to listen when I speak and open your spirit wide to expand your discernment—then pass it on to your sons and daughters.

–Proverbs 2:2 TPT

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses show us the intentionality of God to both reveal and hide from our hearts what He wants us to know and understand. The disciples heard Jesus’ words but did not grasp what was said. 

Perhaps Jesus’ words sounded like a foreign language to them. Afterall, the disciples knew Jesus was the Messiah, but they didn’t want to see Him flogged and killed. Most likely, they wanted to see Him overthrow the oppressive Roman empire and establish His Kingdom reign on earth. 

But Jesus was not going to be deterred from following God’s way by trying to conform to others’ misguided expectations. Jesus was well aware of what God’s plan for Him entailed. He stayed in step with the Holy Spirit and followed God’s voice even when it led to painful places. 

Let’s imagine for a moment if Jesus would have used his divine nature to avoid the cross. Maybe the disciples would have understood that perfectly and been happy about it, but they would have died in sin–still eternally separated from God. 

Jesus’ obedience to God even to death on a cross, while incomprehensible to His followers, is what opened the door for all of sinful humanity to receive the Father’s costly grace. It doesn’t make sense, but God’s plans and purposes were fulfilled. 

This shows us that God’s way is not always easy to grasp or expected, but it does have a purpose, will require faith and obedience, and we can trust Him through every step of the process. 

Application

In what way is God not meeting your expectation of what you think He should be doing in your life? Could it be that He has a more glorious purpose in mind? 

As an act of faith, ask the Lord to show you His plan. Ask Him to help you understand and discern what His Spirit is saying. Listen closely and step out in faith and obedience to His Word.

Prayer

Father God, I’m so grateful that Jesus chose to follow You instead of others. If not for His obedience, I would be utterly lost. Thank You, Lord, for finding me and setting me upon solid rock. I want to build my life upon the rock of obedience to Your words. In Jesus’ name, amen.