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. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise." Luke 18:31-43
On the weekend called Quinquagesima, the observance of worship that takes place fifty days prior to Easter, we saw in the Gospel of the day that Jesus provided a passion prediction for his disciples. Jesus took his twelve and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over…”
I shared in the message that day that there were, of course, no surprises for Jesus. He is not a victim of circumstance. The Son of God knew there would be a cost. His face had been set in this direction from the beginning of his ministry. This is, after all, why he came to our world. All will be “accomplished,” Jesus said. Literally he said, “It will be finished!” In fact, he uses the same language here as he does in his announcement from the cross, “It is finished!” Jesus was saying that he would be delivered over. That is, he would be betrayed. After severely whipping him…they would then kill him. Then on the third day he would rise! It was all to be accomplished.
We are reminded of all that he accomplished as we worship and hear the good news of a Savior who would lay down his life for his own. As we leave that place of worship we walk through the sanctuary doorway. Above this doorway is a crucifix reminding us that as we re-enter the world he is still the Savior crucified for our sins and for the sins of all.
We look toward our Lord during the forty days of Lent, following along with our Savior in his time of testing in the wilderness. There during the forty days of temptation Jesus began his journey toward the cross. He faced it all on our behalf. He did it for the glory of his Father. He did it so that all would be accomplished!