“And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.” - Mark 10:32-34, ESV.

This discourse is the third time Jesus lets His disciples in on the plan. Notice how detailed Jesus was. He included the Jews who would arrest and try Him, the Gentiles who would punish Him, the events of His torture, His death, and His resurrection. And he told them all of this before they even walked into Jerusalem. He knew what He was walking into, and He was in control.

Now notice two other things. I’ve told you before that this whole ending was set up before time began. Jesus knew the script full well. The second thing is that Jesus really wanted the disciples not to be caught off guard. Even though it scared them, He was completely honest because He wanted them to be ready for the events ahead.

Fast forward to today. Jesus still is keenly aware of what you will soon encounter, good and bad. He still wants to prepare you, His disciple, if you will let Him, by communicating the plan through His Word. That is yet another reason to read the Bible often. Indeed, He may not be as clear as He was at that time, but He will give you what you need to be assured that He is still in control. So keep listening, keep reading. -Pastor Mike

BTW, I've just started to read a horror novel in braille. Something bad is gonna happen. I can feel it.