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: 33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; 34 “and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

– Mark 10:32-34 (NKJV)

When I was in my early 20’s I had the joy and privilege of speaking with an older pastor who was facing death. This man was well known and respected in the area and a few of my ministry friends and I had the opportunity to ask him questions. I didn’t know any really good questions to ask so I went with a simple one. I asked him that if he could share just one nugget of wisdom from all of his life, experience, etc. with a group of younger ministry students, what would it be? His answer still carries weight today in my life. He said that he would tell them, “God has often brought me to what I felt like was the edge of a cliff, but it was never to push me off, but always to show me a greater view of himself.”

I remembered that quote often. I thought of it during the week leading up to my open heart surgery. I’ve thought of it when faced with challenges of ministry, especially on days where by all my accounting, the future doesn’t seem so bright. It is often through the most challenging moments of faith in my own life that I can look back and see God working the clearest.

The disciples were following Jesus up to Jerusalem. By now that almost certainly meant persecution and Jesus was clear with them that he would be crucified. To their credit, the disciples followed Jesus all the way! They were afraid, but they followed.

We know the rest of the story beyond these verses. We know that some of the hardest days are ahead of the disciples. We know Jesus will be crucified just like he said AND he will rise three days later just like he said. It seems like Jesus lead them into a fearful situation, but it wasn’t for their destruction, it was for their good. It was for their own salvation. They would one day look back at this scary situation and be reminded again of God’s faithfulness and Christ’s love for them.

As I write this, I can’t help but have a few precious saints on my heart. I’ve got a few folks in my congregation who are facing their own mortality. They are dying. They and their families know they don’t have much time left. As I pray for them, I have often quoted the 23rd Psalm and am reminded that Jesus our Good Shepherd has gone before us through the valley of the Shadow of death. Sometimes we follow the Lord into places which cause us to be fearful, but we rest confidently knowing that he is faithful.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are so grateful that you went to the cross to die for our sins and were raised again three days later. We can’t imagine how fearful this whole time must have been for the disciples. We are grateful for your patience and the care that you took to lead them. We are grateful that when you lead us through challenging and fearful places that you always do so with a purpose. We are grateful that it is your job to lead and ours to follow. Give us grace to follow well, especially through the challenging moments of life. Please give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.