Wed Blog on Luke 9

I have never faced death in the eye. Or at least I don't think I have. Maybe there have been Final Destination scenes and moments in my life where I could have died or life would be completely different if I had showed up 30 minutes later. This week we are hanging out with the Coetzee clan and are fortunate to go on adventure in the African bush. We saw a lion that was pretty close and there was nothing in between us. I was in an open air vehicle about 3 feet off the ground, but within easy reach . We joked that since I was the smallest, and have the whitest meat, I would be first do go. The chills that ran down my back when that Aslan-like creature looked at me were unforgettable. I'm just glad he already had a full belly.

In this season of Lent, I have been trying to remember to reflect daily on the days leading to the cross, the sacrifice, and the WHY behind it. As we have been reading Luke 9 the last couple days it shows us a picture of the price we must pay to follow Christ. What it means to be a servant, a disciple, and have an intimate relationship with our Creator. It wasn't in today's reading, but Luke 9:23 is my favorite verse in the Bible, part of my mission statement, and to me the key word is "daily."

I brought up death earlier because while reading I tried to imagine the spirit, the mood, and the thoughts of Jesus. Luke 9:51 says that Jesus looked towards Jerusalem. He knew EXACTLY what every minute would hold. He knew that the moment he walked through those gates that there was a clock ticking down and every second that passed brought him closer to the agony of the cross. By facing Jerusalem that day, Jesus was looking at pain, heart ache, and death right in the face. I wonder if his stomach was in knots. I wonder what his prayers to his Father were at that moment. Maybe he was thinking of me? The amazing thing is that he also knew what was to come. That his body would rise again, that death would be defeated, and that the third morning sunrise would be the sweetest and most glorious in all creation. He reminded his disciples that his kingdom would come, but not in the Braveheart kinda way. There would not be fire from heaven, that angels would not storm the walls. He had his plan and his purpose. To save us all from ourselves and the sin that festers.