“We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the leading priests and the teachers of the law, and they will say he must die. They will hand him over to the foreigners, who will laugh at him and beat him with whips, and then they will kill him on a cross. But on the third day after his death, he will be raised to life again.”

Have you ever had somewhere you needed to go, but you just didn’t want to go there? Maybe you were dreading a doctor’s appointment, because you were afraid of some test results. Perhaps you didn’t want to go to a party, because you knew that you would run into someone you didn’t want to see. It could be that you didn’t want to go to the funeral home, because someone you loved passed away and you just didn’t want to face the loss. There are places we sometimes have to go, and we just don’t want to do it because of what might be waiting for us there.

Jesus, in Matthew 20, told His disciples that they had somewhere to go, and He probably didn’t want to go there, because He knew what—and who—would be awaiting Him. Jesus knew from a very early age who He was and why He came. He came to be about His Father’s work (Luke 2:49). As the Messiah, the work of His Father was the redemption of humanity through His sacrificial death. Jesus knew He was going to suffer at the hands of those He came to save. He knew He was going to die for the sins of us all. He also knew that He would rise again victorious over death and the grave. So, Jesus courageously went to where He probably didn’t want to go.

Friends, can I encourage you for a moment? You may be facing some pretty scary things in your life right now. There may be test results you’re waiting for that might reveal some things you’re not ready to face. There might be some people in your life whom you’re at odds with, and they’re the last people you want to see. There may be someone getting ready to cross from this life to the next, and you’re not ready to let them go or to say goodbye. There might be something else that is so scary you’re facing, and you just don’t know what to do next. Turn to Jesus for courage and strength. He knows what it is like to face scary things with courage. He can give you the strength you need to face it courageously. He went to Jerusalem knowing that a cross awaited Him. He also knew that there was a tomb there that would be empty on the third day. Take courage, friends, because no matter where you’re going, Jesus is going with you.

By Shawn Cornett, Bible League International staff, Indiana U.S.