A year and a half ago we began a journey together that took us through villages and cities, rivers and great stretches of wilderness. We have climbed mountains and sailed great lakes. We have seen children saved from the grips of death, entire cities worth of people healed of sickness, lepers cleansed, blind eyes restored, chaotic storms calmed, and sermons taught. We have heard the good news of salvation preached on tops of mountains, in the homes of tax collectors, and on city streets. We have seen this and much more as we have followed Jesus over the past fifty weeks.
Fifty weeks we have traveled with Jesus from the banks of the Jordan River to the end of the journey—Jerusalem and the cross. It has actually been much longer than that, but over the year and a half we have taken time to stop and hear from God in other areas of his Word.
I look back at where we started—all the places we have traveled with Jesus and I can’t help but think of those actual events happening in real time. Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan. The calling of the Twelve and their excitement when seeing Jesus’ face and hearing his words spoken to them—“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Imagine being a face in the crowd when Jesus heals the woman with the bleeding condition or the leper with the diseased body or the blind man who sees men but they look like walking trees. I think back to the first sermon preached that had been prepared in eternity past. The sermon’s purpose was to tell of the good news of the coming Kingdom and for all people to repent and believe in the Gospel. All the teachings, parables, and rebuking the powers of man and hell— how amazing were the things that happened and now they are preserved in Scripture for all time.
And now we stand near the end of our journey. The cross is in sight. The cup is being prepared. God’s wrath will soon be poured out on the one who loves us more than any other love could express.
Looking forward, we have but a little bit to go. We are a disciple of the Lord Jesus and like the Twelve we will soon be in the upper room hearing the final words of our Savior before his betrayal and death. We look back at all that we have seen and experienced and we worship our Savior knowing all was done for us. All journeys have and end and in Mark’s Gospel we see God taking the worse possible event, done to the least deserving person, and turning into good for those who love him.
The hardest days of Jesus’ journey lay in front of him and us as we move forward together. Fifty weeks we have traveled to get to this point and we have but a few more as we look at Jesus’ last.
My prayer for us as a church is that we see the great gift God has given us in his Son and what he accomplished for us in the journey and death on the cross. In seeing this we can with repentant hearts give God the glory for the great things he has done through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
—Bro. Jesse