Up to Jerusalem

Opening Prayer (Thanksgiving & Petition)

Imagine a king marching toward his coronation. You would expect banners, celebration, soldiers, and cheering crowds. You would expect him to advance toward a throne—not toward suffering and death.

Yet in Mark 10, God's Messiah is marching toward His throne by way of a cross.

Jesus walks ahead of His disciples toward Jerusalem. He is not reluctant. He is not confused about what awaits Him. He knows He will be betrayed, condemned, mocked, beaten, and killed—and still He leads the way.

This is the Messiah Jesus came to be.

He does not retreat from His mission; He advances toward it. He does not stumble accidentally into the cross; He deliberately journeys toward it. And He does so knowing that beyond the suffering stands resurrection and victory.

In Mark 10:32–34, we see the resolve of the Messiah: Jesus knows the cost of His mission, and He willingly walks forward to accomplish it.

Key Question: Do I Live With Jesus’ Resolve for His Mission?

Jesus Leads the Way. (v.32)

Mark sets the scene for this brief but important dialogue between Jesus and His disciples. Here we see them on the road, among a larger group of people heading to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Festival. Mark also highlights the anticipation in the air, as people marvel or fear what is about to happen—even though it is unknown to them.

A phrase that must be important to us as we continue to learn the way of Jesus is what Mark records about Jesus’ actions during this pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Jesus is not at the back of the group; he and the disciples are joined together on the way to Jerusalem, and his walk is not portrayed as staggered or forced. He is at the vanguard—the very front of the group—and is described as having a resoluteness about him—a decisive confidence in the Father’s plan and His ultimate victory. Jesus is displaying the very nature of meekness and divine assurance. (See Isaiah 35:10.)

As the scene unfolds, Jesus continues to teach his disciples, and this time he conveys a fuller revelation of what is coming in Jerusalem, which will turn their understanding of victory, conquest, and the Kingdom of God on its head. (See Isaiah 42:13.)

Key Question: Do I Live With Jesus’ Resolve for His Mission?

To Accomplish the Mission. (v.33)

Jesus gathers the twelve apart from the river of people flowing towards Jerusalem, and now, for the third time, reveals the purpose and mission that the Father assigned to him, and to which he willingly entered, as the Second Person of the Trinity. Jerusalem is the city where he will suffer and die. (See Isaiah 52:7.)

Jesus gives them an overview of how he will end up in the grave. First, one of them will betray him to “hand him over” to the Sanhedrin, the ruling court of the Jews. Second, the Chief Priests and Scribes will then hand him over to the Gentiles (Pontius Pilate and Herod) to seek the death sentence for him. Here we see the promised path of the Lord’s Servant coming into focus.

Key Question: Do I Live With Jesus’ Resolve for His Mission?

To Lead Humanity Out of Hopelessness. (v.34)

In verse 34, Jesus continues to fill in the picture of just how dehumanizing the Chief Priests, Scribes, and the Gentiles will be to him as he ascends to the cross, as his coronation and exaltation. Here, we see the echoes of the Old Testament become reality. (See Psalm 22:7-8.)

Jesus, however, does not end with betrayal, false accusations, mockery, humiliation, the cross, or the grave. Jesus ends with the pinnacle of God’s redemptive history—He will rise on the third day. Jesus ensures the disciples hear not despair and gloom, but rejoicing and God’s ultimate glory. (See Isaiah 53:7-9.)

Key Question: Do I Live With Jesus’ Resolve for His Mission?

The Way to Jerusalem…

(See Acts 8:30,35.)

Shows How Glory is Revealed.

Displays Jesus’ Love and Resolve.

Highlights God’s Eternal Redemptive Plan.

Closing Prayer (Confession & Intercession)