There is no text in all of Scripture that I have preached from, as much as I have preached from the text that is in front of us. I'll never forget how this particular text powerfully struck me, when I took the time to meditate on it. It is so, so, relevant for the churches that make up the
American church as a whole. To this end, as I continue to wrestle with various means of addressing our present, divinely-ordained predicament, I think that I would be remiss not to call us, myself included, to use some of our "quarantine time" for the purpose of self-examination. Yes, we hope and pray that our materialistic, idolatrous country would be brought to repentance, but is there no work to be done in the church, as well? Is God speaking only to the lost in our nation, as a whole, or to the churches of our nation as well, who have perhaps, fallen short of faithfully representing the glory of Christ, to the surrounding world. Indeed, judgment must begin with the house of God.
Our text brings us to a watershed moment in our Lord's ministry. He is way up north with His disciples, preparing to make His way south to Jerusalem for the last time. His ministry is coming to a close, and the most difficult part of His redemptive work is now merging into the
foreground. He is going to the cross. The agony of anticipation is starting to trouble Him, and so He sets His face, like a flint, to go to Jerusalem. But, His disciples are absolutely clueless as to what is soon to take place. They have no idea that their beloved teacher is going to die; and that, in a most horrific and terrifying way. |
