May 14, 2025
“When the days were coming to a close for him to be taken up, he determined[ to journey to Jerusalem.” – Luke 9:51
My 5th grade daughter is playing volleyball for the YMCA league right now. She absolutely loves it and is becoming a very good volleyball player. There is only one area where she struggles: overhand serves. She can do everything else and during a game she is all over that court, but she just can’t seem to get her serves right. So, pretty much every free minute she has she spends in the back yard working on serves, she stays after practice and serves, and even in between and after church service every Sunday she is in the church’s front yard working on her serves. She is determined to get it right! I have seen many people over the years be incredibly dedicated to achieving a goal, whether it be losing weight, earning a degree, becoming a great musician or excelling at a sport. As people, we have an amazing ability to accomplish incredible things if we think it will benefit us in some way.
Jesus was absolutely determined during his time on earth – he was a man on a mission! – but not with the kind of goal we see from other human beings. Luke 9:51 is an amazing verse. Many translations use many different words when attempting to convey the seriousness of this moment: “He was determined to go to Jerusalem” (NASB), “He resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (NIV), and “He steadfastly set his face toward Jerusalem” (NKJV). The idea here is that, when it came time to go to the place where he would be betrayed, mocked, beaten, and killed, Jesus had a face of stone toward that fate. Nothing was going to stop him from making that sacrifice! Absolutely determined, not for fame or personal gain, but determined to suffer so that awful sinners could be rescued. This is how great his love is for you and me!
Heavenly Father, thank You for a Savior that was absolutely determined to suffer for my salvation. Thank You that nothing could stand in the way of Jesus losing everything so that I could gain everything. We are so unworthy of such great dedication to sacrifice. Let us respond by taking the freedom we have gained and using it to live for Your Kingdom every day. As You were determined to rescue us, let us be determined to glorify You.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon