The Journey to the Cross

May 31, 2000 was a major turning point in my life. It was on this date that I said goodbye to my co-workers, friends, and Tree of Life Lutheran Church. It was my last day at Rash & Associates, a property tax firm, and I was leaving a career that I truly loved. My family was loaded into the van and all our possessions were loaded onto a moving truck. The drive to Fort Wayne was a long drive filled with many mixed emotions. The journey had to be made and it had to have a beginning. The past was very concrete and very familiar, but the future was unclear and unknown. As we made the journey into the ministry, our focus was on Fort Wayne, IN. This journey was life changing for all of my family, but it is nothing compared to the feelings and dedication of Jesus Christ as he journeyed to Jerusalem. My family traveled with uncertainty as to what life would be like, while Jesus traveled with the certainty of death. The human side in you often claims that you are not scared of death, yet the closer you get to death, the more real and uncertain your feelings become. The worldly answer to Jesus’ journey is to turn around and go the other direction. This is the direction that Jonah took when he ran from to Nineveh. Jesus is not Jonah and He did not choose to run, but instead, pressed forward and kept his focus on Jerusalem and the cross.

Today’s gospel lesson details Jesus’ purpose of coming down from heaven, being born of a virgin, living a perfect life, and dying on a cross at Jerusalem. The journey had a purpose and your own journey through this world has a purpose. The Gospel lesson begins with a strange twist that causes one to immediately question what is going on. Scripture states:

31 Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, "Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You."

This is strange in that Jesus and the Pharisees didn’t get along with each other. I’m sure that at some point in your life, you have been approached by someone you do not trust and they gave you what seemed to be good information. You immediately wonder what is going on, is this a trap or is it legitimate. We would get bogged down with confusion. Is this person a friend or a foe? Sometimes we misjudge people and we think they are a foe, or enemy, when it is the other way around. Sometimes we misjudge a person as a friend, only to find out that are not a true friend, but a foe. In either case, you feel bad! If you misjudged a friend and they ended up turning against you, your heart is ripped open and you feel betrayed. I’m sure the Apostle’s hearts were ripped open by Judas’ action. It takes time for this kind of wound to heal. After all, you had thought that this person was a friend. You too betray Christ just like Judas when you sin. Sin brings death. The difference between Judas and you who are believers is that you trust in Jesus for forgiveness, which is why He is focused on going to the cross.

And now, what about the people you misjudge? You feel bad if you have misjudged someone as an enemy when they should have been a friend. You reflect on all the lost time and how you could have worked together. But, there is a joy in knowing that the relationship has changed and will grow for the better. Jesus is the enemy to many, but He really is a true friend.

Oh, if we could only be like Jesus and be able to look into the hearts of people! It would be clear as to who our friends and enemies are. Jesus can see into your heart and he sees the hearts of everyone else. The Pharisees have come to Jesus, as if they are buddy-buddy with Jesus. They tell him that Herod wants to kill him, ... that he should move on. While a lot of you would have to wrestle with this statement, Jesus sees right through it.

Jesus states: And He said to them:

“Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.

Jesus is in Perea, which is ruled by Herod. Much like John the Baptist calling the Pharisees a brood of vipers, Jesus responds by telling them to “Go and tell that fox”. This is strong language to use against someone who wants to kill you. He calls Herod a “fox” because foxes are cunning and crafty. It should be noted that Herod is someone to be feared. He had killed many people, including John the Baptist. Jesus can see into the Pharisee’s hearts and he knows that their information is self-serving. It is not to save Jesus by giving him some life saving information, but to try and get him to move on out of the area and into Jerusalem where they would kill him. These friends are not friends at all, but foes... they are enemies.
After Jesus calls Herod a “fox”, he states “Behold!” This is not in the New International Version, but it should be noted that when Jesus says “Behold”, he is about to say something very important. Behold, I cast out demons and will heal people today and tomorrow. Jesus is telling the Pharisees to go back to Herod and let him know that Jesus has work to do and is not going to stop, but continue. Jesus focus is on Jerusalem and the cross. The Pharisees and Herod are not going to side-track Him from his focus. Jesus is determined to carry out the plan of Salvation. It is His love for you that causes him to press forward to Jerusalem.

It is interesting that sin drives you away from God, yet Jesus is focused on bringing you closer to God. The sins you commit makes you want to hide like Adam & Eve, however your sins are the very fuel that burns the fire within Christ to go to Jerusalem. As you turn away, Jesus kept walking forward to death. He knew he was going to die, this is part of the “Big Plan”. Jesus had stated that today and tomorrow, he would continue to exorcize demons and to heal the sick. He is teaching the people the Good News the whole time while he performs these miracles. But he mentions “the Third Day!” He states and the third day I reach My goal. What is his goal? His goal is to die on the cross! His goal is to reconcile you with God. His goal is for your sins to be forgiven, and that you inherit eternal life. His focus is NOT on himself, but on you! Jesus is stating that he will continue doing what he has been doing today, tomorrow, and all the other days it takes to get to Jerusalem, the City of Peace. The Third day used here is prophetic in that it is not talking about three days from now, but when he is on the cross and he says “It is finished”, he will rise from the dead and his goal is accomplished.. If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your sins are forgiven and eternal life is yours! The goal is to bring you these priceless gifts of forgiveness and eternal life.

The second part of today’ Gospel lesson is prophetic and talks about Jesus’ rejection. The scriptures state:

34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!

Jerusalem is known as the city of Peace, yet when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, yet the city becomes anything but peaceful. In fact, it is Jerusalem that has killed God’s prophets in the past. The very people sent by God to preach restoration where rejected in Jerusalem and were killed. So true again with Jesus. This is further evidenced by the Old Testament reading today from Jeremiah when he states:

Jer 26:8-9 When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You must die! “Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate, without inhabitant’?”

Jesus in fact directly references Jeremiah when he states: “Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Jesus would be shortly welcomed into Jerusalem with praises of “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”, yet His life is not spared, but the death sentence is carried out.

It is Love for you that Jesus journeys on toward the cross. It is His love for you that causes you to focus on Jesus Christ because of the priceless gifts of faith, forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Like my long drive to Fort Wayne was necessary for me to be here today to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ, His journey to the cross was necessary to fulfill the Good News for you. Christ’s love is shown in the self-sacrificing way he traveled to the cross, not for himself, but for YOU! His love is for all people, both believers and rejecters, but only those who cling to the saving faith in Jesus Christ will inherit eternal life. The Good News preached today of what Jesus has done for you brings you saving faith. Eternal damnation comes through rejection, but the Good News preached today brings Eternal Life. Amen