"Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" (Luke 24:26)
This was a rebuke/reminder to some very sad, dejected disciples, to people who hadn't listened to His teaching, did not prioritize, "Moses and all the Prophets." In essence, "Remember I told you that this was supposed to happen?" Dejection comes when our expectations are not subservient to His Words.
I finished Luke's version of Passion Week this morning, viz., the Olivet Discourse, Gethsemane, the Betrayal, Pilate, Herod, Pilate, the via dolorosa, the Cross, the Resurrection, Emmaus Road, Ascension------ just 33 years after the announcement to the shepherds. Of Jesus "work" at 33 He could shout from the Cross, "It is finished!"
I find it interesting this time that Jesus did not live to be 40 or 60 or 80. When the Living Triune God is at work, time is not the issue; it's what is "accomplished" in the years we have. The world today puts such a premium on "long life," but not, "Eternal Life." We have by-pass surgery, replacement surgery, and have made drug companies and the health care industry in general a very, very lucrative industry, and for what? Just to gain a few more years of living in these decaying bodies.
What is your "value system" today? Yes, we are created to "make the most" of the years in these mortal bodies which our Lord Jesus has given us. But whether a person has 5, 30, or 90 years in this life, no matter. The best is [indeed] yet to come. "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me in My throne....and they (that includes you and me) shall reign for ever and ever."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray for us to have Your perspective of our lives. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
