He Set His Face Toward Jerusalem

The next few weeks my posts will be centered on Christ and his death and resurrection for our salvation. In Luke 9:51, the Word of God tells us something staggering about Jesus Christ: “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Setting his face towards Jerusalem meant something very different to the Lord than it meant for his disciples.

 For the disciples, the journey toward Jerusalem meant that the long awaited kingdom of God was at hand (Luke 19:11). Jesus would enter the city and be crowned king. He would rule the world in righteousness. There even arose an argument among the disciples as to which one of them would be the greatest in the coming kingdom (Luke 9:46). For the disciples the trip to Jerusalem meant that glory was just around the corner! But going to Jerusalem meant something different for Jesus.

 Going to Jerusalem meant that Jesus would die. The Lord declared “Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem (Luke 13:33).” And Jesus was well aware that his death would not be quick and painless. Christ said “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him (Luke 18:31-33).”

 When Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, he set his mind and heart to die. And it is good to remember that Jesus is a real human. He had a nature just like ours. He was made like us in every way (Hebrews 2:14-18). He was in every way tempted just as we are (Hebrews 4:15). It is normal to shrink back from pain and misery. As a man he would have delighted in marriage and loved his children. He had a mother and brothers and sisters. He loved the beauty of nature. But he turned his back on all of this and set his face toward Jerusalem to face mocking and whipping and beating and spitting and crucifixion.

 How could Jesus do this? He prayed “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done (Luke 22:42).” In embracing the Father’s will, Jesus embraced the Father’s love for sinners—for you and me. It was because the Father’s love filled Jesus that he set his face toward Jerusalem. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).”

 As we near Resurrection Sunday (March 31) and we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, think about the love of God that enabled Jesus Christ to set his face to go to Jerusalem. If you are not yet a believer I declare to you that God desires to save you and to grant you the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of everlasting life through Christ. God loves you; do not perish in your sins.

 If Jesus Christ is your Lord and you are saved, I ask this question: toward what is your face set? Are you reaching for the things of this world or the upward call of God in Christ (Philippians 3:12-14)? I declare to you, in the words of an old song “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.”