When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:26
There is an order to life. There are certain things that have to happen first before something else can happen. Here are some examples.
Restaurant – you have to order before you get your meal and beverage.
Interstate – you have to drive up the on ramp before you get on the road.
Purchase – you have to select what you want before paying for it.
The other day, we took a day trip to the beach. By a long shot, Mary Ann is much more relaxed as a person than I am. When we first started talking about doing this, I immediately plotted out directions. I picked out our two stops, figuring out directions, milage, and where to park.
And since we’d be taking our Tesla electric vehicle, I wanted to know exactly where I could recharge. Not that I’m obsessive about running out of power or anything. But I wanted to ‘know” as much as possible and what my options were.
To start the trip, we first had to leave the house and get into the car. I then pointed the car onto the street and followed the turn-by-turn directions. Once we got onto US Route 60, we headed west for about 75 miles.
Then we made a series of turns and parked so we could walk on the beach and harvest seaweed (more about this later.) We then traveled to a beautiful and large flower nursery where we spent a couple of hours and more than $100 on 16 plants to take home.
As we headed home, the Tesla directed me to a recharging station for a quick Supercharger connection. Ten minutes and $5 later we were back on the road, heading home.
If you think about your day, I think you’ll discover that there is a sequence to life. There are certain things that happen first, followed by something else. This is part of the rhythm to life. It’s part of the “time to” flow that Solomon writes about in Ecclesiastes 3[1].
Here we have Jesus and the disciples leaving the Passover celebration. We more commonly describe it as the Last Supper. Jesus has just told them that his body and blood were being sacrificed for many. They sing a hymn and then head out to the Mount of Olives.
I want that to sink in for a minute. Jesus knows what’s going to happen. He’s been predicting it for some time. He’s specifically told the disciples at least three time that he was going to be betrayed, handed over, tortured, killed, and then rise from the dead.
This is what’s right in front of Jesus. In a matter of hours, all this is going to come crashing down on him. I don’t know about you, but catching the first camel out of Jerusalem would be my priority.
But not Jesus. He does what in my mind is the unthinkable. He sings a song of praise to God. Instead of ranting and raving about how unfair this is, he worships with his friends. Instead of posting emotional videos about his so-called friend that’s betrayed him, he’s walking towards the very place where he’ll be arrested by an armed crowd. Rather than putting miles between himself and trouble, Jesus seems to walk right into it.
And why can Jesus do this? How can he walk right into trouble? Because of what’s happened before.
I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.
John 16:28
He knows that he came from God, and he’s heading back. No other person who’s ever lived on planet Earth could say this. He knows that there’s a bigger picture than the daily details that seem to flow one after another.
His eternal destiny is secure. There is no reason to freak out when something doesn’t exactly go as planned. He trusts God to not only take care of the small things here on Earth, but also the great, big, eternal things up in heaven.
That’s how we face the troubles of today without losing it. That’s how we walk through the day with confidence that he’s in control. That’s how we receive even the worst news with his peace and confidence. Yes, there will be pain. Yes, there will be distress and disappointment. Yes, there will be loss.
But in the end, God is on his throne. And that confidence lets us face today and tomorrow.
[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+3%3A1-8&version=NIV
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