We Go Up to Jerusalem - Luke 18:31

The beloved physician Luke wrote how Jesus said, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God”. When Jesus' disciples, “heard it” they “said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed you. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that has left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting”, and in chapter eighteen and verse thirty-one of his book Luke wrote how Jesus, “took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem” where we read:

Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.

The verse reads, “Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, ...” Luke began with the words, “the he took unto him the twelve” or “moreover and Jesus joined and received to himself His twelve disciples”, “and said unto them” which means “and uttered, declared and proclaimed to His disciples”, “Behold” or “look, lo and consider”, “we go up to Jerusalem” which means “we, Jesus and His disciples, ascend toward Jerusalem which means set you double peace and was the capitol of Palestine”. Luke shared how Jesus gathered His “twelve disciples” unto Himself and told them they were “ascending” to the city of “Jerusalem”.

The verse goes on to say, “... and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.” Luke continued with the words, “and all things” or “and each, every, the whole and everything” “that are written” which means “that has been formed in letters and delineated on a tablet, parchment, paper or other material” “by the prophets” or “by means of the men who were moved by the Spirit of God and hence his organ or spokesman who solemnly declared to men what they received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, and in particular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and to human salvation” “concerning the Son of man” which means “about which through the Son of man who was Jesus” “shall be accomplished” or “will be brought to pass, closed, finished, put to an end and completed”. Luke shared how Jesus said “everything” that was “written” about Him by the “prophets” of old would be “fulfilled and completed” when they reached Jerusalem.

When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we see how Jesus gathered His “twelve disciples” around Him so He could direct their path to “Jerusalem”. This would be their final “ascension” there because the time was upon Jesus for all the scriptures written by the prophets to be “fulfilled”. God had this planned all along, and because Jesus was destined to die for the sins of all mankind, He was determined to go to the place where God's plan of redemption could be completed. Those who examine Jesus' purpose to provide “salvation” to their lives will discover His passionate love for every person, and when they yield their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they will be forgiven their sins and receive “everlasting life” from God.

Next time Luke shares how Jesus said, “he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted upon”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".