Jesus foretells his death and resurrection
by Neil Bergmann
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Then Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished’ (Luke 18:31).
Read Luke 18:31–43
Jesus has a strange way of teaching his disciples. In today’s reading, for the third time, Jesus tells the disciples about his upcoming arrest, death and resurrection. And for the third time, the disciples haven’t really got any idea what he is talking about. The text says, in fact, that what he said was hidden from them.
It wouldn’t be until after the resurrection (see Luke 24:45–47) that Jesus ‘opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures’. Then, he not only gave them information from the Scriptures, but he also gave them the ability to understand its meaning.
Martin Luther emphasised that understanding Scripture is not a human ability but a gift of the Spirit. In his explanation of the third article of the Apostles’ Creed, he explains:
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.
God does everything for our salvation, even providing us with the faith to believe in those truths that transcend human understanding. Not only are we saved by Jesus through no merit or effort of our own, but these truths also include guidance on how to live as followers of Jesus in the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Logically, they make no sense – don’t worry about your life; the first will be last, and the last will be first; to gain treasure in heaven, stop worrying about treasure on earth; love your enemies; the list goes on.
Like Luther suggests, we shouldn’t think we can come up with human explanations for heavenly truths. Instead, we depend totally on the Holy Spirit to call us, enlighten us, sanctify us and keep us in the faith.
Holy Spirit, we don’t like to admit that we can’t understand the mysteries of the Christian faith on our own. Give us the humility to open our minds in prayer so you can speak your wisdom and your truth into our lives. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Rochedale, Queensland. He enjoys cooking and reading. His favourite chocolate is Rocky Road.
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