“…He was determined to go to Jerusalem.” – Luke 9:51
I haven’t cried during a worship service in a long
time. This morning during a song – during a time for remembering the sacrifice
of Christ, emotion surged and turned to tears on my cheeks. I don’t know why it
was, but this verse resounded in my head. Jesus, Luke tells us, literally “set
his face” toward Jerusalem. Jesus knew what was coming. He knew that he was
journeying toward his death. He spoke about it in Matthew 16:21:
“From that
time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer
many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and
be raised up on the third day.”
I wish I knew how to make this as poignant in writing
as it is in my mind, but try to see the power of this: Jesus went to Jerusalem
and died on purpose. While he was
being tried for crimes he did not commit, there are two things that stand out.
First, he was silent when speech could have freed him. Second, the words he did
speak sealed his fate.
“Now Jesus
stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, ‘Are you
the King of the Jews?’ And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He
was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then
Pilate said to Him, ‘Do You not hear how many things they testify against you?’
And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor
was quite amazed.” – Matthew 27:11-14
I hate violent movies. I hate violent stories. I
cannot abide the thought of innocent people dying. The true stories of the
Holocaust chill my blood. Yet, the death of the innocent Christ is even more
poignant, more chilling, more… haunting. Because he wasn’t dragged to the cross
begging for his life. He “was determined.” He “set His face.” Every step down
the road to Jerusalem, every word out of his mouth at the trial, each piece of
the puzzle was laid down with purpose. Jesus had every intention of going to
Jerusalem to die on that cross.
As I cried this morning, I asked, “Why would he do that on purpose??” I knew the answer, and yet I asked. And there it
was, the image of the veil in the temple torn in two when he died.
“And Jesus
uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. And the veil of the temple was torn
in two from top to bottom.” – Mark 15:37-38
Why was that important? Why is that the answer? See,
that veil was important. It separated the Holy God from the sinful people. When
God himself designed the tabernacle and laid forth the laws for its use, he
designated a room, called the Holy of Holies, where he could dwell among the
people without being too near them. Only the high priest was allowed into the
Holy of Holies, and then only once a year (For details, see Leviticus 16).
“But into
the [Holy of Holies], only the high priest enters once a year, not without
blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in
ignorance.” – Hebrews 9:7
When Jesus died, it was no accident that the veil
separating God from the people was torn in two. The veil was there because of
sin. My sin. Your sin. The sin of every man and woman from the beginning until
now. God couldn’t dwell in that. Not without a cleansing sacrifice. Not without
something to wash out that sin as if it had never been there. That’s why Jesus died on purpose. The
veil had to go so that God could dwell in
his people. That was always the plan. Throughout the Old Testament, God
promised a time when he would be nearer to his people than ever before – in
their hearts.
“Moreover, I
will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove
the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My
Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful
to observe My ordinances.” – Ezekiel 36:26-37
“It will
come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your
sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young
men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My
Spirit in those days.” – Joel 2:28-29
When Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” I believe it was a cry of victory. He had set his
face toward Jerusalem for this very moment. He came to tear apart the veil. He
came so that we could come alive again, so that we could draw near to God.
“Therefore,
brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of
Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil,
that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let
us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who
promised is faithful;” – Hebrews 10:19-23
There are a great many “academic proofs,” if you
will, for God and for Christianity. They’re helpful, and they’ve bolstered my
confidence in the truth of the Gospel. But this – this is the Gospel, and it is the
Gospel that holds me faithful to Christ. It is his determination to die so
that I could live that stirs in me something that could not be stirred by
anything else. My spirit is alive because he set his face toward Jerusalem.
