Open Eyes

And taking the twelve, he 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. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Luke 18:31–34
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Open Eyes
We don’t always understand the things of God, because His ways are so foreign to us. Our sin has caused our minds to be turned away from the things of God. The world, the devil, and our own sinful flesh cloud our thoughts in an attempt to keep us from our heavenly Father.  The same was true of Jesus’ disciples. They could not understand how His death would mean salvation for them and the rest of the world. So once again Jesus explains the culmination of His ministry in suffering, death, and resurrection to people who just didn’t get it. Even today, many do not want to think about the death of Christ, It is too graphic, too raw, to unsettling. Yet it was that death that gave us life. We would do well today, do not settle for a glorious vision of Jesus that does not include the cross. God has fulfilled His magnificent promises of prophecy in His Son. And so that we will never forget the cost of our salvation, Jesus retains His scars. And those scars also stand as pledges of His love for you. May sin never shield our eyes from the truth of Christ Jesus, who bore the cross for our salvation.