Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.' The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
This scripture passage is a turning point in the Gospel of Luke. Prior to this point, the book primarily covered the teachings and miracles of the Lord, which revealed that He is a glorious savior. But from this point on, the Lord with glory and authority became a suffering savior. This was not just difficult for the Jews to accept, but even people today cannot understand why Jesus had to go on the cross. If Jesus didn't die in our place, and to resurrect from death, it would be impossible to resolve human beings' problems. The main problem today is not with education, politics or social system, but a problem of the heart. Ever since human beings sinned and left God, human beings became self-centered, unable to accept others and be considerate of others.
Self-centeredness results in many conflicts between people, which is what the Bible refers to as "sin." Looking closely at human history, it's easy to find that human beings have been living under the authority of such sin, and controlled by the sin. Our good conscience has been polluted and our soul has been damaged, and we have no way out. Bible clearly tells us that Jesus Christ is the way to salvation that God has prepared for human beings. According to the righteousness of God, we were supposed to stand on trial by God, but because God is merciful to us, He sent his one and only son to the world to become man, accepted God's punishment on the cross in our place, so that we may enjoy real peace in Christ.
Because Jesus is free of sin, God made Him resurrect from death, and became victorious over all authority and rule of sin. When we accept Jesus as our personal savior, Jesus Christ's life will come inside us, so that we may enjoy a victorious life. When Jesus was working on earth, He clearly knew that God's will wasn't just to let Him go around and preach about the Gospel of God, but also to have Him to on the way of the Cross. Jesus said that "unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." Kingdom of God was never built on the way of people, but it was through the way of the cross. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself, and take on the way of the cross with the Lord?
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