Word for the Weekend

Luke 18:31-34
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. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

These passages are Jesus telling his disciples about what is about to happen to Him. The same passage appears in Matthew (20:17-19) and Mark (10:32-34) but they leave out something that Luke makes note of in the last verse in this passage; the fact that the disciples didn't understand what Jesus had just told them. Perhaps they thought Jesus was telling one of His parables and would explain later. Maybe they thought it would happen figuratively. Whatever they imagined, it was just something they understood that they would not understand at that moment.

Verse 34 also says something else--what Jesus was telling them about his death and resurrection was "hid" from them. They wouldn't have been able to understand no matter how bad they wanted to because God had hidden it from them.

Sometimes we don't understand why some things happen in our life. Well, remember that you are in good company! The disciples didn't understand either. When a love one dies, when we barely have enough food to eat, when we can't pay the bills, when ten zillion things seem to go wrong all in one day....we may ask God, "why did that have to happen to me?" We may never get the answer we are looking for here on earth, but we can take comfort in some simple truths from the Bible.

Jesus knows what it is like to feel forsaken. Matthew 27:46 says: " And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" He took on all our sin and in doing so felt forsaken by His Father. When we feel forsaken we can pray to Jesus and trust that He knows exactly how we feel and loves us dearly.

Remember that all sufferings here on earth are only for a short period and as long as you have asked Jesus into your life you will have eternal glory in heaven.

2Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction which is but a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

In closing I wanted to share the words of an old hymn, "We'll understand it better by and by" written by Charles Albert Tindley.

We are tossed and driven on the restless sea of time;
somber skies and howling tempests oft succeed a bright sunshine;
in that land of perfect day, when the mists are rolled away,
we will understand it better by and by.

By and by, when the morning comes,
when the saints of God are gathered home,
we'll tell the story how we've overcome,
for we'll understand it better by and by.

We are often destitute of the things that life demands,
want of food and want of shelter, thirsty hills and barren lands;
we are trusting in the Lord, and according to God's word,
we will understand it better by and by.

Trials dark on every hand, and we cannot understand
all the ways of God would lead us to that blessed promised land;
but he guides us with his eye, and we'll follow till we die,
for we'll understand it better by and by.

Temptations, hidden snares often take us unawares,
and our hearts are made to bleed for a thoughtless word or deed;
and we wonder why the test when we try to do our best,
but we'll understand it better by and by.