01.05 | The Road Unknown
Mark 10:32-52
‘And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him…’
Mark 10:32
The first Christian meeting that I ever led began with a self-composed rap.
I was in my early teens, and had been asked, along with a friend called Joe, to host a new youth event at our church.
As a bit of backstory, I was terrified of public speaking. This was way out of my comfort zone, and the fears of having to stand up and do this got under my skin to such an extent that all normal sensibilities left me. And so me and Joe decided to open the meeting with a rap song that we’d written. Starting from opposite sides of the stage, we dramatically roly-polied onto the stage, and broke into our welcoming rap.
I’m told the response of people there was: What are they doing?
Fair question. I’d like to say I’ve grown along the way.
But that line stuck with me, partly in mild trauma as to the lunacy of our welcome. What are they doing?
Jesus (for much better reasons) faced the same question today.
He’s journeying to Jerusalem. The centre of religion. The place where the religious and political leaders are who fully intend to kill Him. The place that, to every earthly strategy, is going to end this whirlwind ride in the untimely and seemingly disastrous death of its founder.
What is He doing?
It’s a question we often ask of Him too.
For me, there’s been many things on my journey with Jesus that have been so beautiful and good. There’s been growth in ministry (after the rapid rise and fall of my career as a rap artist), incredible friendships, mission and fruitfulness and family and much joy.
But there have also been times, when the lead of Jesus has led me to very unexpected places.
Where faithfulness was required in places of disappointment.
When waiting took years longer than I thought it would.
When worship didn’t just happen in the auditorium, but was choked out at the graveside.
When projects failed or my brokenness caught up with me or life didn’t work out as perfectly as I’d hoped.
My question in these times has always been:
Lord, what are you doing?
Have you been there?
Those disciples, in their bewilderment and confusion, trod the path that is so often familiar to us too.
What is He doing?
And yet, as Jesus walks this path right into His own impending torture and death, it is still those things of the life of the Kingdom that are bursting up around them. It is still the declaration that the true King has come, bursting out of the mouths of blind beggars and announcing the inbreaking reign of God. For this road of suffering is marked by the cries of His Kingship.
Lord, what are you doing?
There is a truth here that greatly strengthens the soul. It is simply this. That the surety of our status is not marked by the stability of our circumstance, but by the identity of our Guide. Because, sometimes, before we know or understand what He is doing; before we see that beyond the rejection and torture and crucifixion there is a whole new creation for humanity; before we understand that He only leads us with endless care and devotion towards a life of such radiance and joy that cannot be comprehended; before all this, we have a sure guide. He is heralded by the suffering blind, and followed by the trusting of faith.
Lord, what are you doing?
I may not know or understand yet. But, Lord, still,
I follow.
Reflect:
Lord, what are you doing?
Where are you asking this question right now?
Ask Him for answers. That’s ok.
But if the answers don’t come, settle your soul to this: following without understanding is the path of the faithful. When we have nothing to trust but our Guide, our offering of fidelity to Him is at its most pure. Offer Him, in all your places where there is no understanding, your simple willingness to follow. For beyond the uncertainty, for those who follow this guide, comes the wonder of resurrection life.
Pray:
Lord Jesus,
I cannot always see or understand what you are doing,
When my life wanders for the script that I wrote for it.
The script of comfort and fruitfulness,
A tidy existence free from pain,
And with a trajectory ever upwards in attainment and comfort.
But, sometimes, Lord,
You lead me to Jerusalem,
Through places of challenge and opposition,
Through places of pain and grief,
Through places of disappointment and Not Yet.
And right here, Lord,
I give you,
My trust.
And I give you the declaration of the blind,
That you, Lord,
Are my King.
And thus, I follow.
And Lord, I trust this:
That beyond Jerusalem,
Beyond cross and shame and humiliation and pain,
Lies something greater than I have ever imagined.
Lord Jesus,
I do not understand,
But I’m coming anyway.
In Your Name, and in your footsteps,
Amen
Old Testament:
For those also reading the Old Testament this year, your additional readings are here:
1 Samuel 14-15 | Psalm 56