The Switchback

Scripture Reading: Matthew 15:21-28

“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” — Matthew 15:28

Looking closely at the three different times that Jesus speaks of His impending death, we see Him adding extra details each time.  Perhaps Jesus is choosing to slowly acclimate the disciples to the news or maybe He is simply revealing the information as God presents it to Him.

It reminds me of a series of switchbacks on the trail. When traversing steep elevations, switchbacks require a hiker to zig-zag back and forth. Their purpose is to make the hike both safer and easier.

For the disciples who have been following Jesus—their hopes growing with each new teaching and miracle—Jesus’s impending death would have been a drastic change in elevation.

Jesus’s disciples have realized that He is the Messiah, as declared by Peter in Mark 16:16, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”  What they don’t realize is the way that their Messiah is going to lead them.  As Jesus first begins to reveal the path, He says only that He will suffer at the hands of the religious leaders and be killed (Mark 16:21).  Later, He adds the detail that He will be delivered into the hands of man, pointing toward His betrayal (Mark 17:22-23).  And finally, in Mark 20:17-29, Jesus reveals a few more unimaginable details; He will be mocked and flogged and crucified, by the Gentiles.

It’s horrifying news.  No wonder Jesus reveals it so gradually.

Prayer: Jesus, help us to have faith in your goodness and timing. Help us to remember that when You lead us on the long way, it is because You know it to be the better way. Amen.