Missing the Signs

Luke 18:31-34 - 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.

It is amazing that after all the times Jesus warned his disciples about his coming trial, crucifixion, and resurrection, they were still caught by surprise when it actually came. The passage above is the second time in Luke’s Gospel that Jesus goes into specific details on what was to come, but it lines up with Matthew’s third warning. In addition to these, Jesus said many time he would need to die and/or be raised from the dead. In this passage, Jesus points to prophecies given hundreds of years before warning what would come. In spite of all of this, the disciples “did not grasp what was said.”

In much the same way, we can miss the signs around us of what is and what is to come. A few years ago a friend stopped to help a distressed motorist by the side of the road. Her car would no longer run, and she was in a panic. My compassionate fried had enough mechanical know how to at least make a preliminary diagnosis, so he started with the obvious question, “Did you have any indicator lights come on your instrument panel?”

She responded, “Well, yes, but they have been on for months.”

“Why didn’t you do anything about them?” My friend asked.

She replied, “I didn’t think they mattered.”

In much the same way, we can miss the signs around us. We can ignore them to our peril like the stranded driver, or we can proceed in denial like the disciples and assume everything will go smoothly. However, because the disciples did not comprehend Jesus’ words, they were blissful when they should have been prepared, but when things got tough they gave up when they could have held on in hope had they remembered and understood what Jesus said that he would rise again three days later.

Don’t miss the signs, but don’t give up hope. Things will get tough, but God will prevail. Be ready for the tough seasons and keep the faith.