“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things . . . and on the third day be raised to life.”
— Matthew 16:21
Hard Beginnings, Happy Endings
Some things can be hard to hear and accept.
“Honey, I’m sorry, but Grandpa is going to die.”
“We have to move. Daddy has a new job.”
You want to cry, throw a fit, and demand that things change right NOW! Can you imagine how the disciples felt when Jesus told them he was going to be killed? Peter, for one, wasn’t having it. He took Jesus aside and said, “No way! I’m not going to let this happen to you!” Jesus wasn’t having that. He knew it was going to be hard on them, but it had to be. It was what God had promised.
God “promised” to have his son killed? That doesn’t sound like much of a promise! It’s definitely the hard-to-hear kind. But God had also promised that the glory of the Lord would be revealed. Jesus was going to come back from the dead. And sure enough, on the third day after he was killed, an angel said to the women who went to his tomb, “Do not be afraid . . . he has risen, just as he said” (Matthew 28:5 – 6).
The tough promises can have very happy endings.
More To Explore: Psalm 119:50
Girl Talk: Is there something tough you need to say to anyone that you’ve been putting off?
God Talk: “God, thank you that you sent your Son and that he rose from the grave, just as you said he would. Amen.”
From That Is So Me by Nancy Rue