What do you think it was like for Jesus as He traveled those last miles along the Jordan River from Galilee to Jericho? He had crisscrossed from Judea to Galilee, which is a distance of about 100 miles, several times in the last 3 years, but this was the final lap of His trip. He must have been committed to using the time that He had left with His disciples wisely and to take advantage of every opportunity to heal the sick and to teach the crowds. While the range of His emotions must have enormous and deep, He did not let them overtake His determined focus to listen to His Father’s voice and respond with humility and obedience.
The huge reality that must have loomed in front of Jesus was His destiny. While the crowds continued to marvel at His miracles and enthusiastically shout out their praise to God, He knew that very soon the religious leaders would temporarily appear victorious. He knew that they would find a way to arrest Him and to kill Him. He knew that ultimately what His Father has asked Him to do would be accomplished, but that intense agony, suffering and finally death would be the only path that He could take for now. We know that He understood it all because He carefully tried to explain it to His disciples.
What do you think enabled Jesus to keep His focus? How was He able to continue to do what He knew His Father wanted Him to do? As a man, do you think that as He taught others, He, too, found Himself inspired to “practice what He preached”? That He, too, found strength as He trusted in God?