The Gospel of Hope

Matthew 20:17-19

17 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”

Jesus and the disciples were on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. While they were en route, Jesus foretold what would happen to Him, but the disciples did not react to His words. Luke explains in his Gospel that they understood none of these things and the meaning was hidden from them (Lk. 18:34). However, Jesus could not have spoken more plainly. He said He would be betrayed, condemned, and delivered to mockery, scourging, and crucifixion. Any one of those ordeals would be difficult to accept and endure, but Jesus had to go through them all. He knew the suffering He would have to undergo, but He also knew He would rise again on the third day. He had hope. In sharing His hope with them, He proclaimed the gospel even though they did not comprehend it.

When you choose to follow Christ there is no guarantee you will receive only blessings. By following Jesus, you are agreeing to be mistreated just as He was. You will probably never have to endure all that He did, but you may suffer in similar ways for being a follower of Christ. If and when you are betrayed, condemned, or mocked for being a Christian, how will you respond? Will you walk away from your faith and say, “It’s not worth it.”? Or will you be of the opinion that what you are going through is only a momentary, light affliction? No one wants to suffer, but what if your suffering makes you more like Jesus? Would knowing the end result make it more bearable? Jesus didn’t leave the disciples with just bad news. He gave them a promise of hope that He would rise from the dead on the third day. When others mistreat, betray, condemn, mock, or even beat you, remember there is hope. Jesus rose from the dead, and He promised to resurrect you if you follow Him. That is the hope He gives us. That is the gospel.