“They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid” (Mark 10:32)

When we live life with a purpose, we are determined, fearless, and confident of victory. We do not avoid problems and difficulties. We accept them as realities of life and confront them with courage and conviction. That is the example of Christ and the sure way to accomplish God’s will and to fulfil His purpose for our lives.

In Mark 10:32-34, we read that Jesus turned His face towards Jerusalem for the final march towards Calvary. We observe that He did so with purpose and determination. He had a mission to accomplish and a purpose to fulfil – “to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:20). He had God to reveal, a sacrifice to offer, salvation to bring, and His Father to glorify. Consequently, Jesus did everything on earth with purpose. Nothing in His entire life on earth happened by chance or accidentally – what He uttered, where He went, His association, and what He accepted on Himself were all done with the aim of accomplishing His mission and purpose on earth. He did not draw back from the cup of wrath in the Garden of Gethsemane. Neither did He turn away from the cruelty and shame of the cross. Rather, He gallantly marched into the city that had rejected Him, and restlessly waited to take His life.

As Mark records it, Jesus fearlessly led the way to Jerusalem with purpose, to the astonishment of His disciples, and trepidation and those who followed Him (Mark 10:32). That is the picture of our Christian lives. Whenever we face our Jerusalem, with all its threats of pain and anguish, we demonstrate that Christ, the Captain of our salvation, has walked the same path, and is leading us in and through to final victory.

Our emotions during our most difficult moments, could cloud our memories and diminish our faith. But, Jesus is always present to pull us aside to comfort us (32b). He doesn’t abandon us to wallow in our fears. Rather, He makes His presence felt in times of our distress and anguish. What He wouldn’t do is to diminish the task or danger ahead. Neither would He numb our feelings against pain and suffering. He tells us the truth and makes us face the realities of every situation (v.33-34). For, positively confronting the fears and realities of life, assured of His presence, awakens our faith and sharpens our resolve to faithfully walk with Him.

His resurrection assures us of final victory over all things (34b). All He asks of us is to set our face towards heaven, where Christ is seated on the right hand of God (Col. 3:1), with purpose and determination to confront every situation with joy for His glory.

Why is that so difficult for us?