“THE SON OF MAN IS ABOUT TO BE BETRAYED INTO THE HANDS OF MEN.” —MATTHEW 17:22
Have you ever been totally baffled by the circumstances in your life? Are you in that situation now? Are you confused about what God is doing? Things don’t “add up” or appear illogical.
Most of us have been there, I know I have!
Jesus’ disciples could certainly relate. The last six months of Jesus’ life, He spent less time with the multitudes and focused more on His disciples. He prepared them for the future, laying down stones of remembrance in the form of promises they could hold onto.
When Jesus told His disciples a second time, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life,” they must have been confused and scared and scripture says, “filled with grief” (Matthew 17:22-23, NIV).
Somehow, they fixated on His death and missed the part about His resurrection. They were still confused on Sunday morning when they discovered the empty tomb. “They did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him” (Mark 9:32).
Jesus’ dying blew up their expectations of Israel’s Messiah King. He was supposed to rule the world, and they were going to assist. How could He die? It didn’t add up. They couldn’t reconcile this idea, and the shattering of their hopes distracted them from receiving the promise of His resurrection.
How do we respond to baffling circumstances? The disciples neglected to ask Jesus for help. As God’s children, we’re allowed to ask for understanding and wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally” (James 1:5).
There is never a difficult word without hope attached to it. When Jesus talked about His impending death, He spoke of His resurrection. We can relax, knowing that even if we don’t understand God’s plans for us, they’re always good. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it” (Philippians 1:6). God is at work whether we know what He’s doing or not.
We honor Him by our faith and trust that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
When we can’t see the plan, we can be confident that God still has a plan and is in control.
