Read the Fine Print
When was the last time you actually read the terms and conditions? Most of us scroll to the bottom and tap “I agree.” We’ve done it hundreds of times.
Jesus has never operated that way. In Matthew 16:21 He reads out the terms of following Him, in full, up front, to people who are already following Him: “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
Notice the detail. There is a necessity: He “must” go. This isn’t a plan gone wrong. It is the Father’s plan, and Jesus walks toward the cross on purpose. There is a destination: Jerusalem. There is opposition: the very religious leaders who should have recognised their Messiah. And there is an outcome: killed, and raised the third day.
Sadly, the disciples heard only one word – killed. Every Jewish person of the day expected a Messiah who would crush Rome and restore David’s throne. A Messiah arrested, humiliated and executed? That wasn’t in the brochure.
But don’t miss the last phrase. Death and resurrection come in the same breath. The cross was never Plan B. It was always the road to the empty tomb.
Take a moment today to thank Jesus that He didn’t hide the cost, and that He paid the greatest cost of all, for you.
Watch the full sermon, “Are You A Disciple of Jesus?”: Sermon video