“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51).
Jesus was about to go to Jerusalem to die. There have been many wrong explanations of the Cross. One of them is that Jesus died as a frustrated failure. That is so wrong! Jesus died because He came to the world to die for us. He came to redeem us and He knew that it would involve His death and resurrection. He could have stayed away from Jerusalem but that isn’t what He came to do. He went to Jerusalem on purpose to win our salvation.
The original word used for Him setting His face toward Jerusalem is “sterizo.” It is as though Jesus exhibited courage on steroids. Not only is Jesus the holiest man who ever lived, but He showed uncommon bravery. He voluntarily placed Himself in the path of danger even though He knew what it would cost Him. He loves each of us that much.
Jesus defeated sin when He died for us. He defeated death when He rose from the dead. We could have done neither without Him. His courage, His love and His power brought us our victory over sin and death. Thank God that when the time came for Him to decide He chose to go to Jerusalem and give His life for us.