Now It Came to Pass, When the Time Had Come For Him to Be Received Up, That He Steadfastly Set His Face to Go to Jerusalem: St. Luke 9:28-62

St. Luke 9:28-62: "1 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah'--not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!' 36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. 37 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. 38 Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, 'Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. 40 So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.' 41 Then Jesus answered and said, 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.' 42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 44 'Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.' 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. 46 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, 48 and said to them, 'Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.' 49 Now John answered and said, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.' 50 But Jesus said to him, 'Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.' 51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?' 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.' And they went to another village. 57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, 'Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.' 58 And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' 59 Then He said to another, 'Follow Me.' But he said, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' 60 Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.' 61 And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.' 62 But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'"

The events of this narrative follow eight days after the Lord has told them about His suffering and death in Jerusalem. The Evangelist St. Luke supplies some of the details that were missing in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark. We learn that the three disciples that our Lord took with Him were heavy with sleep, and did not see His glory until they were fully awake. It is almost as if they had fallen asleep and awoke in another reality. Another thing that the Evangelist St. Luke reveals that the other Gospel writers do not, is that the disciples and our Lord, spent the night on the mountain. For we are told that they came down the next day from the mountain, after His transfiguration.

Another thing we learn from the Evangelist St. Luke regarding the transfiguration of our Lord, is what our Lord Jesus, and Moses and Elijah spoke about on that mount. We are told they spoke about "His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem." In other words, they spoke about His crucifixion and death. Even after our Lord and His disciples come down from the mountain, and He casts out a demon, our Lord Jesus tells His disciples that He was about to be betrayed into the hands of men. Then comes these great words for our ears to hear, "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem." Meaning, that our Lord sets His purpose and will to accomplish the will of His Heavenly Father, that He discussed with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. He sets His will to suffer and die for our sins.

Having fulfilled the Law for us; Having given many proofs of His Divinity, and that He was indeed the promised Messiah; Having shown His power and authority over the devil and the powers of darkness; He marches toward Jerusalem, like a military general set on defeating and capturing his enemy in one final battle.

There in Jerusalem our Lord, as we well know, will be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, suffer mockery, spittings, beatings, and scourging, and be sent to be crucified to death. All this He does for our salvation. As He says, "The Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." He gets destroyed for us, so that we would not be destroyed. The fire of the Father's wrath over the sin of mankind is poured down upon Him on the cross, so that we would not suffer that wrath.

Therefore, at the beginning of this Lenten season, we also set our face steadfastly towards Jerusalem and the cross. For it is at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we lay our sins, and receive His forgiveness.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas