Psalm 22

“Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, 

he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them,…”

{Matthew 20:17} (NIV 1984)

You and I cannot tell each other what is going to happen in the next minute, yet the Lord knew exactly what was going to happen days ahead. He knew that He would be betrayed to the religious leaders; He knew that He would be condemned to death; He knew that He would be beaten and die on a cross and He knew that He would rise on the third day. What He did with that knowledge was a blessing. He told His disciples ahead of time, so that their faith would not fail, and He resolutely set His face toward the cross and His death. 

I fear that I would shrink back from my death. I fear that I would think only of myself and not of any others. But not our Lord! What a blessed Saviour, what a strong and courageous Lord we have. What an example is He for us.