9 Holy Week Lessons for Handling Hard TimesSample

I find it so interesting that as soon as Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem, he had to deal with his disciples being judgmental and rebuking others around them. Why?

Maybe it’s because hurt people hurt people.

After the disciples witnessed the miracle of the transfiguration, they were likely riding very high. But right in the middle of that high, Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem. I’m guessing that was a bummer for them.

The text for today tells us that a village of Samaritans wouldn’t receive Jesus because his face was set toward Jerusalem. Scholars will tell you that Samaritans didn’t like people who were headed toward Jerusalem. But I think the meaning of the text runs a bit deeper. I have to wonder if perhaps the townspeople were disappointed and hurt that they weren't getting the miracle working version of Jesus. They may have been eagerly awaiting a visit where Jesus would turn some water to wine, or heal some sick people, or feed masses of hungry people. If it were me, I would rather see all those fun and restorative miracles, than see some guy who has his face set toward another destination. And I’m guessing that had an effect on the disciples as well.

When Jesus turned and rebuked them, he was actually rebuking his disciples. It seems that once Jesus had turned his face toward the cross, both strangers and friends started to get frustrated with him.

One can only speculate why, but I think there’s a truth here about living in uncertainty and facing suffering. The truth is, when you set your face toward the hard things, a lot of people might resist it. They would rather you focus on more lighthearted things. Have you ever been to a dinner party and tried to bring up a difficult conversation only to find that people would rather talk about college football? If you’re facing suffering, don’t be surprised when not everyone wants to join in deeper conversations with you at all times.

I think the disciples didn’t want to face the reality of the suffering that was about to happen. Whether they were in denial or just wanted an easier road, from this point in Luke’s gospel forward, the disciples kept saying things to Jesus like, “no, you don’t need to suffer.” “No, we don't need to go to the cross.” And no matter how many different times or ways Jesus tried to describe what was going to happen, they just didn’t get it. In fact, by my account, the disciples made more mistakes after this point in the gospel than they did in the first part of the gospel of Luke.

And I think that somehow links to hurt people hurting other people.

As we’ve gone through our own journey with cancer, I find myself getting angry, and I’m not even the one with the cancer. I think I’ve learned that I’m not angry with other people, just angry at cancer, which seems to be pure evil. But it does cause my fuse to be a little shorter than normal with others.

So I’m finding myself having to practice more and more patience. And as we mentioned earlier, the root word for patience is the same as the root word for suffering. One of my favorite old words that I wish we’d use more is “longsuffering.” The word is defined as “having or showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other people.”

You probably associate the word with the phrase “longsuffering wife.” But the best use of “longsuffering” that I’ve seen is actually about God’s patience toward us:

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

• 2 Peter 3:9 KJ

Someone once shared with me that famous old prayer: “Lord, give me patience… Right now!” That “joke” of a prayer has actually become a real one for me as we face an uncertain future.

I think one lesson to take away from the disciples preparing themselves (however poorly) for Jesus' suffering is that patience must be practiced and prayed for. Are you going through a hard time? Perhaps now more than ever, it’s time to pray for patience. Are you hurting? Perhaps now more than ever, it's time to make sure you’re not hurting others.

Prayer:

Lord, give me patience…Right now.

Amen