They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. (Mark 10:32)
My husband adores adventure, and I adore anything that falls into the categories of safe and predictable. In our eight years of marriage, he’s managed to convince me to try horseback riding, jumping from waterfalls, and ziplining, among other escapades. Each one brings a surge of adrenaline for him and a surge of anxiety for me. Ryan always goes first, and I follow (even if I’m shaking) because he’s proven the way can be trusted.
It’s an imperfect analogy to the way Jesus led his disciples, but it does provide a bit of a picture for our minds. In the early verses of Mark 10, Jesus taught some difficult truths to those around him, and then the whole crowd moved together from where he had been teaching in Judea toward Jerusalem.
As they made their pilgrimage, some were astonished by his teaching and some were just plain afraid. Their minds swirled with both the enormity of Jesus’ words and the newness of the principles he taught. But whether they plodded forward in astonishment or fear, they did follow, with Jesus leading the way. He could be trusted, even when they didn’t fully understand what he had said or what it would mean for them.
He’s the same for us today. Whether your journey is new and frightening or familiar and predictable, he leads the way. He can be trusted.
Trust the One who leads the way.
Bekah Shaffer is an alumna of Indiana Wesleyan University and enjoys endless coffee, scrapbooking, and adventuring with her husband, Ryan.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
