According to Luke, “When the days drew near for (Jesus) to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). This is a pretty clear indication that knowing what lay ahead of him Jesus was nonetheless determined to meet it head on. “Setting his face” is a poetic way of saying that Jesus oriented his entire life, everything he did or said, toward that which God was calling him to do. He would turn neither to the left nor the right, but like the arrow of a compass would remain true to one direction.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t claim to be locked onto to anything, and certainly not the direction God wills for me. I try. Really. I just can’t always manage it. Instead I end up setting my face on whatever appeals to me at that moment, or according to my emotions or my whims. I end up more like an oscillating fan or the spinner in a game of Chutes and Ladders. It’s an ongoing struggle, but I rejoice that Jesus Christ has traveled the right path for all of us, and that in his determination, his faithfulness and devotion to God, he has provided us with a sure and certain hope.
My face my act like a bobble-head doll, but in Jesus I find stability and resolution. Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Lord, guide us in the right direction and forgive us when we stray. In Jesus name. Amen.
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