Several years ago I saw a rather celebrated movie which had ambitiously undertaken to portray the life of Christ. Although the larger part of the film left a great deal to be desired, at least one scene was, for me, worth the price of admission. Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem, passing along the edge of the sea. The face of Jesus was stern, his jaw set, and his eyes fixed straight ahead. The same camera receded until it brought into focus the disciples, the sky, the expanding shoreline, and Jesus ... striding ahead of the others, like a man about to be late for an appointment. I have often recalled that scene, believing that it was with just such urgent resolve that Jesus and his disciples were "going to Jerusalem." As elementary as they may appear, two other things ought to be noted regarding the actual "going."

1. It was Jesus’ decision. That is to say, he chose to go. Characters on stage recite a script, robots manuever as they are programmed, and puppets are manipulated by someone jerking on a string. Real people make decisions. Jesus did not go to Jerusalem simply because it had been written down for him to do so centuries before ... a character reading his lines, being jerked around by a cosmic puppeteer. How primitive it is to reduce Jesus to a wind-up messiah or a "throw-away" person by insisting that he had no mind of his own regarding his own ministry. He chose to go to Jerusalem.

2. It was a decision which would cost his life. He was aware of this even as he made the decision. When someone is led toward a calculated death, it is called a "killing." When someone willingly lays down his life, it is referred to as a "sacrifice." Notice, the Bible speaks of a sacrifice, not a killing.

Luke 19:29-35. Use your imagination for a moment. You are sitting leisurely in your den enjoying precious time with your family when suddenly you hear a disturbance on the carport. You rush to the door, peer curiously outside, and discover two strange men attempting to remove your car from the carport. Quickly, you spring outside demanding an explanation. Their explanation: "We’re taking your car, the Lord needs it." What would be your reaction? Would their explanation satisfy you? Apparently such an explanation was adequate for the owners of the colt referred to in the passage, for no other conversation is recollected. How do you explain the ease with which the two disciples simply walked away with someone else’s property.

Luke 19:37-38. One other matter for consideration: Verse 37 relates that as Jesus rode the colt at the descent of the Mount of Olives "the multitude" rejoiced and praised God. The multitude? Who were they? Where did they come from? How did they know to be there at that particular time? How did they associate the man on the colt with the messiah? (read Zechariah 9:9 and Psalm 118:26-27).

The "going up" to Jerusalem was the result of a monumental personal decision, a decision which would cost the life of Jesus, and involved considerable faith on the part of many.