The same can be said about political fortunes, particularly in the wake of the Maria Miller resignation.
And businesses and companies are endlessly checking which way they are going. It doesn't look good for the Co-op Bank and the rest of that worthy organisation.
Jesus faced the same issues.
He relentlessly told his followers what to expect. 'Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.” (Luke 18.31-33)
While the journey to Jerusalem was definitely 'Going Up', because Jerusalem was built on the top of a hill, for Jesus, it looked to all observers as though his journey was 'Going Down'. What they were going to see was Jesus handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. They will flog him with a whip and kill him.
The disciples didn't get what was being said. 'But they didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about.' (Luke 18.34)
Indeed, for the rest of the story, until the end of Chapter 24, the disciples were largely in the dark.
But Jesus had also said, 'but on the third day he will rise again.”
It is good for us to take time to reflect on this journey because for much of our lives, it may appear as though things are going down. We all face troubles and struggles, which often feel terminal. But we follow the One who has plumbed the depths for us, and who has overcome. Hence, we may know His peace and victory in the midst of whatever comes along today.
As the old hymn says, 'Hallelujah, what a Saviour!'
Best wishes,
Richard
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