Luke 18:31 Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. 33 After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” 34 But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Again Jesus tells his disciples what will happen to him once they arrive in Jerusalem. And again his disciples don’t comprehend what he’s saying. What draws my attention in this passage is v. 34:

34 But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

It’s not that the disciples were stupid. They just couldn’t receive this important but difficult truth because it so completely contradicted their expectations of Jesus as an earthly king and ruler.

As this pandemic drags on and on there are some difficult truths I’m having to face. Masks and distancing are likely with us for some time to come. It’s not going away in a month or two as many of us believed in March. As a pastor I’m hopeful the church I lead might be able to have Christmas Eve services at the church, but it’s very much up in the air at this point.

My two daughters are returning to their respective colleges in a week or two. At least for now, it appears some of their activity will be on campus. I pray they don’t get sick or bring the virus home. My wife is a public school teacher who is teaching from home for now. It’s rough. How long will this continue?

I miss friends and family. A lot. I miss “normal”. I fear this may be the new normal. Lord give me grace to confront the truth and to rest in you. No matter what. Amen.