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这是耶稣第三次告诉祂的门徒，祂即将在耶路撒冷受死，（参可 8:31，9:31）还详细表明了将会面对一些极其艰难的考验。门徒们怎样回应的呢？他们藉着分散焦点或是否认，转移了话题。

我们是否也经常采取同样态度？例如，许多家庭会拒绝谈论一些令人不舒服的困扰，比如经济问题、药物滥用、健康问题、关系破裂，甚至可能是葬礼的安排等等……这个清单可以一直持续下去。有些家庭不愿意坦诚讨论问题，只谈风花雪月、吃喝玩乐的事。

我们很容易想跳过困难的部分，这是人的本性。然而，这里我们看到耶稣，祂勇敢地面对苦难和死亡，好使我们能够罪得赦免，并获得与神同在的新生命。

耶稣去了耶路撒冷，尽管祂知道这有多艰难。

我们的主和救主为你、为我、为所有愿意相信祂的人做了这些——为了使我们的救赎成为可能。

This was now the third time that Jesus told his disciples about his upcoming death in Jerusalem (see Mark 8:31; 9:31). And the grim details showed that this was going to be very hard.

How did the disciples respond? By way of distraction or denial, they changed the subject.

How often don’t we do the same thing? Many families, for example, will decline to talk about some uncomfortable reality—a financial problem, substance abuse, a health issue, a strained or broken relationship, maybe even the need to plan a funeral—the list could go on and on. Instead of acknowledging what will happen and putting it on the table, the family will only talk about what to put on the table for dinner.

It is easy, and it is human nature, to want to skip over the hard parts. And yet here we see Jesus, who courageously faced suffering and death so that we could be forgiven and have new life with God.

Jesus went to Jerusalem even though he knew how hard it would be.

Our Lord and Savior did this for you, for me, and for all who will believe in him—in order to make our salvation possible.