Then Jesus went
through the towns and villages, teaching as
He made His way to Jerusalem. – Luke 13:22
When I read this passage the other morning it caught me so
off guard I had to take a moment to consider this short verse and its
incredible impact. Perhaps you're like
me. You get so focused on where you're
headed that you don't even realize what you're passing along the way. Have you ever gotten in the car headed to a
pretty routine place (maybe school or the grocery store) and suddenly you're
there? You don't remember stopping at
the lights or merging into the next lane.
Honestly, you're kind of hoping you didn't break any traffic laws
getting there!
Too often that's how we live our lives. We have an end destination in mind that we're
so focused on reaching we don't even realize we're living day by day. We get to the end of a week and think Man!
Is it Friday already? That's
why this verse is so important. Jesus
had a destination. He was headed to
Jerusalem, but consider the multitude of stories we read about that happen on His
way to Jerusalem. He didn't get so
focused on getting there that He ignored those around Him. Instead it says that He "went through
the towns and villages" (didn't bypass them!), "teaching as He made
His way to Jerusalem." He could
have walked around those towns and kept on going, but He made it a point to
stop and talk to the people, heal, and grant forgiveness.
How about you? Are
you stopping in the towns and villages that need to hear the message you
carry? Or are you bypassing them, not
even realizing they're there as you make your way to your destination?
