Sacrifice – putting others before ourselves – is not a popular subject. In fact, it’s more of a conversation killer. We crave victory, not sacrifice. Only Jesus wed those two ideas together perfectly.


We may wonder how the Lion of Judah also can be the Lamb of God. How could the Lord of lords lay down His life for the common folk? The God who maintains the balance of the cosmos understands the power and centrality of sacrifice.


This account records the third time in the book of Matthew that Jesus has taken His disciples aside and foretold the gruesome future awaiting Him at Calvary. The second time (Matthew 17:22-23) the text says that the disciples didn’t understand what He was talking about and were afraid to ask for clarification. They refused to acknowledge, or were possibly incapable of comprehending, that their journey with the Messiah would lead to the cross. While He could anticipate the suffering that was coming, Jesus’ sacrificial love propelled Him forward… all because even then He had you and me in mind.