Set His Face

Set His Face
By Shirley Mitchell

"And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem."
Luke 9:51-53 (KJV)

Near the end of His ministry, Jesus steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. He was resolved to head to Jerusalem to fulfill God's plan for His life even if it meant His suffering. "His face" occurred three times in these few verses. When I looked up the word "face," I learned that "to spit in a person's face was an expression of utmost scorn and aversion" because "the face was considered to be the noblest part of a person." When Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem, He was setting His "inward thoughts and feelings" with a fixed purpose for Jerusalem.

Jesus set His face to the Holy City of God like one would set his face to have a discussion with someone. It was time to do business with Jerusalem. It was time to do what He had come to earth to do. It was time to carry out the plan that had been decided before the foundation of the world. He was under the mastery of the Spirit within Him. He did not give in to sin and ignore the "conversation" that He would hold with Jerusalem.

How opposite this is from the human desire to avoid facing conflict and emotionally tough situations! Maybe we've wronged someone. Maybe someone has wronged us. Maybe it is a relationship more tangled than a kitten's ball of yarn. Maybe there is a circumstance that you have deceived yourself into not dealing with because you think you can't face it. Maybe there is a situation that makes you want to stick your head under your pillow and ask God to make it go away. You and I can't be escape artists. As women under the mastery of the Holy Spirit, we can't hide our faces. He wants us to lift up our heads and face Him. We face God, and then we obey Him by facing the situation in a way that honors Him.

Precious one, is there someone whom you are having difficulty facing? Do you sense that God is asking you to be the mature spirit-filled believer about this one? It is time to face our most difficult and draining situations. No longer will we cower or deny the existence of the trouble. When we obey God and relinquish the outcome to Him, we live the great adventure and the victorious Christian life.

Pray with me: Oh, LORD Almighty, we worship You! You are worthy of all honor, glory, and praise! Thank You, Jesus, for not avoiding Jerusalem or evading the cross. Thank You for facing the worst cruelty of all times. Help us to remain determined to face our most difficult situations. Just as Jesus resolutely faced Jerusalem, may we face the things that make us want to hide. May we not quit but persevere to bring You glory. It's in the Name of above all names, in Jesus' Name, Yeshua's Name, we pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study