We recently traveled down to Texas for our oldest son’s wedding.  The wedding was lovely, and the time with family members exceptional.  However, the travel process there and back was trying.

Nothing extraordinarily bad or even unusual occurred, and the Lord graciously granted safe journeys to our entire family.  (Thank you, Lord!)  However, traveling days … especially when done via airplanes … are always long days.  And even more so when operating on only a few hours of sleep, flying a great distance and/or changing multiple time zones.

I’m not sure if this is a personally beneficial practice for me, nevertheless I’ve begun to think of flying days as a series of steps to check off along the way to reaching our destination.  (It’s a bit of a downer early in the process with multiple hurdles still to overcome, but increasingly uplifting as we near the end of them.)  Perhaps you mentally check off the steps as well as you are working your way through the flying process?

Here are the items I typically countdown on traveling days:

1. Stow the last-minute items in the suitcases, and transfer the suitcases into the vehicle.
2. Drive to the airport parking lot you will be using.
3. Register at the parking lot, receive the “upon return” information, and catch the shuttle to airport.
4. Check your bags with the proper airline and pocket your boarding passes.
5. Advance through airport security.
6. Locate the proper flight gate.
7. Grab a meal before boarding, if needed. (If a long flight awaits, it’s usually a solid plan.)
8. Board the plane and find your seat.
9. Say your prayer for safe travel, get as comfortable as possible and enjoy/endure the flight.
10. De-board the plane upon landing
11. Repeat steps 6-10 if catching a connecting flight to your destination.
12. At your final airport, locate the baggage claim and retrieve your suitcases.
13. Transition to the rental car facility. (Which is typically offsite and necessitates catching some mode of transportation to it.)
14. Fill out the necessary paperwork to receive your rental car. (Hopefully you don’t have to wait in a lengthy line to do so!)
15. Familiarize yourself with the new vehicle, program your GPS, and find someplace for another meal. (Because after all that has transpired, it’s probably time to eat again!)
16. Finally … drive to your intended location. (Which, if fortunate, is not too distant!)

None of this is typically difficult.  But all of this combined usually makes for an extremely lengthy and exhausting day.

As we were traveling back from Texas, I was pondering my travel check list (and our place on it), when it occurred to me that while Jesus was “traveling” into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey foal, he had his own upcoming events checklist on his mind.

But his list was much more important than any flying day list, and much less appealing!

While there were certainly some upcoming activities that Jesus eagerly anticipated, such as the last days of teaching his disciples and instituting the Lord’s Supper, there was a bevy of extremely unpleasant ones in the Savior’s immediate future.

The complete list would be too extensive, (and probably too heart-rending), but here are the key aspects, beginning four days later:

1. In the depths of Thursday night, Jesus begs his Heavenly Father to find another way to save sinners. His anguish is so intense that his perspiration includes blood, and an angel from heaven appears to strengthen him.  Meanwhile his disciples sleep instead of comforting him.  There is no other alternative to save sinners, so in love, Jesus acquiesces to his Father’s will.

2. Early on Friday morning, Judas the betrayer, one of Jesus inner twelve disciples, leads a mob to arrest him. The rest of Jesus’ disciples and followers abandon him.

3. Jesus endures two illegal “trials” before the former high priest and the official one.

4. As day is dawning on Friday, Peter denies Jesus for a third time.

5. Jesus is convicted of blasphemy for claiming to be God (a true assertation!) and judged worthy of death by the Jewish ruling council. He is mocked, spit upon, blindfolded and beaten with fists.

6. His enemies escort him to the Roman governor, Pilate. Pilate sends him to Herod who is eager to see miracles.  Jesus does none so Herod and his soldiers dress him in a robe and mock him.  After entertaining themselves at Jesus’ expense, Herod sends him back to the governor.

7. Pilate tries to release Jesus, but with a potential riot forming, he finally condemns him to crucifixion.

8. Jesus is stripped and flogged.

9. The entire company of the governor’s soldiers gather to torture him. They place a scarlet robe on his shoulders and a wreath of thorns on his head, which they then beat upon with a wooden staff.

10. Finally tiring of the “fun,” the soldiers place the beam of a cross on Jesus’ bloodied shoulders and lead him toward the crucifixion hill. In his weakness, he stumbles under the weight.  Another man is “recruited” to finish the task.

11. Reaching “the place of the skull,” Jesus has nails driven through his hands and feet, and is lifted into place on the cross.

12. Jesus has to push his torn back up against the wood of the cross each time he needs a new breath.

13. The physical pain is excruciating … a word which actually has its origin in the crucifixion process.

14. The Father abandons the Son as Jesus endures the horrors of hell itself … the just punishment for our sins, though He was sinless.

15. Jesus is mocked both by many below his cross, and by one who is crucified beside him.

16. Jesus gives up his spirit and his physical body dies.

Jesus’ Palm Sunday checklist is far more radical than our traveling one.  Just as we are glad to mentally cross of our last items on a long day of transitioning from one place to another, imagine Jesus’ joy on Easter morning after safely arriving at his “destination,” his resurrected body leaving the tomb.

How incredible that he was willing to make that trip.  How wonderful it is for you and me!  It checks off a number of items we would never be capable of achieving on our own.

Atonement for our sins?  (Check!)

Forgiveness?  (Check!)

Reconciliation with God?  (Check!)

Salvation?  (Check!)

Peace?  (Check!)

Joy?  (Check!)

Security?  (Check!)

Purpose?  (Check!)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hebrews 12:2
For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 9:26
But [Christ] has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Ephesians 5:2
… Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.