David Koenig
“And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.’”
Reading this, I think of the gravity of the statements, yet the simplicity and directness of the delivery. I also think of the reaction of the disciples, or the lack of a reaction recorded here. Were they fearful? Did they want to hide? Or did they console? Perhaps prepare to defend? After all, their friend has just told them that He will be arrested, condemned, humiliated, and eventually be cruelly put to death. And furthermore, that He would be back, risen in three days? Did they believe this? And if so, what did they think it meant? That He would once walk the streets with him preaching? Or would He be elevated to “king”, and all would be converted to believers?
As this was not the first time that they had heard this message, perhaps they simply had faith, even in the face of the fear and unknown. They had faith in Jesus. I like to think it is their faith, a faith we all try to achieve. We often face uncertainty, pain, and fear in our lives. And with the same faith, we can believe that we too will be relieved of our earthly trouble, and be enter the eternal peace promised to us.
David Koenig and his partner Rick have been attending Trinity Cathedral since October 2021, and recently became members in December 2022. They live in Lawrenceville, where they like to spend weekends exploring local restaurants, cooking, and playing with their grandsons. David is a 37 year veteran of BNY Mellon where he hopes not to be a 38 year veteran.
