Luke 9:51-56 51And it happened when the days approached for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
Verse 51 marks a significant shift in Luke’s account. Some of the material that follows is unique to Luke’s Gospel and expresses his understanding of discipleship. He shows that Jesus knew his destiny of the cross and accepted what was to come. The next major section of Luke’s Gospel follows the travels of Jesus from Galilee until the last week in Jerusalem.
The days could be a veiled reference to the highs and lows Jesus would experience when he entered Jerusalem. He would be welcomed by great crowds while also be rejected by the Jewish leaders and suffer death at the hands of the Romans. From Luke’s perspective as the author writing to Theophilus, Jerusalem also meant the way to eternal salvation was opened, and all who believe in Jesus could enter.
Jesus knew what he faced in Jerusalem, so he started the trip with confidence. His confidence and resolution can be seen in the Greek with the emphatic “he himself” (autos) in the last clause. Jesus’ focus became fulfilling the mission he came to do. Setting one’s face toward a particular place is an Old Testament expression for great resolve and solid commitment. It was an expression that meant the person was going to get where he or she was headed no matter what. Jerusalem was symbolic as the capital of the nation. How would the people respond to his presence? That is always the crucial question to answer.
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