When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

I can imagine the setting here: after the high-level experience of The Transfiguration for Peter, James, and John, and this amazing healing of this demon possessed boy, Jesus gets real with his disciples.

Sometimes, we just have to be honest about the path forward and lay it out for those under our leadership. There are not always soothing words to make it more palatable.

Jesus predicts the betrayal of the people, his death, and his resurrection. He does this in agreement with all of the prophecies in the Old Testament, and he does it in the power of God. It was his mission. He came to earth for this end result.

And, as I would be if someone close to me said they were going to be killed, they are grieved.

They grieved the loss of the one who had invested in them, loved them, and taught them lessons you cannot learn in a classroom. He helped them learn about their faith, serving, ministering to others, and how to trust and dwell with God.

Who have I grieved about? Whose future loss will be hard to bear?

Lord, grief is important to experience with loss. In this case, it was a loss in the future. Help me to take time to grieve the loss of those who are either no longer able to be friends or will die soon.