They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. “They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.” Mark 10:32-34

The journey had been long, not so much in miles, but in the gradual unfolding of the identity and mission of the man the twelve were following. Now the final leg.

Still their minds were far behind their bodies in understanding what truly lie ahead for their master. He’d mentioned it twice before, but this time they heard a detailed prediction of his plight in the holy city ahead.

For the disciples who lagged just behind Jesus as he walked, surely a lump was in their collective throats when he said, “We are going to Jerusalem.”

It’s safe to say they had not yet set their hearts “as a flint” as he had done. Isaiah 50:7

The others who followed them felt a sense of foreboding in the air. There was a good possibility they too would play a role in this drama to come.