Jesus knew what was coming. He hinted at it early on when he said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). He was speaking of his body and implying that following his crucifixion, he would spend three days in a tomb praying.

If Jesus was aware of his impending encounter with the cross, why did he return to Jerusalem? Wouldn’t it have been much smarter to avoid the place where, just a few days after his arrival, he would be crucified?

Jesus wasn’t being blindly brave or foolhardy; he was yielding judiciously to God’s will. Although going forward with what the Discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, describes as “bleeding footprints” (see Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 41), he was in fact profoundly aware that he was being guided intelligently and lovingly. His service to God had to overshadow any personal feelings he might have had about what he should do and when.