John 18:4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.”
Dear Girls...
As I think about what I want to write, I realize that I am never going to be able to do it justice. There really are no words for the depths of the love and graciousness of Christ. With that said ...here I go...
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him"....Wow...knowing all that would come upon Him...He went forward and handed Himself over to sinners...the very same ones He knew had rejected Him and would crucify Him. What grace! What love! Meditating on this kind of love for any length of time is so convicting...truly we need the Spirit of God to pour out His love in our hearts for one another and for those the Lord places in our path.
Jesus focused on the goal...our salvation...not on Himself or on His circumstances. He surrendered completely to His Father's will and laid down His life so that we who believe could live forever with Him. He showed all around Him in His every word and action the essence of His Father. In doing this He showed us the way to glorify our Father in heaven because He did all He did by depending totally on His Father. Make no mistake...Christ was both God and man and yet whatever He did here on earth He did by faith just as we must do. He did not use His divine powers. He did all He did as a MAN. We cannot take refuge in Him being God as the reason why He was able to do it. This fact is amazing to me...each time Jesus healed or spoke it was not Him it was the Spirit of God working through Him. He faced the cross and surrendered His life for us as a Man...depending entirely on His Father in heaven. WOW!
Chapter 18 of the Gospel of John gives us such a picture of the graciousness and love of Christ in the face of overwhelming evil.
Picturing Jesus crossing over the Brook Kidron which was running with blood from the slaying of the Passover lambs...knowing that He would be the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world by dying on a wooden cross outside of Jerusalem the next day...overwhelms me with the love that He has for us. He deliberately entered the Garden of Gethsemane where He knew Judas would betray Him. Willingly, obediently, He goes to face His fate: A painful and torturous physical death, the unimaginable pain of taking on the sin, sorrow, and suffering of the entire world and the subsequent agony of separation from His Father. Truly, as it says in Romans, "where sin abounded grace abounded much more."
Think about all that went on that night...there is such a contrast between Christ and the people around Him.
--The kiss and the utter treachery of Judas contrasted with Christ's grace in washing his feet prior to the betrayal.
--The picture of Jesus praying for His disciples in the garden...the very disciples who fell asleep while He was in agony of spirit. The disciples who would abandon Him upon His arrest. And yet we see Jesus praying fervently for not only them but us...you and me while we were still His enemies!
--Christ's protection of His disciples by stepping forward willingly when the Roman Cohort came to arrest Him.
--Peter resisting God's will in the garden and using his sword to lop off the high priest's servant's ear and Jesus' kindness and grace in healing the wound that would have caused Peter to be arrested and charged and perhaps crucified alongside of Him.
--Jesus giving Himself willingly into the hands of sinners...the very same ones He knew would crucify Him. His purpose: to give them and us the opportunity to be delivered from the kingdom of darkness into His Kingdom of Light.
--The unfair, brutal trial before Annas where Jesus clearly knew His right not to be questioned before witnesses were called, but did not insist on them and accepted His brutal treatment as a Lamb led to the slaughter...opening not His mouth.
Girls...whenever we look at Christ's life...really look at it...conviction will follow. What an example He gave us for handling offenses, rejection and grief. He kept His eyes on the goal and focused on the joy (us) that was set before Him and despite the provocation he reacted graciously to all that were around Him. Our goal here on earth is to glorify Him, to bring Christ close to those who do not know Him and to encourage those who do...to magnify Him. How do we do this...by living our lives for Him. By remembering in offenses and sorrow that they are never about us...they are to be used to make us more like He is in order that others would see Jesus. Girls, don't get in the way by reacting to others in offense and unforgiveness or by retaliating in like manner. Remember grace...remember what we truly deserve and pray for those who may not have treated you like you think you deserved. Christ reached out in love at the hour He faced the greatest of offenses and rejection - for you - and in so doing, He reflected the glory of God. Can we do any less for others?
I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.--Psalm 40:1-3
Philippians 2:5-11 says: 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Love
Mom
