March 13, 2018

I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:

TO LOVE ME TILL THE END (part 1)

JOHN 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

Could I request and even plead with you to read this devotional a little slower and more thoughtful than usual. Take your time and consider the setting. Ponder it!

Can you imagine what Jesus, who was God and man, felt at this moment. “He knew that His hour was come”. I guess you and I could never imagine, or fully understand, or come close to fully comprehending what Jesus felt. Only Jesus will ever understand that. It was something Jesus had to go through alone. And it is something that Jesus knew no one would or could fully appreciate. Here Jesus was, around people at this feast, feeling things no one knew He felt. With people, but all alone. Eating with the very ones He would soon die for, but they could not comprehend. Some knew that He would suffer, but they had no idea how much. Can you picture it? Can you see him there deep in thought? Can you see that there was no one He could talk to about it, because who could really understand? It truly was His cross to bear!

Have you ever thought about how you would have been if you were at the table with Jesus that evening? Would you have noticed? Would I have noticed? Would we be more mindful of what we needed Him to do for us, than to notice He was bearing a heavy burden? This is the heaviest burden anyone in history would ever bear. And Jesus bore it alone. Would we have comforted Jesus? Would we have tried? What could we say? Just to wander what was going through His Holy, perfect mind. Was He fearful? Was He nervous? We know that He asked God the Father, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me”. We also know that as quickly as Christ said it He followed with “nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt”.

Did Jesus know that His Father would have to turn His back on His Son? Did Jesus know how heavy the weight of bearing all of our sin would actually be? Did He know He would have to hang in the humiliation of nakedness on the cross? Had Jesus already begun to sense the spit that would strike His face? Was Jesus already starting to feel the filth and evil nature of our sin as He sat there a that table? Was your sin and my sin already beginning to weigh so heavy on loving, sinless heart? You might say, “Preacher, that sure is a lot of questions”. I believe these are questions that should be asked.

What a powerful statement! “He knew that His hour was come”.