Tag: Cross

He Loved Them

 

man holding sheep statuette

One of my favorite bible verses is John 13:1. I read it one time and it was different from many of the other times I read it. It was that translation that drew me to it. The verse means one thing taken alone and another when taken in context. Both ways are powerful so let’s take a look at both.

… when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end (he now showed them the full extent of his love) John 13:1

       In context after the verse, we see Jesus wash the feet of his disciples showing that even the Son of God was a servant and showed humility as an example of how we are to live. If this world were to set pride aside and love each other with a servant’s heart, we would live in a much better place. A place that is one step closer to Heaven and the presence of God. This verse, in context, showed that Christ wanted his disciples to understand a very important lesson about his followers having a servant attitude and heart.

       The verse that first caught my attention and stirred my spirit had the words shown in prenthesis above. Instead of focusing on what comes after, my heart reach toward the beginning of the verse. Jesus knew that his time to go to the Father had come. It was time for him to be betrayed and crucified. Knowing that time had come, he was now going to show the full extent of his love to his diciples by dying for them even though they were not ready to fully understand his sacrifice. Imagine the love it takes to go to the cross when his disciples, and many people today, still don’t understand or accept his sacrifice. Imagine as a parent you sacrificing your well being and happiness to a child who may never understand or acknowledge your sacrifice. Although that is supposed to be our job as parents, the selfishness of this world draws parents away from the love our Father showed us by allowing His son to die for us.

       Neither understanding of God’s living word is incorrect. The lessons Jesus came to teach us are so numerous that his words live forever and grow in the hearts of his followers through the help of the Holy Spirit, the helper that Jesus promised us as he joined the Father in Heaven.

       Read this verse and see that Jesus loved his disciples to the end of his life and he continues to love us until the end of time. Don’t miss his perfect life and sacrifice for your sin, and don’t miss the servent’s heart we are called to have as we follow Jesus.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends – John 15:13

       Sometimes laying down your life means putting the well being of other before yours. Laying down your life could be death it could also be humility. Both require sacrifice, the laying down of your own self-interest and ambition.

Volumes Spoken in One Phrase

thIBC4AONU

As Jesus hung from the cross, He had the undivided attention of both His followers and His mockers. He is hanging by nails, pierced and beaten almost to death. He is weak in His dying body but strong in His spirit given by The Father. Is it plausible, since Jesus was fully God and knew He wasn’t forsaken but fulfilling the law in order to bring about reconciliation, that His outward question of being forsaken had a bigger message? (Psalm 22:1/Matthew 27:46) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  What if Jesus quoted a Psalm written by David a thousand years earlier to give comfort and hope to His followers, then and now? I ask you to thoughtfully read Psalm 22 as if Jesus recited the entire chapter while dying on the cross for you and all other faithful. See how the actions of the cross were given one thousand years in advance and see what the heart of Jesus might have felt as He died as a perfect sacrifice. Here are a few references, but reading the entire chapter with an open and appreciative heart will allow one phrase from the lips of Christ to speak volumes to your heart.

(Psalm 22:7-8) All who see me mock me; [(Matthew 27:29) kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”]  they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; [(Matthew 27:39) those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads] 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”[(Matthew 27:33) He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him

 (Psalm 22:16-18) a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— 17 I can count all my bones— [(John 19:33) when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs] (Psalm 34:20) He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots [(Matthew 27:35) they divided his garments among them by casting lots]