John 12:23-33
Jesus said: "The time has come for the Son of
Man to be given his glory. I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls
on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce a lot of wheat. If you love
your life, you will lose it. If you give it up in this world, you will be given
eternal life. If you serve me, you must go with me. My servants will
be with me wherever I am. If you serve me, my Father will honor you.
Now I am
deeply troubled, and I don’t know what to say. But I must not ask my Father to
keep me from this time of suffering. In fact, I came into the world to suffer. So Father,
bring glory to yourself.
A voice from heaven then said, “I have already brought glory to
myself, and I will do it again!” When the crowd heard the voice, some of
them thought it was thunder. Others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.
Then Jesus told the crowd, “That voice spoke to help you,
not me. This world’s people are now being judged, and the ruler of this world is already being thrown out! If I am lifted up above the earth, I
will make everyone want to come to me.” Jesus was
talking about the way he would be put to death.
Obedience
The
first station of the cross is the scene from the Garden of Gethsemane and a
very human Jesus struggling to do something very difficult. The Gospel of John doesn’t have a Garden of Gethsemane scene, but he does include this scripture about Jesus’ struggle to do what
he knows is right.
“I am deeply troubled and I don’t know what
to say!! But I must not ask my Father to
keep me from this time of suffering.” Jesus wasn’t where he wanted to be!!!!
Wow!!
We don’t want to be where we are!! We find ourselves in that same situation so
often in life!!
A struggling Jesus? A Jesus who at first wants something other than the God’s will? A Jesus who wishes to pass on the cup of suffering? If you're a Christian who believes that Jesus was not just a human being, but also Divine, then the scene in Gethsemane is troublesome. It stretches our understanding and removes our simplistic explanations of who Jesus really is. In Gethsemane, perhaps more than in any other scene of the Gospels, we see the fully human Jesus.
This means, among other things, that Jesus understands when we are tested, when we are weak, when we aren't sure we want God's will for our lives. In Jesus we have, not a god who is watching us from a distance, but One who struggles and suffers with us. When have you, like Jesus, been deeply troubled and didn't know what to say?
Whatever picture of Gethsemane you keep in your mind, let the Scripture fill out its meaning. May you be encouraged to come before God with complete honesty, holding nothing back. May you pour out your heart as you wrestle with God's will. As you do, we know that Jesus understands, and is there to walk beside us.
If
you love your life, Jesus says, you will lose it. If you give it up in this world, you will be
given eternal life.
Have you
ever asked; What am I doing here? God
has you here so that you can shine.
When have you said to yourself; “ I don't want to be here.” “This wasn't my plan.” “ I can't be happy here.”
If God wanted you somewhere else, you would be there already! Careers, relationships, children, in plenty and in want..we often have no control.
If God wanted you somewhere else, you would be there already! Careers, relationships, children, in plenty and in want..we often have no control.
We value comfort too dearly.
May Thy will be done. Even Jesus struggled with this!! We want our
own will. Our Holy Week devotions theme is obedience to
God. The spiritual life requires us to
let go of our desire for things we cannot have. Sometimes we are asleep!
But God is in charge. Not us.
Lent Check;
You ARE in ministry whether you know it or not. Awake or asleep!
Begin to think about how you need to grow in order to be
effective right where you are today. Be mindful of where you are. Let go of harmful
desires.
Reflection Question;
How can I learn to focus more on what I have to give instead of what I have to get?
Prayer
Jesus, my friend, as I reflect upon Your experience in Gethsemane, I am once again amazed by Your integrity. You stand with me in my hard times and places. You encourage me to wrestle with God’s will. Thank You, Jesus, for your humanity, who You are, for what You have done, and for what You are doing in my life today and especially for your courage in a time of testing. We are all stronger for it. Amen.
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