I know that there is no possible way for me to fully know what Jesus went through in the week leading up to His death, burial, ad resurrection. Yet, this week, while I really have time to focus, I want to try to my best to understand His sacrifice. The basis of my faith is Jesus’ salvation of me through His death and resurrection. I know and believe that I will meet Him one day face to face because He cared enough for this sinful world to lay down His life as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Yet, I still cannot fathom what it must have been like to know everything that was going to happen and still go through with it.
In years past, we used to sing a song in our church devotions that said: This may be the last time This may be the last time This may be the last time It may be the last time I don’t know This may be the last time we all sing together It may be the last time I don’t know This may be the last time we all pray together It may be the last time I don’t know That is the difference between us and Jesus. When we gather together with friends, family and fellow worshippers, we have no idea if it is the last time we will see them, sing with them, pray with them, or eat with them. But, Jesus knew that when He entered Jerusalem and was celebrated, honored, and heralded as a king and savior, that it would be the same people who cried, “Hosanna,” that would later cry, “Crucify Him!” Jesus knew when He sat to eat with His disciples that it would be the Last Supper. Jesus didn’t waste time lamenting over what He could have done or should have been. He prepared His dear friends for the battle that they would face. He made sure that they knew how to remember Him. He confronted the issue of betrayal without callousness or cruelty. He gave the example of how to be a servant leader when He could have demanded that every one of them bow down to Him. He remained calm, even though He knew what would happen. As I read this account of what Jesus experienced in those last days, I had to examine my own heart. Would I be able to dine with a dear friend who I knew would stab me in the back for some money? Would I be able to let that person know that I knew without calling him out and confronting him in front of others? Would I be able to comfort and console others knowing what I was about to face? Would I be able to continue to be a leader and not totally fall apart? I can absolutely say that as much as I want to answer, “Yes,” I could not imagine facing death as Jesus did. I realized yesterday that I am still hurt by betrayals that happened in my adolescence and my early adulthood. I nearly came to tears recounting one particular episode that happened in high school. And, when I see the people who hurt me, love is not the first feeling that I feel. Yet, nothing that any person has ever done to me has lead to me being unjustly killed. I simply do not know how Jesus did it. Nevertheless, I am so glad that He did. I can never repay the debt I owe for the sacrifice that He gave; and, God is so loving that He does not request reimbursement. He only asks that we trust Him and obey Him; that is how we show our love to Him. What if you knew what would happen? Could you go through with trading your blameless life for people who did not deserve your sacrifice? Ms. EV
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