When All is Said and Done

Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to Him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” … When Jesus said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. So He asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He. So, if you seek Me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that He had spoken: “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost not one.” (John 18:4-5a, 6-9)

I doubt any of the guards had ever met such a prisoner—one who had such power He could blow them backward with the simple words, “I am.” Because if you look at the Greek words, that is what Jesus said to them—and it meant more than simply, “I am the one you are looking for.” “I AM” is the Name of God (see Exodus 3:14). Jesus is God in human flesh—and by speaking His own Name, He made it completely clear that He was the one in control, even of His own arrest.

So Jesus has all power—but how does He use it? Not to protect Himself, but to protect the people God the Father gave Him. Jesus will not allow His disciples to be arrested with Him. Jesus alone will go into suffering, death, and resurrection, because He is our protector as well—the One who saves us from the power of evil at the cost of His own life.

WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for protecting me with Your love and power. Amen.

And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And [Jesus …] took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.” (Mark 14:32a, 33-36)

Sometimes hope produces the worst pain. Up to this point, Jesus has been saying to His disciples, very clearly, that He would in the future be handed over to His enemies, be mocked and flogged and crucified—and then He would rise from the dead. There has been no doubt in anything He said.

But now, here in the garden on the last night of His life, it looks like that perfect conviction has been withdrawn. Like any man, Jesus is subject to the tortures of hope—the thought that just possibly, God the Father might find another way to save the world. A way that would allow Jesus to escape the future He has known for years.

And so, like any man, He prays. He prays in desperation, asking God for that possible loophole—but always adding, “Yet not what I will, but what You will.” Because He loves the Father, and He loves us, and He is not willing to lose us for any price—even His own life.

And when hope fails Him, Jesus turns back to love. He rouses His disciples so they can make their getaway. And then He turns His face to the cross, for all of us.

WE PRAY: Dear Savior, thank You. I love You. Amen.

[Jesus] rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. … [Afterward] He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? … If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:4-5, 12b, 14)

What is this washing, that Jesus does to us and commands us to do to each other? Why is it so important that He says, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with Me”? We get a clue when Jesus says, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.” There’s only one bath I know of that makes a person clean forever, and that is Baptism. And so this daily washing of feet—what is it, then? It must be the ongoing, continuing forgiveness Jesus gives us for the sins we commit every day of our lives. When He washes us, He restores us to the perfect cleanness He gave us at Baptism, and we are glad.

Jesus can do this because He has paid the price for our cleansing at the cross with His own blood. Because of His death and resurrection, we who trust in Him are no longer sinners doomed to destruction; we are God’s own children, who live with the life Jesus gives us. And we follow His example, washing the feet of our brothers and sisters, forgiving them when they sin against us—just as Jesus forgave us.

Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks [asking,] “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” … And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. … Now is My soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify Your Name. … Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die. … [Then Jesus] departed and hid Himself from them. (John 12:20, 21b, 23-24, 27-28a, 31-33, 36b)

Jesus has a strange reaction to the coming of the Greeks! He goes into an anguished meditation on His own death, and then He leaves and hides Himself. Why?

Jesus’ own short ministry has been spent mainly among the Jews; He knows that evangelizing the nations is the job of His church. When this delegation of Greeks comes to Jesus, it shows that the age of the church is beginning, and Jesus Himself is about to die. And this fact overwhelms Him.

And yet, we have reason to be glad. Because Jesus overcomes the temptation to save Himself, and submits once again to the cross and resurrection. Which means that now, anyone who believes in Him, Jew or Gentile, has life forever.

WE PRAY: Lord, thank You for choosing to save us. Amen.
 

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. … And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise’?” (Matthew 21:12, 14-16)

It’s interesting that the one thing the religious leaders bring up to Jesus is the fact that the children are crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” They don’t mention the merchants He drove out of the temple courts; they don’t mention the healings, though they saw them. Apparently they feel on safe grounds complaining about the children—who are recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah of David’s family.

Jesus refers the leaders to Psalm 8:2b, which continues this way: “… because of Your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” According to Jesus, the praise of the children comes directly from God; the complaints come from God’s enemies.

And no surprise, for what the children are saying is “Hosanna”—which translates, “Save us!” Jesus has indeed come to save them and all of us as well. Through His death He will break the power of God’s enemies, including the devil; and through His resurrection He will give life to all God’s children who trust in Him.

WE PRAY: Thank You for saving me, Lord. Amen.

And as [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of His face was altered, and His clothing became dazzling white. And … Moses and Elijah … who appeared in glory and spoke of His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. … And as the men were parting from Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” … a cloud came and overshadowed them … And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” (Luke 9:29, 30b-31, 33a, 34b, 35)

Peter makes his suggestion about the tents “as the men were parting from” Jesus. That sounds like Peter realized they were saying goodbye, and wanted to stop them—wanted to prolong the glorious moment with Jesus and the others, up on that mountain.

But it doesn’t work that way, does it? Even in our own lives, we get brief glimpses of the glory of God—and then we’re right back in the middle of chores and work and appointments. Or worse than that, we’re walking the road to Calvary—facing a kind of suffering that makes the glory seem like a distant memory.

When that happens, all we can do is obey God the Father who said, “This is My Son, My Chosen One: listen to Him!” Jesus knows the road to the cross very well. He knows suffering and death, and He knows resurrection, too. And when we have to walk those roads as servants of Jesus, He promises to be with us—because He has redeemed us. We are His.

WE PRAY: Lord, when trouble overwhelms me, help me listen to You! Amen.
 

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee … When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars … holding 20 or 30 gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” (John 2:1a, 3-7a)

I love Mary’s faith in her Son Jesus. When she asks Him for help and gets a mysterious answer, she doesn’t even bother arguing or asking questions. She just tells the servants, “Do what He tells you.”

And Jesus honors that! He does His very first miracle, turning water into wine. Jesus saves the party and the bridegroom’s reputation as a host. And Jesus’ brand-new disciples believe in Him.

What did Mary know about her Son that made her so confident? I think she knew that He is kind and compassionate, as well as endlessly creative. Maybe she didn’t expect the miracle, but she knew He would find a way to help, because His love would compel Him.

And it did—just as it compelled Jesus to go to the cross to suffer and die for us when His hour had finally come (see John 17:1). Because He loves us, He saved us from the power of evil; and when He rose from the dead, He promised to share that same life with all of us who trust in Him.

WE PRAY: Lord, I know Your heart. Thank You for saving me. Amen.