The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 13:19,
"I [Jesus Christ] am telling you [his disciples] now before it [Judas' betrayal] happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am."
Jesus prepared his disciples for the events that took place at the end of his earthly ministry. It appears the seeking for Jesus by some Greeks may have been the event Jesus was looking for to know when the time for his passion had come. In John 12:20-23 we read, "Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. 'Sir,' they said, 'we would like to see Jesus.' Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Jesus replied, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.'"
Prior, in John 8:20, John says, "He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come." Likewise in John 7:30. In John 7:6-8 Jesus told his brothers, "My time is not yet here; for you any time will do... You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come." And, of course, you recall Jesus telling his mother at the wedding in Cana (Jesus' first recorded miracle, turning the water to wine), that his hour had not yet come, John 2:4.
But when the Greeks came looking for Jesus, that changed, and now "his time" had come. The crowning achievement for his earthly ministry was to offer himself as a sacrifice, to provide a way for people to have their sins forgiven, enabling a way to enter into his kingdom. We read in Hebrews 2:17, "For this reason he [Jesus] had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people."
We read of this in Isaiah's prophecy, "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:4-6.
Jesus came to die on that cross. That was his primary mission (among the other things he achieved) and he did not want his disciples to misunderstand and think that events, out of his control, had overtaken him. Jesus intentionally enraged the leaders of the Jews, motivating them to seek his death. He also arranged to have a man, consumed by avarice, Judas Iscariot, betray him in the way he did. It was all planned and executed flawlessly.
People yet today misunderstand Jesus' death on the cross. They think because of his message of love and challenge to the religious authorities, he was put to death as something not intended, that he was a helpless victim. Not so! As he prepared his disciples for his betrayal by Judas, he did not want them thinking he was a helpless victim, and, so Jesus told them, "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am." He went on to say, "Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me." Verse 21.
When Jesus said I am who I am, he meant that he was the Son of God, in full control of all events taking place. Nothing happened to him he did not intend, plan and execute.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"I [Jesus Christ] am telling you [his disciples] now before it [Judas' betrayal] happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am."
Jesus prepared his disciples for the events that took place at the end of his earthly ministry. It appears the seeking for Jesus by some Greeks may have been the event Jesus was looking for to know when the time for his passion had come. In John 12:20-23 we read, "Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. 'Sir,' they said, 'we would like to see Jesus.' Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Jesus replied, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.'"
Prior, in John 8:20, John says, "He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come." Likewise in John 7:30. In John 7:6-8 Jesus told his brothers, "My time is not yet here; for you any time will do... You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come." And, of course, you recall Jesus telling his mother at the wedding in Cana (Jesus' first recorded miracle, turning the water to wine), that his hour had not yet come, John 2:4.
But when the Greeks came looking for Jesus, that changed, and now "his time" had come. The crowning achievement for his earthly ministry was to offer himself as a sacrifice, to provide a way for people to have their sins forgiven, enabling a way to enter into his kingdom. We read in Hebrews 2:17, "For this reason he [Jesus] had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people."
We read of this in Isaiah's prophecy, "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:4-6.
Jesus came to die on that cross. That was his primary mission (among the other things he achieved) and he did not want his disciples to misunderstand and think that events, out of his control, had overtaken him. Jesus intentionally enraged the leaders of the Jews, motivating them to seek his death. He also arranged to have a man, consumed by avarice, Judas Iscariot, betray him in the way he did. It was all planned and executed flawlessly.
People yet today misunderstand Jesus' death on the cross. They think because of his message of love and challenge to the religious authorities, he was put to death as something not intended, that he was a helpless victim. Not so! As he prepared his disciples for his betrayal by Judas, he did not want them thinking he was a helpless victim, and, so Jesus told them, "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am." He went on to say, "Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me." Verse 21.
When Jesus said I am who I am, he meant that he was the Son of God, in full control of all events taking place. Nothing happened to him he did not intend, plan and execute.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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