“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” John 12:23 NIV
It was the heaviest of burdens. It was literally the world against Him. Just four days after praises from Palm Sunday still ringing in His ears, He now felt none of the accolades or the glory.
Instead of a reception fit for a King, the religious leaders: the priests, the scribes, and even the elders were all challenging Jesus’ authority.
The tide was indeed turning. Even one of his beloved, turned far from the friend He once knew. Judas had actually begun the betrayal process. Judas unbelievably had asked what he could get for giving up Jesus.
How fickle, these people. How lonely He must have felt. I wonder if He ever briefly entertained the question, “Is it really gonna matter?”
Yet, He knew. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But, if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
Jesus knew the lonely, solitary journey to come was His and His alone. He also knew that journey would produce the needed life- the end of a spiritual divide fraught with necessary blood sacrifice.
In John 12:27 Jesus admits to negative emotions over the approaching assignment. Anxiety, fear, and stress topped the list. Yet, how did Jesus deal with them?
Did He ask God to take them away? Did He ask God to lighten the load?
No.
He made only one request: “Father, glorify Your name.” (Verse 28)
God gave Jesus the faith to see past His predicament. He helped Him keep His gaze fixed on the right goal: to glorify the name of God.
Even in His anguish, Jesus knew this week was not only about Him. Although He would emerge the victor over all – even death itself – this week was not about His feelings, His pain, His persecution. It was about glorifying God.
God supplied what Jesus needed in order to do just that.
He didn’t request, “Father, save me from this hour.”
He upheld the faith God gave Him and simply requested, “Father glorify Your name.”
God met Jesus’ emotional needs, not by obliterating them, as we often request, but by providing the faithful sight to see that it really was not all about His experience. It was truly all about honoring God.
Reflections:
Honest assessment: how often are my life experiences, truly, in my head, all about me? How can I proactively shift my gaze from me, me, me, to God?
Looking back on trials, can I identify when God carried me through instead of destroying the trial? Can I see where it strengthened me instead of destroying me?
Have I calculated what I could get for giving up Christ? Let’s calculate the cost…
Prayer:
Dear Father God, When I examine how Jesus lived His last week, I am reminded how heavenly focused He was. He must have experienced anguish and agony beyond my experiences, yet He humbly kept His eyes on You. May that example influence my actions and attitude. Lord, Thank You for authoring a way back to You. May I always remember the sacrifice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Thanks for reading, please return by Monday, March 14 for the next post.