“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them,”Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them,”My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little further, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Matthew 26:36-39
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It never came to my thoughts that even Jesus could be afraid. I’m not saying it as some sarcastic remark but that He, the Son of God knew what it was like to be afraid; and that opened my eyes.
Even Jesus, the boldest of all people; He knew real raw fear. He knew the suffering behind the cross, yet He never turned back.
He could have.
He could have told the Father that He didn’t want to go through this plan anymore, but He didn’t. He saw past His own suffering and looked ahead at the shattering of the shackles of sin and death and the freedom it would bring us. He looked past all the kicks, punches, spits and the insults and saw us.
The suffering Jesus went through, how many times do we take that for granted? How many times do we really look in the deeper parts and see a beaten, bloody and bruised Jesus; who carrying the cross, said He was doing all this for us? He could have chose not to.
He could have..
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When I came across part of the scripture on The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:32 & Luke 25:26) just this afternoon, I saw myself standing in the crowd.
I saw myself staring right at the One who loved me the most. He was bloodied and bruised, dragging the cross He was soon to be crucified with; yet when His eyes met mine, He smiled.
Beyond that I saw reassurance, peace and a love so great that came with it; yet I saw my own guilt and shame flash before my eyes as well.
It was so overwhelming; that love.
I felt so so ashamed of my sins, yet there was a weight that lifted off my shoulders the moment I looked and saw my Saviour.
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The Love Song of the Father // j.n.l.
