March 30, 2018
John 18:1-19:42
In the life of Jesus, let us always remember to look for the heart of God and evaluate our hearts as they relate and seek to follow him. Every time we confess Jesus with our mouths, acknowledge the authority of his Word, and move in agreement, we are exalting him as Lord of our lives. Jesus—the Lord Most High—suffered at the hands of his creation; the very ones to whom he gave life turned and crucified him.
With this sobering thought, we know there are times we crucify the Word rather than live it. Maybe we do not like what it says; so we deny and reject it. Maybe we do not understand how it relates to our lives, so we ignore it. And, maybe we actually understand what the Word is asking of us and we are simply unwilling to obey it.
If we have invited Jesus into our hearts—the garden of our being where the seed of Love has been planted—we have the privilege of knowing the heart of the Father. His love for us is sacrificial and he will love us forever. Let us praise God for his love everyday.
If we have made Jesus the Lord of our lives, we possess the power to love and serve others like Christ because he lives in us and causes our love to grow. That is another level of trust and intimacy with God that many followers are afraid to embrace. We must never forget we have the freedom to entomb the Lord in our hearts and never share him. Or, we can publicly confess him, but if he is not Lord we will never deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow him in order to extend sacrificial love to others the way he commands.
In our lengthy passage today, Jesus will lay down his life. The Word—Jesus—will submit himself to be beaten and killed…but, death and darkness will never hold back the Light of Truth which leads to Eternal Life. Truth, Life, and Love are in the Word.
Jesus just finished praying, “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you…may your love for me be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:25-26).
