Thursday, April 9, 2009

Spring is finally making another showing in the Ohio Valley. We enjoyed a beautiful day yesterday, and it looks as if God is going to bless us again today.

I made progress on Olivia’s dress, but it isn’t finished. I don’t know what I was thinking when I said “yes” to a lace dress. That stuff slides all over creation! Regardless of the slick factor, I intend to finish it today.

Easter Week Reflection – Thursday

According to my NIV helps, the Last Supper and Jesus’ time in Gethsemane occurred on Thursday. The Last Supper is covered in all the Gospels, but I focused on John’s account, which takes place in John 13-17:26. He doesn’t go into detail about the actual meal. The verses explain how Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and how He predicts both his betrayal and Peter’s ultimate denial.

I found something interesting in John 13:1, which reads:
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

The last part of that verse jumped out at me. I have never seen it before.
Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

I wonder if John was only referencing Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet. I am certain this was a big thing to them because of the day’s customs. Remember Mary a couple of days ago? It was the servants’ “job” to wash feet. This was indeed an act of love, but I found more in later verses.

In John 14:1-16:33 Jesus is comforting the disciples. At this point, I don’t think they know they are being comforted, because I still don’t think they “get” it. Jesus knows He is going to be betrayed. He knows He is going to be falsely accused. He knows He is going to be handed over to an angry mob. He knows He is going to face atrocities beyond belief. He knows He is going to be nailed to a cross.

And He knows He is going to die.

Even with all this knowledge, which we know he dreads (from reading the accounts of his prayer in Gethsemane), Jesus has the fortitude to comfort – COMFORT – the disciples.

In a gentle, quiet way, Jesus tells the disciples what’s going to be happening and that they should not be frightened. He has been preparing them for this time for three years. He is frank with them about what’s going to happen to them, but He also encourages them with the joy that is to come.

This is absolutely a demonstration of love. He loved the disciples so much that he wanted to encourage them to not be frightened about what they were going to experience in the days to come.

Wouldn’t this be exactly what a loving parent would do for their child if the parent were facing a terminal illness? Certainly. See how it hits home when you look at it in that perspective?

Finally, in chapter 17 Jesus prays for Himself and for the disciples and even for us. Remarkable.

What are you facing that is frightening? I have my own personal list. But there is hope. Together we can remember Jesus’ words in John 14:1:
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

Daily Bible Reading

Joshua 18-19; Psalm 78:40-72; Mark 3:1-19; I Corinthians 6:12-20

Thanks for dropping by! Have a happy Thursday!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for visiting His Daily Mercies. I appreciate your comments.