So many times I have wished that I could have known what was going to happen so that I could make the right choice, or would have avoided making a poor one. I’ve often thought that if I could just see before choosing I would find myself much more confident in stepping boldly into my decisions.
But what would happen if I could see into my choices and know that pain lay before me? Maybe more than pain – how about torture? Undeserved consequences? Would I still make the same choice? Probably not.
Jesus DID have the ability to see and know. Everything that Jesus did while on earth was chosen intentionally. Every healing. Every travel location. Every interaction. Each and every one served a purpose and plan that was and is still only known to the Father and His beloved Son.
Here’s what I love about Jesus – while He knew what lay before Him, He still chose the path that cost Him the most and provided mankind with the greatest benefit!
“Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked.
“Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied.
“I AM he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) As Jesus said “I AM he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?”
“And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
“I told you that I AM he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” – John 18-4-8
How many times have I read the gospels and the passages leading up to the crucifixion and missed this interaction? The soldiers are sent to arrest Jesus and take his life. Jesus knows they are on their way. He knows every part of what they are going to do to him, and yet he reveals himself to them – these soldiers as God. “I AM.” So powerful were his words – so understood by these men – that they fell to the ground in fear! “I AM” were words they had grown up hearing from their ancestors. “I AM” was the way that God would refer to Himself when speaking to Moses and the people of Israel. “Tell them I AM has sent you (Exodus 3). Who were they called to arrest? God himself? No wonder they feel down in fear! They were going to either die for disobedience to their superiors or experience the wrath of God for following the commands given!
I get the sense here, that had Jesus not continued to prompt them with questions these soldiers would not have been willing to arrest our Messiah that night. Our Messiah – our LORD – knew the future and was making sure that things went according to plan – even though it would be with great cost to Him.
Friend, I am certain that anyone shy of the Savior would never knowingly choose the horror of the next 24 hours for us. And yet, He did. Why? Love. How deep is the Father’s love for us! It exceeds our comprehension!
LORD, may we bask in the understanding of your great love for us today. We cannot fully comprehend it, but help us to allow the knowledge of your love to soak into our hard hearts and impact the way we choose to live. In Jesus name, Amen.
Blessings!