Walking In The Dark
John 12:20-36
Give me a moment alone.
Photo by Miguel Lindo on Unsplash
Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say-- `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. - John 12:20-36
It must be tough to know that soon your life will end.
I can only imagine the conversation Jesus is having with his Father in Heaven.
I know I will soon be with you, and for that reason, I should be joyful. But I know what it feels like to be fully human facing death.
They are afraid of the dark.
I tell them to believe and become children of the light, but they have no way of understanding that.
This is why they have failed you. It is not because they are evil but because they are afraid.
Even I feel it with them. I am one of them.
This Easter Week, we get to see Jesus as one of us.
Sure, he performs miracles, and those are the things we remember and focus on, but he is one of us. He is facing death the way we do, with fear and uncertainty.
He knows better, but his human nature is driving his emotions.
If Jesus can be uncertain and afraid, we should be comforted. We can walk in the light and still be afraid of the dark.
It is in our nature.
More to come...