A Realization

Last Sunday morning, on the way to church, I was listening a show called Truth For Life. In this message, Pastor Alistair Begg was speaking about the betrayal of Jesus in the garden on that fateful night before His crucifixion.

Teaching from the book of John, Pastor Begg showed the amazing consistency of the Lord as well as some notable ironies. Below is only one instance in a vast number of times where God continually proves His unchangeable nature.

As Judas led the angry mob into the garden to arrest Jesus, it was Christ who actually stepped out to meet them. When He asked the crowd who they were looking for, they responded:

"Jesus the Nazarene".

"I am He" Jesus said.

At this, the crowd fell back in astonishment, almost as if some cosmic force had brought them literally down to the ground.

Again, He asked them "who are you looking for?"

Once again, they replied "Jesus the Nazarene".

"I told you I am He," Jesus replied.

Now, go back a few chapters in the book of John to when Christ met the woman at the well. They were discussing a parable Jesus had told her about "Living Water". Eventually their conversation became focused on how true worshippers would worship God in "spirit and truth". She told Him that she knew the Messiah was coming (who is called Christ) and once He arrived, He would explain everything to them.

Jesus responded "I am He, the One speaking to you."

A few chapers later, when confronted in the temple by the Pharisees, they ask how could He know Abraham when He wasn't even 50 years old yet. Jesus replied "I assure you: before Abraham was, I am."

This response really sent the teachers of that day into a frenzy for such a blasphemous comment. They were ready to stone Him at that moment but He "was hidden and went out of the temple complex". (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

As amazing as the consistency of this one example is, it's the irony of how it all proceeded and what God showed me as I reflected on it that touched my heart.

This crowd came into the dark with their torches, expecting to have to hunt down this fugitive called Jesus. Yet He revealed Himself willingly and without delay. Would you consider that for a moment? It's a dark, gloomy night in the middle of a garden. Fear and terror permeate the air as this riotous crowd approaches. Can you imagine what the disciples must have felt? Can you imagine what you or I as humans would've felt? We'd have ran in the other direction, scared for our lives!

However, Jesus stepped forward, as the Scripture says "knowing everything that was about to happen to Him."

Here it is: the darkness, the violent crowd, the fear and our human tendency to run YET Christ showed His majesty in all this by revealing Himself, literally stepping from the shadows.

This is then what God showed me. Flip the situation and look at our own lives. We ourselves are lost in this darkness. We revert to our own "understanding" of things, relying on ourselves to either fight or flee. However, instead of an angry crowd coming to confront us with weapons & torches, it is Christ and His never-dying love that shines in the darkness. He pursues us gently, not voraciously as a mob, for that one on one relationship. The crowd sought to capture and destroy.

Christ seeks to engage with us and love us...build us up for His glory.

Remember Revelation 3:20 from yesterday?

"Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him and he with Me." (HCSB)

He waits patiently outside the doors of your heart. He will never intrude until you invite Him in. Unlike the crowd that night (much like the sin in our lives) that seeks to burst through your doors and utterly destroy you, Jesus will come in by your invitation and will then work His wonderful, saving, changing grace upon your life!! For it's by His shed blood, His mercy & forgiveness, His grace and our unabashed faith in Him as Lord and Savior that we are set FREE!!!

Have you opened the door to your heart today? Have you invited Jesus into your life to have fellowship with you? Have you surrendered yourself unto Him?

Look outside the doors of your heart. Do you see Him? He's there...patiently waiting...eager to love...wanting to be with you.

In fact, He died just to be with you.

Why not invite Him in?