Because, you're worth it
“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father” John 16:16.Gone are the days when the world was ignorant about Jesus. Today, and with every passing day, more people get to hear or find out about Jesus. A precious few listen to, and accept what they have heard, and fewer still understand the purpose – that supreme purpose for which Christ came into this world.
The human race has lived on the earth for a few thousand years, and historians would tell you, that since the beginning, there has been a marked sense of sin and retribution – every civilization has had its views, but the idea of sinless blood to atone for the sins of all has never been disputed! People have always wondered where they got it from, but God knew. And sinless sacrifice, it was! God alone knew where it had to come from…
God sent His only begotten Son into this world – to His children, formed of His likeness and image, except, they knew Him not… It was painful? Yes. Love manifests itself in many ways, but more often than not, the process involves pain. The greater the love, the greater the threshold of pain love has to cross, and “greater love has no man than to lay down one’s life for His friends” John 15:13. It was love that required shedding of His blood on the excruciating cross.
Jesus came to this world, and went about doing His Father’s will. Up close and personal, Jesus went through things we ourselves go through everyday. Cold and hunger, hate and envy, lies and betrayal, exhaustion and temptation – He didn’t have it any different from any of us; only a much more painful life, considering where He had come from. From a place of no sin, no evil and being surrounded by God’s presence to being surrounded by the mutation of Satan’s ugly work in every direction He turned – suffering, disease, desperation and turmoil… Of course it was painful.
But He went on with His job description. Followed God’s instructions to the tee. And here is where I am most surprised. He had a really hard time convincing His closest companions – the crowd listened to the parables, while his disciples questioned everything. I mean, you would expect the people who spend most time with Him to understand who He was and what He’d come for, but NO! Read John 16:16 to John 17:5 and you get the idea.
Jesus’ work on earth was not complete, not until His disciples believed He came from God. And surprisingly enough, that was the last thing He accomplished. Let this remind you too, that the ones who are really important would be the hardest to persuade, and the pick of the lot.
“A little while, and you will not see Me…” God probably told Jesus that, reminding Him about the time on the cross, when, groaning under the weight of humanity’s sin, God’s only Son couldn’t feel His Father anymore. A time, when the cry of overpowering agony “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” was met with deafening silence, justly reminding us, that sin separates us from God, no matter whom we are. It just had to be done, because…
“A woman, when she is in labour, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. “ John 16:21. Jesus told His disciples this, moments before they confessed their understanding of what He came for. Minutes before His work on earth was completed (John 17:4).
So there you go. The most painful of childbirth’s had to take place. It involved pain to the point of death on the part of God’s Son, so you, a human being, can be born into the world. But not just any world. His world – the world He has been preparing since eternity began, just for you. Because, to Him, you are the child the pregnant mother has been eagerly waiting for. To Him, no pain was too much – you are worth it.
Labels: God love
posted by Finney @ 2:52 PM
4 comments
