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It
would be easy to abandon hope for our culture. But it’s always too soon
to give up on the future because it’s always too soon to give up on
God.
“Let this cup pass from me”
I
led a study tour of Israel last week. On Thursday, our group spent a
very moving hour in the Garden of Gethsemane. I read from Matthew 26, where Jesus pled with his Father, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (v. 39).
Why did our Savior seek so fervently to avoid the “cup” that awaited him?
The
physical torture Jesus faced would be horrendous. But the greater cost
of the cross was spiritual: the Father would place the sins of fallen
humanity on his sinful Son. For the only time in all eternity, the two
would be separated from each other.
In that moment, Jesus would cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ( Matthew 27:46).
Jesus
could have avoided all of this. He could have fled from the Garden and
returned to Galilee, far from his enemies in Jerusalem. Instead, he
waited. He watched as Judas led the soldiers by torchlight through the
city’s eastern gate, down into the Kidron Valley, and up the Mount of
Olives. He waited, knowing fully what was before him.
He did all of that for you.
As our group considered this somber scene, I encouraged them: never again wonder if God loves you.
No one in Gethsemane saw Easter coming
No one present in the Garden that night or at Calvary the next day saw Easter coming.
This
is a theme we see across Scripture. Think of Joseph before Pharaoh’s
dreams; Moses before the Exodus; Joshua the sixth time around Jericho;
Daniel when he was thrown into the lion’s den; Lazarus when he was
buried; Paul before his journey to Damascus; and John when he was exiled
to Patmos.
John 7:5
tells us that, during Jesus’ earthly ministry, “not even his brothers
believed in him.” But one of them was Jude, who became the author of the
biblical book bearing his name. Another was James, who became the
leader of the Jerusalem church and author of the book bearing his name.
Each of these stories illustrates the same fact: it is always too soon to give up on God.
“What you see is what you get”
Our
materialistic culture measures reality by the material. The mantra of
our day is, “What you see is what you get.” It’s hard to look at life
through the eyes of faith if you don’t have faith.
Most
of the world’s religions make their appeal on transactional terms: pray
this or do this or give this in order for God or the gods to do what
you ask. The Canaanites invented Baal as the god of weather, then prayed
and sacrificed to him so he would provide the rain upon which their
economy and lives depended.
The
Greeks invented the gods of Mount Olympus, deities to whom they would
pray and sacrifice when they needed what the gods could provide. If you
were going to war, you prayed and sacrificed to Ares. If you were
preparing to make a journey by sea, you prayed and sacrificed to
Poseidon.
The
Romans adopted this Greek pantheon, renaming most of their gods but
continuing their transactional religion. This approach to religion
became part of the cultural DNA of the Western world.
As
a result, it is tempting for Christians to see our faith in
transactional terms. When we do what we think God wants us to do, we are
frustrated when he does not do what we think he should. When the Lord
does not answer our prayers when we want, we begin to question his
power, his love, or even the point of praying.
If it doesn’t work, why do it?
Revelation from a hazelnut
Rather
than a transactional religion, where we go to church on Sunday so God
will bless us on Monday, our Savior invites us into a transformational
relationship. He calls us to know him intimately, worship him
passionately, and serve him sacrificially—not so he will love us but
because he already does.
Does
God’s answer to your need seem to be delayed? Is his providence slower
than your patience? Remember the Garden of Gethsemane. And do not wonder
if God loves you.
Julian of Norwich (1342–1416) witnessed the Black Death and widespread revolts and chaos in medieval England. Yet she wrote Revelations of Divine Love, the earliest surviving book in the English language to be authored by a woman.
Julian
tells of the day she held a hazelnut in her hand and heard God say, “It
lasteth and ever shall for that God loveth it.” In the hazelnut, she
testifies, “I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the
second is that God loveth it, the third, that God keepeth it.”
Do you believe all three are true of you?
NOTE: One final mention of this—I would love to send you a copy of Journey to the Resurrection. I've written this new, fifteen-day devotional guide to help prepare your heart and mind this Easter season.
It's our way of saying thank you for your donation today as you help more people discern news differently.
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