I come to John twelve today, hungry for a God-encounter. Are you in? Let's read verses 12-36. This gospel account is approaching its climax! What do you see in him? What do you hear Jesus saying to you here?
"...now the prince of this world will be driven out." (v. 31)
Satan is powerful enemy but a defeated one. He is the biggest loser in the history of the cosmos. Everything that happens in this text is leading up to the cross, just a few days later. In less than a week, Jesus goes from being hailed as the new king to being lifted up on a cross to die a criminal's death. One day they toss palm branches before him and shout praises. Five days later it's their saliva they fling at him as they yell insults. It looks like Satan has totally turned the tide and won the day. The truth, it turns out, is quite the opposite. Satan's illusory victory was, in fact, the decisive assault on his pseudo-rule of this world.
"But I when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself." (v. 32)
The glory of Jesus shines most brightly not on Palm Sunday as the crowd adores him, but on Good Friday when they kill him. He wasn't here to be a rock star. He came to lay down his life to rescue the world. His glory (and mine) isn't in self-promotion. It is in his self-sacrifice for the good of others. In this totally selfless act of courage and love, he exposes the weakness of hatred. Jesus will bear humiliation on the cross, but not for long. The devil's humiliation is permanent.
I'm so glad I'm on the right side! I won't be intimidated by the devil and anything he tries to throw at me. Neither will I fall for his illusions, as if I would trade real life for his empty shadows. Like Gadhafi, he hasn't conceded defeat. He's still raging and fuming and blowing hot air. But I know, and so do you, my friend, that his regime is doomed. A new day has dawned. The brilliant kingdom of God is growing on the horizon. With Jesus, I am victorious!
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Wow! LOVE this thought! Life can throw so much at us that we stagger...but with Jesus we have strong arms that lift us up and make us walk again. Thanks Chris! And as you go through new challenges, I believe God is with you every step of the way.
ReplyDelete"If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything." This is a phrase that I share with my son often because if we don't cling to Christ tightly we may begin to sink into the ways of Satan. This world is full of deception which can be very easy to fall into. But, we have a Savior who came to save us from the power of the world. Christ has won the battle, the victory is his!!! We don't have to fear anything, we are protected in the arms of Christ.
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