DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

Father, Glorify Your Name

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." . . . Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. (John 12:27ff)

A few days before he was to be crucified, Jesus spoke these words to reveal his human fears: “My heart is troubled.” It means that he was agitated and full of dread and fear.

What troubles you? You fear what you cannot control in your present and your future. You dread that your past will catch up to you. Your wrongdoing haunts you. You worry about uncertain dangers. You worry about Judgment Day.

Jesus is human and divine. For him there was no uncertainty about what was coming for him: rejection by his people; intense physical pain from crucifixion; becoming sin and being punished by his own Father for everyone’s sins. Being human, he was facing this with dread, as you and I would.

The self-centered, self-righteous, bold sinner and even foolish people react with: “God don’t let this happen to your son, if you love him. It’s not fair because he loves you. Jesus, don’t do it; it’s not worth it. No one deserves it.” Or “Just leave me alone with this talk of paying the price for my sins. I’m basically a good person, anyway so I don’t need you. I love my life the way it is. I’ll make my own happiness and glory. Go away and don’t bother me with talk of loving sacrifice for me and loving duty to God. It’s just not my thing.”

Jesus does not follow our advice. What looks like humiliation, shame and defeat to us, Jesus labels, “Glory to my heavenly Father.” The Father speaks and agrees. It makes me shudder in my heart that the Father sees his honor tied up with the terrible suffering of his beloved Son – all for us sinners! Could it be that on that cross, God was showing he loves me even more than his perfect Son?

That’s how Jesus viewed his approaching suffering: “In spite of what is wrong with all mankind, I go to remove the guilt of mankind’s sin with the anguish of my soul and the pain of my body. I do it willingly; I go because that’s how much I, God, love you.” My response? “God, no words can express the greatness of my need for this your love, freely given, that accomplished my salvation. You have my praise forever! Glory to God!”

Come, worship with us during Lent every Wednesday at 5 pm.