As a loving Shepherd comforting and guiding His sheep, Jesus gave promises of joy and peace, of support and sustenance, of a coming Comforter, and of unhindered fellowship with God the Father.
Jesus concluded His teaching, and sat back. In John 16:33, He said to His disciples, “but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Ultimately, the concerns of the next day would be shrouded in this reality, Jesus was not defeated, rather, He was the victor. The sky might blacken, the disciples might flee, but Jesus was finally fulfilling what had been in motion since before the first word of the Genesis creation.
As Jesus prayed to the Father, His words glistened with the redemptive truth that had lain unmined throughout the Old Testament. From the lips of Jesus came the words that would shake the pillars of Heaven and the heart of all those at enmity with God.
“Father, the hour is come.”
This was the day that the serpent’s head would be crushed. It was on this day that the shadowy cloud of Passover sacrifices would be melted and the world would watch as the Lamb of God would take away the sins of the world. It was on this day that the prophecies of the coming Messiah would be fulfilled in the suffering of the Savior. There was no going back. The roller coaster cart had crested the top of the hill. There was no disembarking. The next day would be a whirlwind of terror, abandonment, agony, and prophetic fulfillment. This hour, His hour, had come. And while the clouds of darkness rolled in, Jesus laid a clear example for us. He did not plan to face this alone. Rather, in John 16:32 Jesus told His disciples what He now demonstrated for them in His praying, “I am not alone, the Father is with me.” Knowing the gravity of what was going to transpire; Jesus turned instinctively to the Father and asked Him for His will to be fulfilled and for His power to be demonstrated.
Food For Thought: If Jesus knew that God would grant victory to Him, yet He still prayed asking God to do so, what does that teach us we should be doing even when it seems like the outcome is inevitable?
As Jesus prayed to the Father, His words glistened with the redemptive truth that had lain unmined throughout the Old Testament. From the lips of Jesus came the words that would shake the pillars of Heaven and the heart of all those at enmity with God.
“Father, the hour is come.”
This was the day that the serpent’s head would be crushed. It was on this day that the shadowy cloud of Passover sacrifices would be melted and the world would watch as the Lamb of God would take away the sins of the world. It was on this day that the prophecies of the coming Messiah would be fulfilled in the suffering of the Savior. There was no going back. The roller coaster cart had crested the top of the hill. There was no disembarking. The next day would be a whirlwind of terror, abandonment, agony, and prophetic fulfillment. This hour, His hour, had come. And while the clouds of darkness rolled in, Jesus laid a clear example for us. He did not plan to face this alone. Rather, in John 16:32 Jesus told His disciples what He now demonstrated for them in His praying, “I am not alone, the Father is with me.” Knowing the gravity of what was going to transpire; Jesus turned instinctively to the Father and asked Him for His will to be fulfilled and for His power to be demonstrated.
Food For Thought: If Jesus knew that God would grant victory to Him, yet He still prayed asking God to do so, what does that teach us we should be doing even when it seems like the outcome is inevitable?
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