Originally posted: 04/25/2019
The earthly life and ministry of Jesus, filled with displays of His miraculous might, compassionate care and intentional involvement, now takes that fatal twist. And as they say, the plot thickens…
…and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him, (26:4).
And He Knew…
Consider Him Who Knew
He Knew He was to be handed over for crucifixion (26:2).
He Knew the chief priests were plotting His death (26:4).
He Knew He was being prepared for His burial (26:12).
He Knew His time was near (26:18).
He Knew one of His own would betray Him (26:21).
He Knew the Son of Man was to go, just as it was written (26:24).
He Knew who His betrayer would be (26:25).
He Knew His body would be broken (26:26).
He Knew His blood would be poured out (26:28).
He Knew His disciples would all fall away (26:31).
He Knew He would be raised from the dead (26:32).
He Knew Peter would deny Him three times (26:34).
He Knew overwhelming grief, crushing Him near the point of death (26:38).
He Knew total and complete surrender to the will of His Father (26:39, 42-44).
He Knew the feeling of being forsaken by those He loved (26:40, 43).
He Knew His disciples desperately needed to pray; their flesh was weak (26:39-41, 43, 45).
He Knew the hour He would be betrayed into the hands of sinners (26:45-46).
He Knew why Judas had come, despite the affectionate display (26:50).
He Knew His Father’s plan would not be realized through acts of human or angelic intervention (26:51-54).
He Knew all this had to take place to fulfill the Scriptures (26:56).
He Knew He did not have to defend Himself; But Jesus kept silent (26:63).
He Knew who He was; He was the Christ, the Son of God (26:63-64).
He Knew His ultimate end; sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven (26:64).
He Knew who spit on Him, beat Him, and slapped Him (26:67-68).
He Knew the significance of the rooster’s crow (26:74-75).
How do we respond to Him Who Knew?
Most of what He Knew was painful and grievous, yet He persisted in obedient submission to the will of His Father. And He Knew, regardless the cost, ultimately, His Father’s purposes would prevail.
John’s gospel gives an insightful commentary in his introduction to the account of the Lord’s last supper with His disciples.
Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end, (John 13:1).
As we prayerfully consider Him Who Knew, our understanding of all He endured expands. He Knew everything, and still He loved us, to the very end. Everything we have ever done and ever will do, He Knew and Knows; and it does not deter Him from loving us, to the very end.
The very end of His life is the very beginning of ours, as we trust Him to fulfill the Father’s will for each of us who are His own.
How can our response be anything but unceasing and unquenchable gratitude, and an ever-increasing desire to love Him more and more?
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandment.” (John 14:15).
Today, there’s just one question to consider in light of Him Who Knew… “Lord, am I faithfully loving You?” An evaluation of my thoughts, words, actions and motives reveals an accurate gauge of my love life. If you’re anything like me, there are too many areas lacking.
As we seriously consider His great commitment and sacrifice to love us to the end, let us commit to daily meet Him in His Word with gratitude and desire. Like Paul, we can pray for our love! We can pray that as we grow in the knowledge of Him Who Knew, our love will also grow; and as our love abounds it will be evidenced in obedient lives as we become increasingly sincere, blameless, and filled with the fruit of His righteousness.
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God, (Philippians 1:9-11).