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I will be with you alwaysWednesday, March 19, 2008
Isaiah 50:4-9 I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. He is near who upholds my right; if anyone wishes to oppose me, let us appear together. Who disputes my right? Let him confront me.
See, the Lord God is my help; who will prove me wrong?
Until this week. Now he prepares for the crowds and the judges, the silence and the shouting. He will not be walking through them this time, and he won't not be saying very much. No miracles, no majestic speeches. Jesus is about to "set his face like flint." But these verses are about certainty in the midst of suffering. I am certain I will not be ashamed. I am certain God is near. I am certain God will support me, defend me, vindicate me. No one and nothing can defeat God, or his love and protection. I am certain I am safe. Jesus prepares for Passover and warns his disciples of the coming events ... he will speak to them in sadness of his imminent departure, but always his certainty shines through. He knows his Father. To be like Jesus is to cultivate that certainty in myself. When I suffer. When I cry with loneliness. When I am afraid. When the hungry hounds of hell seem to have trapped me and won't let me go. When I've been cornered by my own sin. The Lord God is my help at all times. I will not be put to shame. Finishing, Lord, is what you are doing this week. Teach me your ways. |
Paul's persecutions are well-documented (by himself) in 2 Corinthians 6. But stories about Jesus and angry crowds usually end with him walking through them untouched. He didn't take any guff from anybody, verbally or physically.