I Again Spoke of My Impending Death

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

January 27, 2020

I Again Spoke of My Impending Death

Page 245-246

John 12: 20-50

The Greeks, in Jerusalem for the Passover, were curious onlookers. They had heard about the wondrous deeds of Jesus and wanted to meet him in person. Perhaps if they had come to him sooner, Jesus may have taken the time to chat with them. However, the festival of Passover was Jesus’ time, and he was fully focused on fulfilling the final steps in his Messianic mission. He had no time for casual debates on the philosophies of the day. It was the time for commitment.

On Easter Sunday, congregations sing ‘Christ the Lord has risen today’, and the faithful feel tears rolling down their cheeks. Others mumble the words. While many in the congregation open their hearts to drink in the majesty and mystery of the celebration, still others respond with ‘ho hum.’ Such is human nature. As you meditate on today’s passage, recall the signs and miracles that revealed Jesus as the Messiah. Because of these signs, many people believed in Jesus as the Messiah; many did not, and some believed, but wanted to keep it a secret. How do you explain the differences? The reference to God closing hearts and minds is figurative, not literal. Jesus used this expression to emphasize how remarkable his miracles were and how much more remarkable it was that some still did not believe.

Jesus’ comments in this passage help us understand the connection between faith and signs. Last night when I went to bed, I did so believing the sun would rise this morning. It did, not because I believed it would, but because that is the nature of the sun. It rises and sets each day. My believing opens the possibility for me benefiting from the warmth and light the sun will bring.

The Prophet Jeremiah writes, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). My believing this passage does not make it real. God’s mercies are new every morning whether I believe it or not. My believing opens the opportunities for me to experience God’s mercy anew every day.

My Takeaway: Many people did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. Nevertheless, Jesus was the Messiah, and he continued with his mission to birth God’s New Creation. Those that chose to believe benefited greatly. They still do.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.