This picture REALLY moved me. How I LONG to do this to my Jesus...to fall at His feet and cling to Him and anoint Him with my tears...tears for all that I have done to hurt Him...tears for all that He has done for me...tears for all the pain He has helped me through...tears for being my Savior. And to feel His gentle hand settling on my head...to feel His love for me coming through His wonderful hand...to feel the peace and comfort radiating into me from His perfectness. Ahhh...someday my Lord...someday soon! I absolutely LOVE it when Jesus says to the men in the room: "I assure you; Wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her." Wow...how I dream about Jesus saying this to me about my works for Him!
THE FIRST LORD'S SUPPER:
The intimate setting of the Lord's Supper before His arrest has always intrigued me. I think this picture does a great job of showing this intimacy. This was NOT a formal dining setting as many of the famous paintings portray. They would recline together and be very close together in this type of meal. In fact, when Jesus states in verse 20, "...the one who is dipping bread with me in the bowl" would imply that Judas had to be sitting near Jesus in order to be able to do this with Him. Intimacy...with the Lord Jesus Christ...can you imagine dining at a table with Him as the drama of the revelation of His betrayer would come to pass? Would your hand brush up against His as He passed the bread or the cup? Would you get nervous as He piercingly looked around and said, "I assure you: One of you will betray Me"? Would you look around and wonder which of the disciples would possibly do such a thing? May my life never betray my Lord in any way!IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE:
How could we possibly even begin to fathom what the unbelievable distress would be like that Jesus would be going through at this point as He knows He is heading to the cross and about to take on ALL the sins of the world...past, present, and future. Just think for a moment about one night on the news and the horrible things that are going on around the world. Multiply that for ALL time...it is just too much to bear or even think about fully. We just cannot wrap our minds around it...there is just NO WAY! Verse 34 says, "My soul is swallowed up in sorrow-to the point of death." Sorrow...somehow there just does not seem to be words in ANY language that can possible express what it would feel like to take on the sins of the whole world. May my life reflect a lifestyle of gratitude for taking on all MY sins.JUDAS BETRAYS JESUS:
Can you hear the mob coming clanking with all the swords and clubs...walking with heavy, urgent feet? With them is the betrayer...what must Jesus be thinking? Was Judas at all remorseful or was he full of pride not caring at all abou the was about to do? What was Jesus thinking as Judas' lips touched His cheek? Did Judas feel remorse yet? We know eventually he did because he hung himself over what he did. This also means that Jesus knows EXACTLY what it feels like to be betrayed by someone VERY close to Him. One of the disciples got so angry that he cut off the ear of one of the soldiers. I can soooo relate to that! I think I would have been that angry too. But does my life betray Jesus? Does yours?JESUS FACES THE SANHEDRIN:
They lead Jesus away to the stand before the high priest, the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. The Lord of all the universe standing before mere men on trial for His life...the audacity of doing this...the humiliation of having to do this...and yet he remained silent as they accuse Him over and over. Then when He does answer their question He says, "I AM". This is the same "I AM" that God the Father spoke in Exodus 3:14. So Jesus was saying I AM the Lord...He and I are one. And they killed Him for it...and His suffering had only begun! But I have to remember that I sent Him to His death...I DID THAT TO HIM!
PETER DENIES JESUS:
Once again Jesus is betrayed by one of His closest friends. Have you experienced the pain of being betrayed by someone closest to you? Do you know the sharp, deep pain of how this feels? I hope you have not, but if you have been on this earth for any period of time, you have most likely experienced this horrible circumstance. It is truly one of the most painful, hurtful things that humans can experience...and the Lord of the universe experienced this at least twice that we know of. And what about Peter? What was going through his mind as the words of denial were coming out of his mouth? Did it even occur to him what he was doing until the rooster crows twice? How painful was it when he did fully realize what he had done? What would it have been like to see Jesus turn and look at you when he had denied Jesus three times? I cannot even begin to fathom what multitude of emotions would be coursing through your mind and your heart at that point. Have you denied knowing your Lord to anyone? Completely human and completely God...do you know this phenomenon personally? He is AMAZING and I am COMPLETELY and MADLY in love with Him...are you? And what does this look like in your life?
Great post Mindy! I love it when I can put myself in the shoes of those who walked with Jesus and feel like I can really be there. It means so much more to me. One verse struck me: "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is wiling, but the body is weak." If we were ever told a reason to persist in prayer...this would be it.
ReplyDeleteWow, Mindy, what a powerful post. Well worth waiting for. I to, try and put myself in place of the person that they are talking about. I do that with about every book I read. When you do that, you set yourself up to feel the emotions of the person you are reading about.
ReplyDeleteYou asked about being betrayed by someone close to you. My best friend in high school had took some money from me. When I found out it was her who done it, I was heartbroke. Somebody asked me what was wrong and said I looked as if I lost my best friend and I told them that I did. How much more Jesus must of felt by being betrayed.