Holy Week
“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” John 12:27-28
Do you have a “bucket list” (things to do before you ‘kick the bucket’)? As we count down the days to Jesus’ death (today is T-4), we will look at His bucket list. Some people want to use their final days to travel. Jesus was determined to travel to the cross!
My wife and I grew up in Arizona. Thus, her boss asked her about visiting the Grand Canyon. He told her that he will be taking a helicopter tour through it. My wife agreed that a helicopter tour would be ideal. Standing on the rim of the canyon, “it’s just too big to get your head around.” She actually enjoyed other smaller canyons more, because then you can grasp their beauty. The Grand Canyon is just too big (unless, perhaps, you travel into it).
Our sins are like that. They separate us from God with a gulf bigger than the Grand Canyon. And most people don’t even realize how big that gulf truly is. I once had someone tell me that the more he studied the Bible, the more sinful he became. Actually, we are all sin-full from birth, but we don’t even realize it until we study God’s Word. Then we see the canyon. A canyon nobody can cross. Nobody, that is, except the God-man Jesus. He was determined to make that journey to “cross” out our sins.
Our text makes it clear that Jesus’ soul was indeed “troubled” by the thought of the cross. Yet he knew that this was His whole purpose in life: to glorify God by becoming our vicarious sacrifice. God assured Him: “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” May we never tire of worshiping Jesus for His life, death, and resurrection for our salvation. May we also glorify Him with our daily walk of life — wherever we travel.
Wash me and take away each stain;
Let nothing of my sin remain.
For cleansing, though it be through pain,
Christ Crucified, I come.
The Lutheran Hymnal 390:3