A GREATER SACRIFICE
Prayer
Praying On The Journey With Christ
A Commitment To Encounter Christ Through The Gospel Of John
Object:
John 14:25-31
"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way."
COMMENTARY
The peace that comes from God is given. It cannot be attained in any other way. This is one of the distinctive characteristics of God's peace. It cannot be earned or seized. It is a gift. The fearful or troubled heart is a heart in need of a gift, not a task. It's a heart that needs to be opened, not burdened with guilt or duty. Peace, as given by Christ, is his accomplishment in us, not our attainment of him.
Jesus was in the flesh when he spoke: "The Father is greater than I." All that Jesus does he does to convince the world, not the Father, that he loves the Father beyond all else, and bids us do the same. After the resurrection, full unity with the Father was restored, and there is no recognized superiority of one person of the Trinity over another.
PRAYER
Peace, Lord, you promise to give peace. You tell us not to be afraid, not to be upset, yet we wallow in fear every day. Our imaginations tell us to be afraid. They create monster scenarios for ourselves and for those we love. Our imaginations conjure up devastation upon devastation, and we are robbed of peace.
Lord, what shall we do with such vivid fear? Sometimes our prayers become pleas for deliverance from foes that don't even exist, except in our minds. Our days are spent insuring against all kinds of disaster. We walk like a wounded animal being hounded. We wonder when the terror moment will come to us. We have no confidence in this world of woes.
When you talk about "peace," Lord, you are talking about going to the Father. When you promise to give peace, you make it clear that it's different from the world's peace. You have your eyes in another realm, your ears tuned to another's voice, your heart in the embrace of a Father more loving than imagination can create.
Lord, you want the world to know you love the Father. Why do you want the world to know this? More than anyone else, you alone have targeted the Father for love. Why does it matter if we know it, unless you want us to follow your example to peace? You don't escape into melancholy thoughts about the beauty of the day or the beauty of the place. You simply know there is a Father worth loving beyond all else, a Father in heaven whose name is holy, a Father who sent you to us to tell us all about him.
Lord, when I think of you, I am not afraid. When I think of your yearning for the Father, my heart is joyful. When I think of our Father, I think of him who gave more than his life by giving you up. His sacrifice of you, Jesus, is even greater than the sacrifice of himself. You he loved beyond all others. You he would protect from every harm. For you he would lay down his own life, if only he could. He would do anything to spare you, but he could not do this without losing us, his other beloved children. Neither he nor you could stop it, Lord, else the sacrifice would be lessened, and we would be lost forever.
We cannot attain this love, Lord. It is too high. We cannot do it. We can more easily give up our own lives to sacrifice than those whom you've given to us as beloved family. Only our heavenly Father, who filled you with peace at approaching death, can do it. Only the Father, whom you knew so well, could take away your fear of the cross. Amen.
"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way."
COMMENTARY
The peace that comes from God is given. It cannot be attained in any other way. This is one of the distinctive characteristics of God's peace. It cannot be earned or seized. It is a gift. The fearful or troubled heart is a heart in need of a gift, not a task. It's a heart that needs to be opened, not burdened with guilt or duty. Peace, as given by Christ, is his accomplishment in us, not our attainment of him.
Jesus was in the flesh when he spoke: "The Father is greater than I." All that Jesus does he does to convince the world, not the Father, that he loves the Father beyond all else, and bids us do the same. After the resurrection, full unity with the Father was restored, and there is no recognized superiority of one person of the Trinity over another.
PRAYER
Peace, Lord, you promise to give peace. You tell us not to be afraid, not to be upset, yet we wallow in fear every day. Our imaginations tell us to be afraid. They create monster scenarios for ourselves and for those we love. Our imaginations conjure up devastation upon devastation, and we are robbed of peace.
Lord, what shall we do with such vivid fear? Sometimes our prayers become pleas for deliverance from foes that don't even exist, except in our minds. Our days are spent insuring against all kinds of disaster. We walk like a wounded animal being hounded. We wonder when the terror moment will come to us. We have no confidence in this world of woes.
When you talk about "peace," Lord, you are talking about going to the Father. When you promise to give peace, you make it clear that it's different from the world's peace. You have your eyes in another realm, your ears tuned to another's voice, your heart in the embrace of a Father more loving than imagination can create.
Lord, you want the world to know you love the Father. Why do you want the world to know this? More than anyone else, you alone have targeted the Father for love. Why does it matter if we know it, unless you want us to follow your example to peace? You don't escape into melancholy thoughts about the beauty of the day or the beauty of the place. You simply know there is a Father worth loving beyond all else, a Father in heaven whose name is holy, a Father who sent you to us to tell us all about him.
Lord, when I think of you, I am not afraid. When I think of your yearning for the Father, my heart is joyful. When I think of our Father, I think of him who gave more than his life by giving you up. His sacrifice of you, Jesus, is even greater than the sacrifice of himself. You he loved beyond all others. You he would protect from every harm. For you he would lay down his own life, if only he could. He would do anything to spare you, but he could not do this without losing us, his other beloved children. Neither he nor you could stop it, Lord, else the sacrifice would be lessened, and we would be lost forever.
We cannot attain this love, Lord. It is too high. We cannot do it. We can more easily give up our own lives to sacrifice than those whom you've given to us as beloved family. Only our heavenly Father, who filled you with peace at approaching death, can do it. Only the Father, whom you knew so well, could take away your fear of the cross. Amen.
