ASTOUNDING MESSAGE

John 17:23 NIV I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

The supper table was laid, the lamb was ready for the Passover meal to be eaten. The disciples were reclining on cushions, all listening as Jesus began to explain the terrible things that were about to happen to Him, and the astounding message of the love God has for each and every one of us. 

We find it hard to imagine that a holy God could love us as much as He loves Jesus and yet Jesus says it is so!

In John 13:34 Jesus tells them of His love and in almost the next breath He tells Peter he will deny Him three times before the cock crowed, but then immediately goes on to say, John 14:1 NKJV “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” I think our hearts would have been troubled! 

Even though He knew Peter would deny Him, it didn’t alter His love, and commands them, and us, to love each other the way He loves them.

For us, reading this account 2,000 years later, we can be so encouraged to know that even though we may have let the Lord down in some way, He still loves us, He still has a plan and purpose for our lives. God never writes us off as useless, or too far gone, because of what Jesus did at the Cross.

Jesus goes on and tells them He’s going to prepare a place for them, because He wanted them to be with Him, even though He knew they would all desert Him before morning. He says the same thing to us, even knowing the worst about us, He wants us to be with Him. Doesn’t that just make you love Him all the more?

As Jesus takes the bread and wine, even in the face of the crucifixion and all it would require of Him, His focus was not on Himself but on others, on those of us who would believe because of their witness.

What a Saviour and how great the Father’s love. May our hearts overflow in gratitude and thanksgiving today. Amen.😊

Photo: Rey Proenza at Unsplash