Take Me

John 18:1-24

“”I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.”” John 18:8-9

How reliable is Jesus? If we are going to follow Him, what assurance do we have that we can count on Him? The very way of life shows us repeatedly that we just can’t trust anyone completely. Very few friends remain with us throughout life, and even family relationships can prove to be fickle. There are various reasons why we abandon others, and why others walk away from us. Sometimes we fail to live up to the expectations of others. Many relationships are just....hard, and we conclude that it just isn’t worth the effort.

As we look at Jesus, think if you will on what He mindfully walked into in order to keep His own. He’s is rapidly approaching the very end of His life as He willingly surrenders to Judas’ mob. When faced with this level of danger, people generally have one of two instincts that prevail – fight, or flight. Peter and the disciples gallantly demonstrated both. Peter’s first call was to draw the sword, and once he learned that this wasn’t the way of Christ, chose to flee. If fighting isn’t an option, then it’s time to run.

Jesus did neither and we are told why He willingly offered Himself over to be tortured and killed. He did this so that He wouldn’t lose any of His own. I believe this quality about Him deserves at least two responses: 1. Admiration for who He is. 2. Something to call us to.

Admiration for Jesus

A decent person might lay down his or her life for someone they love. At times we find the courage to surrender all for something bigger than ourselves, such as our nation or even a great cause. Christ offered up His life not for some great people, but for the deserters, even the very coward who couldn’t bring himself to be identified with Him. That is the sort of devotion He has for His own, for each of us if we would let it be so. This selfless quality deserves our gratitude and devotion.

Something to Call us To

Here we are given a different way to approach life itself. Maybe you don’t even want this. In a world where we generally fight or leave, here we see what it looks like to endure through hardship. I’m a flight kind of guy. When things get hard in my life, my first compulsion is to give up and move on.

I believe our world generally sees more value in standing up and fighting for what you believe in. We fight for our causes. We fight for our rights. We fight to have our country our way. I don’t even know what our world would look like if we stopped fighting.

The model Jesus gives us should be one worth aspiring to. He willingly laid down His life not only for His own, but the whole world if they would receive it. His was a way of love, commitment and sacrifice. What do you do with that?