Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say— ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.” vs. 27
John 12:27-33
In John’s gospel the coming of the Greeks is a signal to Jesus that the end of his mission is near, and he knows that this will mean his crucifixion. While it may seem that this is all part of the plan and that all things are going as he expected, we should not imagine that this was easy for Jesus. It was a troubling time, and he knew that it would be protracted, difficult, and painful. From his human perspective he undoubtedly wished that there was some way that he could get out of it, that perhaps God had an alternate plan, and he could avoid the agony that was to come. But of course there was no other way–and he had no option but to finish his mission. Sometimes that’s just the way it is, and even though we know what is coming, there’s no way to avoid the inevitable. Many have such feelings as they advance in age and begin to see signs that there will be both physical and mental decline in the years to come. That’s a hard place to be in, and even though we’ve watched others begin to decline, it’s painful to realize that we’re heading down the same path. Somehow it feels good to know that this is all part of the plan, and when our mission is finished, Jesus will be there waiting!
Thought for the Day: How will I feel when decline begins?
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