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Before He Went Away, Part 13

Rise, let us be going.

Matthew 26;46 NKJV

Easter is just around the corner. Hopefully, this blog series has both encouraged you and prepared you to celebrate our Lord's resurrection with joy and meaning. I'm Elizabeth Baker and it has been my privilege to share with you these past few weeks.

For this quarter we’ve looked at the last hours before the crucifixion of Christ using the book of John as our source. But John’s wasn’t the only gospel to record the event. Today we look at Matthew and find what may have been Jesus’ last statement before the soldiers came to the garden.

When the Passover supper was finished, those present retired to Gethsemane, a garden, where weary disciples stretched out and fell asleep while Jesus agonized in prayer. Twice he woke them and asked them to join him in prayer. Three times he found them sleeping. The last time he approached slumbering men he woke them, but didn’t request prayer. Jesus no longer appears to be in agony but resolved as he nudges them awake with the words, “Rise, let us be going.”

Jesus didn’t wait for the soldiers to find him. He didn’t hide in the shadows. Instead, he woke the sleeping men and stepped out to face the coming tragedy. As a young child he had told Mary and Joseph that he needed to be about the business of his heavenly Father. [1] As a man on a mission he told both friend and enemy that every day he was actively involved in following his Father’s direction. [2] And, on this last night as soon as it settled in his heart that God’s plan was leading through the cross not around it, he didn’t hesitate . The will of the Father was forward, so he walked out the meet the situation head on.

It can be a good pattern to follow. Years ago as a counselor on staff with a large church our pastor advised the leadership, “Go out and meet trouble. When you know it is coming, don’t wait. Proactively face what can’t be avoided.” Many times I’ve been grateful for the wise counsel; I’ve followed it personally in a dozen different situations, and often taught the principle to clients who came to my office.

If a financial crisis is coming, make calls and talk about budget changes before insolvency pushes things to a crisis. If your kid is drifting into dangerous relationships, bring up the subject sooner rather than later. If a situation at work looks suspicious, discuss it with proper authorities or begin documentation now. If family tensions are building but no one wants to expose the elephant in the living room, volunteer and speak up. While no advice can be universally applied, going out to meet trouble is a life management tool that seldom fails.

The Christian life is dependent. We wait on God; we draw our strength from him. We are branches, nothing more. But the Christian life is NOT passive. There are enemies to be faced. Battles to be won. Years of a long obedience in a single direction to be faithfully executed. Spiritual sloth and sleeping are not on the agenda. Just as with the disciples that last fateful night, Jesus often stirs us from slumber calling, “Rise, let us be going.”

[1] Luke 2:49 [2] Matthew 26:39; John 5:30

Before He Went Away, Part 11

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

John 15:12

I trust your Monday is going well. This is Elizabeth Baker with a few encouraging words for what is sometimes thought of as the worst day of the week! However, a few words from Jesus can often turn that attitude around; especially when he talks about love.

Although some instinct for loving seems to be biologically programmed, our primary source for learning love is by example. Instinct may draw us to love our children, but watching other mothers interacting with their offspring enables us to work out those instincts in practical ways.

Instinct is important; instruction is important. But it’s the repeated exposure to example that gives our love roots of stability and wings of action. Jesus knew this and more than once pointed followers to his own example of love. In fact, when it came to love, he not only led by example, He commanded that we follow his steps.

Hundreds of examples of Jesus’ love could be cited, but four particular samples have touched me during this study of John. He loved by humble service. He loved by holding a position of authority. He loved by sharing his heart. And, he loved by the example of proactive courage.

Attention is often given to the humble service Jesus showed when he took a basin and towel and washed the disciple’s feet. The moment of him kneeling before Peter has been extolled through sculpture and pictures, songs and poetry. Every time Jesus spoke of doing the will of the Father, he was giving us an example of love’s humble service. He said the very reason he came was to do the will of his Father. [1] Forty-five times in the book of John, Jesus spoke of the Father’s will and most of those references were to his obedience and delight in doing it.

Yet, the humble service of love was not his only example. Jesus also demonstrated how to accept and use high position and authority. As soon as he completed the task of foot-washing, Jesus put back on his robe and sat at the most honored place of the table. He said, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well for so I am.” [2] This, too, is an example of love. Love accepts the responsibility of rank without shirking its weight.

There was also a personal, tender side of his love. There was much within the heart of the Master that was beyond the capability of the disciples to understand. [3] But that didn’t stop him from reaching out to share his heart. He spoke of his love, his sorrow, his frustration, his desires [4] and much, much more.

But perhaps the strongest, clearest, most consistent example he left of how love behaves was in the timing of it all. Love moves first, rather than waiting for the object of affection to move. He loved us from the foundation of the earth. He came to sacrifice for us before we cared about him. We love, because he first loved us. [5]

One of the last commands Jesus gave was that we love one another and following His example, we are blessed with a very clear path showing how to make that loving real.

[1] John 6:38 [2] John 13:13; John 17 [3] John 16:12 [4] John 15:12; Matthew 26:38; Luke 12:50 [5] I John 4:19

Before He Went Away, Part 8

Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full

John 16:24

Greetings, Elizabeth Baker is writing to you on a stormy night surrounded by the welcome sounds of rain. It’s the perfect night for reflecting on some of the astounding promises Jesus left for our encouragement and, although they sometime contain an element of mystery, these promises offer much more comfort than a drought breaking rain.

A conundrum is sometimes defined as a riddle inside an enigma wrapped in a mystery. It’s also a fair description of more than one scripture that has challenged me through the years. Like today’s verse on asking and receiving. I read it and immediately get lost in a tangled web of sentences that all start with but or what-if.

Yet, when the journey of reason becomes so convoluted I think I may never find my way back, I take a tip from an atheist who’s writing I have always admired. Mark Twain said, “It ain’t the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me. It’s the parts I do!” If I’ll back off and focus on what I know instead of getting lost down rabbit holes, life—and scripture—make a lot more sense.

For this verse, what I know is when I ask Jesus for something and receive it, the cycle is a whole lot of fun!

I was going through a particularly wearisome time of spiritual dryness. I had just finished one book and was casting about trying to envision the next, but nothing was working and I drifted into such a slough of despond that I wasn’t sure I cared if I ever wrote again. Too much hard work. Too little reward. God had many excellent writers in His fold. He didn’t need me.

That was when I picked a prayer journal from the shelf and began thumbing through. I was amazed at how many victories had slipped by without my notice. Troubles had been solved. Growth had taken place. Moods had changed. And, all of it had progressed almost stealth through my days. Where had I been when that prayer was answered? Why didn’t I notice the cloudy mood I prayed about was lifted in less than seventy-two hours? I pulled down another journal. Forgotten memories surfaced like neglected friends. With such a body of evidence demonstrating that my efforts and choices made a difference in life, what gave me the right to think new dreams, new prayers and new horizons weren’t worth pursuing? The experience was like coming up from under water and taking a deep breath of fresh air. Just like Moses had assured the Israelites, remembering yesterday created courage for tomorrow. [1]

There are still many things I don’t understand about this verse. I haven’t got a clue how Jesus could give such a powerful blank check to humans who have a penchant for making unreasonable, selfish requests. I don’t understand why sometimes when Christians make perfectly logical, needed request; they don’t seem to receive from God. But I know I am a weaker, sadder person when I fail to grab hold and bask in the sunshine of each answered prayer no matter how small or large.

[1] Deuteronomy 7:18

Before He Went Away, Part 7

You have not chosen me but I have chosen you.

John 15:16 NKJV

This is Elizabeth Baker with you today, bringing a word of encouragement and sharing a verse that more than once pulled me from a pit. As writers we face a lot of rejection but knowing we have been chosen by Jesus can provide balance and joy.

Only hours before His crucifixion Jesus looked around at the men who for three-and-a-half years had given up everything to follow Him and said, “It is not that you have chosen me, but that I have chosen you.” This was not a statement minimizing their sacrifice but a truth to hold on to if they would weather the fast approaching storm.

Being chosen by Jesus, made them secure. Because He knew their past, nothing back there need haunt them. He saw it all from the beginning and chose them anyway.

Because He knew their present, He was never surprised or disappointed by their weakness. He knew their problems better than they did and He chose them anyway.

Because He knew their future, no sin they might commit, no failure, no laziness or anger or misconception on their part would ever make Him turn away. He knew these things from the beginning and He chose them anyway.

But there was more.

Being chosen meant that Jesus had a goal in mind for their life. They were chosen to bear fruit. They would never drift without purpose or direction. If in the future they felt their life was going nowhere or wondered about the meaning of it all, they could rest. He had picked them for a purpose and He will not let that purpose fall flat.

Yet, above the security and purpose involved in being chosen, there was one more privilege that outshone them all. Because they were chosen, they had direct access to God the Father. As the fruit of character and life grew inside them, they would know more what it meant to ask “in Jesus name.” Using that name, they would ask and asking, they would receive.

Remembering that He had chosen them would provide security and courage in the dark hours just ahead. It was a solid rock in the coming storm.

And, it can also be a rock for us. After all, we’ve been chosen, too.

Before He Went Away, Part 6

These things I command you, that you love one another.

John 15:17 NKJV

Greetings from the piney woods of East Texas! I’m Elizabeth Baker with a word of encouragement of your Monday.

As a writer, I notice things like verb tenses and plural nouns and misplaced modifiers. I suppose that’s why it jarred me a bit when I realized I had read John 15:17 hundreds of times and never noticed the plurality of “things” and the singleness of “love.” While grammatically correct, I found the contrast curious. How was this statement different than Jesus’ statement in verse twelve when He said His “commandment” (singular) was for His disciples to love one another?

A singular command would have been enough. No questions. No room for argument. Just do it. But in this verse Jesus refers to many commands. It is as though He said, “Look at it all. Listen to it all. Follow it all, and learn to love.” Part of “all” were surely the His examples for these were how He demonstrated the commands at work in everyday life.

 When it comes to love, one of the most powerful examples had occurred only hours earlier. The disciples had been arguing on the road to Jerusalem. They maneuvered for position and split into fractions. Who was the most important? Who deserved the greatest honor? Their actions were anything but loving.

 For three and a half years their Master had talked of love, but these hard-headed humans didn’t seem to get it. So, when they got to where they were going, He demonstrated love. He took off his robe, wrapped a towel around His waist and one by one washed their feet. He was their servant. He loved them by putting them first.

Love is an attitude. Love is a pliable nature and humble spirit. It isn’t enough to observe a commanded action then check it off the list. Love is a habit; a way of life. Love makes the way easy for someone else. Love offers humble service. It is many things we do; many things we say.

February is a month of love with a celebration of romantic love right in the middle. In America, we celebrate love by giving flowers and cards and candy while retailers make a profit. This is not bad. Romantic love should be celebrated. But a far more true and accurate celebration of real love occurs when a weary mother puts her own need for rest aside and feeds a baby. Love is celebrated when a wealthy businessman resist the temptation to expand his marketing in order to give a bonus to the workers. Love takes flight when a spouse sticks with a difficult marriage believing it’s best for the children.

No wonder Jesus used a plural noun. Expressions of love are as varied as human experience. Every command He gave, every example He left, are all ways of loving and much, much more. Anytime one person puts their own comfort, benefit, desires aside in order to lift another up, there is love. It is the essence of “these things” as Jesus commanded.

Before He Went Away, Part 5

Peace  leave with you, My peace I give to you.

 John 14:27 NKJV

Good Monday morning, from Elizabeth Baker.

While it could be argued that Jesus left many gifts on earth, two seem especially fitting as gifts of remembrance and were given on His last night. The first gift was the ceremony of Communion. All Christians are familiar with this great gift. Yet, a second gift was given a short time later but we seldom think about this gift even though it is commonly experienced. The Message puts it clearly when it translates John 14:27, “That’s my parting gift to you. Peace.”

Parting gifts serve as reminders. A ring or scarf or letter held in the hand becomes a trigger making yesterday new and fresh again. These kinds of gifts are loving, common, and even needed if the absence is going to be long.

It’s not surprising that as Jesus prepared to leave this world, he thought of parting gifts and left two special ones behind. As the disciples touched each one, they experienced his love new and fresh. So do we.

Before He Went Away, Part 4

 I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.

John 14:18 NKJV

From the rolling hills of East Texas, Elizabeth Baker, is writing with a word of encouragement for your Monday as we continue our survey of Jesus’ last hours.

Some writers have identified the torment of hell as total isolation. [1] Drifting forever completely cut off from others and from God. Alone. Always and forever, alone. Conversely, the promise of Jesus is to come to us [2] dwell with us [3] and never, never leave us alone. [4] His very name is Immanuel: God with us! [5]

The contrast between these two concepts is startling and given a choice we wonder why anyone would ever choose loneliness? But we do.

Before He Went Away, Part 3

If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:15 NKJV

Hi! Elizabeth Baker, here, with a word of encouragement for your Monday. The New Year is racing on with days flying and politicians talking about change. Maybe they are right. Change can be good. But when it comes to living the Christian life, some of the best habits are old ones. The best habit I ever developed came to me years ago through the ministry of a blue, plastic box and I hope it never changes.

I was at a point in my life when children and trouble finally sanded through my youthful veneer of Christian slogans. With tears and curses I concluded the Christian life was not just difficult; it was impossible. Sins kept sticking to me like globs of black tar. The situation might have proved desperate had it not been for a cheap, blue, plastic radio.

I can still hear them in my head: J. Vernon McGee; Theodore Epp, Billy Graham. They pointed the way to a clean life and I wanted desperately to follow. Although I was hundreds of miles from family, isolated in a farm house and surrounded by the boredom of babies and endless chores, the voices from the blue box offered something I desperately needed: hope.

Before He Went Away, part 1

Let not your hearts be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:1 NKJV 

Hello, from East Texas. This is Elizabeth Baker hoping to share a bit of encouragement with fellow writers as we explore what many call, The Upper Room Discourse. From now through Easter, this blog will highlight scattered fragments of what Jesus said in those last few hours before his death. I trust we’ll find fresh insight to the promises he shared with his disciples that night and our hope will grow one step stronger.

Last minute instructions. Goodbye endearments. Farewell speeches. Final words before death. We place a lot of value on what someone says in their last moments with us. The pressure of parting brings important things to the surface while the extraneous is stripped away and the few things we really want others to remember take center stage. Therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised that John spent almost one forth of his gospel [1] describing the last six hours Jesus spent with those he loved before crucifixion tore them apart.

From sundown until just after midnight, Jesus shared his last meal with the disciples and took a walk with them through a garden. He must have had much on his mind, but two themes keep recurring in John’s record; assurance of his love and encouragement to trust God’s wisdom no matter how hopeless the situation might look from earth’s view.

Upper Room Discourse, Part 2

Whatever you ask in My name I will do it that the Father may be glorified.  John 14:13 (abridged)

Welcome to Monday! Elizabeth Baker with a word of encouragement for writers, and considering the importance of our task that is something we often need. When Christians take up word-craft we frequently find work influencing others. The responsibility can be a heavy mantle, especially when we find ourselves questioning our own spiritual walk. This is never more true than when we face the reality of “unanswered” prayers.

Before He went away, Jesus gave the astounding promise that we could ask anything we wanted—anything—in His name and He would do it. He even told us why He would grant our desires; because doing so would glorify the Father.

I know very few Christians who have not puzzled over this verse and some have fallen as they claimed what they believe to be a clear promise from Jesus, yet did not receive the thing they asked. I certainly don’t have the complete answers to this mystery, but a small light began to glimmer when I read the verse using a different name for God.