Thought for the Month - November 2016

"Running away" by Barry Adair
(They all left Him and fled)

I can't remember the exact reason but I do remember running away from home at least once. OK, I say "running away" but I only ever got to the far end of the adjacent park. I was only 5 or 6 and was too scared to go any further. I hadn't even taken anything to eat with me. Forward planning wasn't my strong point back then. So when I got hungry a few hours later, I put aside the particular petty problem with my parents and headed back home for fish fingers and chips!

I thought again about my running away attempt after a couple of recent events. One of which was after reading the story of the 7 year old Japanese boy who went missing for almost a week. Perhaps you saw it on the news? The boy had been put out of his parents' car as a punishment and the Mum and Dad then drove off! But when they returned a few minutes later their young son had run off into the dense forest. They and the Japanese rescue services searched frantically for days and thankfully the young boy turned up alive a well almost a week later. There was a tearful re-union and a lot of soul searching by the parents!

As I thought about the above news story my mind turned to an infamous account of 'running away' many years ago. I thought of the friends and disciples of Jesus who ran away from Him at His betrayal and subsequent arrest. If you remember, Jesus was with Peter, James and John in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem that particular night. Judas had arrived with a "bunch of heavies", sent by the Chief Priests to arrest Jesus, as told in all of the Gospels (e.g. Mark 14). And as I read the Bible passages again, one damning verse jumped out at me…

"And they all left Him and fled." (Mark 14:50)

Not only did those disciples leave Him but they left Him in haste. They ran away. Jesus was at a definite low point and could have used His friends around Him. Jesus was going through mental torture as He wrestled with what lay ahead and had asked the disciples to keep watch there in the garden. I was able to visit the Garden of Gethsemane a few years ago and still remember all the gnarled and twisted old olive trees. It was as if they were recalling the agony that our Lord Jesus went through prior to His betrayal and arrest that night.

We may feel like lambasting those disciples for not staying at Jesus' side that night, but let's be honest, who of us would have stayed? It probably would have meant receiving the same beating and scourging meted out to Jesus. It could even have ended in crucifixion beside the Lord Jesus. As I thought about Jesus being on His own, it did remind me of one thing - ONLY Jesus could have endured what He endured. The physical torture was bad enough but we will never know the extent of the mental and spiritual torture He went through. And He did it for all those who will ultimately 'bow the knee' and humbly confess their sin and unworthiness to God the Father.

If you are running away from the inherent truth of your own unworthiness before God can I encourage you to accept this as fact? The Bible is clear on this point…

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Rom 3:23)

"THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE." (Rom 3:12)

But please take a step further. Also accept the fact that Jesus died for your unworthiness, for your failings, for your sin. Jesus didn't run. Read the account of the intense anguish He went through in Gethsemane and then at Calvary. No one else would have stayed the course. He took the anguish, the beatings, the humiliation, a tortuous death on the cross and all our sin laid on Him.

Still want to run? Run to Jesus. Run to Him now.

And He will accept you, warts and all!

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:4-5)

Beneath the cross of Jesus
I find a place to stand,
And wonder at such mercy
That calls me as I am;
For hands that should discard me
Hold wounds which tell me, "Come."
Beneath the cross of Jesus
My unworthy soul is won.

Until next month (DV)…

Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!