Serving others as disciples of Jesus Christ

“Of course God knows everything – past, present and future!”, we might respond. But consider just what that means for us. The beginning of the Gospel of John (the Prologue) considers this unfathomable reality when he states the realities of Jesus taking on our hu-manity: “in Him was life and the life was the light of all people…. The world came into being through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept Him!” (John 1)

BEFORE Jesus entered our human scene, a nearly eternal conflict between light and darkness, life and death, God‟s goodness and human sin was already in place. God knew that sending Jesus in our likeness would bring this conflict to such a tumultuous conclusion that His death would be a foregone conclusion. In many places, the Scriptures speak of God‟s foreknowledge of this outcome. Hebrews suggests that this “sacrifice” was inevitable (Hebrews 10:1-10)

To think that God KNEW and still acted in Redemptive Love; still carried forth His plan despite the dire consequences. Does this not deepen, beyond our understanding, the passionate love with which God has pursued us from of old? Consider that God didn’t simply make the best of an unexpected tragedy, but KNEW the consequence and, moved by His eternal, steadfast love, continued the plan for our salvation. It almost seems reckless from the human side as we ponder the magnitude of the conflict and the gravity of the sacrifice. Yet, such a breathtaking conception of God’s love is entirely accurate, the Scripture tells us. In one of his better known hymns, Charles Wesley penned the enraptured response of the soul upon whom this reality settles: “O Love Divine, what hast Thou done! The immortal God hath died for me! The Father‟s co-eternal Son bore all my sins upon the tree. The immortal God for me hath died: my Lord, my Love, is crucified!”

Yes, God KNEW! All that is left, as both words and actions fail, is to relinquish ourselves this Lenten season to such incomprehensible LOVE!