"I Lay Down My Life"
-Jesus-
This week, as we approach Resurrection Sunday, I am sharing writings related to the cross. This one is by me.
Jesus was in the Upper Room with the Eleven, Judas had already walked into the darkness. The Lord knew what awaited him; the Garden, Pilates Hall, Golgotha… Still, he said, “Rise, let us go from here.” (John 14:31)
That simple command sounds, at first, innocuous, without consequence or significance. It sounds akin to finishing dinner at Chili’s, pushing back from the table, stretching out your arms, and saying, “Well, I guess we ought to be going.”
But this was more. It was a willful step toward death, another movement in his march toward suffering and sacrifice. He was choosing again to lay down his life for his sheep.
He knew what awaited and did not seek to escape. He didn’t flee Jerusalem, find refuge in Bethany, or become an exile in Egypt. He went toward, not away from The Cross.
The time had come. The day toward which all the promises and purposes of God pointed had arrived. Jesus had come to do the will of God. He embraced it, he would drink the cup – all of it, he would willingly die.