“Alone”

Friday, July 24, 2020

In life there are moments when we feel all alone.  There are a variety of reasons why we experience this feeling.  It could be because of betrayal, a terrible mistake, or a difference in moral living.  Again, there are many reasons for this feeling.

Jesus was no stranger to this feeling of loneliness. It appears that our Lord was no exception to these same feelings of loneliness along with the overwhelming experiences of life. Notice some of the more profound statements found in Isaiah 53:3  “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”   

 As we open up our Bibles to John 18 we notice that Jesus was betrayed, arrested, and accused falsely for things He did not do.  We know that it is one of His apostles (Judas) who betrayed Him in 18:2.  He is DENIED by one of those closest to Him (Peter) in John 18:15-18 and 25-27.  He is questioned and ultimately REJECTED by the religious

Establishment in 19-24 and sent bound to Pilate.  Pilate is the one person in the process who “finds no fault in Him” (John 19:4) and he is not even religious.  However, Pilate does not do the right thing but rather SENTENCES Him to death.  He is MOCKED and SCOURGED by the Roman soldiers in chapter 19:1-4.  He is finally CRUCIFIED in 19:17-24. 

There is no place as LONELY and cruel as the CROSS!! His experience at Calvary was unjust, horrible, embarrassing, and ultimately cruel!!  This helps me to understand why Jesus is our perfect example and motivation for life (1 Peter 2:21).

Jesus was PREPARED before the experience at Calvary.  He didn’t wait until that moment to try and figure it out or prepare Himself spiritually.  Rather, He prayed in the garden and walked with the Father anticipating a horrible event.  He was not overcome with fear but rather TRUSTED that His Father was bigger than any experience in this life. While He EXPERIENCED loneliness He was not overcome with it.  

We must be reminded that we too will experience similar feelings, and tragedy but we are not to be overcome by them.  Remember,  “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:17-19 

Remember, when walking hand in hand with Jesus you are never alone!

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