S121P14 – The Savior’s many faces: the focused servant
Jn. 11:8-11
The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
Each morning he awoke to receive his master’s orders for the day. Most days, he would venture into the nearest village to the west to retrieve whatever was needed to run the house. Every now and then, his master would send him to the east to a village that was much farther away. The only way to get to that village was to take a trail that bordered enemy woodlands. Each time he ventured on that road, he encountered trouble of one kind or another. Each time he returned, he was battered and bruised. Yet, each time his master sent him there on a mission, he went willingly. What mattered to him was fulfilling the master’s request.
I try to imagine the look on Jesus’s face during this exchange with his disciples. They wanted him to avoid an area because the threat of stoning existed their. That was a huge deal to them, but that was such a minor concern compared to what Jesus ultimately would endure here. He had to be about his Father’s business, and He had a lot of work to do. Fear of the enemy could not be something that would stop him. He came purposely to engage the enemy, and He did that every day. His own preservation never was a concern. Every day’s focus was preserving the Father’s plan and fulfilling the promise of redemption. The Son served the Father exactly how it was required even if it meant placing himself in harm’s way.
Jesus was fearless, and by the world’s standards He had much to fear. He endured the unendurable, and He did that fully knowing what was ahead. He asked the Father to take that cup from him for a reason. He knew the pain ahead. It was no surprise. To Jesus, He just wanted to complete his work the way the Father needed it done. There was no other way, so He went through with everything He saw before him. To preserve the master’s work meant to allow himself to be laid waste. That is the stock we come from. Father, make us courageous and focused servants like your Son, willing to endure what is required to serve You.