The Spiritual Shift: Day #5 God The Son

                   Day #5 God–The Son, Jesus Christ

"So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them,
'Who is it you want?'
'Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied.
'I am he,' Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." ~John 18:3-6

Righting relationships is a little like course correcting when driving a vehicle; the driver makes subtle changes rather than doing a U-turn in the middle of the interstate.

So it is with realigning our spiritual lives. Our relationship with Jesus might be based on a few well-known facts of His existence or from our holidays: "Away in a Manger"--Jesus was born (Christmas); the cross--Jesus died and rose again (Easter). While these are important pieces of the story, there is so much more to the existence of Jesus, our Spiritual Brother.

The above verse reveals a portion of this, so let's go back and possibly do a little course correction in our view of Jesus. It is night in the Garden of Gethsemane; Judas and a large group arrive with a purpose. Their mission? They are to arrest Jesus under the cover of night. They arrive armed with torches and weapons. They see a small group (Jesus and his followers); Jesus speaks first, "Who are you looking for?"

"We want.--We are looking for--Jesus of Nazareth." (Many of the soldiers may not know of Jesus at all; some may have heard of him as the rabbi everyone is discussing. Above all, they know that they were given orders to complete the mission of arresting Jesus, and they were prepared to fulfill those orders.)

So, try to image the scene as this next part unfolds:

Jesus responds, "I am he."

"...they drew back and fell to the ground."

Wait. What? These soldiers had orders. Arrest Jesus. So, what happens when they find Jesus? They don't surge forward to complete the mission?---They drew back?--They fell to the ground?

Explanation? Philippians 2:10 may speak directly to this scene: "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."

Willingly or not...at the name of Jesus--every knee should bow. And that night they did.

Is this the Jesus you know? Let's uncover more.

Our routine:

Assessment: What is the current condition of my relationship with God, the Son?

• What is the purpose of this relationship?

• What is the state of this relationship? What is going well? What isn’t?

• What changes need to be made to this relationship?

Adjustment: Read and reflect on Bible verses. Yes, Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary. Yes, he died on the cross and was raised again. How much more is there to Jesus? Much, much more.

John 1:1-2, 14

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

John 3:16-17

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Luke 8:1a

"After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God."

John 16:27-28

“No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."

John 17:1-5

"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.'"

John 19:30

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

While Jesus' earthly mission did indeed finish here, the spiritual battle continued with His resurrection, and this spiritual battle continues today so that none may be lost.

Matthew 28:1-10

“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you.'

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. 'Greetings,' he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.'"

John 20:30-31

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Jesus. He is so much more than the manger and the cross. The recorded stories will leave you in awe; how unfathomable is the notion that there are many more such stories that were not recorded. Jesus truly is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Revelation 19:11-13, 16

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God...On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

From "In the beginning" to the last words of Revelation, Jesus is God; Jesus is our Redeemer.

Prayer: 

Almighty God, We believe. Guide us, Holy Spirit, to a better understanding of Jesus. Guide our faith. Help us to seek knowledge and an understanding of Jesus, our Savior. In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” ~Micah 6:8