Elder Leon Welch

The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. However, there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.) Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.” From that time on many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?”
John 6:63-67

These verses signal a strong call to loyalty and fidelity. While not directly a part of the crucifixion scene, they provide a foreshadowing of what was to come. Already, Jesus had begun to experience the pain and disappointment of being deserted. One by one, as the surrounding pressures mounted, the disciples took their exit. Jesus’ life and ministry had simply not been strong enough evidence for them. And even more discomforting was the fact that Jesus knew that his betrayer was among them.

In pondering these verses, I try to imagine what The Almighty must have felt. What kind of people are these? “I’ve loved them, healed them, fed them, and now am on my way to die for them.” I tell you, I cannot meditate on the journey to the cross without feeling a profound degree of sadness. But even so, acknowledging my frail and fragile humanity, I ask myself, would I have been the last man standing with The Lord? Because, in the end, there was no one left with Him. An old song we used to sing, put it this way:

 Were you there when they crucified my Lord;
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble…

I trust that reminders of poignant moments like these would call us to humility and intention in light of Christ’s inexplicable love for us.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, thank you for being the ultimate living definition of Love. Thank You for having drunk the bitter cup and for having gone the distance to save me. I give You back my love in meek adoration and I covet by Your grace to have the mind of Christ. Amen.