Daily Thought for Monday, April 18th

April 18, 2011

His Last Week On Earth As A Man – Identifying With Jesus – Part Two

Feasts and Farewells

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

–         William Shakespeare

Today’s Thought:

”Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.” – Thomas Moore

“Where there is sorrow there is holy ground.” – Oscar Wilde

Today’s Question

Did you know, “Every heart has its secret sorrow which the world knows not: and oftentimes we call a man cold, when he is only sad?” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Today’s Spiritual Thought:

 “Who never ate his bread in sorrow,

Who never spent the darksome hours

Weeping and watching for the morrow

He know ye not, ye heavenly powers.”

- Geothe

“And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.  And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?  And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.  And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.  And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.  And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.  The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.  And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.  And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.  Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.  And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.  And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” – The Bible (Mark 14:13-27)

The end was drawing near and Jesus was spending the last moments with His disciples.

This meeting in the upper room would be the last time He would be with all twelve of the disciples.  After this night all of their lives would be forever changed.  And in the midst of this last meal; this last time of sharing, when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples: the betrayer in their midst was revealed.

Though Jesus was God in the flesh: He was also in every way like a man and I’m sure the thoughts of all the times they had shared and all the experiences they had together crossed His mind.  In this moment there must have been a mixture of joy and sorrow, happiness mixed with sadness.  For after this night nothing would ever be the same.  Eventually it would be better, but life as they had known it would soon be over.

We, like Jesus, in this situation often face moments of changes in life.  Whether it is moving away, moving on, a difficult parting due to irreconcilable differences in friendships, church affiliations or even family dynamics, there are many emotions and feelings to be dealt with.

Often times an event, such as a betrayal or a hurtful incident will forever change the dynamic of a relationship and often the thoughts and feelings associated with these tines are painful.  Just remember, Jesus was tempted in every way as you have been; He knows your pain, He feels your sorrow; He has been there before, and He is willing to help you through.

And often for us, just like in this instance with Jesus and His disciples, though things were about to change and bad was about to happen: better was just a few days away.

Today’s Verses:

Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

John 16:19-20

…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

                        Psalms 30:5(c)

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

                        James 4:8-10

Today’s Prayer:

Father, help me to remember that even though into every life a little rain must fall: the Son is always shining with love, understanding and compassion on my life.