Never Alone

 

Little children, I (Jesus) am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you: Where I am going, you cannot come. (John 13:33, BSB)

If we read only this verse from the passage in John, how would we feel? I would experience exclusion or grief. I would have no purpose in life. My reason for living would be gone. The power in life would cease. The world would devolve into chaos. Anarchy would occur. People would search for God aimlessly, with no purpose.

Jesus said this to fishermen, a tax collector, a thief, a doubter, and his closest of friends—Peter, John, and James. How would it impact you if your friend, teacher, mentor, and brother expressed he would not see or spend time with you anymore?

These men would not see Jesus in the immediate future. Jesus had planned to put their relationship on the ultimate level. He was not ending his relationship with them, but changing it. Jesus was changing it to be an everlasting relationship.

“To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

Are you seeking God? He said you will find Him if you seek for Him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Jesus said if you seek me, you will find me (Matthew 7:7).

Yes, Jesus went away, but then he returned after his resurrection from death. He never leaves us. Even when Jesus ascended to heaven, he did not utterly and permanently leave. He put his Holy Spirit within each believer and gave us the promise of his return.

At that time, Jesus was going to endure torture, crucifixion, and death. It surpassed even that. Death did not end his story. He arose from death in the tomb and returned to life. Nobody could go there and do that. Jesus made promises to always be with us, never leaving or forsaking humanity.

Where do you stand? Do you sense God has forsaken you to struggle through life? Are you burdened by sins and sense a significant weight on your heart and spirit? Do you sense anything except for loneliness? The glorious victory and truth are we are never alone. Jesus is as close as our next breath, our next heartbeat, or our next thought. Breathe out saying YAH—breathe in saying WEH. His name means I AM.

God is always. He has always been present, before and during time. And there never will be a time when you are alone. You are not alone. Breathe again and call him again. He is waiting for you. Seek him. All who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved and never be alone (Romans 10:13).

Intercession Regardless

He Himself bore the sin of many and interceded for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12c [NASB]

This verse stands in stark contrast to how we would act after experiencing what Jesus did. Consider the verses before it. Isaiah prophesied in chapter 53 truths that occurred during Jesus’ life.

Isaiah said the Messiah grew up from parched land. This land was Judah a land of God’s chosen people who chose not to obey Him nor worship Him exclusively. Though Jesus lived in Judah, He carried no great stature among people. He was not a king or leader of the people according to their ways of life.

Isaiah continued with verses three and four by saying the people despised the Messiah and turned their back on Him. They considered Him contemptible and worthless. What He said did not matter to the Israelites and so they rejected Him. The people of Israel considered the Messiah as having no value for their lives and so forsook Him. Because of this, Jesus suffered and grieved for His pain and the people’s loss, the loss of relationship and salvation from God. The Messiah bore their sorrows and carried them, yet the Israelites considered Him someone whom God struck and afflicted, not One who took their punishments. They considered Him a heretic and an outcast.

Yet, Isaiah said, this Messiah was pierced for the sin, the rebellion against God, of the Israelites and the people of the world. He was contrite and shattered for their guilt. Jesus was broken-hearted for the people and broken-bodied on the cross because of the sin and guilt of people. He received the stripes, wounds, and bruises of the punishment for us so we could receive healing, and cleansing from our guilt and sins. So that none of us could say he didn’t cause the Messiah to die for them, Isaiah expressly pointed out we all, like sheep, have gone astray; we’ve wandered away from God and gone our own ways. Still, because of God’s great love for us, the sins and guilt of all of us fell on Him; Jesus bore them all for us.

Isaiah explained what happened to Jesus. He said He was oppressed, bowed down, and humbled, but He did not cry out, “Foul play,” or demand to be released. Instead, the Messiah walked like a meek lamb to His death. He did not demand a retrial, but bore the pain of our punishment because of His love for us. The oppression and judgment that was ours Jesus took and was led away to die.

While He laid aside His glory and majesty to be born as a man and suffer the indignities, judgment, and punishments from men, Jesus also was consigned to humiliation in death. The judges made Him die as a wicked man, consigned the worse form of death penalty reserved for the evilest people. The people humiliated the Messiah in life and death.

Still, God was pleased and delighted to break His Son, making Him to bear grief. He was pleased to do this so He would see His children. The Lord would increase the days of His people and His will would occur. Jesus humbled Himself to become a man, suffer persecution and infamy, and die as an evil person. It would enable God’s plan for His people to be with Him forever. Through the anguish and trouble of the Messiah, God’s judgment of the people would be satisfied. Because of the knowledge and wisdom of Jesus, God’s serving Son, who served both people and the Father, many would receive justification, cleansing and righteousness, through His carrying their burden of sin and guilt.

Because of all this what did Jesus do?  

·         Grew and lived in a parched land

·         Lived humbly as a man with no power or glory

·         Lived despised, considered worthless, and rejected by people

·         Knew sorrows and grief

·         Bore our grief, afflictions, pain, and sorrow

·         Became considered as a sinner stricken by God

·         Received our death punishment of sword, nail, and cross

·         Accepted the oppression and afflictions by people without crying out His personal innocence

·         Took the title of outcast as He was led outside the city gates

·         Died the worst death, that of a wicked man upon a cross

·         Bore the weight and punishment the sins and guilt of people

·         Received God’s pleasure

And despite what people did to Him, He interceded for the transgressors and continues to intercede for us. Jesus taught His followers to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you in Matthew 5:44. He lived this out on earth and does it in heaven now.

This last statement of Isaiah 53 is important. Even though people and their sins caused the need for a sin sacrifice to cleanse us from our sins, Jesus interceded for us. Before He died and with His death, He interceded for us with God. Since His death, Jesus intercedes for us while sitting at the right hand of God. Paul stated this in Romans 8:34 when he said, “Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” [NASB] Intercede means to plead for us, to supplicate or petition. Jesus petitions God for us for our salvation, needs, and forgiveness. Who of us, if we faced the inhumanity to the extreme Jesus did, would pray to God begging Him for mercy for the people who tormented, oppressed, and persecuted us? Yet that is what Jesus did and does for us even today. Isaiah told us of what the Jews would do to Jesus and expressed why Jesus came to live as a man on earth. This shows God’s great love for us even while we were/are sinners.

Isaiah closed this chapter of prophecy about the fore-coming Messiah by reminding the Israelites how great is God’s love for them. Even though they persecuted, oppressed, and killed His body, Jesus interceded for them to the Father in heaven to help them and us, and not to give us what any of us deserves. That is love! God gives us what we don’t deserve. Jesus pleads our cause even though we struck Him with our transgressions.

What greater love is there than God’s love!

Our love cannot compare to His.

“The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5b [NASB]

Lord, thank you for reminding me of my sin against You. Thank you for forgiving me each of my sins as I repent of them. Please help me remember how great Your love is that you would die for me and continue to plead for me with the Father. I do not deserve Your love, yet You give it anyway. Help me to live as Jesus did and pray for my enemies and those who I consider unworthy of help from You. Thank you for Your love. Amen.