Rejoice!

On more than one occasion, Jesus blew the minds of the crowds who clamored in to hear Him speak. His messages and miracles found huge followings hearing preaching of the Kingdom as well as people being healed of various afflictions.
However, it was with the religious leaders of His day who really proved themselves unworthy to receive His challenging truths.

You know how you can think back on a memorable event and feel as if you're almost reliving it? Colors, tastes, smells, they all come flooding back. The more recent the event, the easier it is to relive with clarity. Also, you can plan an event with such specificity, that your mind is able to almost embrace the experience even though it hasn't happened yet. As great as reflection and anticipation are, they evidence the limitations of the linear mind.

What if your mind was eternal, like Christ's? Omniscient and unbound by linear thought in regards to past or future? Whether an event occurred millennia ago, or having yet to occur, its all the same and there's no temporal difference in reflecting on one over the other. John 8 speaks of a situation where Jesus is talking to the Pharisees in the temple, just after the woman caught in adultery was spared from being stoned by His well known statement,

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Much later in the Chapter as Jesus and the Pharisees go back and forth about His origin and authority, the subject of their lineage through Abraham comes up.
After a little more dialogue, Jesus makes a mind-blowing statement recorded as verse 56

" Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad."
They were undone: Abraham was long dead. Christ hadn't died yet. And He's speaking of a future event in past tense.
Yet I'm convinced that when He reflected on the rejoicing of "His day", I bet in real time, His mind could look around and take it all in: Everyone who's there and their particular, personal rejoicing at the Victory and glorification of The Son, that for us, has yet to come to pass, but surely will.
He sees Abraham. He sees his gladness, just like its already happened. For in His unbound mind, it has.

This leads me to my final thought: Later in the book of John, just after Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Roman Governor Pilate asks if Jesus is King of the Jews.

John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. I think His mind is reflecting again. He's well envisioned with His return, when He and His servants come to fight.

Notice that Christ says "now". That's for our sake. For our linear minds that await an eventuality; There is a time coming where Jesus' Kingdom will literally come to this world in all of its glory. He will come with His servants to fight and absolutely destroy all opposition to His authority and rule.

This trial before Pilate occurred early in the morning on Good Friday. We know the Bible stories and although we take note at the horrific nature of the crucifixion, we rightly internalize it as the tragedy that we deserved for our sin but absolutely could not pay. We reflect on the truth of Scripture that says

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Good Friday is where we begin to build the momentum. Sunday is on the way, where we proclaim "He is Risen", quickly responded with "He is risen, indeed".
In Friday's reflection of the payment for our rebellion, we anticipate Sunday's redemption. Victory in Christ. In Friday's horrible scene of His rejection, we look forward to Sunday's rejoicing!

I'm grateful. I don't think we'll ever forget the great cost poured out by the Father and His Christ to purchase our salvation. Even when this age has been long past for billions upon billions of years, our rejoicing will be just as rich in appreciation for our Christ.


In Him,
Cros