By: Luke

Read: Exodus 30:11-31:18, Matthew 26:47-68, Psalm 32:1-11, Proverbs 8:27-32

Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?
(Matthew 26:53-54)

Relate: While painting, it often feels like stepping into an unfamiliar and unfriendly environment. Especially as a less experienced traditional artist, it sometimes feels like once you place a stroke of paint onto the canvas, there is no longer a way out. This principle is only amplified the further into the painting you go. Once you’ve already gotten started, the only thing to do is go all in. This can be difficult, especially if you just finished rendering a specific part of the subject, and need to move on to the next element. 

It sometimes feels like there’s no way out. As if, the only way for you to prevent the risks is to give up now. To put a pause on the project and leave it as it is. You’ve already made so much progress, and the parts you did finish look great, so why risk ruining it by taking the next step? Of course, you must take that step, no matter how scary it may be, because if you don’t then the entire purpose of the painting is useless. What use is an incomplete subject? A painting of a face with no eyes, or a pot with no flowers? Those risky next steps are a required part of the process because it’s the only way to fulfill that masterpiece. 

React: Jesus was put in a difficult situation. It had come time for him to be arrested and then crucified. The finale of his work would cost him his life. The Roman guards had already arrived, and Judas had already betrayed him. Jesus had already done so much coming up to that point. He had healed so many. He shared the truth to so many. Now His masterpiece was almost complete. But that final step was the most daunting of all since it would result in his death, and he knew this. He knew that he was still the Son of God, and that He could back out if He really wanted to. He could abandon His project, step back from the finish line and be safe from the immediate danger. Like He said, twelve legions of angels could swarm down and protect Him and strike down all the Roman guards. But that would prevent the completion of the piece. The fulfillment of the Scriptures relied on Him. So he took that step and died for all our sins. He completed his masterpiece on the cross, and when He finally saved all of humanity from the clutches of sin, He finished the purpose of His work.

Respond:

Dear God,
Thank you for going through with what you were going to do. Even though you could’ve left us, your overwhelming love for us caused you to make the ultimate sacrifice, for us who didn’t deserve it. Thank you for being so merciful to me, so loving to me, that you would deny an easy way out just to save me. Let me remain thankful for your love every day.
Amen