καί ουκ ειμί μόνος - Yet I am not alone (John 16:32).
Towards the end of Jesus' public ministry He comes to a point of acknowledging that all His closest followers will abandon Him. Those who have heard His teaching, seen His miracles, and marveled at His prayer life will be scattered to their own homes and leave Jesus all alone.
Certainly there is a level of pain to be deserted by those you have invested so much in. The Lord had taught these men personally. He had slept out under the stars with them. He had eaten and drank with them on numerous occasions. He had done ministry together with these men. They had prayed together and discussed the Scriptures together. They witnessed Him walking on water, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk, and He even raised the dead. He could even raise men who were four days dead. Jesus not only did all of these things, but He was kind, loving, merciful, thoughtful, and the best friend they would ever have. Yet, at the hour of His deepest need they would scatter in fear of their lives. They would leave Him all alone.
How would Jesus respond to such treatment? How do we respond to such treatment? The common response is anger, hurt, disappointment, and a range of emotions that send many a soul into depression and anxiety. Many people look within themselves and try to figure out what they have done wrong. Others pour out anger upon the person who would desert them.
What means are used to deal with a time of desertion by the closest of friends or even family? Some will turn to eating food to comfort their emotions. Some will spend money and buy things that will supposedly give them happiness. Some will take a trip and simply try to get away in order to escape the pain. Some will curl up in a ball and pull the covers over their head in hopes that all will go away. Some turn to alcohol and drugs. Some turn to Prozac. Some will turn to Dr. Phil, Oprah, and the Ellen Degenerate show. The ways people respond to abandonment are entirely to numerous to list, so let us return to the Lord and His response.
He responds with a truth that is sufficient for all of eternity and rises above the level of horizontal wrangling, "I am not alone"! The reason He knows this is because the truth is that His Father will never abandon Him. He follows this statement with direction for those who abandoned Him and then the next chapter is the recording of the greatest prayer ever prayed. Oh, to God that we could learn such a valuable lesson from the King of Glory.
When abandoned by parents, children, siblings, relatives, church friends, co-workers, neighbors, and even by our best friend, that is the time to respond like unto our Lord. "I am not alone". The reason the Christian is not alone is because He will never leave us or forsake us. He has never lost one of His own. He will not cast away anyone who comes to Him. The Christian can never say, "Nobody loves me", "Nobody cares", "Nobody knows my pain", or "I have no friends". These are all lies. The truth is that in Christ the Christian is never alone. A Christian may have gloom, depression, and real sadness over relationships, but it is at these points that the Christian must learn to preach to himself: "I am not alone"!
Towards the end of Jesus' public ministry He comes to a point of acknowledging that all His closest followers will abandon Him. Those who have heard His teaching, seen His miracles, and marveled at His prayer life will be scattered to their own homes and leave Jesus all alone.
Certainly there is a level of pain to be deserted by those you have invested so much in. The Lord had taught these men personally. He had slept out under the stars with them. He had eaten and drank with them on numerous occasions. He had done ministry together with these men. They had prayed together and discussed the Scriptures together. They witnessed Him walking on water, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk, and He even raised the dead. He could even raise men who were four days dead. Jesus not only did all of these things, but He was kind, loving, merciful, thoughtful, and the best friend they would ever have. Yet, at the hour of His deepest need they would scatter in fear of their lives. They would leave Him all alone.
How would Jesus respond to such treatment? How do we respond to such treatment? The common response is anger, hurt, disappointment, and a range of emotions that send many a soul into depression and anxiety. Many people look within themselves and try to figure out what they have done wrong. Others pour out anger upon the person who would desert them.
What means are used to deal with a time of desertion by the closest of friends or even family? Some will turn to eating food to comfort their emotions. Some will spend money and buy things that will supposedly give them happiness. Some will take a trip and simply try to get away in order to escape the pain. Some will curl up in a ball and pull the covers over their head in hopes that all will go away. Some turn to alcohol and drugs. Some turn to Prozac. Some will turn to Dr. Phil, Oprah, and the Ellen Degenerate show. The ways people respond to abandonment are entirely to numerous to list, so let us return to the Lord and His response.
He responds with a truth that is sufficient for all of eternity and rises above the level of horizontal wrangling, "I am not alone"! The reason He knows this is because the truth is that His Father will never abandon Him. He follows this statement with direction for those who abandoned Him and then the next chapter is the recording of the greatest prayer ever prayed. Oh, to God that we could learn such a valuable lesson from the King of Glory.
When abandoned by parents, children, siblings, relatives, church friends, co-workers, neighbors, and even by our best friend, that is the time to respond like unto our Lord. "I am not alone". The reason the Christian is not alone is because He will never leave us or forsake us. He has never lost one of His own. He will not cast away anyone who comes to Him. The Christian can never say, "Nobody loves me", "Nobody cares", "Nobody knows my pain", or "I have no friends". These are all lies. The truth is that in Christ the Christian is never alone. A Christian may have gloom, depression, and real sadness over relationships, but it is at these points that the Christian must learn to preach to himself: "I am not alone"!
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