John 18

4a "Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them." (NLT)

Tonight I was at church early and was reading from the pew Bibles as I usually do. The Bibles are NLT, which I don't usually read, but this verse just stood out as such a powerful verse.

Jesus fully knew of everything that was going to happen to him. (The mocking, the trials, the whips, the thorns, the humiliation, the abandonment from all who were close by, the nails, the cross)

If you knew all that was going to happen, you know, you'd want to avoid that. Maybe there is an easier way?

Maybe we should complain about it for a while and whine and become desperate

No.

He stepped forward to meet them.

This is where my jaw dropped.

Just imagining all that is going through His head. (From the side the camera pans upwards towards his head) You can hear his calm, yet heavy breathing. (When the camera gets to his head it switches over to a close up on his face) He internally says to Himself "let's do this thing" (switch to mid side view, a few shots of close up on his feet) and steps forward (probably in slow motion) and swallows with this intensity just in the air around him.

Never a second thought at this point. All throughout the next chapter Pilate interrogates Jesus. Again and again Jesus remains calm and nothing is found as a charge against Him, but Jesus presses on forward. He had every chance to stop and say 'hey, you know what, I don't think I am the Christ, you can let me go now, eh?' But it was far too important, God's love to great, the burden and sin of the world on His shoulders.

Jesus knew what was happening and not for a second turned away.