by Dr Jurie Vermeulen
In the Gospel of John, we read:
“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:27-31 NIV).
It is the week before Jesus’ crucifixion. He is deeply troubled and frightened by what lies ahead. The lengthening shadow of the cross, with its accompanying violent struggle and eventual brutal death, is creeping ever closer. In this moment, it is as if the emotions born of His humanity suddenly bubble to the surface in the form of fear of what awaits Him: rejection, merciless flogging, unbearable pain, protracted torture, and finally the relief of death. It all weighs heavily on His mind; so heavily that Jesus wonders if He should not, after all, ask the Father to save Him from this hour …
This implies that He was so distressed that the notion of sidestepping the cross, and with it His work of redemption, was a real temptation! It is as if the immense psychological and emotional burden of the crucifixion finally became so unbearable that He lost His equilibrium for a moment and sought an alternative.
That is precisely what continuous stress and pressure do: they make us lose perspective more easily, so that we are no longer able to think clearly, and then we react instinctively, out of fear. Fortunately, Jesus talks to and corrects Himself: “No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.” He reminds Himself of His calling, the ultimate purpose of His coming to earth – to give His life as ransom for all people. And when his equilibrium is restored, he declares: “Father, glorify your name!”, and God answers from heaven as encouragement and confirmation of His eternal plan of salvation.
The dam without water
The “Leaky Dam” is a 100-year-old dam in our area that is perpetually empty because its wall leaks like a sieve. Even though the 30-metre-high dam wall is thick and made of reinforced concrete, it started leaking as a result of ten decades of stress; the uninterrupted daily pressure exerted by thousands of tonnes of water eventually became too much. Today, water spews from multiple leaks for a week or so after heavy rains. The rest of the time, the dam is without water.
Life is not easy. Anyone older than 20 can attest to that. To tell the truth, every person who is still relatively normal by the time they celebrate their 40th birthday, without frequent stays in sleep clinics and rehabilitation centres, should receive a medal! Relationships, family, careers, studies, finances, illnesses, and pandemics put colossal, relentless pressure on the human psyche. We go to sleep with stress, and we wake up with stress. Just like our Leaky Dam’s wall, we must stay standing in the face of uninterrupted pressure – spiritual, emotional, and intellectual. And on top of that, we have to compete in a largely merciless world to keep our head above water! The pressures of modern society are clearly visible in the drug-, alcohol- and medication-addictions, divorces, broken families, and bad relationships that are endemic to cultures the world over.
So, what are we to do? I believe that each of us must learn to do as Jesus did in His time of extreme distress: have an honest conversation with ourselves. Jesus had to interrupt His instinctive distress, fear and doubt with the truth of His calling, meaning, the Father’s presence, His unchanging love, and security. He came to earth precisely for this hour! Only by reminding Himself of these truths could He regain His balance and find the necessary stability and strength for the week of pain that stretched endlessly ahead of Him.
Each of us must also realise that God created and sent us for this time and these circumstances – with the looks, talents, and gifts we have received – to represent Him and carry out His will among the family, friends and colleagues He placed around us. Nothing in our lives is accidental, coincidental, or out of place. We will simply have to interrupt our distorted thoughts of doubt and fear with the Truth as often as needed, and forge ahead without fear or restraint. After all, “[God’s] perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NIV)!
A Lesson from the Chronicles of Narnia
In the final book of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, The Last Battle, we read this poignant exchange in the wake of the final battle between good and evil:
“Isn’t it wonderful?” said Lucy. “Have you noticed that one can’t feel afraid, even if one wants to? Try it.”
“By Jove, neither one can,” said Eustace after he had tried.
In terms of our chronological time here on earth, the final reckoning with the Devil, sin and death, has not arrived yet. That does not, however, change the Truth: in principle, Jesus already fought and won the war 2,000 years ago. In the abovementioned Bible passage, He says: “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.”
Even though the final execution of the enemy’s sentence has not occurred yet, the final war has long been won and settled. As children of Light, we work daily as God’s representatives to enforce this victory in the details of our lives. Through every emotional, intellectual, relational, health-related, financial and spiritual victory, Christians forge on through the relentless pressure and resistance of life, to the wonderful reward that beckons us! Paul summarises it beautifully:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us … What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? … For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:18, 31, 38-39 NIV).
