What Was He Thinking?

Love makes us do crazy things.  Not long ago my wife Jane and I attended our niece’s wedding.  Family weddings can be a challenge for preachers since they are normally held on Saturday afternoon, and preachers need to be in their pulpits on Sunday.  This was the case with our niece’s wedding.  I could have taken the Sunday off, but it so happens we were using our morning worship to highlight an upcoming week of Vacation Bible School.  I love Vacation Bible School and couldn’t bear the thought of not being there to deliver a short morning devotional.  Unfortunately, there were no airline flights that fit our schedule.  Our solution was to stay for the wedding in Indiana, then drive fifteen hours through the night so I could be back in Virginia for worship.

There were people who thought we were crazy for the all-night drive.  They might be right.  But they don’t know how much we love our family, and our church family.  That is the nature of love.  It often defies logic.

I sense a lot of people who watched Jesus go to the cross thought He was crazy.  When Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden, Peter drew a sword.  He must have wondered why Jesus didn’t put up a fight (John 18:10-11).  Pilate was amazed when the popular “King of the Jews” refused to save His own life (Mark 15:4-5).  The leaders at the foot of the cross mocked Him (Matthew 27:42-43).  One of the criminals who died with Him criticized Him (Luke 23:39).

Perhaps it was hard for any of these people in Jesus’ life to understand His heart.  If He loved Israel He should overthrow the Roman regime.  If He loved sinners, He should save them all from their circumstances.  And, of course, if He was the King of the Jews, He ought to be able to save Himself.  Instead, He gave His life on a cross, because there was no other way He could pay our debt of sin.  Jesus was indeed thinking, and His thoughts were fully focused on us.  He would have done anything to save us.  At the cross His love cost Him everything.