Facing Problems

September 16, 2011
The Life of Jesus; read today: Jesus answers the mob with authority; John 18:4-9


ESV: John 18:5. They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them, I am he. Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.

Jesus had never been one to avoid a problem but I can imagine that this was a time that He was tempted to.  Death is on its way and these people care going to take Him to it. He could have run away. He could have called angels to His side to defend Him. He could have forced the soldiers to identify Him (Judas had taken care of that thought). He does none of these. He asks whom they seek. He faces the problem head on.

Like Jesus I have to face problems head on. In a self-help group that I am that deals with co-dependency and addictions one of the things that I have learned is that even if the problems in my life are the result of other peoples actions, they still are my problems. I can not make excuses as the why they are there. I can not say I have a choice to react this way because of what they did to me.  I need to roll up my sleeves and address them head on.

Like Jesus, there is going to be pain in my future. Running from it can only delay the pain, and most likely make everything worse in the process.  If I face it head on, like Jesus, the reward on the other side of the problems will be great.


Read for next time: Peter severs the ear of Malchus; Matthew 26:50-54; Mark 14:46-47; Luke 22:49-50; John 18:10-11