Scripture reading: John 10:11–21

His Finest Hour

Now is my heart troubled, and what shall I say? “Father, save me from this hour”?

No, it is for this very reason I came to this hour. (John 12:27 NIV)

 

In June of 1940, Hitler was on the verge of conquering all of Europe. No nation had been able to stop the advance of the Nazi blitzkrieg. England trembled in fear at the prospect of invasion by German forces, and many wondered how long she could resist such a powerful foe. Winston Churchill, the newly elected Prime Minister, stood before the House of Commons on the eighteenth of June and gave a speech that will long be remembered.

Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be freed and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world . . . will sink into the abyss of a new dark age . . . Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire . . . lasts for a thousand years, men will still say, this was their finest hour.

As Jesus faced the cross, he knew that he was about to experience the full force of Satan’s fury. The battle would be horrific, beyond all imagination. But as he pre- pared himself for the conflict ahead, he knew that his passion and death on the cross would be his finest hour!

,. The cross was no accident; it was the purpose for which he came. Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. died tragically. Their lives were taken from them. Not Jesus. He gave his life, freely, majestically. He was no victim. He did not die against his will. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life . . . No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again (John 10:17–18).

,. The cross was not a place of humiliation and defeat, but of exaltation and victory. From the world’s perspective, nothing could be worse than death by crucifixion. Stripped, beaten, impaled, and exposed for all to see; what a tragic and demeaning way to end one’s life. And yet Jesus saw the cross as the path to glory, the way to victory. The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified . . . when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself (John 12:23, 32). Glorified? Lifted up? The word “lifted up” can also mean “exalted,” “magnified.” Jesus saw his crucifixion as a coronation, when he would be elevated to his throne of glory! From the cross he would reign in royal splendor as King of kings and Lord of lords.

,. The cross was not a sign of death, but of life. Not in their wildest imagination could the disciples have imagined that a cross would be the gateway to life. But Jesus knew that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me . . . (John 12:24–26). Jesus’ death made possible his resurrection and ascension to glory. But there’s more: his death is an invitation for me to follow him, surrender my rights and die to myself. Paul expressed this powerfully when he wrote, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). The cross leads to life!

The cross was Jesus’ finest hour. And if you let his death bring you life so that your life can be poured out sacrificially for others, then the cross can be your finest hour too!

 

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread;

are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.—William Cowper

 

point to ponder • The darker the night the more visible the stars.

prayer focus • Someone facing a dark crisis.