past present future

In John’s gospel, Jesus is continually confronted with two questions:  Where did you come from? and Where are you going?  People are interested in our past.  Folks know that our past does help shape and form us as we are in the process of growing and developing.  Some of us may feel some limitations because of our past, but Jesus’ past was not a limitation.  When people, after hearing Jesus preach and teach, declared isn’t that the carpenter’s son?  Don’t we know his family?  They seem rather ordinary, where did he learn this stuff?  Jesus did not only have to respond to people who thought his immediate family to be rather ordinary, his own family had questions as well.  The Bible tells us that some in his family thought he was “mad.”  Which is just a nice word for crazy.   If you have a family member that thinks you are crazy, remember Jesus understands.  Jesus’ past did not begin in Bethlehem, as a matter of fact he doesn’t have a past, He has a forever!  He has always been.  He is eternal.  He knew and understood and proclaimed that He had come from God.  He told us all that He came to redeem us.  He came from eternity past to forgive our past.

The second question woven into the gospel record is the future question.  Jesus who are you? and..Where are you taking us?  Where are you headed?  Jesus says if we trust and believe in Him in the present, He forgives our past and gives us a bright future.  Really, Jesus is Lord of everything, including our past, the present, and our future.  “Jesus is the Way, the truth and the Life.”  The temptation is to emphasize one of these realities over the other.  Today remember He is Lord of the past….give it to Him!  He is Lord of the present…dedicate this day to Him!  He is the Lord of the future as well!   Because Jesus knew where He was from and where He was going, He will help me to make it everyday!

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