04-06-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
​April 6, 2023
Guest Writer: Robert Neunkirch, CCCC Elder
Every week at Cypress Creek, we close out our service with a prayer that includes the language “may Jesus be our mentor and our model.” The language is beautiful and the task is noble, but it is also monumentally difficult. There are nights that I lay my head down on the pillow thinking that I did a pretty good job that day, but most if the time my thoughts linger on things that I did that day that weren’t particularly Christ-like. One thing I’ve noticed is that it is much easier for me to follow the example of Jesus when things are going well. Conversely, when I’m struggling with life’s challenges, it seems much easier to go astray. When things just aren’t working out, the defensiveness, the sarcasm, and even the anger have a tendency to rise up.

During Holy Week we focus our attention on the crucifixion and resurrection for obvious reasons. However, I have always been intrigued by the story of Jesus’s arrest. This is one of those stories that reminds me how far I still have to go to model my life after Jesus. As it is told in the 18th chapter of John, Jesus went to the garden with his disciples. This was the very garden where Judas knew that he would be. When Judas arrived with a detachment of armed soldiers, Jesus asked “Who is it you want?” When they replied Jesus of Nazareth, knowing what would occur, Jesus said “I am he.” When they said they sought Jesus of Nazareth a second time, he replied “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”

That is quite the standard to live up to. Knowing what his fate would be, Jesus went to the place that his betrayer knew he would be. He came out to meet these armed soldiers and asked who they were looking for. He clarified that they were looking for him and that they needed to let his disciples go. When I think of living a more Christ-like life, this is the story that comes to my mind. Jesus was not defensive, or combative, or bitter. He controlled the situation from start to finish. Knowing the pain that was in store for him, he submitted to the will of God. When I think about modeling my life on Christ, the first image that comes to my mind is usually his calm leadership in the face of his own betrayal and arrest. That is a high standard that I will most likely never live up to, but I spend every day trying.