Scattered and Alone?
Just shortly before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to His own, and will leave me alone” (John 16:32a). We can all certainly relate to both sides of that statement today can’t we? We have all been scattered, each to his/her own home for the time being, no longer able to enjoy the sweet fellowship and togetherness that we have become so accustomed to, and maybe even taken a little for granted at times over the years. Subsequently, many of us have perhaps even begun to feel very alone due to our physical isolation from one another… But hear Jesus’ next words very clearly: “And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me” (John 16:32b).
Scattered and alone? Or Scattered but One?
Jesus, going into the worst and most horrific event of His entire existence, knew, and took total peace and comfort in the fact, that even if no one else He loved could/would be there with Him, that His heavenly Father was with Him. Jesus was dying to have you and I be able to enjoy that same level of divine peace and comfort, even in the worst of our worldly tribulations: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
When you factor in that God would soon, however, be forced to abandon Jesus because of our sins upon Him (Matthew 27:46); but how that God has promised never to forsake His faithful and forgiven children in Christ (Hebrews 13:5) because of the righteousness of God upon/within them (2 Corinthians 5:17), shouldn’t that therefore, enable and empower us to have even more peace and comfort than Jesus did that evening… even though we, too, may be scattered, and/or otherwise alone? It surely should! And so, go forward and rejoice today my beloved brethren, knowing that God is with you (Psalm 118:15-29, and particularly verse 24)!