Jesus entered the world with a purpose: to confront the powers that bind humanity and to set God’s people free. In John 18, Jesus stands in a garden as soldiers, religious authorities, and Judas come to arrest Him. Yet Jesus does not hide. Having fortified Himself through prayer, He steps forward and asks, “Who are you after?” When they answer, “Jesus the Nazarene,” He declares, “I am the One.”
That is the courage of Christ. Jesus steps forward when everybody else wants to step back. This is good news for oppressed people because the Gospel declares that God does not abandon us when threatening powers approach. Jesus stands with those who are vulnerable. When His disciples are in danger, He says, “If it’s Me you’re after, let these others go.”
Jesus uses His power to protect rather than exploit. He does not sacrifice the vulnerable to preserve Himself. He places Himself between His people and the forces seeking to destroy them. That is liberation!
And those who follow Jesus can’t celebrate His protection without becoming protectors ourselves. Christianity calls us to step forward when others are targeted, marginalized, forgotten, or afraid. When systems crush the poor, when injustice silences the powerless, when fear tells us to protect ourselves and forget our neighbors, discipleship demands that somebody step forward. We step forward because Jesus stepped forward first.
And notice that Jesus never surrenders His identity to His circumstances. Soldiers surround Him, betrayal wounds Him, and suffering awaits Him, but none of it gets to tell Jesus who He is. He still declares, “I am the One.”
Whatever confronts us today, it does not have the authority to define us. Oppression cannot name us. Failure cannot name us. Fear cannot name us. God has already declared that we are beloved.
The hope of our discipleship is that the One who came among us is still the One who saves, heals, restores, delivers, protects, and liberates.
(We invite your comments. Feel free to share this devotion with your friends and invite them to subscribe by forwarding their email address to the Pastor at: fredjeffsmith@gmail.com.)
Mornings with Shiloh airs on WVLA Channel 33 each weekday at 6:58 a. m. CST. Mornings with Shiloh is available on our Youtube channel at 8:00 a.m. CST.
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO ACCESS OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/@ShilohMBCBR/videos
Want to get more involved at Shiloh?
Browse our Ministries