John at the Cross

By Ron Davis

As Jesus died, John stood at the cross. The apostle describes the scene in his Gospel, John 19:25, 26. He is the one who called himself “the disciple whom he loved.” He fully sensed and experienced Jesus” love. Jesus did love John. He saw in John a young man capable of a lifetime commitment. And that was realized.

John”s love for Jesus is likewise obvious. He saw in Jesus the One long promised, the One who would save. He saw the Word incarnate. That is why he stood at the cross. Heartbroken. He was losing his good Friend. He was losing his favorite Teacher. He was losing the One he had long awaited. Now . . . for John, the future was as uncertain as the future always is. What now?

Certainly John could not envision the future as he stood at the cross. He could not imagine that his own brother would one day die by the sword of Herod, as Luke records in Acts 12:2. He could not look into his own future and see himself as an old, old man living the lonely life of an exile on the small island of Patmos. (That island may have finally contained this “son of thunder,” but he could still boom and startle with the explosive, apocalyptic words of Revelation!)

Probably, John, at the cross, could think only of the fact that there before him, in writhing anguish, was the One he knew loved him. And that is all one needs to think when he or she is standing at the cross.

Tomorrow””the future””is irrelevant.

Joys and sorrows””the business of daily living””inconsequential.

This is the one fact worthy of thought, at the cross: “Jesus loves me; this I know!”

Jesus loves me; this I know,
For the Savior tells me so;
On the cross, by flesh and blood;
He has said it, “You are loved!”

And we must never forget that . . . here . . . here at the cross! Nor there . . . there in our world of the emptied tomb.

Lay aside your thoughts of tomorrow. All the possibilities do not matter here at the cross. Put aside your delights and concerns of today. God is here; he is in control. Here, think this grand truth: Jesus loves me.

Ron Davis loves “standing at the cross” reverently and thankfully each week at the Lord”s table of grace and sensing God”s love.