Today’s Reading: John 18:12 (NIV)
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound Him.
Good morning!
My father gave me a butterfly net when I was a little girl. Whenever we would visit my grandparents’ farm in the early summer, I would take my net and go outside to find the butterflies. Some of the prettiest and most unusual butterflies would end up in the mesh net. I quickly learned that if I grabbed their wings with too much force, I would rip or tear them to pieces. Butterfly wings are extraordinary in texture, color and hue. I did not want to hurt the butterflies; I only wanted to see their wings up close.
The net couldn’t hold them for long. The butterflies would find a way to slip through an opening and fly away. One year, Daddy helped me collect a variety of butterflies and moths to display at my elementary school’s science fair. I placed them in cotton lined coffee cans, punching tiny air holes in the plastic lids so they could breathe. After they adjusted to the surroundings of their enclosed cage, they would stop moving. If I opened the lid to check on them, out they would fly, suddenly and without warning. You see, there are just some things that simply cannot be bound, no matter how hard we try to hold them.
The Roman authorities and the Jewish officials who sought the capture and conviction of Jesus were pleased with their latest conquest. They shackled the Lord, believing they could stop His message and mission. The Roman authorities feared Christ’s popularity among the people. They were blinded to His life’s blood flowing from the Father through the Son to the world. They didn’t know they could not bind the love of God. They did not realize it was God Himself who allowed His own capture that night.
The love of God is a beautiful thing. It is virtually impossible to keep it to yourself. His grace and mercy is the Father’s free gift to all who will believe and receive the Son. It is more beautiful than the butterfly wings hand-crafted by the Master artist. May you experience the Father’s gift of love through the gift of Jesus, and pass it on to someone you know today.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO
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