Strengthening the Almighty

10.09.12

Luke 22.43 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. NASB

On Sunday, my pastor posited this rhetorical question: What do you give a King who already has everything? This morning I read Luke’s account of the beginning of Jesus’ suffering and asked, how do you strengthen God?

Now a qualifier may be in order here: Luke 22.43 is not found in most early manuscripts – at least that’s what the footnote in my Bible says. I noticed it didn’t say, all, but, most. So, at some point someone may have thought it necessary to add this remark to the narrative. It doesn’t mean it isn’t true or necessary it just means that someone thought it appropriate to include this to help us understand the agony Jesus was going through as He began to suffer for the sins of His people and the sins of the world.

My imagination really gets going sometimes and I tried to imagine what this verse meant as I read it. Again, I ask the question, How do you strengthen the Almighty? It may be better to ask, how big was the agony that Jesus was going through? How big are (or is) some of the agony(ies) you are going through? My agonies have left me with feeling powerless and helpless. Did Jesus feel that way too? Remember this is God we’re talking about...

We’re not talking about a spitting contest – we’re talking about the salvation of the world.  We’re talking about the effort and lengths to which God went to cement our destiny.  We’re talking about One who knew no sin becoming Sin for us in order that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5.21). We’re talking about God making a way to redeem the repugnant putrefaction we really are without Him.

I don’t think the angel gave Jesus a pep-talk; I don’t think the angel gave Jesus a holy hug. I don’t think the angel did anything but bow in earnest worship and affirm the utter holiness, righteousness, love, and grace of the Servant-King who knelt in bloody humility before Almighty God and willingly threw Himself into the fray of the task at hand. Atlas may have shrugged; Jesus saved the world that weekend.

I need to be reminded of what Jesus did for me. I need to be reminded by seemingly obscure and possibly once overlooked statements in Scripture that Almighty God deserves my worship for what He did, Alone, for us that night long, long ago. And whether or not this sentence was in most of the original manuscripts back then, somebody, somewhere, sometime thought it was necessary that you and I know that Jesus was strengthened by the presence of God to do what He did that night.

Today, some two thousand years removed, God is still in the business of calling people to His salvation. He is still about letting people know Who He is and What He has done through the One who threw Himself into the fray for our sakes that we may come to know Him for all eternity.

Father God, strengthen me, Your servant, to tell that story – amen.