Your Face

During the Lord’s wilderness temptation, St Luke tells us Satan “led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.” (Luke 4:5)

I don’t understand how that happened. My finite mind cannot conceive of the supernatural unveiling of all the future kingdoms that were yet to come. I do not understand how that works – but I don’t have to understand how that works. I only need to know that it happened in the realm of the supernatural.

But here’s something to think about:

Did you ever wonder why Jesus stayed on that cross when He could have simply turned His eyes toward the Father, and 12 legions of angels would have swooped to His rescue? (See Matthew 26:53)

Perhaps – and this is simply my unprovable speculation – perhaps while our Savior was hanging on that cross, the Father showed His Son in a moment of time not the future kingdoms of the world, but the Father showed the Son . . . MY face.

And YOUR face.

And the faces of every man and woman, boy and girl yet be born – and each of whom would be doomed to an eternal lake of fire if Jesus called for those 12 legions of angels.

Yes, perhaps Jesus stayed on that cross because in that moment of time He saw your face, and mine – and the faces of everyone else who, as yet unborn, would desperately need His self-sacrificial love.

Think of that the next time you look in the mirror.