I want to
We’ve all had to do things we didn’t want to do. Sometimes we may have really not wanted to do it, so we didn’t. Other times, we may have decided while we didn’t want to do it, we were willing to do it anyway, and on other occasions, we had no choice. There can be a big difference between being willing and wanting to do something.
In Mark 1:40-42, Jesus had met up with a leper, who came crawling on his knees, begging to be healed. Many translations say the man asked Jesus if he was willing to heal him, and then Jesus replied that he was willing. But in quite a few other translations, the man asks if Jesus wants to heal him. And Jesus replies, “I want to.”
Thankfully, Jesus isn’t like me or you – he truly wanted to help him and give him back his life. In the same way, Jesus wholeheartedly wanted to lay aside the glory he knew from eternity to be born as one of us and live as we live. Even though he prayed for the cup to be taken away, he wanted to lay down his life for us, because his deep desire was for all of humanity to be saved, healed, redeemed and to live with him forever.
What’s best of all is that he wants us – he wants to be friends with us, he wants our company, he wants to spend eternity with us. Knowing how much he wants us makes me love and want him more. I know I used the word want a lot – but I really wanted you to know how much he loves and wants us!
Study by Tammy Tkach
First published on 17 January 2023, at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com
About the writer:
Tammy Tkach is the Assistant Pastor of the Eugene, Oregon, USA congregation. She is a speaker and writer, and publishes a blog at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com
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