As we finish Lent and enter Passion Week, here is our last devotion on understanding God’s love to help prepare us for our Easter observances:

IN WORD “I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock,” God says to Israel (Jeremiah 2:21). “How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?” Jeremiah’s refrain is a haunting echo of the song of the vineyard in Isaiah. The Vinedresser was incredulous. How could such agricultural expertise have resulted in so little fruit? It just didn’t make sense. But in a way, God’s question in Isaiah 5:4 is rhetorical. There was something more the Vinedresser could do, and He did it in the Gospels. In one of Jesus’ parables, He said that the owner sent His Son into the vineyard to hold the tenants accountable, but the tenants killed Him (Matthew 21:33-40). The Son made the ultimate sacrifice for the harvest.
Harvests don’t come cheaply. Any farmer can tell you that. A good harvest requires a lot of labor, wisdom, and love, and that’s exactly what God has provided on our behalf. Paul addressed this concept in Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” In other words, a serpent’s lie in the Garden notwithstanding, God has not withheld anything from His people. He has paid extraordinary costs for extraordinary blessings. He was determined to have His harvest.
IN DEED Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He told that parable in Matthew 21. He was boldly and bluntly pointing to Isaiah 5 and telling the Jewish leaders that they had not borne the fruit God intended; but even their fruitlessness would have been forgiven if they had accepted the Vine. The key to fruitfulness is to accept it. Make Isaiah’s question personal: “What more could God have done for me than He has already done—or than He will continue to do?” The answer is, “Nothing.” God would not have made such a high sacrifice for you to abandon it now. He will see fruit in your life. Ask Him for it today. “He offered His cross to God as a sacrifice in order to make us all rich.” – Ephrem (“Worship the King” by Chris Tiegreen)

What Jesus shared with the disciples during the Last Supper in John 13 – 17 are always an excellent preparation for Passion Week. Take time to reflect on these chapters and ask the Holy Spirit to rekindle your love for Jesus, our God who held nothing back to give us all things. Have a blessed and joyful Easter! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam