March 31

It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end. — John 13:1 BSB

You can write your own name into this verse, and it will be just as true for you as it was for the disciples that night: Having loved you, Jesus loves you to the end!

It was the night before Jesus died. He was with His disciples at the Passover. His mind was filled with holy memories. But even with the weight of what was to come, His love for His followers never wavered. His “hour” had come—His hour of sorrow and shame. Yet even then, He didn’t forget His own. He spent His last evening with them, thinking not of Himself but of His friends. He kept His personal pain and sorrow in His heart, while He gave them joy. His love was stronger than His grief.

There was something else too. The Bible says, “His hour had come to leave this world and go to the Father.” So beyond the cross, there was glory waiting for Him. A few hours of darkness and anguish, and then He would be at home with His Father again! This thought must have filled Him with joy. Yet, even this anticipation didn’t make Him forget His friends. “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”