Christ and His Character

In my New Testament class we are drawing very near the end of the semester. This means we are getting closer and closer to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. As i attended class this week I realized there wasn't any monumental moment to write about because we are just reading about the events that lead up to the Saviors suffering in the garden of Gethsemane. However, this week was filled with very powerful scriptures that gave me a better insight of who my Eldest brother and Savior really is.  In John chapters 14-15 there were a few scriptures that taught me about the character of Jesus on a deeper level.

The Savior is hours away from what will be the most painful and unbelievable suffering anyone would ever endure. If I was in the position of the Savior I would most likely be focused on myself. I would be concerned about the pain I was moments away from enduring, I would be worried about how the last few days of my mortal life would be like, and I would probably just want to seek comfort from the disciples at this moment. However, in John 14:1 Christ reveals where His thoughts were.
14:1" Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me."
Let not your heart[s] be troubled.... At this point of His life Christ's heart must have been troubled and yet He is trying to bring comfort to His disciples. I think this says a lot about the Savior. To me this shows how much He loves us. He is always concerned about how we are feeling and He genuinely wants to comfort us.

The other verse that really stuck out for me was in John 15:12-15
14:12- "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."
14:13-"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
14:14-"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."
14:15-"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."

Christ doesn't just look down upon us as some random things that happened to be created durring the creation of the earth. He loves us not as one would love a servant, but as a man loves his friends. This to me makes it easier to accept Christ even though I have never seen Him. It makes me understand why Christ endured the atonement. I love that it compares that a man would die for his friend and then Christ reminds the disciples that He views them as His own friends. This can be related to the atonement. Christ laid down His own life for us out of love. Not just because He could but because He views us as His friends. And because He knew we couldn't return back to Heaven without the atonement He threw down His own life for us, His friends. The fact that there is someone who died for me and everyone else because He loved us is just mind blowing.

These two chapters have strengthened my own testimony and have made me realize that Jesus Christ is not just a supreme being that views us all as puny insignificant beings. He cares about our troubled hearts, our concerns, our worries, fears..... He loves us, and He is our friend. He died so that we may have a chance every single day to return unto Him and become more perfect. And I will always be grateful for His selfless sacrifice and matchless love.