Pleasant Stone Devotional Meditation: December 11

 “ … Behold how he loved” ~ John 11:36

The “pleasant stones” we will share in these leading up to Christmas, are “opal-like stones” to me. Common opal is uniform in color, but certain deposits within it flash and gleam with every color of the spectrum. Yet, these are not true colors. They are reflections of light caused by tiny cracks or fissures in the opal and they act like numberless little prisms separating the white of pure light into its various colors.

All colors are contained in white light and since Jesus, whose birthday we remember at this time of year is “the light of the world,” it seems right that our verses and fragments of verses related to His first visit to earth, should be in our “many-colored” collection of opal-like stones reflecting pure light.

Look at the lovely fragment at the top of this page. “Behold how he loved.” This was spoken by the Jews who had come to mourn the death of Jesus’ dear friend, Lazarus. They said it as Jesus stood before Lazarus’ grave and wept. Making Himself one with their weeping. Making Himself one with our weeping.

“Behold how he loved.” That is the motive that moved God’s heart toward the manger at Bethlehem on His way to the Cross.

“For God so loved the world…”