Skip to main content

285. Jesus Arrested

Zechariah 13:6-9, Matthew 26:43-56, Mark 14:43-52, Luke 22:47-53, John 18:2-11
Key Verse: "Do you not think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
Matthew 26:53-54

"Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." (Proverbs 27:5-6) It is interesting that Judas would choose to point out Jesus, to the guards, through a kiss. Sadly, he was only fooling himself. He wasn't fooling Jesus.

In this event, we see how the passions and emotions of the people around Jesus begin to rule them in this moment. There is the kiss of betrayal. Then there is the sword, taken from the upper room earlier and wielded by an untrained, inexperienced fisherman.  There is the shock and surprise of the wounded man being injured and then being healed by the one he was supposed to place under arrest.  There was also brute force from bullies too full of cowardice to do the deed in the open. It's all there, but standing in the midst of it all is Jesus, calm and in control. Just as He had calmed many storms on the water, now, He walks across this situation, choosing to move forward. Why? Because, He knows who He is and what He has come to do. Even now, as mob rule begins to emerge, Jesus remains calm.

First, there is Judas turning on his onetime teacher. Yet, Jesus is not caught off guard by this as His disciples probably are. Instead, He lovingly says, "Friend, do what you came to do." (Matthew 26:50) Jesus does not chastise or judge. Even in this moment, He offers His friendship to Judas. He offers forgiveness and relationship. Judas may have done wrong, but for Jesus, Judas' actions were not beyond forgiveness.

Then, there is the mob. Was it just the temple guards or were some of the leadership along? It's hard to say depending upon which account we read. Jesus obviously could have slipped away, as he had done when His own home folk had tried to kill Him, (Luke 4:16-30) especially since they didn't seem to recognize Him at first.  But He faced His opponents because He knew who He was and He knew who was really in control and He knew that His time had come.

Jesus points out how underhanded they are being. "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture Me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest Me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." (Matthew 26:55-56) They thought that they were in control, but Jesus knew who really was.

Then came the fulfillment of the Prophet Zechariah, "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter," (Zech. 13:7B) That’s exactly how it happened.  Jesus was arrested, "Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled." (Matthew 26:56B) He knew. He knew it all, and He loved them anyway.

Just as Jesus often made comments to prepare His disciples for this moment in time; throughout history, through the Prophets, God gave hints of what would happen. He did this to show that He knew all along. He did this to show that He is always in control of the outcome. The same confidence that Jesus demonstrated as He began to walk through what must have been the worst nightmare possible is there for us as well. Why? It is there for us because He also walks with us through our trials. We can stand as He did because He is in us. "Greater is He who is in you than He that is in the world. (1 John 4:4). Praise the Lord!

Hymn: "My Soul, Be on Thy Guard" 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

These Boots are Made for Walking

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-15 These Boots are Made for Walking. Of course, I picked that title because it has a reference to popular culture, and it connects with our text today about “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” I was tempted to play the video of that song, but it’s really not amenable to worship. If you remember that old song, it was quite confrontational. The singer had a righteous complaint against a boyfriend or spouse who was cheating on her. She’s not going to put up with that, and the song goes on to say, “One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you!” And that “take a stand” bravado made her a hero! It was a #1 hit in 1966. I mention it because it has one interesting parallel and one major contrast with the message of grace and forgiveness. That parallel is this. God has a righteous complaint against the entire human race for cheating Him out of the loving relationship He desires with us. As the God who created us, he h...
Post a Comment
Read more

186. Ten Healed, Or One?

Luke 17:11-19 Key Verse: Then He said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:19 At last, Jesus has left the crowd behind and again is continuing His journey toward Jerusalem. His path takes Him and His disciples along the border of Judea and Samaria, between the pure Jews, and the hated half breeds of the day. On His way, Jesus encounters an interesting group of people. We only learn the nationality of one of them and, though we don't know the nationality of the others, because Jesus sends them to the priests in Jerusalem we can probably assume that at least some of them are Jews. Isn't it interesting that through leprosy, a disease that causes much suffering, the dividing wall of hatred has come down for the sake of companionship? We encountered one leper earlier on our Journey. Lepers were the dreaded untouchables of the day. Their disease cut them off from all they loved. It was a very lonely life. No wonder these people had ...
Post a Comment
Read more