Jesus Arrested
Last night I read Matthew 26&27 and had some verses stand out to me.
Matthew 26 is a long chapter, its got 75 verses. And its got a lot going on in those verses. The Lord's Supper, verses 17-30 are building up to the crucifixion... jesus knows he's going to be betrayed, and he names Judas as the betrayer. He knows exactly how he's going to die. He KNOWS he is GOING TO DIE. We dont have access to that information, thankfully, because I think it would drive us to the same level of insanity that Jesus reached. I'm not saying he was insane, Im talking about his behavior in the Garden of Gethsemane, verses 36-45. He isnt the preacher and healer, he's a man about to die. He doesnt have cancer and knows death is coming which makes accepting death a little easier I would guess. He's about to die a very painful death of asfyxiation and have nails driven through his wrists and feet and have the weight of his body pulling on his wrists, and supporting his weight on his feet. All he wants is his disciples, the men he was traveled Israel with for the past 3 years to stay awake for a few hours
He told them to watch and pray so they wont fall into temptation. None of them did. I think that if they had prayed, they may not have cut someone's ear off, or denied Jesus three times. And after Jesus had prayed three times to God to pass the cup on to someone else, and then realizing God wasn't going to do that, he knew for sure he was going to die. Now, I've been taught that Jesus was God and Man all in one. Even in Matthew he declares himself to be God, and not just His son. He also says he is the son of man. So he is both fully Human, capable of human emotion, and fear, saddness, pain, loss, and an understanding of death. He's also the most powerful being ever to exist. He could split the earth in two, destroy the entire solar system as if it were a house of cards. He could immoblize his enemies, and render them paralized and unable to speak, lying on the ground. The man can walk on water, raise people from the dead, and part the Red Sea!!! You think he has to go through with the crucifixion?! NO!
But when he makes the concious decision to actually go through with it, he's still Human! I cant even imagine being about to die, I'm sure it would be a surrealistic experience, like "I cant believe this is happening, I'm powerless to stop it!" Jesus had all the power in the world, and did NOTHING ... let that settle in for a second. He did nothing!
The other verse that stands out to me is 26:55. He asks them what he has done... he wants to know what legal authority they have to arrest him. I honestly believe he is challenging them on principle and not just the law. They didnt have a constitution and bill of rights, but God designed humans for free will, so I believe the idea of Liberty is a divinely inspired idea. I think he was challenging them for his right to free speech. His entire ministry was peaceful, it was a Protestant Reformation against the first church. He was leading a revolution of ideas... he wasnt overthrowing a King... he even said give unto Ceasar what is his and to God what belongs to God. The man challenges separation of church and state! And even though he knows he's about to die, he doesnt give up on his right to defend his liberties. He could have said nothing at all in verse 55. He certainly stays silent plenty of times during the Sanhedrin questionings and Pilot's questions. Why did he open his mouth and challenge their authority to arrest him? I believe it was his way of defendign his human rights, even in a futile battle. He wasnt going to geta fair trial, a jury of his peers, a constitution and bill of rights in his legal defense. He got a trial by public opinion, within 24 hours of his arrest, without sufficient time to organize any legal arguments and go to court... that kind of legal system didnt exist in Isreal, but it existed in God's creation... the creation he came back to earth to try and re-establish in anyone who would listen.
Well... today I am going to read John 20 & Luke 24 which will end this one bible study.
The next study is Two Weeks (or one week if you read 2 chapters a day) on the life and teachings of Paul.
Acts 9, 16, 17, 26, 27, 28
Romans 3, 7, 8
1 Corinthians 13, 15
Galatians 5
Ephisians 3
Phillipians 2
Matthew 26 is a long chapter, its got 75 verses. And its got a lot going on in those verses. The Lord's Supper, verses 17-30 are building up to the crucifixion... jesus knows he's going to be betrayed, and he names Judas as the betrayer. He knows exactly how he's going to die. He KNOWS he is GOING TO DIE. We dont have access to that information, thankfully, because I think it would drive us to the same level of insanity that Jesus reached. I'm not saying he was insane, Im talking about his behavior in the Garden of Gethsemane, verses 36-45. He isnt the preacher and healer, he's a man about to die. He doesnt have cancer and knows death is coming which makes accepting death a little easier I would guess. He's about to die a very painful death of asfyxiation and have nails driven through his wrists and feet and have the weight of his body pulling on his wrists, and supporting his weight on his feet. All he wants is his disciples, the men he was traveled Israel with for the past 3 years to stay awake for a few hours
He told them to watch and pray so they wont fall into temptation. None of them did. I think that if they had prayed, they may not have cut someone's ear off, or denied Jesus three times. And after Jesus had prayed three times to God to pass the cup on to someone else, and then realizing God wasn't going to do that, he knew for sure he was going to die. Now, I've been taught that Jesus was God and Man all in one. Even in Matthew he declares himself to be God, and not just His son. He also says he is the son of man. So he is both fully Human, capable of human emotion, and fear, saddness, pain, loss, and an understanding of death. He's also the most powerful being ever to exist. He could split the earth in two, destroy the entire solar system as if it were a house of cards. He could immoblize his enemies, and render them paralized and unable to speak, lying on the ground. The man can walk on water, raise people from the dead, and part the Red Sea!!! You think he has to go through with the crucifixion?! NO!
But when he makes the concious decision to actually go through with it, he's still Human! I cant even imagine being about to die, I'm sure it would be a surrealistic experience, like "I cant believe this is happening, I'm powerless to stop it!" Jesus had all the power in the world, and did NOTHING ... let that settle in for a second. He did nothing!
The other verse that stands out to me is 26:55. He asks them what he has done... he wants to know what legal authority they have to arrest him. I honestly believe he is challenging them on principle and not just the law. They didnt have a constitution and bill of rights, but God designed humans for free will, so I believe the idea of Liberty is a divinely inspired idea. I think he was challenging them for his right to free speech. His entire ministry was peaceful, it was a Protestant Reformation against the first church. He was leading a revolution of ideas... he wasnt overthrowing a King... he even said give unto Ceasar what is his and to God what belongs to God. The man challenges separation of church and state! And even though he knows he's about to die, he doesnt give up on his right to defend his liberties. He could have said nothing at all in verse 55. He certainly stays silent plenty of times during the Sanhedrin questionings and Pilot's questions. Why did he open his mouth and challenge their authority to arrest him? I believe it was his way of defendign his human rights, even in a futile battle. He wasnt going to geta fair trial, a jury of his peers, a constitution and bill of rights in his legal defense. He got a trial by public opinion, within 24 hours of his arrest, without sufficient time to organize any legal arguments and go to court... that kind of legal system didnt exist in Isreal, but it existed in God's creation... the creation he came back to earth to try and re-establish in anyone who would listen.
Well... today I am going to read John 20 & Luke 24 which will end this one bible study.
The next study is Two Weeks (or one week if you read 2 chapters a day) on the life and teachings of Paul.
Acts 9, 16, 17, 26, 27, 28
Romans 3, 7, 8
1 Corinthians 13, 15
Galatians 5
Ephisians 3
Phillipians 2