Monthly Archive for July, 2010

Jesus’ Confident Arrest

Published on 7/17/2010 in Bible Study. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .
[4] Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” [5] They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. [6] When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. [7] So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” [8] Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.”
(John 18:4-8 ESV)
Jesus is ready to go. He didn’t send Peter, James, and John to stall or slow down the army. He didn’t ask these questions to buy more time. He was ready to separate Himself from the 11 so that they could go free.
When Jesus says “I am He.” and all of the guys fall backward, I do too. That just blows me away. Some people use that verse to explain/justify being ‘slain in the Spirit’ I don’t even want to go there. It wasn’t the disciples, it was the army coming to kill Jesus. I don’t want to be grouped with them. This army wasn’t bowing down and worshiping, they were getting punked by the Lord of the Burning Bush and the power plant behind their heartbeat.
<added 7/17>
I was talking to Eric Youngblood last night and he said he thinks that Jesus just said “I Am” right there.
Think on that: <my narrative>
“Who are you seeking?” Jesus asked them over the sizzle of torches and the clanging of swords, shields and armor.
“Jesus of Nazareth” The commander of the legion shouted.
Jesus stepped forward, “The name [pause] is I Am.”
Nobody was sure if it was a strong wind, an earthquake, or a thunderclap that knocked the army backwards and onto their backs, but it was a full minute of confused, fowl-mouthed, scrambling before they had all gotten back up and approached Jesus again.
I wonder if any of the priest’s men thought about 2 Kings 1:10, when Elijah said, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down…” as they were getting knocked backward.
Jesus WANTS to reveal the fullness of the Father in ALL of His glory to all men. He gives these guys a chance to recognize who they are messing with.
Who do you want?
Jesus of Nazareth (just a man)
“I Am?” Jesus pronounces His title with the power veil up just a little bit, like pulling the curtain back just a tad to wake someone up that has slept in on a Saturday morning. In 2 Kings 1 the power veil was pulled up a little too far and the 50 soldiers were cooked.
Here is their chance to reconcile who this guy is. Who exactly are they messing with?
Whom do you want? What did you call me?
Jesus of Nazareth (still considering Him just a man)
“I am he.” Jesus fully veils the power of God and goes with them. They didn’t want to see it and so He didn’t force it on them. He could call down legions of angels for their destruction, or walk right through the crowd without getting touched, but that was not the Father’s plan that night, and Jesus knew it.

One Perspective on a Few Minutes in the Garden

Published on 7/17/2010 in Bible Study. Closed Tags: , , , , .

My little take on Jesus getting arrested in the garden. Thanks to Eric Youngblood for planting the idea that Jesus said “I am” rather than “I am He.”

“Who are you seeking?” Jesus asked them over the sizzle of torches and the clanging of swords, shields and armor.

“Jesus of Nazareth” The commander of the legion shouted.

Jesus stepped forward, “The name [pause] is I Am.”

Nobody was sure if it was a strong wind, an earthquake, or a thunderclap that knocked the army backwards and onto their backs, but it was a full minute of confused, fowl-mouthed, scrambling before they had all gotten back up and approached Jesus again.

You can read the Apostle John’s take (he was there) in John 18.

I wonder if the chief priest’s men thought about 2 Kings 1 as they were falling backward. It wasn’t the first time an army was sent after a man of God, but it was the first time an army was sent after God Himself.

Matthew Henry on John 18:1-12

Published on 7/12/2010 in Bible Study and Short Quotes. Closed Tags: , , , , .

This is just about the best section and most poetic piece of Matthew Henry’s Commentary I’ve ever read. Appropriately, it’s on John 18:1-12

Our Lord Jesus, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth and asked, Whom seek ye?
When the people would have forced him to a crown, he withdrew, ch. 6:15, but when they came to force him to a cross, he offered himself; for he came into this world to suffer, and went to the other world to reign.
He showed plainly what he could have done; when he struck them down he could have struck them dead, but he would not do so.
It must have been the effect of Divine power, that the officers and soldiers let the disciples go away quietly, after the resistance which had been offered.
Christ set us an example of meekness in sufferings, and a pattern of submission to God’s will in every thing that concerns us.
It is but a cup, a small matter.
It is a cup that is given us; sufferings are gifts.
It is given us by a Father, who has a father’s authority, and does us no wrong; a father’s affection, and means us no hurt.
From the example of our Saviour we should learn how to receive our lighter afflictions, and to ask ourselves whether we ought to oppose our Father’s will, or to distrust his love. We were bound with the cords of our iniquities, with the yoke of our transgressions.
Christ, being made a sin-offering for us, to free us from those bonds, himself submitted to be bound for us. To his bonds we owe our liberty; thus the Son makes us free.

Lanterns, Torches, Swords

Published on 7/9/2010 in Bible Study. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

John 18:3
So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

They took lanterns because they walked in darkness and refused to walk by the Light.
They took torches because they did not know the fiery Glory of God.
They took weapons because they refused to read the scriptures that are the double-edged sword of God.

When we depart from God, we still need and want all of His benefits, so we manufacture them on our own. An army, authority structure, priesthood, leaders, light, protection, weapons…all turn bad when they are made by Men rejecting what was given them from God.

Unlimited Resources

Published on 7/8/2010 in Bible Study. Closed

John 18: 3-6

3 Judas then, having received the band of soldiers, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.
4 Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon him, went forth, and saith unto them, Whom seek ye?
5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, who betrayed him, was standing with them.
6 When therefore he said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

Sometimes it seems like the enemy has unlimited resources-an unlimited supply of junk to throw at us. I was reading this today and saw that Jesus doesn’t express any kind of surprise or alarm that Judas has shown up with an army.

How did you get an army!?
Where did all of these soldiers come from?!!

Nope, He just gives them the unwelcome greeting: Who did you come for? (I say unwelcome, because when I’m out visiting houses for my job, testing for internet service, we have noticed the people that recognize our car and want our service greet us with something like “I’m so glad you’re here!” or “Can I get it?!” without any greeting. People that don’t recognize us ask us: “Can I help you?”)

Jesus is not afraid of Judas’ ability to procure and army at Midnight. He is not sighing with a statement like, “What next? An Army? Seriously!” The Merciful and Patient One is not exasperated by His enemy’s schemes.

The Father doesn’t want us to be exasperated. He wants us to know that whatever gets slung our way, He’s got a big enough shield to block it, or a big enough paper towel to clean it off!

1 John 4:4 is no lie – Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

The Father’s Will vs. Our Safety and Comfort

Published on 7/1/2010 in Bible Study. Closed Tags: , , , .

John 18.1 – When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.

Here is Jesus, knowing now is His time to be taken and killed, going back to the same places He always went to. He didn’t change His prayer habits because things were dangerous or even ‘really bad.’ Jesus had prayed in this garden before, and he was going to go and pray there tonight.

In John 11.16 Thomas had said “Let’s go too, so we can die with Him.” He said that because the Jews had tried to stone Jesus the last time they were in Jerusalem. Jesus went back there anyway and here He is, 7 chapters later, still alive!

Jesus lived according to the Father’s wishes, not according to the need to preserve His own safety.

//talked some more out with my wife and came to this verse:

If our own safety or comfort is even 1 click above His will, we are not a disciple http://esv.to/Luke14.27