It was a productive day on many fronts, Father, though some things didn’t go as planned. May the Holy Spirit’s presence hover over those other things, and may His will be done. Amen.
Matthew 26:17-75, Mark 14:12-72, Luke 22:7-71, John 13:1-18:27 (<<click here to read these passages)
Wow! That is a lot of Scripture! And amazingly, it all happened in a roughly 24-hour period. One of my favorite lines from this Sunday’s service spoke of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The line read, “That donkey might as well have been an out-of-control freight train as far as some of the Pharisees were concerned. They hoped that by squelching the shouts of the people they would break the momentum and somehow stop this significant moment of proclamation.”
An out-of-control freight train… From the disciples’ perspective at the get-go, it was just going to be another Passover Meal with Jesus, nothing more, nothing less. But their preparations were just the train pulling out of the station. I am not the least bit surprised that the disciples’ reactions were all knee-jerk ones. They had no time to think, much less process what was happening. Yes, Jesus had told them – more than once, mind you – what would transpire, but it had never sunk in. And the thing is, in those kinds of circumstances, the “prepared, thought-out” you ceases to exist, and the real you is all that is left standing.
Think about it. In a 24-hour span, they had experienced the first Lord’s Supper with all of the ramifications of sacrifice and atonement – it, of course, was far from their comprehension at the time…but they would remember. The shocking announcements of betrayal and denial. Jesus’ pouring himself out in agonizing prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, along with the disciples’ inability to stay awake. Then, in the stupor of sleep and exhaustion, Jesus is betrayed and arrested. Their minds had to be racing! Peter reacts but does not know what he is doing; it is not what is needed at the moment. In confusion and fear, they all scatter, and Jesus is hauled before Caiaphas, the high priest. Peter and John find their way to where Jesus is before a kangaroo court, and though all the accusations are false and conflicting, He is still found “guilty,” and the fury of the entire Jewish religious hierarchy is expelled. In the midst of it all, Peter, the Peter who had sworn his loyalty and undying love for Jesus, crumbles in fear and disbelief and fulfills Jesus’ second prophetic statement, and he runs weeping bitterly.
The out-of-control freight train has done its damage…
Over the millennia, people have tried to point fingers…but to no avail. Yes, they all should have stood valiantly by Jesus’ side, but in fear and utter confusion, they ran.
I would have done no better…none of us would in those circumstances. Yet, Jesus bore it all. In a matter of hours, as He hung on that cruel cross, His plea to the Father, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” Luke 23:34 NIV would apply to all there and everyone today as well. That’s why He did what He did—out of love for us all.
Mar 25th, 2024, Mon, 6:28 pm
