Today’s poem comes from
Luke 22:47-71. Yesterday I shared how Judas betrayed Jesus with a Death kiss, and today we will learn how Jesus responded to it. As always, Jesus starts with a question, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” It's typical of Jesus to ask a question, when He already knows the answer behind it - the reason is because He is giving man opportunity to repent. It's truly glorious how Jesus uses His sword, to cut away the soul from his flesh! And Judas, the man who was a friend; a man who gave up everything to follow Jesus - His desire for money left an opening for Satan to come in. And Satan, the evil spirit behind Judas's betrayal - walked into the garden prepared to attack. And he came in swinging, not with a fist, through an act of aggression, but through a kiss, an act of affection. Can you imagine? Your worst enemy, using your loved one, to get the job done? Imagine the hate and jealousy that Satan must have for God's favorite son! And right behind Judas stood an army of men - chief priests and elders, and officers of the temple guard - All were sinners who hated Jesus because they did not believe that He was the One. Yet, the Ones who loved Jesus stood right next to Him, and in response to what they saw, the disciples asked Jesus if they should strike the haters with their swords? And before Jesus could answer, the disciple named Peter, struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. Jesus shouted, “No more of this!” Then He touched the man’s ear and healed him. Jesus then turned to the men and said, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour - when darkness reigns.” “When darkness reigns” - what do you think Jesus means by this? “Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest." "Peter followed at a distance. And some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.” “A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But Peter denied it." "A little later, someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” Peter replied, “Man, I am not!” About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” And just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed." "The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” Luke says that Peter went outside and wept bitterly - I believe this was his opportunity to repent and ask for forgiveness. At the same time, that Peter repented, the Lord Jesus was being humiliated for our transgressions. The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. “They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” And they said many other insulting things to him.” I try not to get angry when reading these words - I try not to be like Peter who used aggression to defend. It's not even the insults that were hurled, what upsets me the most is that these men had no idea what prophecy meant! They must have taken the same bait that most men take - believing that prophecy is the same as divination. They must have thought Jesus was a soothsayer, a person who could tell the future through a source not of God. Deuteronomy 18:9-12 says, “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you." So they did not believe that the source of Jesus was God. The did not see that Jesus was the Suffering Servant foretold through the prophet Isaiah. They did not believe Jesus was the Messiah, the One who would come to redeem them which was foretold by the prophets whose source was God - Moses, Micah, Samuel, David, Hosea, Zechariah, Jeremiah or Daniel. "At daybreak, the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. “ “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.” And that my friend, is a great question - "Why do we need any more testimony?" I ask you this, Do you think WE are called to testify to Jesus? Do you believe that Jesus is the beloved Son of God? Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament? Do you believe that Jesus is the blessing that was declared to reverse the curse? Do you believe that Jesus is the good news - the Word that existed since the beginning of the world.
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