Dear Explorer,
Yesterday we talked about the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Olives, and I asked you to think about Jesus telling the disciples to pack weapons and then telling them not to use them.
Re-Read Matthew 26:51-54
And
Re-Read Mark 14:47
And
Re-Read Luke 22:49-51
And
Re-Read John 18:10-11
Jesus didn't fight. You see, Jesus has been learning and practicing submission ever since He was born. He had to learn to obey Mary and Joseph. He had to learn to obey His teachers and community leaders. But His primary submission was to God. You see, He was not really submitting to these earthly authorities – He was submitting to God's will for Him.
This step of allowing the arrest without fighting back was really surrendering His life totally into God's hands. He knew that to complete His assignment and provide salvation for you and me – He had to surrender and submit to God's plan and say no to SELF.
We looked at this on Day 307 and Day 308. We know that this was not an easy decision for Jesus.
I believe that when He told the disciples to find swords (Luke 22:36) (Day 304) – He was wavering. Is it a sin to waver? No. It's just another sign that He was fully human. But I believe that during His time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, He made the decision to choose God's will and accomplish what He came to do even though He knew what that would cost Him. He chose God's will over His own SELF.
Jesus knew, according to Matthew, that He could have called to His Father to send more than twelve legions of angels to rescue Him. (A cohort of soldiers was 300-600 -- A legion was 3,000 to 6,000!!!) That's power! Yet, He chose to submit to God's plan and say no to SELF.
Because He has modeled what it looks like to trust God's plan regardless of how scary or dangerous that might seem, it gives me hope that He understands my struggles to submit to His plan when it doesn't seem logical or wise or prudent to my SELF.
So, I praise Him. I love Him. That's why I feel completely willing to accept His plan for my life – even though I often waver – I want to be fully surrendered to God.
Are you willing to surrender your life totally to God's plan?
Read Matthew 26:55-56
And
Read Mark 14:48-52
And
Read Luke 22:52-53
There's also a humorous incident recorded in Mark 14:51-52. Did you see it?
Historians believe that that young man was the young John Mark (the writer of the book of Mark). He would have been a young teenager at the time of Jesus' arrest. And he, probably, was the only one to know about this incident! Everyone else was too busy running for their own lives!
Find words in these passages that tell you how many of the disciples ran for their lives.
All and everyone are the two words I found. Jesus was left alone by the men who just hours before had sworn to die for Him.
His best friends deserted Him. We'll talk more about this terrible feeling of being deserted later.
But because Jesus understands this feeling of being deserted and abandoned, He has recorded these Scriptures just for us.
Read Deuteronomy 31:6
And
Re-Read John 14:18
You need to know that if you have invited Jesus into your core, then because of Jesus' death and resurrection you will never be totally alone. He promises to never leave you or forsake you or leave you comfortless. That's a promise you can depend on!
In His service, dale
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