Betrayed with a kiss

Betrayed with a kiss

Scripture:-

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” ⁴⁹ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. ⁵⁰ Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹ With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. ⁵² “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

⁵⁵ In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled. Matthew 26:47-56

Observation:-

Right after his ordeal in the Garden of Gethsemane, an armed mob arrives to take Jesus by force, led by the traitor Judas Iscariot. In a manner of the most hideous taste, Judas elects to betray the Lord with a kiss, signaling to the crowd which man was to be arrested.

The Lord is promptly seized and arrested but one of the disciples, namely Peter, fights back with his sword, cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s servant. The Lord quickly heals the servant and asks Peter to put back his sword, reminding him how this must be done to fulfill the Scriptures. He then admonishes the mob for taking up arms against him here while earlier doing nothing when H1e sat in the temple courts teaching. The disciples, horrified at the turn of events, desert Jesus and flee for their lives.

Application:

Other than the Lord Himself, the dominant character that stands out in this Scripture is Judas Iscariot and his perverse action of betraying Jesus with a kiss.  Ironically, during the time of King David, Joab the commander did a similar thing, pretending to lean to kiss his cousin brother Amasa, before stabbing him in the stomach. On the surface, Judas’ act was one of devotion and respect for His master. However, in truth, it was a terrible act of treachery and betrayal. The lesson for us here is not to just accept things or situations from their outward appearance but ask God for wisdom to discern the truth.

The second major event in this passage was the reaction of Peter and the healing of the servant (which was recorded in another Gospel). Peter impulsively acted with violence without waiting for the Lord’s instruction. But it was not the Lord’s will to use force. Instead, he mentioned twice how all that was happening now was necessary to fulfill Scripture. For us too, in a time of crisis, we must not react in panic or be impulsive. Rather, we should pray and ask God’s will as to what to do next. Decisions done in panic are usually wrong.

The final incident in this Scripture was the Lord admonishing the chief priests and their mob for only arresting him now in private with sticks and swords but not daring to do a thing when he taught everyday in the temple courts. In so doing, the Lord exposed their evil hearts for they plotted in secret and carried out their dirty deeds far away from the people whose favor they were afraid to lose. Are there shameful deeds that we do in secret, that cannot be exposed to the light? The Lord’s command is for us to live transparent and righteous lives unlike those of the chief priests and Pharisees of his days who were like whitewashed tombs which were white and clean on the outside but full of dead bones and everything evil on the inside.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You and praise You, Lord, for the wisdom that You give us. Grant us greater and discernment O Lord, that we might be able to look beyond the outside pattern of things but instead look and understand deeper what is the truth.       

Teach us too, O Lord, to be patient and not impulsive. To wait for Your guidance, even in times where the tendency is to panic and act impulsively according to our human wisdom.

Help us O Lord, to live righteous and holy lives not just on the outside but also on the inside, to reflect on the things we do, and seek to live lives worthy of Your calling! In Jesus name, Amen.

  

Yet not as I will, but as you will

Yet not as I will, but as you will

Scripture:

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”⁴³ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” Matthew 26:39-46

Observation:

In His deep anguish and sorrow, the Lord Jesus fell facedown to the ground and prayed “Abba Father (Daddy), if it is possible, take this cup from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Three times the Lord went to His Father and prayed the same thing. Three times upon returning to his disciples, he found them sleeping.

The word used by the Lord here in prayer “Abba Father”, was a term of great intimacy that a son used to call his father, like a child may typically call his “daddy”. How dreadful indeed was the task ahead of Jesus, and he pleaded with God for another way. Yet in spite of his feelings, the Lord submitted His will to the Father.

How disappointed the Lord must have been with his disciples. They still could not sense what was just about to happen. Being physically tired, they quickly fell asleep, leaving Jesus to suffer and pray on His own. There was no encouragement from them whatsoever.

Could you not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. There are some important prayer principles here. “Watch” here in the Greek means literally to stay awake and be alert. When one is tired, it is certainly not an easy thing to force one’s self to stay awake. For some, there is coffee. For others, they may walk around. In any case, the practice of staying awake when needed is an important discipline that the Lord expected of His disciples. While watching, the disciples were not just to do nothing, but to pray.

By watching and praying, they would not fall into temptation. In this case, it was the temptation to sleep. A short while later, it was the temptation to deny knowing Jesus.

Meditating on the words “watch with me”, we note that this kind of “watching and praying” is not done alone, but with other brothers and sisters, and even with the Lord Himself in Heaven. As we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, He will teach us how and what to pray.

Application:

Our Lord was reluctant to go through with the difficult path given Him by His Father. In life too, sometimes, God leads us through very difficult paths. Consider the hardships faced by Joseph and David for example. Like Jesus, it is right for us to pour out our feelings to our Father in Heaven. Father God, if possible, please let me not go through this, yet not I will, but you will. Even in voicing our reluctance, there is no sin, for in spite of all our feelings, we are still in complete submission to God.

Watch and pray is an important principle for us to remember. Continuous watching and praying every night would probably wear us out too much especially in conjunction with a working week, but there are times and perhaps seasons when we need to commit certain days to watching and praying. During those times, we need to speak much in tongues, yet also meditate in our minds to see what God may say to us and in what areas to pray.

Prayer:

Praise You, Heavenly Father, for Your excellent greatness and marvelous love for us. We thank You, Father, that You lead us even through difficult paths for our own good and learning. In times of trouble, we will call to You, O Lord. Give us Your strength, and let us learn to be in submission to You even in such times.

Teach us, Lord to watch and pray. Give us that discipline and self-control to pray that way even as You lead us. Give us the opportunity and the strength to participate in such times of prayer, whether individually or corporately. May Your name be blessed forever O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.