Question
When Darkness Reigns
Luke 22:47-53
Key Verse 53b
“But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”
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Read verses 47-48. Who was leading a crowd and why? (47) How might Judas’ betrayal have impacted Jesus? How did Jesus respond to him? (48)
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Read verses 49-50. What did Jesus’ disciples say? (49) What does this reveal about them? What did Peter do? (50; Jn 18:10) What does this show about him?
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Read verses 51-53. What did Jesus say to His followers? (51a) What did He say to the leaders of a crowd after healing the servant? (52b-53) What meaning can we find in the expression, “But this is your hour—when darkness reigns”?
Manuscript
Message
When Darkness Reigns
Luke 22:47-53
Key Verse 53b
“But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”
There’s a certain term used in literary and theater arts. The term is situational archetypes. These are situations that appear over and over in books and movies—and even video games. Can anyone guess the most commonly used situational archetype? The battle between good and evil!
When we study the Bible we learn that there is a real battle between good and evil. And, when we become a believer we became an actual player in this battle. Ephesians 6:12 characterizes this battle in the following way: It states, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
This world is under the power of darkness. Everywhere we look we see it—deception, injustice, anger, frustration, hatred, violence, terrorism, poverty, disasters, sickness and disease, and death, not to mention the darkness within us—the influence of our sinful nature. The question is: How can we overcome the power of darkness in this world? In today’s passage, Jesus faced the start of his darkest hour. He was arrested. He would soon have to suffer many things—including rejection, crucifixion and death. Yet Jesus was not overcome by the darkness of this world, but overcome it, and he revealed the light and glory of God in his life. Through today’s passage, let’s pray to overcome the power of darkness in this world, through faith in God and intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Let’s pray …
We can overcome the power of darkness when we accept the love of God, when we have the peace of God inside of us, and when we know Jesus as the light of the world and participate in the life-giving work of God.
First, we can overcome the power of darkness when we accept the love of God.
In the previous passage, Jesus prayed. Through his prayer he put his trust in the love of God the Father and submitted himself to God’s will. In this way, Jesus prepared himself for the darkness that was coming against him.
Look at verses 47-48, “While he was still speaking a crowd came up. The man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Jesus loved Judas. He chose Judas as one of the twelve. He invited him into the fellowship of God’s words. He trained him just as he did the others. Jesus loved Judas. But Jesus knew that Judas loved money. Even so, he allowed Judas to have the responsibility of treasurer in his ministry. Jesus knew that, as it says in John 12:6, that“… as keeper of the money bag, [Judas] used to help himself to what was put into it.” But Jesus never directly pointed out his sin. Instead, Jesus bore Judas with the hope that he could one day repent. He waited for Judas to open his heart to accept God’s love.
Sadly though, Judas never repented. He never accepted the love of God Jesus showed him. In the end, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Someone said, “It’s scary what a smile can hide.” Evidently, it’s also scary what a kiss can hide. A kiss is supposed to be an expression of love and affection. When a husband kisses his wife before leaving the house, he reinforces his commitment of love to his wife. How then can that husband turn around and cheat on his wife? This is essentially what Judas did. Here we can learn that when Judas betrayed Jesus, he betrayed his love.
At that point, Jesus didn’t even have to speak to Judas. He could have just looked at him in utter distain. But instead he asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” This question reveals Jesus enduring love for Judas, even after Judas betrayed him.
Luke 6:5 reads, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”
When Judas did not repent of his hidden sin, instead of the love of God the love of darkness grew inside of him. John 3:19 reads, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” The darkness in Judas became the environment for Satan to work in his life. When the time came, Satan entered him and Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
We must decide to accept the love of God, rather than compromise with our sin.
Second, we can overcome the power of darkness in this world when we have the peace of God.
We would like to see world peace. But as believers we know that there is no real solution for world peace. For example, since 1967 there have been ongoing peace negotiations in the Middle East, between Israel and Palestine. Twelve separate times, the United States government has helped to mediate the negotiations. But we are still no closer to peace in the Middle East today. In order to have peace, we need to personally experience the peace of God.
How then can we have the peace of God? One way is to come to God in prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
In the previous passage, Jesus prayed. As a result, he had the peace of God and was prepared to face darkness that was coming at him. But, how about his disciples?
Look at verses 40-51, “When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. 51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.”
Jesus’ disciples didn’t have the peace of God in their hearts. When they faced the dark situation, they acted out violently. Back in verse 32 of this chapter, Jesus told his disciples, “… if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” So, Jesus’ disciples were permitted to have swords. Owning a sword required the disciples to exercise greater responsibility. “With Great power, comes great responsibility! Who said that? Uncle Ben. Actually, the Bible speaks of the same principle in Luke 12:48 which says in part, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
This is relevant, because the more we have, the more we are likely to feel anxious and the more we are likely to be tempted. In the previous passage Jesus had warned his disciples, “Pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (40, 46). While anxiety and fear can cause us to fall into temptation, the peace of God guards our heart and mind. We can overcome the darkness of this world when we have God’ peace inside of us.
Third, we can overcome the power of darkness in this world when we know Jesus as the light of the world and participate in the life-giving work of God.
It has been said that the best defense is a good offence. Military experts like George Washington, Mao Zedong, and Sun Tzu have generally acknowledged the truth of this adage in the use of strategic warfare. Most chess experts also advocate an active rather then passive strategy in order to constantly pressure ones opponent. But what does a good offence look like in Jesus Christ?
Look at verse 51 again. A good offence in Jesus Christ is not to fight back against our enemies directly, but to serve suffering souls. When the servant of the high priest had his right ear cut off, Jesus touched it and healed him. Just because Jesus acted in peace, doesn’t mean that he was weak. Jesus demonstrated his power by submitting to God’s will to serve and to save and heal others.
When we focus on actively serving others in the name of Jesus, we can be empowered to overcome the darkness of this world.
Look at verses 52-53, “Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 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.”
The religious leaders carried out a covert operation to arrest Jesus, because they were afraid to do so publically. Jesus called them out on this because it demonstrated their deceptive and sneaky ways of doing things. Jesus, on the other hand did everything out in the open. He did everything in the light, for all to see. He had nothing to hide.
While darkness reigned in the hearts and lives of the corrupt religious leaders, the light of God ruled in Jesus. In fact, Jesus himself is the light of the world. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
When Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World," it was a statement about his glory, but it was also more than that. It was about what he came to do. Jesus says of himself in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
This is what characterized Jesus’ life on earth. Essentially his life was about bringing life to people. John 1:4 describes Jesus this way, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” He brought life. This means he brought hope and restoration to a hopeless and broken world through the forgiveness of sins. We can overcome the darkness of this world when we accept Jesus as the light of the world. When we know Jesus as the light of the world, we can also be a bearer of his light. We can shine the light of Jesus to others in this dark world.
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Biblenote
When Darkness Reigns
Luke 22:47-53
Key Verse 53b
“But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”
Introduction
Today’s passage consists of three parts. First, Judas’ betrayal kiss. Second, the response of Jesus’ followers. Third, Jesus’ response to both His followers and the crowd. As the title indicates, this was a dark hour when Jesus was arrested and God’s enemies seemed to win the battle. But Jesus stepped up to the front line like a Commander in chief and faced the time of His sacrifice. Jesus boldly took liability and responsibility for the problem of man’s sins and obeyed God’s will to die on the cross. He did this to cover over a multitude of our sins. May the Lord help us to learn of Jesus’ faith and obedience above all.
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Read verses 47-48. Who was leading a crowd and why? (47) How might Judas’ betrayal have impacted Jesus? How did Jesus respond to him? (48)
1-1, Read verses 47-48.
While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
1-2, Who was leading a crowd and why? (47)
While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him,
1-3, How might Judas’ betrayal have impacted Jesus?
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Throughout history, betrayal is one of the worst of all tragedies.
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King David was betrayed by his own son Absalom. Julius Caesar was betrayed by Brutus. Jesus was betrayed by one of the Twelve.
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Jesus, as a man who had loved and served his disciples, was vulnerable to the pain of betrayal.
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But through his prayer, Jesus was spiritually alert and had keen insight. He exposed Judas' act and warned that Judas would face grave consequences.
1-4, How did Jesus respond to him? (48)
but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
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Judas warmly greeted Jesus, even giving Him the customary kiss. In doing so, he precisely identified Jesus to the authorities who came to arrest Jesus.
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For the sake of those arresting Jesus, he chose to identify Him by greeting Jesus with a kiss. What a terrible kiss it was!
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But Jesus exposed Judas’ action for what it truly was. Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
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Jesus was not emotionally upset. Jesus saw this from God’s point of view. Judas was not merely betraying his master, his teacher, or his friend; he was betraying the Son of Man, the promised Messiah (Dan 7:13-14).
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Jesus already mentioned, “Woe to that man.” (22:22) Judas had the apostolic position but he abandoned his position and betrayed Jesus.
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He killed himself in the end instead of repenting of his sins. His destiny is the fiery lake of hell.
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So Jesus’ warning for Judas at the last minute stemmed from true love for his soul.
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Judas would surely bear full responsibility for his actions. Yet God, in His providence, used it as the best way to deliver Jesus into the hands of His adversaries.
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Let’s think of other possible options Jesus could have chosen...
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Option 1, If they captured Jesus in a fight or if Jesus ran and hid until they found and caught Him, it would show that He was an unwilling victim.
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Option 2, If Jesus surrendered Himself to commit suicide in order not to see horrible abuse from His murderers.
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Option 3, If it happened accidentally it would lessen the full effect of the bitter cup Jesus was about to drink.
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Option 4, He must be betrayed by his friend, that he may bear the utmost depths of suffering.
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No doubt, Jesus chose the last option to render glory to His Father in Heaven in full obedience.
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Read verses 49-50. What did Jesus’ disciples say? (49) What does this reveal about them? What did Peter do? (50; Jn 18:10) What does this show about him?
2-1, Read verses 49-50.
When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
2-2, What did Jesus’ disciples say? (49)
When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?”
2-3, What does this reveal about them?
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When the disciples were not spiritually prepared as much as Jesus through prayer, all they could do was to react to the situation in promptu.
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As a result, they made things go from bad to worse. Suppose their act of passion ignited a violent sword battle and all the disciples were killed.
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Who then would preach the gospel to the ends of the earth after Jesus’ resurrection?
2-4, What did Peter do? (50; Jn 18:10)
And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
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Let us look at a reference from John 18 for a moment, for apostle John was one of Jesus’ disciples who must have been there next to Jesus.
When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.
2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.
8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.
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Thus it turned out to be Peter who acted out of emotion at the moment.
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Luke identified the ear as his right ear.
2-5, What does this show about him?
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As a top disciple, Peter must have thought that he should do something to protect Jesus.
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In the past he said that he would die for Jesus. But he did not pray as much as he should have according to Jesus’ instructions on the mount of Olives.
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This resulted in Peter acting out with violence. But this was not God’s approved way.
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Jesus could have been disappointed with Peter.
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But Jesus bore with Peter and reversed the damage caused to Malchus.
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Praise Jesus who is the Good Shepherd for all of us in the same way!
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Read verses 51-53. What did Jesus say to His followers? (51a) What did He say to the leaders of a crowd after healing the servant? (52b-53) What meaning can we find in the expression, “But this is your hour—when darkness reigns”?
3-1, Read verses 51-53.
But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 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.”
3-2, What did Jesus say to His followers? (51a)
But Jesus answered, “No more of this!”
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Jesus stopped this foolish and ineffective bloodshed by saying, “Permit even this.” “He told His disciples who had relied on violence, “No more of this!”
And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
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Jesus healed Malchus’ ear right away.
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Jesus did not want the disciples to come to his defense through physical force.
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Jesus took charge of the situation, primarily to protect his disciples.
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He stopped their act of passion. He also healed the man whose ear had been cut off. Jesus was different than his disciples.
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Jesus had the spiritual power and authority to rule over the situation, even while being arrested.
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In contrast to the use of force and the threatening attitude of those who arrest him, Jesus exercised compassion, healing the injury of a wounded enemy.
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Jesus came into this world to demonstrate God’s love and to do God’s will.
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How could he possibly love His enemies and care about His immature disciples in this extreme time of agony?
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It came from prayer. His prayer prepared him to meet his enemies with calm and resolution.
Ephesians 2:14-18 reads,
“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
John 14:27 reads,
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Isaiah 9:6-7 reads,
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
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Praise Jesus our Lord who called Himself as PEACE. May the Lord heal America and all nations from violence, hatred, and hostility by accepting Jesus!
3-3, What did He say to the leaders of a crowd after healing the servant? (52b-53)
“Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 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.”
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Then Jesus made it very clear to everyone that he was not leading a rebellion. Jesus did not allow his messianic ministry to be misunderstood in such a way.
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Jesus was a Bible teacher and a shepherd for his people. He taught the word of God publicly and openly. He had no hidden agenda.
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The religious leaders could find no fault with Jesus.
3-4, What meaning can we find in the expression, “But this is your hour—when darkness reigns”?
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They were driven by the power of darkness, the devil. And for an hour, darkness reigned---with God’s permission.
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The Jewish leadership is a symbol of darkness, for they were full of hatred. They were irrational.
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But Jesus reasoned with them, pointing out that he had never tried to arouse a rebellion and that he had always worked openly in the daylight.
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Jesus tried to help them realize that they were under the power of darkness. Jesus faced the forces of darkness all alone.
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He did not put up a fight because now was the time for Jesus to do to Him what they wanted to do all along – to arrest and kill Him.
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By all outward appearance it would seem to be their hour, not Jesus’. But it was God’s hour and Jesus’ hour, for Jesus fully obeyed God’s will.
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No one understood him or helped him except his Father God. Yet we see that Jesus was full of the love of God.
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Jesus overcame hatred with love and darkness with light. It was through his prayer.
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So Jesus could face the ordeal of his arrest with wisdom and strength. He was not a victim. Rather He ruled over the situation.
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Although Jesus was arrested by the religious leaders, Jesus was the true victor in the sight of God and men.
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Events that seem to make him a passive figure of fate actually reflect his compassionate, submissive actions for God.
Conclusion
Through this short passage, we were able to observe who Jesus is and what Jesus chose to do at the time of agony. Jesus is “Prince of Peace” as Isaiah pointed out in his book. In great contrast, Peter tried to cope with hostile atmosphere by using a sword, for he might have been following an eye for an eye and tooth to tooth according to the Old Testament. But Jesus showed a new way to submit himself to God. Jesus gives us new hope in the hostile environment of our days. Thanks to Jesus, we can be powerful and influential witnesses and servants of peace. No matter how dark and violent this generation might be, let us come to Jesus and His Words of peace so that we may serve young people in our times in order to draw their attention to God’s eternal kingdom. Amen.
One Word: Prince of Peace!