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Caiaphas

In John 18 we read of Caiaphas' role in the trials of Jesus. He was the High Priest that year (v. 13). His actions remind us to guard our faith. I don't remember where I saw this but I think it serves as a good reminder of the care we should take regarding ourselves:

This was a man [Caiaphas (John 18:13-14)] was the guardian of hte nation's soul. He had been set apart to be the supreme interpreter and representative of the Most High. To him was committed the glorious privilege of entering once a year into the Holy of holies. Yet this was the man who condemned the Son of God. History provied no more startling illustration of the truth that the best religous opportunities in the world and the most promising environment will not guarantee a man's salvation or of themselves ennoble the soul. "Then I say," says Bunyan, closing his book [Pilgrim's Progress], "that there was a way to hell even from the gates of heaven.

From Grace, George

Cellular Suffering

Have you ever been thirsty? I mean really thirsty? Dehydration can be a very painful and dangerous condition. With clean water easily avaible, we really don't have to worry about the kind of intense thirst that was often a reality in the arid Middle East.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was thirsty. You probably knew that, didn't you? But let's look a little closer at the exact words. John writes, "...knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.'" (John 1:28 -NIV)

Did you see something new in that verse? I did. Jesus said He was thirsty so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. That Scripture is the 22nd Psalm, one of the Messianic Psalms (take a moment to read it and you'll understand why it's called that). Psalm 22 begins with My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (that should sound familiar).

Verses 14 and 15 then say, "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death." This describes the deepest of thirsts. Understanding the depth of Jesus' thirst should help us better grasp the signicance of His death for us.

The Agony of the Cell: Our bodies are 98% water. I have read that serious dehydration leads to a deep and profound burning from within. That is because each cell is crying out for more water. This is not a preference - this is a vital need. Without more water the cell ceases to be alive. In a very real sense, Jesus' suffering extended to every cell of His body. It wasn't just the brutal beatings; it was an internal (not just emotional) suffering - a 'cellular suffering.'

The Agony of the Soul: Now think about the spiritual reality behind this truth. Jesus' physical suffering reveals something about our spiritual needs and the inability to have those needs met. For this, I'd like to quote at length from an Easter devotional book I've been reading called Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross. In it, Joseph Ryan writes:

Spiritually speaking, if God is not at the center of our souls, then we do not have that which can ultimately meet our thirst and quench it. The real danger of that thirst is eternal death in hell. Hell is the place where we get more and more of what we have been seeking to quench our thirst. Hell is the place where we get more than we ever wanted of of those things that we are trying to stuff into our souls.

Jesus tells the remarkable little parable in Luke 16 about a poor man, Lazarus, who is the servant of a wealthy man. Both of htem die within a short period of time; Lazarus goes to heaven, and the rich man goes to hell. From hell the rich man prays to Father Abraham, who is in heaven with Lazarus, "Father Abraham, would you send Lazarus down to dip his finger and give me just a littel taste of water, because it is so hot down here?" (see Luke 16:24).

When Jesus says "I am thristy," He is saying, "I am thristy with a thrist that every sinner deserves to experience forever." ...You and I deserve that unquenchable, unremitting, agonizing thrist because we have sought to fill our lives with anything and everything but Him.

At the cross, Jesus asks the question, what do you thirst after? Throughout Scripture, thirst is a metaphor for a deep, inward spiritual emptiness and need. Without God we will die, because the Bible says that what we most thirst for and need at the center of our lives is not stuff but God. The question always is, what do I drink to fill that deep and profound thirst within me?

If you run out of water, the last thing you want to do is drink salt water. It will only increase your thrist and accelerate the process of dehydration. Every one of us puts our mouth down into salt water of whatever we use to meet our deepest needs. Jesus Christ became for you the One who thirsted unto death. Look to Jesus and say, "You are the only One who can satisfy my deepest need.

From Grace, George.

Silence of the Lamb

"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaugher, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." -Isaiah 53:7 [NIV]

The Prophet Isaiah foretold of Jesus' remarkable ability to control His tongue in the most difficult of circumstances. Jesus spoke only a few times in the final days of His life while shouts and accusations were showered toward Him with great passion. When He did speak, it seems that He did so at great personal cost. But, after all, that is what Easter is all about.

Jesus asked the soldiers in Gethsemane, "Who is it you want?" (John 18:4, 7) and He identified Himself as the One they sought to arrest by stating, "I am" (18:5-6, 8). These words led to Jesus' being bound and His followers released. He spoke again when He told Peter to put away his sword, explaining that He must drink the cup the Father has given Him. (18:11). Later in John 18, Jesus speaks again but only to answer legal questions. Again, His answers (and questions) only seem to dig the hole deeper.

What is missing in Jesus' few words is any sign of defensiveness or blaming or making excuses. He doesn't threaten or strike back. He doesn't do what I would do! How different is He than me?! In the midst of false accusations, scoffing, spitting, beatings, and ridicule - He kept mostly quite. Through six unjust trials He did not open his mouth.

A quick look at the gospels confirms this: In Matthew 26 (and Mark 14) we're told that Jesus remained silent when false witnesses accused Him before. He did speak when they charged Him under oath by the living God to tell them if He was the Christ, the Son of God. (vv.62-63) He responded by simply telling the truth - and they declared that He was worthy of death. (v. 66)

Over and over, Jesus was falsely accused, unjustly convicted and brutally beaten even though He had been declared innocent. Again - not the way I would have reacted. I am quick to defend myself over the more insignificant offense or unfair treatment! Are you? I suspect you are just like me - and unlike Jesus.

Let's let that sink in for awhile. Think about specific times you've sought to defend, excuse, blame, or retaliate in the past...or even right now as you read these words.

Why did Jesus keep silent? Isaiah 53:10 tells us: It was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of hte Lord will prosper in the land. Isaiah goes on to say that His soul suffered and that he bore the sin of many. This includes the shame of false accusations, unjust treatment, and ridicule.

Jesus did not defend Himself precisely because He did not die for Himself. He took all our sin and all of the punishment that goes with that sin. A part of the punishment we deserve is the shame that comes from our sin. I know that I've been saved the shame of public exposer for many sins I've committed. Some of those false accusations lobbed at Jesus were true of me - and He took it becuase I deserved it! I cannot tell you how much that means. I think I would rather die (which I also deserve) than to be fully and publicly exposed, wouldn't you?

Also, had Jesus spoke up and defended Himself - had He spoken with the same power He used in the garden and those who heard Him fell down in reverent fear - He would not have been condemned and crucified. He would have been exhonerated and we would have been (justly) executed. Join me in praising God and thanking Jesus for the silence of the Lamb.

From Grace, George.

Who Is It You Want?

Still in the Garden of Gethsemane, we read in John's Gospel (18:1-11) that Jesus asked the same question twice: Who is it you want? Have you ever wondered why did Jesus ask this question? Let me suggest three reasons:

First, Jesus wanted His adversaries to Declare their intent. By making them state their intentions, Jesus got them 'on the record.' There would be no mistaking the fact that they were there to arrest Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, God's only Son, was the One who would be arrested and killed. Like the arresting officers, we must acknowledge that our sin cost the life of God's one and only Son. When asked who should die for our sins, we too must reply, Jesus of Nazareth. The only other option is that we will be charged and condemned - not the innocent man who, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked, 'Who is it you want?'

Secondly, Jesus wanted to Display His identity. Three times Jesus admits that He is Jesus of Nazareth. Specifically, He says, "I am he." Actually, in the Greek, He simply says, "I am." By identifying Himself as the I AM, Jesus is making a claim to deity. This is the name Moses heard in Exodus 3:14 when he encountered God at the burning bush. For a moment, perhaps offering Judas and those with him one last chance to repent, Jesus revealed His majesty. John tells us that when Jesus said this, they drew back and fell to the ground. (v6) When we see the true, uncloaked majesty of Jesus and hear His powerful word we will fall down too!

Finally, Jesus wanted to Defend His followers: By making the officials single Him out as the person they were looking for, Jesus was able to say, "If you are looking for me, then let these men go. (v8) Notice that Jesus is calling the shots! As they are picking themselves up off the ground and dusting off their robes and weapons, they find themselves outmatched by the one man they came to arrest. Jesus' command to let the disciples go serves two purposes. He is protecting them from harm by the officers. Even after Peter takes an ill-advised swipe at Malchus' head (v 10), they are all allowed to leave. "This happened so that the words [Jesus] had spoken would be fulfilled: 'I have not lost one of those you [God, the Father] gave me.'" (v9) Like those earliest disciples, we are safe in the hands of Jesus.

I believe Jesus also saved them from themselves. I believe He knew that they would not have been able to stand up under the strain of arrest, imprisonment, and perhaps execution. It would be more than they could handle and I think He knew that. Remember, they were not yet indwelt with the Holy Spirit and they were vulnerable to shrinking back. So are we when we live by our own strength. Spend time in God's Word, in prayer, and with other believers so that God's Spirit will be able to keep you strong in the face of danger and opposition.

Jesus, the Great Shepherd, when His life was at stake, laid down His life for His Sheep - exactly as He had said (John 10:11-18):

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. They hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them in also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life - only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.

From Grace, George.

Ironic, Don't You Think?

John's gospel records the intimate details of Jesus' arrest in the garden called Gethsemane (see John 18:1-11). In the third verse we read, "Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying tourches, lanterns, and weapons."

Can you picture the parade of torch and lantern carrying soldiers making their way at night down from Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley, and up the Mount of Olives. I was fortunate to visit Israel a few years ago. One of the things I most remember is how close these places are to one another (see picture above). Jesus could have easily watched the string of lights make their way toward Him.

And please don't think this detachment of soldiers was in any way like the Keystone Cops or Barney Fife. These were serious soldiers sent on a serious mission. And there were a lot of them! A detachment of Roman solders could number anywhere from 200 to 1,000 men. They were well trained and they were armed.

Think of the irony of this entire scene: The armed soldiers were on their way to arrest the Prince of Peace. To do so, they were using laterns and torches to apprehend the Light of the World. Ironic, don't you think?

There is irony in a larger sense, as well. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made sin for us (sinners). Jesus died to overcome death. Satan lost by killing the Son of God. And we live only by dying to ourselves and living for Him. Ironic, don't you think?

Irony probably isn't the best word for the truth of the gospel. Let's try another: grace.

From Grace, George

Knowing All, He Went Out

John 18:1-11 gives us an insider's account of what happened on the night Jesus was arrested. We read there that Jesus, after he had finished praying, left with His disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. He was headed to one of His favorite places to pray, Gethsemane (meaning "olive press"). There He would soon be arrested.

We read that Jesus and His disciples went into the garden. This suggests that the garden was an enclosed setting, probably with a gate. If you visit there today, you'll find this to be the case. One way in and one way out. Jesus entered this garden at night and would have certainly been able to see the detachment of soldiers Judas was leading across the valley with their torches and lanterns...and weapons. They were on a serious mission and they were ready for resistance. But they'd find none.

John then writes (v. 4), "Knowing all that was going to happen to him..." This is a nice way to say that Jesus knew that He would be betrayed by a friend, harshly bound, unfairly tried, beaten mercilessly, and crucified on the cruelness of the cross. Knowing all this, you would think that Jesus, under the dark of night could easily jump the wall (remember it's night) and escape. But John tells a different story. "Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out."

Think about what this says about our Savior! He chose to go to the cross for us. He was in complete control of the situation and of His emotions. He meant it when He said that no one takes His life from Him but that He laid it down - for us.

Matthew Henry writes concerning the fact that Jesus stepped forward to offer Himself for us: "Our Lord, like a bold champion, took the field first." When you think of it, that's what He always did. Not only did He step out of the garden, He stepped out of glory. Though He is God, He became Man so that He could take our place as the punishment for our sin.

Today, take a moment to thank your Savior for stepping out of the garden... and glory.

From Grace, George