Commentator / Reflective Speaker (29:13)
Right, first let's talk about the scene at Passover. Then we're going to move on to the gritty truth of chopping off ears There are moments in our lives when we feel licensed to be selfish and seek to be served by others. One of those moments is when we feel like victims. We feel entitled to selfishness, and we feel like we've been wronged or cheated of something. So maybe we deserve a little something. Maybe we deserve to be indulgent. After all, if no one is going to look out for me, then I need to look out for myself, right? Another time we permit ourselves to be selfish is when we feel morally superior to someone else. Sometimes we can trick ourselves into thinking our moral prowess makes us entitled to someone else's devotion. If anybody had cause to see themselves as a victim or morally superior to others, it was definitely Jesus. However, instead of feeling entitled to the service of others, he humbly served Listen to this verse from Philippians 2, verses 1 through 9. Paul says this if therefore there is any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation in love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies of compassion, make my joy full by being like minded, having the same love, being of one accord and of one mind, doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself. Each of you, not just looking to your own things, but each of you also to the things of others, have this in your mind, which was also the mind of Christ, who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and being found in human form. He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, even death on the cross. Service to others is not an admission of weakness. It's an ultimate display of strength. Jesus, being God, saw it as an act of power and purpose to serve the people around him. Opportunities to be selfish and entitled are all around us. But it takes a godly individual with Christlike strength to look for the areas needing love and service. The Passover was a time of remembrance for the Israelites, commemorating their deliverance from Egypt. Jesus, the Passover lamb, chose this moment to demonstrate a new kind of deliverance. A deliverance from sin and self centeredness. By washing the disciples feet, Jesus, the master and teacher embraced the role of a servant. This act was not just about physical cleanliness, but symbolized the cleansing of their lives from sin. Jesus humility and service are central to his message and mission. And it's central to us as believers at the table. Jesus broke bread and shared wine, symbolizing his body and blood. This was more than a ritual. This was an invitation to partake in his suffering and victory. The bread and wine became symbols of a new covenant, a promise of redemption and transformation based on the shedding of his blood and the breaking of his body. This covenant is based on grace, not law, inviting us into a relationship with God based on what Jesus has done, not our merit. By partaking in communion, we are acknowledging Jesus sacrifice for us, but also we're accepting the new life offered to us through a relationship with Him. It's like a marriage where we dedicate ourselves to living a life with him and for him. When you take communion this week, ponder these things and consider Christ's loving proposal. In this episode, the scene goes from warm and fuzzy and cozy to something a little more dark and sinister. Let's transition to the scene at the garden, specifically when Jesus is arrested. There are two things that I want us to notice here for today. First is that Jesus was at the brook Kidron. This brook was important during the Passover. It would typically be red because the blood from the temple was spilt into the brook. Jesus is literally standing beside a river flowing of blood spilled from sacrifice just hours before he's going to make the final sacrifice and his blood is going to be shed. But this brook also had some historical biblical significance. It was the brook that David crossed when he was running away from Absalom who was trying to kill him. David was fleeing into the wilderness to save himself from death. But Jesus, years later, the son of David, stepped over the brook and ran towards his enemies. David was running away from evil. Jesus was stepping towards it. Jesus actually made it easier for them to arrest him. This place also has some prophetic significance because this is also the place where Jesus, with a robe dipped in blood, riding atop a white horse with a sword for a tongue, will come in battling evil and thwarting it once and for all. The second thing we have to notice here is that Jesus went forward to them. He wasn't hiding. It says that Jesus, knowing what would happen to him, came forward. It says In Hebrews chapter 12, for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. Jesus was not dragged there against his will. Make no mistake. He was not seized by anyone. He willingly laid his life down. Jesus said so himself. Nobody takes my life, but I, for my sheep, will willingly lay it down. In fact, when the soldiers ask for Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus says, I am he, every soldier falls on their backs. That's powerful and a reminder that Jesus was not a victim. He was the triumphant and conquering king. He was going to pursue evil once and for all. These soldiers thought they had power. They had no power. Jesus was marching on a mission to the cross. He willingly gave himself up. Can we just stand in awe for a moment in Jesus's sovereignty over the whole situation? This scene is very important for us to grasp that Jesus was not a victim. It's profoundly important for us to know that Jesus was not a victim of evil, but rather he was the victor over it. God provides a solution for the problem of evil on the cross through Jesus. He took the eternal sting that evil caused humanity, nailed it to the cross with his hands and feet and bore the weight of evil. He endured it all and he conquered over it. Evil was but a tool for redemption in Christ's hands. He was totally and completely sovereign. Jesus was not a victim to sin and its evils. He is the hero that prevails over it. And he can, because he is God. He alone holds the power and authority to address evil and to do away with it completely. And when we fail to recognize Christ as the hero of the story and begin to look at ourselves as the heroes of the story, we react in one of two ways or both. Our typical response to sin and evil is usually in one of these two postures. 1. Hedonism. Ignoring good and evil to pursue your own personal pleasures and bliss. If you see yourself as the center of the story, you're the protagonist of this divine tale, then you're gonna do whatever you want. After all, you're the main character. But there's another approach that people often take to the problem of evil and that's moralism. They take it upon themselves to eradicate all evil because they are the hero of the story. One person who fell victim to this was Peter. In the Gospel of John, it says this. Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. At that, Jesus said to Peter, put away your sword. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me? Peter, in a moment of indignation, aimed to kill this soldier. He aimed for the head, but cut off the ear. I want to make a side point really quick. I wonder how many ears Jesus has had to put back on on my behalf. Here's what I mean. I wonder how many times I've been brutal. I wonder how many times I've been angry or I've been indignant when thinking I'm defending Jesus. Maybe I've been self righteous. Maybe I've been cutting with my words or judgmental in my tone. And in so doing I've cut off someone's ear to hearing the gospel. I wonder how many people I have cut off from hearing the truth of the gospel because of my self righteousness or my arrogance. I cringe thinking about that. Sometimes in moments of jealousy, anger and self righteousness, we can cut off people thinking that we're combating evil. But all the while we're just making a mess for Jesus to clean up afterwards. All of us at some point have been victims of this behavior as well. But look at what Jesus does to Malchus. He takes his ear and puts it back on him. He heals him. I think I can relate to Peter in this situation because he was 100% convinced that he was the hero in this scenario. He was going to be the one to take up arms and defend Jesus because Jesus needed his defending. But Jesus just sent all these soldiers flying on their backs. Is there any inclination in this story that Jesus needed Peter's defending? Is there any inclination God has ever given us that he needs us to take up arms and defend him at all costs? It's a form of self righteousness to think that God somehow needs our defending. When we're the hero of the story, we can cause a lot of damage. That's why it's so paramount for us to put Jesus at the top. He is the hero of the story and the villain is the enemy. Sin and death. When I make people the enemy instead of Satan, and evil. That's when it can get dangerous. Ephesians 6 says this your enemy isn't flesh and blood at all. For our struggles is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against powers in this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. So when Jesus is met in the garden, he confronts his enemies and allows them to escort him to trial. In our next episode, the Son of God is going to stand before some powerful men. He's going to be tried and sentenced to death. He may seem like a victim to some, but we know he's the conquering king.
