Matthew 26:54-56

Matthew 26:54-56

“Therefore how should the writings be fulfilled that it is necessary to become in this way?”  At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “As a rebel you all came out with swords and clubs to arrest me?  Each day in the temple I was sitting down while teaching and you all did not seize me.  But this whole thing has become in order that the writings of the prophets should be fulfilled.  Then after all the disciples departed from Him they fled.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus’ first comment in this section is quite significant.  How should the writings be fulfilled, that it is necessary for these things to take place!  In other words, Jesus is giving a small critique to the disciple with the sword.  Jesus wants that disciple to stop and realize that although He is doing something that he thinks is right, in reality he is actually working against the ultimate agenda of God: Jesus must die.  But even more deeply than this, Jesus is giving everyone a big reminder.  He is being arrested so that God’s plan can take place.  It is important for Jesus to be arrested, beaten, bruised, hurt, scarred, mobbed, crucified, and killed.  It is God’s plan.  It is necessary.  Jesus is submitted, even if it leads to His death.

Are you submitted to God’s plan in a similar manner to Jesus?  How do you know?

Second Thought:

Jesus makes a really cool point in the middle of this passage, too.  Day in and day out Jesus sat in the temple area.  He was easy to find.  He was public about His teaching.  Lots of people heard what He had to say.  Jesus didn’t hide from them.  They could have taken Him at any moment.  But they didn’t.  They took Jesus at night - after they raised up rabble to come after Him.  And they armed themselves against a defenseless man.  This is how evil works in the world.  You seldom see evil at work until it reveals it ugly head and all of its behind the scene planning and scheming and manipulation that it has done.  There was no need for this pretense, Jesus was readily accessible to anyone who would have come to talk with Him!  Yet they came armed with an overpowering display of force so that they would easily carry the day.

How does this passage make you feel about the religious elite?  Why do human beings – especially human beings with evil intent – plot and scheme behind the scenes and only show their display of force after they have an overwhelming number of support?

Third Thought:

This section ends with the disciples fleeing.  On one hand, I can’t really fault them.  A rabble comes against Jesus.  Someone among them tries to stand up for Jesus and he gets yelled at.  From a human perspective that completely doesn’t understand God, they are only pursuing the single course of action that they have left.  They’ve tried to resist; fleeing is all that’s left.  However, on a much more meaningful spiritual level we can see that they abandon Jesus.  They are thinking of their own safety and only their own safety.  This goes to show us that in high stress situations, we are going to resort to worldly thinking – fight or flight instinct.  This is truer the less we truly spiritually understand about our surroundings.  This is why it is important to be in touch with God daily and trying to view the world through His eyes as often as possible.

Can you understand why the disciples fled in this circumstance?  Even if we can understand the action, does it make it right?  When have you been in an action where your human instinct for fight or flight took over and kept you from reacting in a more spiritual mindset?  What does it mean to you to know that these same disciples who fled were the ones upon whom God built His church?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 26:57-60