We finished previously with the completion of the Last Supper (See A New Commandment, Communion, and the Holy Spirit.)
Thursday (cont.)
It is late in the evening as the 11 apostles accompany Jesus to the garden of Gethsemane, lying at the foot of the Mount of Olives, to pray.
Jesus first prayed for His glorification through His death and resurrection, to mark the completion of His earthly mission:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.” Jn. 17:1 – 5. NLT
God is placing Jesus in position to reign and rule over all. Christ revealed the Gospel and demonstrated to us what God is like.
This is another Scripture that proves Christ was alive before creation itself. It is also corroborated by the Holy Spirit to the apostle Paul:
(Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will— Eph. 1:4, 5. AMP)
Next, Jesus prayed for His apostles to His Father, for them to be able to share the joy of His Son, to be protected from the devil, unified in purpose, and to be showered with God’s love.[1] Lastly, He prayed for those same blessings for all His believers for all time.[2]
The night grew later still. Jesus took Peter, James, and John deeper into the garden and said:
“My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Mt. 26:38 NLT
It was Jesus’ earthly human flesh that was fearful, not His Spirit. He went a little further into the garden by Himself to pray, when that same fearful flesh motivated Him to say:
“My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.” Mt. 26:39a NLT
Yet immediately after He utters that plea, Jesus gets past His fleshly weakness and declares His divine imperative:
“Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Mt. 26:39b NLT
An angel came and strengthened Him. Afterwards, He prayed so hard that His sweat was like drops of blood.[3] He continued to pray until morning.
Friday:
When Jesus finished praying, He found His ‘watchful trio’ sleeping. He wakes them and says:
“Are you still sleeping and resting? Listen, the hour [of My sacrifice] is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners [whose way and nature is to oppose God]. Get up, let us go. Look, My betrayer is near!” Mt. 26:45, 46. AMP
Exactly when Jesus said those words, Judas Iscariot entered the garden, accompanied by the Temple guards provided by the chief priests. They were accompanied by an armed crowd.
Judas immediately approaches Jesus to identify Him to the guards. Jesus addresses him:
“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Lk. 22:48 CSB
Like a stab in the back.
At that very moment, Peter draws a sword and cuts the ear off a servant of the high priest. Jesus immediately reaches out and heals him. He turns and rebukes Peter:
“Put your sword back in its place; for all those who habitually draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” Mt. 26:52, 53. AMP
Then, just as Christ previously prophesied, all His apostles deserted Him.
Jesus was arrested, bound, and dragged before Annas, the father-in-law of the reigning high priest (Caiphas). Annas had just finished his term in the high priest office, which still afforded him some authority. He questioned Jesus about His teachings. Christ responded by referring to His own guileless transparency:
“I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in a synagogue and in the temple [area], where all the Jews habitually congregate; and I said nothing in secret.” Jn. 18:20 AMP
One of the arresting officers did not care for Jesus’ answer and slapped Him across the face, telling Him to give greater respect to Annas. Christ simply countered the officer by saying that He had done nothing to deserve such violent abuse, especially because He was only telling the truth.
This was the first blow that Jesus took for us in His ‘passion’. Passion is a word that is defined as ‘an extreme emotion’ or ‘an act of extreme emotion’.
The ‘passion of Christ’ refers to His extreme love for all humankind, and His demonstration of that love from the beginning of His ministry, even to His sacrifice.
Annas wasn’t getting anywhere with Jesus, so he sent Him to Caiaphas, as he was the only one who could bring formal charges against Him.
Caiaphas had gathered with the Sanhedrin, who were bringing up false witnesses to accuse Jesus of blasphemy. Yet, none of their testimonies corroborated, which is required by Jewish law.
Jesus remained silent throughout the kangaroo court. Frustrated, Caiphas asked Him directly if He was the Son of God. Christ replied:
“You have [in fact] said it; but more than that I tell you [regardless of what you do with Me now], in the future you will see [Me revealed as] the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Mt. 26:64 AMP
Jesus ‘declaration of His Sonship was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Caiaphas, who accused Him of blasphemy, and the council sentenced Him to death. They spat in His face, mocked Him, and they beat Him.
All the while, Peter is watching the proceedings from the courtyard. During this time, 3 different people approach him, saying that they recognized him, having seen him with Jesus. Peter denied knowing Jesus to all 3 of them. During the 3rd denial, a rooster crowed – just as He had prophesied. Jesus turned His eyes to meet Peter’s. The apostle wept.
Judas was also slinking nearby. When he heard the court’s pronounced death sentence, he was filled with remorse. He tried to return his ’30 pieces of silver’ to the priests, pleading:
“I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man. What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.” 27:4 NLT
The betrayer threw the money into the temple, and went out to hang himself…
The Sanhedrin did not have the authority to execute Jesus. So, they bound Him and sent Him to the one who did – Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea.
Pilate asked the Sanhedrin for the nature of Jesus’ crime. They balked a little and blamed Him for being an ‘evil doer’. In addition, they claimed that Jesus was misleading the nation, by calling Himself a ‘king. Finally, they said that He was telling people not to pay their taxes to Caesar.
Pilate directly addresses Jesus:
“Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is just as you say.” Lk. 23:3 AMP
Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.” Jn. 18:37 AMP
Pilate responds:
Pilate said to Him [scornfully], “What is truth?”
And when he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation].” Jn. 18:38 AMP
Pilate then learned that Christ was from Galilee. So, he shipped Him off to the Jewish governor in that region – Herod Antipas. Herod was excited because he thought he was going to see Jesus perform miracles. Instead, He remained silent, even when the chief priests and scribes accused Him falsely.
Herod and his soldiers mocked Him and then sent Him back to Pilate. He approached Jesus’ accusers again and said that neither he nor Herod found any fault in Him.
Pilate now realized that Christ was innocent of any wrongdoing, and that His detractors were motivated purely out of envy.
Even Pilate’s wife sent him a message regarding Jesus:
“Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for today I’ve suffered terribly in a dream because of him.” Mt. 27:19 CSB
Pilate had an idea. During the Passover feast, it was customary for the Roman governors to release one Jewish prisoner as a gesture of good will. This year, it was to fall upon a murderer named Barabbas.
He thought to release Jesus instead of Barabbas. But first, Pilate had Him scourged (flogged with a whip with metal and glass attachments to rip out large chunks of flesh) to try to appease the Sanhedrin.
Then Pilate had Christ adorned with a purple robe and a crown of thorns. And he presented Him to the crowd, who, by this time was whipped into a frenzy by the Sanhedrin, calling out for His execution.
Still trying to find a way to get out of being an accomplice to Jesus’ death, Pilate asks the crowd to clarify His crime. And they answered:
“We have a law [regarding blasphemy], and according to that law He should die, because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” Jn. 19:7 AMP
When Pilate heard that, he became more fearful of his complicity. He asked Jesus where He was from, but He remained silent. Frustrated, Pilate told Him that he has the power to release Him. Jesus breaks His silence:
“You would have no authority over Me at all if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the sin and guilt of the one who handed Me over to you is greater [than your own].” Jn. 19:11 AMP
Pilate tried to release Jesus, but the crowd demanded he free Barabbas. Furthermore, they told him that they would go to Caesar and tell him that Pilate wouldn’t punish a criminal who declared himself a ‘king’.
So when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but rather that a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands [to ceremonially cleanse himself of guilt] in the presence of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this [righteous] Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” Mt. 27:24 AMP
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] Jn. 17:6 – 19.
[2] Jn. 17:20 – 26.
[3] Lk. 22:44