Mark 14:53-72

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” And some began to spit on Him and to cover His face and to strike Him, saying to Him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received Him with blows. (v. 65) It was very troubling to me as I read this verse. I’m first wondering who is in the room. The Sanhedrin was composed of 70 chief priests, scribes and elders, and the high priest, Caiaphas. There were also temple officers and guards (and servants?). So who is spitting and striking the blows? Surely not the Jewish leaders. Wouldn’t that be beneath their dignity? I’d think that they would be more prone to throwing stones, not anything that involved a more personal connection. So I imagine the officers and guards (prompted by the Jewish leaders) who had arrested Jesus and were still standing by. And I’m also imagining Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea in the crowd, highly dispirited at seeing Jesus treated so harshly. Sad.

And Peter again. Also sad…

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 26:57-75

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” Then those who had seized Jesus led Him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. (vv. 57-58) I somehow knew that Jesus was taken before the Sanhedrin, but I had always imagined that location to be somewhere in the temple area. But some notes that I read, consistent with the quote above, suggested that this “trial” took place at the home of Caiaphas, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. The clincher to me was the “courtyard” and later the mention of servants. As far as I know there were no courtyards in the temple area – I have always imagined that it was all paved over. And there may have been people serving in the temple area, but they would not have been “servants”. So what’s the significance of Jesus being taken to Caiaphas’ home? The Jewish leaders (“the scribes and the elders”) were doing all this “under cover”, in the dark of the night (see “rooster crowing” later), out of sight of the crowds who largely supported Jesus. Meeting together in the temple would have been too well publicized and they did not want that! Again, a cowardly act! Not unlike the Baltimore Colts moving to Indianapolis in the middle of the night – ask Carol…

Peter… Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear… (v. 74), together with And he went out and wept bitterly. (v. 75c) In two consecutive verses we see the intensity that was Peter. To go from shouting curses in the crowd to weeping alone… Many of us can probably relate to “weeping alone”, but I doubt that we have been so openly vocal in our denial of our Savior. Rather, we are prone to sin “quietly”, then weep alone later. We, together with the Jewish leaders, are also cowards. The main difference, however, is that we can confess our cowardly activities and be forgiven. It’s not likely that many of the Jewish leaders sought that readily-available forgiveness from Jesus. So sad…

Slava Bohu!

John 18:1-11

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” When Jesus said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (v. 6) Two items struck me in this verse. The first is that the ESV translation had a footnote on “I am He”, telling us that the Greek translation was simply “I am”. These two words are sacred to the Jews, from when God spoke to Moses, I am Who I am, then repeated in the same verse, Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you’. (Exodus 3:14) So Jesus speaking these two words must have struck the crowd unexpectedly, since no one ever spoke those exact words. Then, the second item, the crowd (including the soldiers) drew back and fell to the ground. Jesus had merely told them that He was the one they were seeking and something in Him or His response struck them so mightily that they were completely overwhelmed to be in His presence. It is surprising to me that they could then proceed with His arrest. Strange…!

Luke 22:39-53

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against Him… (v. 52) So I was wrong a few days ago when I chastised the Jewish leaders for not being present when Jesus was arrested. Sometimes I do and sometimes I do not look forward to the other Gospels when I am reading the first of two or three or four recounting the same incident. Apparently I should have this time!

And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him. (v. 43) We saw angels “ministering” to Jesus after His forty days in the wilderness (Mt. 4:11, Mk. 1:13), but I don’t recall any other time in the Gospels where we have seen angels alongside Jesus. So the “ministering” angels and the “strengthening” angel led me to wonder whether Jesus regularly had guardian angels. I daresay that most of us, if questioned, would agree that we have guardian angels watching over us. So Jesus’ having guardian angels should not be a stretch for us. I wonder what they did for Him. Presumably He was filled with the Holy Spirit from His baptism on. Were the angels also special envoys from His Father? Jesus had said that He had twelve legions of angels at His disposal (Matthew 26:53). So what did Jesus’ guardian angels do? Thoughts…?

Slava Bohu!

Mark 14:43-52

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” I’ve always felt sorry for Judas and wondered if his hanging himself was his ultimate repentance and that he might not be assigned to Hell for all eternity. Today’s reading strengthens that argument for me: Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” (v. 44) The ESV and NASB both end that sentence with “under guard”. What struck me, however, was the NKJV translation that ended with “safely”. Did Judas want Jesus taken away “safely”? Did he have some other expectation of what the Jewish leaders would do with Jesus? Was he then shocked to see Him beaten and crucified? And did Jesus’ death on the cross drive Judas to his own suicide? What was Judas’ actual bargain with the Jewish leaders? When he threw their thirty pieces of silver back into the temple sanctuary (Matthew 27:5), was he livid with anger that they had deceived him? I often wonder about Judas…

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 26:47-56

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” First we have: …a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. (v. 47b) Put that together with verse 48, Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” When you put those two verses together, it looks like a mob put together from the local rabble, with an escort from some Roman soldiers. But no chief priests or elders were present – otherwise these Jewish leaders would have known who Jesus was and would not have needed Judas to give Jesus that betrayal kiss. How cowardly of them, not being present to confront the accused! So when Jesus says, Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. (v. 55c), He is speaking to the crowd, not to the Jewish leaders. Had they been there, they surely would have been fully belittled by Jesus’ comment. Cowards!!

Slava Bohu!

Mark 14:32-42

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” …<He> began to be greatly distressed and troubled. (v. 33b) I remember reading somewhere that Jesus’ being distressed and troubled at the ordeal facing Him was different from the martyrs who would follow Him, who looked at their suffering and death more serenely – confident in their hope of their resurrection and meeting Jesus, effectively suffering “willingly” for Him. Jesus, however, was facing sin head-on and the Father’s wrath. Naturally He would be …greatly distressed and troubled.

…and they did not know what to answer Him. (v. 40b) Jesus had chastised the three disciples earlier when He first found them sleeping, Could you not watch one hour? (v. 37b) So they knew that they had failed Him. It really hit me – I do not know how to answer Him when I know that I have failed. The guilt overwhelms, yet still the grace is abundant when I finally come to repentance. Then I can only answer Him with “Thank You, LORD!”

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 26:36-46

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (v. 41b) I know I’ve heard this verse (or variations on this verse) repeated probably dozens, if not hundreds of times. But I doubt that I ever reflected on the fact that Jesus spoke these words at Gethsemane. I looked online to see if Jesus had spoken these words anywhere else, but no, this is the only occurrence. We so glibly say, “Yeah, my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak”, probably never pausing to think about where that verse came from. “I’d love to, but I’m tired.” More of the same! So when you hear that verse (or its variations) spoken and especially when you find yourself too tired to do “whatever”, stop and go back to Gethsemane with Jesus. These kinds of little reminders throughout the day grow us ever closer to Him and His suffering on our behalf. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”

Slava Bohu!

John 17:20-26

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” I couldn’t possibly post today without commenting on this first verse: I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word… (v. 20) I can well remember the delight I felt when I first read these words and realized that Jesus was praying for ME, for US!! That joy continues each time I read these words. And when I ponder more deeply I am thankful for Paul and the early Christian missionaries who took Jesus’ words to an unbelieving world, down through the centuries, all the way through to Jim O’Connor, then to ME! Awesome! And now it’s my job (our job) to take Jesus’ words further into this still-unbelieving world.

I could say more on today’s passage, but I would rather leave it where it is – that we have a responsibility to carry Jesus’ message further. But don’t think of it as a responsibility or a command – think of it as an opportunity! What joy to help others believe, even as we have come to believe. YES!

Slava Bohu!

John 17:6-19

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer”, in three readings… Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You. For I have given them the words that You gave Me… (vv. 7-8a) I read this first verse and wondered at the phrase, everything that You have given Me. What had the Father given Jesus? My first thought was that the Father gave Jesus the power to do the miracles that He did. Then I read on and saw that the Father had also given Jesus the words that He spoke. Power and words. Presumably power and words are available to us. We know about words being given to us: …do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. (Luke 12:11b-12) I dare say that most of us have already experienced “Holy Spirit words” being given to us. But what about power? Let me just leave it at that…!

All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. (v. 10) Jesus has already said of His disciples in earlier verses that the Father had given His disciples to Him: Yours they were, and you gave them to me. (v. 6b) So when He says “All mine are yours…”, He is speaking of His disciples. Then when He says I am glorified in them, the “them” is referring back to His disciples. That is, Jesus is glorified in whatever His disciples do. Regularly I have been suggesting that much of what Jesus said of and to His disciples carries forward to us. Hence a conclusion that Jesus is glorified in whatever we do. So what are we doing?

Slava Bohu!