Epaggelia

The company of soldiers, the commander, and the Jewish Temple police arrested Jesus and tied Him up. First they led Him to Annas for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was advantageous that one man should die for the people. (John 18:12-14)

The Binding: Jesus was bound and tied for a reason. The nature of sin, is that once we commit it, it enslaves us. The cords of sin are like the cords of rope that tied Isaac to the sacrificial altar Abraham had to build. In this act of obedience God was making a reality of Isaac’s shadow in Jesus, when the soldiers tied him up. What do we feel like when we are bound? Helpless. The burden of sin makes us helpless, and Jesus took on that feeling for us, so that we never really need to suffer from helplessness. We always have help in overcoming the consequences of sin because Jesus suffered, paying the price and giving us strength to overcome our helplessness. Genesis 22:9-14.

The Arrest: When John the cousin of Jesus was arrested, Caiaphas was high priest, Luke 3:2, but now as Jesus is arrested, the son-in-law Caiaphas is side-stepped and his Father-in-law the previous High Priest Annas is being consulted first. Their actions spoke like they were making excuses for the young Caiaphas’ plot of killing Jesus to be given clout from the older Annas. Historically, Annas had 5 sons, all of which took turns being High Priest. The real crime, Jesus must feel is that his “quasi-trial” starting here is really already finding him guilty as charged before the actual trial takes place. They and others had already conspired to kill Lazarus, Jn. 11:49-12:11, now they wanted Jesus dead. He had previously escaped a stoning, so now they would get the Romans to help them and kill him ‘their’ way. The plot is in process and Jesus must feel dread in seeing his execution unfold. Jesus practiced what he preached. The pain of determination in the midst of persecution. “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say to you, do not resist him that is evil: but whoever hits you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man would take you to court, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. Mt. 5:38-40. The hitting of Jesus in the presence of the High Priest was susceptible to a reverse charge against the injurious action, called “the Zuzim”, Jn. 18:23. But his false-accusers had no interest in true justice. “And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to slap him, and to say to him, Prophesy: and the officers received him with smacks of their hands. Mark 14:65. This is to take the weight of sin, and absorb the wrath of God against our sin, he was letting the burden of sin be placed on his face. God prophesied this: “I gave my back to the beaters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off my beard; I hid not my face from humiliation and spitting”. Isaiah 50:6

The Charge: Being arrested late on a Thursday night, Jesus had to be brought to a deadly conclusion before dusk Friday evening, the beginning of the Sabbath. Making an arrest at night, especially those involving capital offences were illegal. But illegalities did not deter the Priests, who had no conscience. The speed to have Jesus killed put illegality upon illegality. Perhaps one day, a Jew can explain why the initial verdict of blasphemy was allowed to become a charge of sedition, perverting the Nation and opposing Caesar. The law of Israel concerning capital accusations allowed argument for acquittal to be aired, with the custom of younger members speaking first, so that they would not be easily swayed by more mature members, but that is totally ignored as Jesus is first taken to the murky character of old Annas before any kind of a trial begins. The pain of a false charge must hurt Jesus inwardly, because He was proving to them that He was the truth, the way and the life, in full view of their lies & hate.

Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. (Mt. 26:47-49)
The experience of betrayal for Jesus was first recorded, when his own physical brothers labeled him as ‘insane’ Jn. 7:5-10, Mk. 3:21. Jesus wasn’t the first King to be betrayed. King David’s life was filled with betrayal, he started his reign wrestling with it, he warns those who had deserted him for Saul: “the God of our fathers look thereon and judge” (1 Chron. 12:17). Later still, the pain of betrayal was to come personally to David by his own son Absalom. To feel the inward piercing of treacherous lies was the consequence of deception God warns us about in the Proverbs 25:9-10. Jesus felt deception before he was beaten, scourged & crucified. If we know the reasons for betrayal, we may avoid committing it ourselves. God pleads, do not grieve His Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30. In the betrayal, God’s Spirit in Jesus must have felt that all was lost & hopeless, John 3:31-34.

Jesus prophetically chose Judas and already knew him to be a thief. Jesus is showing us that foreknowledge is not a weapon or defense against the pain of lies & betrayal. Judas may have wanted the leaders of religious society to recognize his advantageous position, and told them, whoever I “kiss”, He is the One. Consider this possibility, what if Judas believed that Jesus would use God’s power to overcome his captors? This would make Judas look more than knowledgeable. But Jesus knew Judas even better than Judas wanted to be known. A “kiss” made the pain of betrayal personal. 30 pieces of silver from the Priests would be shekels of the sanctuary; this would be equivalent to 120 denarius, which was the average of about three months wages. Today that would be almost $12,000. Judas agreed to identify Jesus for captivity in stealth. This would at first excite Judas enough to go through with his plans. But afterwards of course, he realizes he betrayed Jesus, (Mt. 27:1-4), and offers the money back, he changed his mind, but not his heart. Jesus must have felt cheated, to know that Judas would just throw everything away, for what he had done. The idea of money was in Judas’ mind, but the exact amount was offered by the chief priests. What is amazing is that 30 pieces of silver is equivalent to the price of a good slave, which is exactly what Jesus was to become, enslaved to the burden & consequence of sin, being prophesied of in Zec. 11:12-13, Ex. 21:32. He certainly took on the form of a slave, Php. 2:7-8. So should we! The pain of betrayal is felt in three ways by Jesus. Firstly from his own physical brothers calling him insane, Jn. 7:5-10, Mk. 3:21,31. Secondly by Judas capturing him for the Jews. Thirdly by the Chief Priests in encouraging the people to insist on crucifixion after Pilate had found no fault in him, Ac. 7:52. Most of us would strike back when betrayed, but Jesus only said one remark, “will you betray the Son of Man” (Luke 22:48), To the ears of Judas, the title Son of Man, reminded him of the office of Royalty and Judge, see Daniel 7:13. These words would have been ringing in the ears of Judas to his death. Christ’s identity was worth more than $12,000. Judas did not believe God wanted to forgive him in Jesus, even after prophesy was fulfilled.

Every time we feel pain, we could choose to think of making a decision, as this: “What will I do with this?” Jesus faced this question in Gethsemane. But his ‘passion’ really began when he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted 40 days, Mt. 1-11, Mk.1:12-13, Lk. 4:1-13. The question He answered when experiencing pain was not “Why Me?”, but perhaps he asked himself this: “How can I use this pain to show my faith in God’s purpose, virtues or word?”

Even John’s unique gospel without the temptation record, still introduces Jesus as “rejected” by his own people he came to, 1:11, and later records both incidences of rejection in the Temple grounds after His rebuke at the beginning of his ministry and the end, 2:13-22 & Mt. 21:12-13. Jesus lived his whole life here as a “Man of Sorrows”, Isa. 53:3.

The suffering Christ endured through his 3 year ministry on earth was not common as we all suffer, and it worsened when he approached Gethsemane. There for the first time, he suffered emotional and physical trauma like he had never experienced in all eternity. “He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities, punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds” (Isa. 53:5.) None of us have felt this, but we all have dealt with some kind of agonizing pain.

What exactly began at Gethsemane? That is where the decision was made. Before Gethsemane, he accepted the teaching, prophecies, warnings, but AT Gethsemane he decided! Jesus formed and sealed an inseparable bond with His Father by prayer. A bond which was threatened by Satan’s sinful presence. When His prayer in Gethsemane was finished, the whole act of His agonizing death was as good as done. That is why there was blood in His sweat. “Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him, for he was in such agony of spirit that he broke into a sweat of blood, with great drops falling to the ground as he prayed more and more earnestly. At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples-only to find them asleep…”. Lk 22:41-45 (TLB)

It took intense physical and emotional strength to overcome the terrifying consequence of His first personal acquaintance with sin. “He bore our sins” (Mt. 8:17 & 1st Pt. 2:24).

The passion of Christ was directed by the Father’s will and resulted in a life whose purpose was the cross (Jn 12:27). Jesus was dedicated to accomplish the requirements foretold by prophecies and the will of the Father. Jesus expected to accomplish the exact plan of the Father. In John 6:14-15, a crowd tried to make Jesus a king by force, but he rejected their attempt because it would have deviated from the cross. The final words of Jesus from the cross were a triumphant proclamation. Like a runner crossing the finish line in agony, yet with great emotion in overcoming obstacles, Jesus says “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30) The passion of Christ originated in love, was directed by the purpose of God and was lived in dependence on the presence of God. Jesus declared that every word that he said was given to him by the Father who commanded him what to say and how to say it (Jn 12:49). In order for this to happen, Jesus lived every moment in the presence of the Father. Every thought, word and action of Jesus was given to him by the Father (Jn 14:31).

The life of Christ has set a pattern of self-sacrifice for living a passionate life for God. Believers in Jesus experience a spiritual birth that results in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (Jn 3:3; 1 Cor. 6:19). Therefore, believers have everything needed to live a passionate life for Christ. Why then are there so few passionate Christians? The answer is in the fact that few Christians really follow the pattern of Christ’s self-sacrificial life. Above everything else is the importance of building a relationship in love with Jesus. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” This is a lofty command but one that is critical for believers to attain. The love of Jesus is the most precious, personal and intense of relationships. Believers must learn to live in daily dependence on Jesus, seeking his will and experiencing his presence. This begins with setting thoughts on God. Proverbs 23:7 says that what we think about defines us. God says that we believers are to set our minds on what is pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy and God will be with us (Php. 4:8-9). It may not be possible to do this at all times, but the key is to find the places, ways and times where God is presently experienced and build on these. The more God is experienced, the more our mind will dwell on him and with him. This produces ever increasing praise, worship and thoughts of God that translate into actions that express love for Him and produce works of thankfulness towards Him and indeed honors Him.

What was the source of the passion of Christ? (Ac. 1:3) It was his intense love for our relationship to be alive with God. The love of Jesus resulted in his extreme commitment to walk a very narrow path to redeem humanity. For the sake of restoring us to fellowship with God, he made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant by being made in human likeness (Php. 2:6-7). His passionate love caused him to leave the glory of heaven and live an obedient life of self-sacrifice required by the holiness of God. Only such a sacrificial life could produce the pure and innocent blood sacrifice, required to cover the sins of those who put their faith in him (Jn. 3:16-17; Eph. 1:7). The passion of Christ was energized by the power of God. Jesus worked many phenomenal miracles through the power of God. Even when he was handed over to the mob led by Judas, he spoke and they fell backwards onto the ground (Jn 18:6). Jesus was always in control of his life. He said that more than twelve legions, or as many as sixty thousand angels, would respond to his commands (Mt. 26:53). Jesus was not just a good man who fell victim to evil circumstances. On the contrary, he predicted the manner of his death, the time and place chosen by the Father (Mt. 26:2). Jesus was not a powerless victim. He grappled & took death on, so that He could accomplish our redemption. Then He rose from the dead in power and majesty!

These are notes from our Congregation’s Bible Discussions.

I. BEGINNING THE NEW LIFE – John 3:1-7

Our Need – Romans 3:23
God’s Holiness ~ Isaiah 6:3
Adam’s Sin ~ Genesis 3:6-7
Our Sin ~ Ecclesiastes 7:20

The WAY – John 14:6
God’s Gift in Christ ~ Romans 6:23 & Colossians 1:22
Our Faith in Christ ~ John 1:12 & Acts 16:31
The Operation of God ~ Colossians 2:11-13 & Romans 6:1-7

The RESULTS – Acts 4:11-12
Everlasting Life ~ John 5:24
Christ’s Righteousness ~ Isaiah 61:10 & 2nd Corinthians 5:21
A New Position in God’s Family ~ 1st John 3:2
Empowered by God ~ Acts 1:8 & 2:38-39, 5:32
Reconciliation Between Enemies ~ Acts 10:14-15

The ASSURANCE – 1st Peter 1:3
The New Creature ~ 1st Corinthians 6:11 & 2nd Corinthians 5:17
The Fruit ~ Galatians 5:22-23
Promises of God ~ Titus 1:2 & 2nd Corinthians 1:20
The Spirit of God ~ 1st John 3:24

II. GROWING IN HIS NEW LIFE ~ 1st Peter 2:2

The WORD ~ Hebrews 4:12
Jesus shows us how to use God’s word, Matthew 4:1-11 & Joshua 1:8

PRAYER ~ Colossians 4:2
The work of God in our prayer is forgiveness, 1st John 1:9 & Mark 1:35

WORSHIP ~ Hebrews 13:15
Loving God is essential, Matthew 22:37 & Hebrews 10:24-25

FELLOWSHIP ~ Galatians 5:13
Sharing our strengths & needs with each other unites our bond in His Spirit
Acts 2:42-47 & Galatians 6:1-5

GIVING ~ 2nd Corinthians 9:6-8
Whether in effort or money, God blesses! Mark 12:41-44 & Acts 20:35

WALKING In The SPIRIT ~ Romans 12:1-2
Obedient small steps turn into big steps, Romans 8:4-5 & Galatians 5:16-25

III. ESTABLISHED IN NEW LIFE ~ Ephesians 4:11-15

Having God’s Strength to Share The Faith
Matthew 28:18-20
1st Corinthians 15:2-4
2nd Timothy 4:1-2

Having A Purpose in Suffering
1st Peter 3:17 & Jeremiah 37:15 ~ God’s will !!!
1st Timothy 5:23 & 2nd Timothy 4:20 & Luke 6:19 ~ God’s will ???
No matter how hopeless or painful our body, soul or mind feels, God claims that it is temporary. There is a victory for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as the God of all comfort. No one can point the finger and accuse the Crucified & Risen Lord of not understanding pain & suffering. 2nd Corinthians 1:3-5

Leadership in God’s Institutions
The Family, Genesis 2:24 & Colossian 3:18-21
Government, Romans 13:1-4 & 1st Peter 2:13
The Church, Acts 7:38 & 1st Timothy 3:1-13

There is a reason why Paul listed “self-control” as the last part of the fruit of God’s Spirit in a Christian’s heart, Galatians 5:23.

Have you begun God’s New Life? Romans 6:7
If you have, are you growing in His New Life?
If you are growing, do you desire to be established and mature?

1. Pray honestly, God knows when we are pretending before we do.
2. We should never give up on prayer, because God never gives up on us.
3. God’s answers to our prayers are always right because his righteousness is eternal.
4. Don’t try to impress God with a college degree vocabulary, He is smarter than that.
5. The love of God is the only reason we should pray for our enemies.
6. If we don’t believe in what we are praying about, How will God trust us with the answer?
7. Don’t argue with God, we can’t fight Him, our arms are too short and our words are too finite in the ears of an infinite God.
8. If we are feeling real pious and try to spend all night in prayer like Jesus, keep it silent so everyone else can sleep, please! The longest recorded prayer in the Bible is a 5 minute reading anyway. (John 17)
9. When we pray for our Nation’s Government, remember, God gave them the power they have before we even voted.
10. If we are hurting & really get angry in prayer, remember even the Psalmist ‘vented’, but be careful before you ‘lose it’, His wrath is bigger than ours and His love is beyond any earthly understanding.