19th Day of Lent
Dear friends in Christ. In tonight’s reading we come to Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane. He had just finished praying three times [Mt. 26.39], O My Father, if is possible, let this cup cannot pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as You will, and was chiding the disciples for sleeping while He was off praying. As He was doing so, come Judas and the crowd to arrest Him. There was a quick answer to His prayer: it was not possible that this cup pass away from Him; He would have to suffer as He did for the sins of the world. Nevertheless not as I will, but as You will. How beautifully Jesus submitted to His Father’s will and willingly suffered and died to bring about the salvation of the world!
We then hear in our Passion reading that Jesus asks this crowd carrying lanterns, torches, swords and clubs who were sent out from the chief priests and elders who they wanted. They said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” But what happens next is telling. Jesus said, “I am He.” Or more precisely/ accurately, He said: “I AM.” What makes that so important is that I AM is the name of God He revealed to Moses when Moses asked Him in the burning bush what His name was [Ex. 314]: And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” So here in the Garden, Jesus wasn’t just saying that He’s the one they are looking for. Instead, He says, “I AM.” He says that He is the true God; that they are looking to arrest the true God. And what happens? They backed away and fell to the ground. What He said, how He said it, and certainly His whole appearance revealed some of His divine majesty that He normally kept hidden. With one word He could have wiped out this crowd out to arrest Him; so with this display of His divine, almighty power He was showing them and us that they could not arrest Him unless He willingly consented. This display of His power certainly struck dread into the hearts of His enemies; but it was to have the opposite effect on His disciples—it was to comfort and strengthen them. The all-knowing and almighty God was willingly giving Himself into the hands of sinful men because only the suffering, death and blood of God is the all sufficient price to save us sinners.
We also see another great grace of Jesus here. Not only does He clearly identify Himself as the one they want to arrest but He also tells them, the very ones He knocked to the ground by His word, to let the disciples go. By this we see Jesus is holding a mighty, protecting hand over His disciples. Even though as true God He knew exactly what was before Him, He was still caring for, looking out for the disciples. In the wisdom of His love He did not want them arrested by overzealous temple guards and their lives endangered, just as Jesus had told Peter before [Lk. 22.31]: Satan has asked for you, that He may sift you as wheat. The faith of the disciples could not survive the test of being arrested with Him; it was beyond their spiritual strength.
Judas then steps up and betrays Jesus with a kiss. What should have been a sign of a warm greeting between friends, Judas turns into a sign marking Jesus as the one to be arrested.
When that large hostile force advanced, took hold of Jesus and arrested Him, the disciples saw what was going to happen and asked Him, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” And then, suddenly, not waiting for Jesus’ answer, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. St. John identifies St. Peter as the one with the sword and the high priest’s servant’s name as Malchus. Certainly seeing that large enemy band fall backward and to the ground at Jesus’ word made the disciples bold thinking that with just a sword or two they could help get Jesus out of there and He would not have to be captured or endure any suffering. But that was not Jesus’ will. Then Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” Oh, what a huge difference between St. Peter’s sword and Jesus’ cup! It does us well to ponder that this evening.
1. Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it... St. Peter’s sword was of the short, Roman style, almost dagger like so it could easily be concealed under an outer garment. He obviously was carrying it for safety—either because he knew something was up or even just more generally because of the dangers the night time brings. But St. Peter’s sword is more than just a mere sword. It is a sign or symbol that shows us that he often failed to listen to what Jesus was really saying. We read earlier in St. Matthew’s Gospel that right after His transfiguration [Mt 16. 21,22] Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
Jesus very clearly taught His suffering, death and resurrection. And how does St. Matthew say Jesus did this? He began to show to His disciples. What/ from where did Jesus show them? From the prophecies of the OT prophets. But what was happening? Peter and the rest were not listening. Sure, they heard the words but they were not listening to what Jesus was actually saying. They were adding their own thoughts/ ideas; they were interpreting what Jesus was saying in light of what they thought. They judged Jesus and what He said by their own ideas. Again, when Jesus showed the disciples from the OT and when He explained to them just exactly what He came to do—to suffer, die and rise again for the salvation of the world—St. Peter, took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
That’s what St. Peter’s sword shows us in our text—that the disciples were judging by their own ideas. What should they have been doing instead? They should have been listening to Jesus and forming their ideas by what Jesus was saying. Their thoughts and consciences should have been formed by Jesus’ words.
Here is a vital lesson for us. We live in the midst of our world/ society and are all the time surrounded by its thoughts, messages, ways of thinking, etc. We cannot help but take it in and be affected by the world around us. And the danger here is obvious: the world and its way of thinking is not the way of God. St. Peter was influenced by the common thinking that when the Savior comes, He would be some sort of political ruler and usher in some sort of “golden age” for Israel. So when Jesus talked about suffering and dying, St. Peter said: Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You; and when Jesus was taken into custody, St. Peter stretched out his hand and drew his sword.
Lent is the perfect time to make a point to actually sit down and listen to Jesus once again and hear what He is actually saying to us in His word. Many Christians think that they already know what Jesus says in His word so they don’t bother reading the bible or sound devotional works or even paying attention to the sermon. But what is happening? Such a person is becoming more and more influenced by the world’s way of thinking the more they separate themselves from Jesus and His word. Especially now in Lent, dear Christian, but everyday, hear Jesus’ word and not only hear His word but ponder it. Take an account from Scripture, take a verse and read it; ask yourself what is our Lord teaching us in this verse; ask yourself how it fits/ applies to your life—what the Lord is calling you to do, what He is giving/ promising you. Keep reflecting on it and keep asking the Holy Spirit to guide you further and deeper into it. Bible Study here at church with your pastor and fellow Christians is a good way to begin to do this.
St. Peter’s sword is also a sign/ symbol of carnal zeal. Yes, he obviously loved the Lord. His was a refreshing act of courage. But it was still a carnal zeal. It arose from a zeal that was not formed by God’s word. At the time when St. Peter rebuked Jesus when Jesus was talking about His suffering, death and resurrection, he said to Jesus, Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You. And what was Jesus’ response: Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. Again, thoughts/ conscience not formed by the word of God. And what does this carnal zeal of St. Peter do? Not only does it get in the way and tries to dictate and rule, but it really/ actually opposes the will of God. So, St. Peter had failed to listen to Jesus and failed to obey His will. True love and faith listens carefully to Jesus and tries to obey His will. What good are good intentions if the intentions are not formed by/ in accord with the will of God? True love and faith are humble and not only are the thoughts flowing from faith and love formed by the word of God, but they submit to the will of God even if every fiber of our being balks at and recoils against it.
2. That love and humility is what we have with Jesus’ cup that He is to drink. Then Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” What a beautiful image Jesus’ cup is for us sinners. It was the cup of suffering and the wrath of God. Yes, it was the most wretched and horrible thing for Jesus to have to drink, but here we see that He did so gladly and willingly for us sinners, for us and for our salvation.
The image of the cup points to drinking down fully and completely the contents of that cup. And here the contents of the cup are suffering and the wrath of God. Jesus would have to suffer completely and fully. And why? Because for us and for salvation He took on Himself the sins of the world—yours, mine, all people’s—and became the world’s sinner. The wrath of God would be focused and directed on Him as the world’s sinner, as the One to whom all the sins of every person was charged. A just and holy God must punish sin and it was this suffering/ punishment and wrath of God that Jesus would endure for us. It was this cup of suffering and the wrath of God that Jesus would drink down completely to the most bitter bottom. Jesus drinking the cup of suffering and wrath means that He goes through the suffering that the Father planned for Him to spare us from drinking the cup of suffering and wrath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?
Notice that interesting phrase— the cup which My Father has given Me—it’s the Father who gives Jesus the cup. The Father puts the cup to Jesus’ lips, not His enemies. And why is this important? It’s important because not only are Jesus’ enemies not the ones in charge, but as the Father gives Jesus the cup of suffering and wrath, it means that He is entrusting Jesus with the work of the salvation of the world. And what is so wonderful and comforting is that Jesus says: Shall I not drink the cup? It is a work that Jesus alone can do as the God-man; and it is a work that He does indeed do. And not only is He not dragged kicking and screaming into it, but He willingly takes the cup and drinks it down. Jesus willingly and voluntarily goes to the cross loaded down with the world’s sin and there endures all of God’s wrath over our sin. This attitude of willing obedience is essential for the work of saving us from our sin. Our entire Passion account this evening shows Jesus willingly doing everything for our salvation. He makes it clear that although He could have escaped, He didn’t. It is clear to one and all that Jesus willingly carried out the work that His Father gave Him to do, that He drank the cup His Father has given Him. St. Peter’s sword opposed God’s will for the salvation of the world; Jesus’ cup carried out God’s will to bring us forgiveness, life, and salvation. INJ