Day 36 - The Arrest

Today's reading is from Matt. 26: 47 - 75

A Harmony of the four Gospels gives slightly differing accounts of all that happened in Jesus' arrest and the subsequent trials. Matthews account is simple. In order to bring Jesus to trial, they had to arrest him. In order for there to be an arrest, two things had to take place. The cooperation of Judas, and the location of Jesus. They tried to grab him on other occasions, but he always alluded their arrest. So Judas agreed, for 30 pounds of silver, to betray Christ. It was the cost of a common slave, a very cheap price. But for 30 pieces of silver, Judas really sold himself, not Christ.

Matthew 26:48-54 (NIV)
48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him."
49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.
50 Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.
51 With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
52 "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

Judas' kiss has gone down in history as a way of explaining any person who is a traitor. He would soon regret what he did, but too late. We know from the other Gospels that it is Peter who decides to fight back, but Jesus makes it clear, there is no rebellion occurring here...He did not come to fight through fleshly means...there was a work of God beginning to be done.

Matthew 26:57-68 (NIV)
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled.
58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward
61 and declared, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'"
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?"
63 But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
64 "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.
66 What do you think?" "He is worthy of death," they answered.
67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him
68 and said, "Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?"

There was not one trial for Jesus, there were six! They were not all Jewish, half of them were Jewish and half of them were Roman. First there was Annas. Then there was Caiaphas, with a body of men making up the Sanhedrin. And then third, there was this official band called the Sanhedrin. All these were Jewish trials. The whole question of treason is not even verbalized.
When it goes to trial number four, Pilate the governor, this is where they accused him of treason because they were before a Roman Civil Court. And ultimately, after trial number five, which was really a clowning experience in front of Antipas (all he wanted to see was some tricks by Jesus), he came finally to Pilate again, his sixth and final trial. Because of pressure from his wife, and because of Rome, Pilate gave the death sentence to Jesus. Pilate was never convinced of his guilt by the way, and the only half-way fair trial that Jesus got was before Pilate.

The institutional response - the power over response - was to find a way to get rid of the nuisance, the threat, the one who was rocking the boat. To the Jewish leaders, Jesus threatened their authority and dominance, as well as their sources of income. To the Romans, Jesus threatened the "Pax Romana" - the Peace of Rome. He was a source of discord in a country they hated, but were determined to rule over.

Judas had made it possible to grab Jesus without the crowds to worry about, knowing that only a few of his disciples would easily be overcome. What they didn't expect was how submissive Jesus would be.
The personal response of Judas' betrayal is mirrored by the personal response of Peter's disloyalty.

Matthew 26:69-75 (NIV)
69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said.
70 But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.
71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth."
72 He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!"
73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."
74 Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed.
75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

We have all experienced those moments of time where instead of standing for Jesus, we shrunk back and refused to say out loud what we believe about the one who has loved us without regard. We can understand Peter's response...and we can understand his weeping afterwards. He went away, covered in guilt and shame; but in that resurrection morning, Jesus' words reminded him, and us, that "nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus."
Mark 16:6-7 (NIV)
6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"

AND PETER...AND ELLIOTT...AND _______________(fill in the blank).

Peace

If you're reading "through-the-Bible-in-a-year" with me, today's readings are in 2 Kings 1, 2, 3.