Reflective Bible Study

In our last episode, we looked at the details of Judas Iscariot deciding and agreeing to betray Jesus. For this episode, we’ll jump forward to the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested. While Matthew includes the stage being set for Jesus’ betrayal and the night Jesus was betrayed next to each other, it is likely that these two events were somewhere around a week apart.

Early on in the night Jesus was betrayed, Jesus shares the Passover meal with His disciples, and part way through this meal, Jesus identifies Judas Iscariot as the betrayer in front of everyone, and tells Judas that it is time for him to set out to do what he had been plotting. While the evening progresses from that point, Judas Iscariot is out collecting a mob of people loyal to the priests and religious leaders who will ultimately come to arrest Jesus.

The passage we will be focusing on in this episode is when Judas Iscariot arrives with the mob to arrest Jesus. Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 26, and we will read from the New Living Translation. Starting in verse 47, Matthew tells us:

⁴⁷ And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” ⁴⁹ So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.

⁵⁰ Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.”

Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹ But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.

⁵² “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? ⁵⁴ But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”

⁵⁵ Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. ⁵⁶ But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.

In this passage, we discover some amazing details that people who don’t understand what happened that night either ignore or simply don’t believe. While some people think that Jesus was surprised by this event, the only people who were surprised were the disciples who didn’t pay attention to Jesus’ words. If Jesus did not want to be arrested, He could have avoided this event in any number of ways.

Jesus didn’t have to go to a place where Judas would have easily known where to find Him. Jesus was perfectly aware of Judas being the betrayer, and the easiest way to avoid arrest would be to simply go somewhere where Judas would not have known where to find Him. But Jesus chose intentionally to go to a place where He could be found.

Also, when being confronted by the mob, one of the disciples, who other gospels identify as Peter, grabs a sword to defend their group. Jesus, steps in and stops the violence, saying that if He wanted to avoid or stop this arrest, He could simply ask and have thousands of angels immediately appear to defend them. It’s worth contrasting the detail that one angel appearing at the tomb to roll the stone away when Jesus is resurrected makes the hardened Roman soldiers tremble in fear and act like dead men. All Jesus would have needed to avoid being arrested is ask God for one angel to appear to defend them, and the mob would have fled in fear.

When reading the details of Jesus’ crucifixion, everything in each part of the event points us to the truth that Jesus chose the cross. The cross was not something that God the Father forced onto Jesus. The cross was not something Judas surprised Jesus with. Jesus knew the date and location of His death before Judas even knew He would be the betrayer.

Jesus chose the cross because that is what He had inspired the Old Testament writers to predict. Jesus chose the cross to show us God’s love for each of us as members of humanity. Jesus chose the cross to pay the debt we owed God for our sins when there was no way for us to pay this debt and stay alive.

There are those who don’t believe in God, in sin, or in their need for a Savior. Some of these people openly mock those who do believe this. However, one person’s belief or lack of belief doesn’t change reality. For those who believe in God, we see amazing evidence for His existence and we thank Him for what He has done for us. Those who reject a belief in God are left trying to connect the dots of how we are here with only human logic and human ideas. Without God, life has no ultimate purpose, no hope, and a doomed future.

I see more evidence in the world today supporting the existence of God. While evil seems to be growing in the world, and while people are becoming more polarized and hostile towards one another, God is not responsible for this.

Instead, God is giving His people a picture of what life without Him and His protection is like. If sin isn’t given the opportunity to show how truly evil it is, then there will be the chance it could return in God’s perfect new heaven and new earth. God loves us too much to give us eternity only to let it be tainted by sin, and He loves us too much to force us to obey Him.

God’s character is on trial in the world today. From our perspective, it might look to some as though God has abandoned us. However, God is willing to walk with us through the sin, through the challenges, and through all the evil in this world so we can be together with Him for eternity.

God’s character is on trial. God must punish sin in order to remain just. However, instead of punishing those who are guilty, Jesus volunteered to take our place and to take the punishment we deserved onto Himself. While there are plenty of details in this gift that we don’t understand at this point in earth’s history, the big thing to know and remember is that through Jesus, we are offered a free gift, and this gift is Jesus’ perfect life in exchange for our own.

Jesus chose the cross for you and me, and He willingly faced death knowing that through His death, the way would be opened for us to live with God for eternity.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and decide to accept Jesus’ gift of His life in exchange for yours. Choose to live a life that is allied to God as a way of saying thank You to Jesus for a gift we could never repay. Thank Jesus for choosing the cross when there were countless ways He could have chosen to avoid it.

Also, pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn what God wants to teach you personally through His Word. While a pastor or podcaster can share ideas with you, only through praying, reading, and studying the Bible personally will you be able to discover God’s truth for yourself. Always choose God’s truth over man-made traditions.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Picking up right where we left off in our last episode, this episode’s passage continues with Jesus sharing with the disciples about what will happen at the end times. To give a brief recap and to set the stage, the disciples come to Jesus asking Him what sign they should look for to signal His soon return, and Jesus begins sharing a lengthy reply with them about what to watch for.

Setting the stage in our last episode’s passage, Jesus has warned against people coming claiming to be Him, He has warned about wars and rumors of wars being signs leading up to the end, and He has challenged His followers with the truth that they will be pulled in front of leaders to answer for their beliefs and convictions.

Jesus has also warned the disciples to flee to the mountains when they see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies. This leads into our passage for this episode, which is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 21. For our episode together, we will read from the New International Version. Picking back up where Jesus left off in our last episode, we continue reading starting in verse 25 with Jesus telling His followers:

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. ²⁶ People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ²⁷ At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Let’s pause briefly here because I want to draw our attention onto what Jesus has just finished saying.

At the point when Jesus returns, the sun, moon, and stars will be giving signs, and the ocean will be raging and crashing more than what might be considered normal even during a storm. So many things will be happening that verse 26 tells us “People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world”. It is at this point that Jesus will return and when this happens, Jesus tells His followers to “stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near”.

This is an amazing promise, because tucked within the message Jesus shares is the powerful promise that Jesus does not leave His people abandoned on the earth. Even if it appears as though God is silent and things in this world are getting bad, before all hope is lost, Jesus will return. Remember from our last episode the challenge to endure to the end.

When we see the entire heavens and earth shaken, we can know that Jesus’ return is just around the corner.

However, Jesus isn’t finished sharing. Continuing in verse 29, Luke tells us that:

²⁹ He [referring to Jesus] told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. ³⁰ When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. ³¹ Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

³² “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

³⁴ “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

While it might be tempting to focus on the immediate nature of Jesus’ promise about this generation not passing away in light of so much time having passed since the time He spoke these words and now, I see the message that comes right after that one being even more important.

When challenging the disciples to pay attention to the signs, Jesus gives them this additional challenge and warning in verses 34 and 35: “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.”

In Jesus’ big message to His disciples, He warns against carousing, which is another way of saying drinking alcohol, partying, and getting drunk, and Jesus warns against being drunk and also about worrying about the anxieties of life. While drinking alcohol is in itself not a sin, nowhere in the entire Bible do I see it being presented as something that is a wise thing to do. More often than not, drinking is seen as a step leading into a variety of sins, or as a trap people fall into while trying to escape the stress of this life.

Drinking as framed in this passage leads towards not paying attention to the world around us or the signs God sends into the world reminding us that His return is drawing near. Drinking numbs our senses and our judgment and numb senses and numb judgment allow for the last day to catch people off guard.

It’s worth noting that those who focused on partying, drinking, and worrying about life won’t be ignorant to Jesus’ return. Instead, they will be ignorant of the signs prompting them to return to God before it is too late. Jesus’ return will be so earth-shattering that everyone on the face of the earth will clearly be alert to what is happening – even if they don’t know exactly what is happening. When these final signs come, it will likely be too late to return to God. While I don’t know this for certain, it is a strong suspicion.

While we might not know when it is too late to come to God, I suspect that if you are listening, reading, or paying attention to this message I am sharing, it is not yet too late. Because of this I challenge you to return to God or to renew your commitment to serving God. Choose to pay attention to what is happening in the world around us, but also push past interpreting what is happening through only human eyes.

When looking at what is happening in the world, choose to see the chaos leading towards Jesus’ great return when the world will come to an end. Jesus’ return marks the end of this age and the beginning of the age to come, and as we looked at a few episode’s ago, the age to come is marked by the resurrection and the absence of marriage.

Jesus’ return is something I hope to be alive for. However, regardless of whether I am alive when He returns or whether I am resurrected when He arrives, I have my hope placed firmly on Jesus and His sacrifice. I also hope and pray that you are redeemed along with me when Jesus returns to take us home!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always begin by challenging you to do, continue to seek God first in your life. Choose to place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus and what He accomplished for each of us through His sacrifice on the cross. Through what Jesus did for us on the cross, we can know and trust that He has a future in mind for us when He returns. Jesus would not have died if God’s people weren’t worth saving.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God. Discover what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and how to best live your life with God from this point forward. Through prayer and study, fall in love with a God who loves you more than you could even imagine!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or walk away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!