Reflective Bible Study

As we continue moving forward in our journey through the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, specifically looking at prophecies that Jesus’ life fulfilled during this point in His ministry, we arrive at one of the clearest prophecies regarding Jesus’ betrayal and arrest.

However, before looking at the events during the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, let’s look at the prophecy which will be the focal point of our time together.

Our passage and prophecy is found in the book of Zechariah, chapter 13, and we will read it using the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 2, Zechariah writes:

² “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. ³ And if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, for you have spoken falsely in the name of the Lord’; and his father and mother who gave birth to him will pierce him through when he prophesies. ⁴ Also it will come about in that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a hairy robe in order to deceive; ⁵ but he will say, ‘I am not a prophet; I am a tiller of the ground, for a man sold me as a slave in my youth.’ ⁶ And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will say, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’

⁷ “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,
And against the man, My Associate,”
Declares the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered;
And I will turn My hand against the little ones.
⁸ “It will come about in all the land,”
Declares the Lord,
“That two parts in it will be cut off and perish;
But the third will be left in it.
⁹ “And I will bring the third part through the fire,
Refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are My people,’
And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

In this prophecy, we have a clear picture of a very negative and unpleasant time. A broad look at this passage seems to indicate that what is being described is the purification of God’s people. Through Zechariah, God shares a challenging message about a future time when prophecy will be looked down on, and that anyone claiming to be a prophet will be, at the very least, chastised by even their own parents, if not worse.

During the time that is being described, God’s people are being sifted out of and set apart from the rest of the world. Some might say that what is being described here happens at Jesus’ return, or at the judgment, though I would need to do more study before concluding the same way.

However, tucked within this prophecy that seems to be reserved for a future time, we have a phrase Jesus pulls out and applies to His ministry.

To set the stage, if we step back to earlier in the evening that ends with Jesus’ arrest, to the supper Jesus shares with His disciples, Jesus references this prophecy, much to the surprise and shock of the disciples present.

In Matthew, chapter 26, starting in verse 31:

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’ ³² But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ³³ But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” ³⁴ Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ³⁵ Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.

Near the end of the special supper Jesus eats with His disciples, Jesus makes reference to this prophecy from the writings of Zechariah. However, while Jesus intended to take this prophecy and frame it in the context of His resurrection, this detail is missed by the most vocal of the disciples, Peter. While trying to warn the disciples about the events of that night, while also wanting to remind them that He would not stay dead, Jesus draws the disciples’ attention to this prophecy about the shepherd being struck, and the flock being scattered.

However, while we oftentimes look at Peter and how he verbally claims that he would never deny Jesus, all the remaining disciples say the same thing. Abandoning Jesus was never an option to these men, and because they didn’t want to focus any time on discussing the possibility, they miss any opportunity to be prepared for what that night would ultimately hold.

Jumping forward in Matthew, chapter 26, to later on that night, after Jesus had finished praying in the garden and had come back to wake His disciples up, starting in verse 47, we read:

⁴⁷ While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” ⁴⁹ Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁵⁰ And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

⁵¹ And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. ⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. ⁵⁶ But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

During Jesus’ arrest, while the initial reaction of the disciples is one of hostility, seeking to do anything and everything necessary to defend Jesus and keep Him from being arrested, Jesus knew that this was not a part of God’s plan for His life. While God had protected Jesus from every threat against His life prior to this point, what was written into history for that weekend was a death Jesus willingly walked towards which would ultimately bring God the glory. Jesus stepping forward and facing death was a direct fulfillment of prophecy.

However, stepping back to Zechariah’s prophecy that we began this podcast by looking at, Jesus’ death that was written into history, was destined to be the ultimate test for purifying and separating God’s people. While humanity was hopelessly infected with sin, God, through Jesus, stepped into history to make a way out of sin. The way out of sin that Jesus made was taking our punishment onto Himself allowing God the option of forgiveness. Anything less than punishment for sin makes God not just, and strict punishment against the sinner makes God unloving and unmerciful.

To solve this no-win scenario, Jesus came to take our punishment, and give God the ability to extend mercy while also remaining just. This truth purifies God’s people, and as we move forward with Him, living our lives in a way that says thank you to Jesus, we become more like Jesus and better able to reflect Jesus’ love in the world around us.

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

As I always open by challenging you, continue to seek God first in your life and accept the gift Jesus offers to take your punishment onto Himself. Choose to place your trust, faith, hope, and belief in Jesus for everything related to salvation.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow your personal relationship with God. Through prayer and Bible study, discover just how much God loves you and what Jesus was willing to face to redeem you out of sin. Live your life moving forward in a way that says thank you to Jesus for everything He accomplished for us.

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 reject where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we continue our journey through Luke’s gospel, we arrive at an event that includes three things I suspect Jesus loved to do. The first was healing someone. The second was healing someone on the Sabbath, which was considered as work by most of the religious leaders at that time in history. The third was teaching people and giving them a bigger picture of God.

With this in mind, let’s dive into our passage and discover some big things we can learn from what happened. Our passage is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 14, and we will read it from the New Living Translation. Starting in verse 1, Luke tells us:

¹ One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. ² There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. ³ Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” ⁴ When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. ⁵ Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?” ⁶ Again they could not answer.

Let’s pause briefly because I want to draw our attention onto one big piece of this miracle. Everything in this event suggests that this disabled man was there because these religious leaders wanted to catch Jesus doing something they considered work on the Sabbath. From what Jesus does, I suspect He saw this as well.

Before even acknowledging the disabled man, Jesus asked the question to those who would clearly know the answer whether healing is permitted on the Sabbath or not. The first phrase of verse 4 is powerful. After Jesus asks the question, Luke records, “When they refused to answer”. This silence was not because these leaders did not have an answer. Instead, this silence was because they did not care what the answer was. They were too focused on their present definition over what the law actually said.

However, Jesus challenges them by reframing what the Sabbath was meant to be. Ultimately, the Sabbath is meant for doing things that glorify God and things that help others. A slight oversimplification for the Sabbath is a day meant for glorifying God, helping others, and resting from work.

However, after Jesus heals the man, gives them context for why this is clearly acceptable behavior and that they would do similar “work” in certain circumstances, their meal continues. Continuing reading in verse 7:

⁷ When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: ⁸ “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? ⁹ The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

¹⁰ “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. ¹¹ For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Pausing reading again, the phrase Jesus just finished sharing is powerful. Verse 11 tells us “those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted”.

This is powerful for us to pay attention to because this truth is as true today as it was in the first century. While it might not always seem to be the case, we are better off humbling ourselves while serving others because we can clearly see that those who become arrogant will ultimately be humbled. It isn’t a matter of if they will be humbled, it is a matter of when they will be humbled.

Ultimately, while it feels good to exalt ourselves, we can choose to continue exalting ourselves and then be humbled by others (which never feels good), or we can choose to humble ourselves and let others exalt us (which almost always feels good). However, it is worth mentioning that if we humble ourselves, letting others exalt us is good, but we must not fall into the temptation of then exalting ourselves after others have done so. This trap leads to being humbled.

The safest path forward is to take credit for all the mistakes and to praise others for all the successes.

Continuing our passage in verse 12:

¹² Then he [referring to Jesus] turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. ¹³ Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

Pausing again, I want to draw our attention to this powerful truth. Jesus challenged the host of this meal to not simply invite those who could return the favor, but to invite those who cannot return the favor. The way this is framed is not simply putting on a charity event for people who cannot repay.

Instead, the way this message is framed is including people who cannot repay you back in addition to all your friends. Part of me wonders if this was at least partially done in this event with what we began by reading and how we read about a disabled man being present at the start of this meal.

The big truth Jesus emphasizes is that God will repay us when we do things for people who cannot repay us. When we do things for others without repayment, God is more than happy to repay us in ways above and beyond what we can even imagine. God is a much better repayer than our friends ever could be.

Let’s jump back in and finish off our passage. Continuing in verse 15, Luke tells us:

¹⁵ Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”

¹⁶ Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. ¹⁷ When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ ¹⁸ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

²¹ “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ ²² After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ ²³ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. ²⁴ For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”

While there are many things I could draw our attention onto from this last illustration, the one big idea I want to touch on before wrapping up our time together in this episode is this: when the master invited all the poor, crippled, blind, and lame, this is a clear example of the truth we saw earlier. This master, who happens to represent God, is inviting people who have no way to pay him back.

Everything in this event draws our attention onto the truth that when we help other people who cannot repay us or help us in return, we are helping God and God is more than willing to repay us when Jesus returns. God modeled this type of generosity for us through Jesus, and when we show Jesus’ love and character to others, we will focus on helping those who cannot help us back because this is what Jesus ultimately did for us. Nothing we do can ever repay the debt God willingly forgave us from when we turn to Jesus and let His sacrifice cover our sins!

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 choose to help others who cannot repay you like God has blessed each of us more than we could ever repay Him. Choose to show God’s love to others by helping and being a blessing to people who cannot repay us back!

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to strengthen your personal relationship with God and to keep your connection with Him strong. Through a personal relationship with Jesus, mixed with prayer and Bible study, we let the Holy Spirit into our lives and the Holy Spirit will help us be the blessing to others that God created us to be!

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 deviate away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!