39/ And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him.
40/ When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
41/ And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,
42/ saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
43/ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
44/ And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.
45/ When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,
46/ and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
48/ But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
49/ When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”
50/ And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
51/ But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.
52/ Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber?
53/ “While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours.”
55/ After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.
56/ And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.”
57/ But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”
58/ A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
59/ After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.”
60/ But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
61/ The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
62/ And he went out and wept bitterly.
64/ and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?”
65/ And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.
Here are three things not in the other evangelists---
1. When Christ was in his agony, there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. It was a part of his humiliation that he was thus strengthened by a ministering spirit.
2. Being in agony, he prayed more earnestly. Prayer, though never out of season, is in a special manner seasonable when we are in an agony.
3. In this agony his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down. This showed the travail of his soul. We should pray also to be enabled to resist unto the shedding of our blood, striving against sin, if ever called to it. When next you dwell in imagination upon the delights of some favourite sin, think of its effects as you behold them here! See its fearful effects in the garden of Gethsemane, and desire, by the help of God, deeply to hate and to forsake that enemy, to ransom sinners from whom the Redeemer prayed, agonized, and bled.
Nothing can be a greater affront or grief to the Lord Jesus, than to be betrayed by those who profess to be his followers, and say that they love him. Many instances there are, of Christ's being betrayed by those who, under the form of godliness, fight against the power of it. Jesus here gave an illustrious example of his own rule of doing good to those that hate us, as afterwards he did of praying for those that despitefully use us. Corrupt nature warps our conduct to extremes; we should seek for the Lord's direction before we act in difficult circumstances. Christ was willing to wait for his triumphs till his warfare was accomplished, and we must be so too. But the hour and the power of darkness were short, and such the triumphs of the wicked always will be.
Peter's fall was his denying that he knew Christ, and was his disciple; disowning him because of distress and danger. He that has once told a lie, is strongly tempted to persist: the beginning of that sin, like strife, is as the letting forth of water. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter.
1. It was a convincing look. Jesus turned and looked upon him, as if he should say, Dost thou not know me, Peter?
2. It was a chiding look. Let us think with what a rebuking countenance Christ may justly look upon us when we have sinned.
3. It was an expostulating look. Thou who wast the most forward to confess me to be the Son of God, and didst solemnly promise thou wouldest never disown me!
4. It was a compassionate look. Peter, how art thou fallen and undone if I do not help thee!
5. It was a directing look, to go and bethink himself.
6. It was a significant look; it signified the conveying of grace to Peter's heart, to enable him to repent.
The grace of God works in and by the word of God, brings that to mind, and sets that home upon the conscience, and so gives the soul the happy turn. Christ looked upon the chief priests, and made no impression upon them as he did on Peter. It was not the mere look from Christ, but the Divine grace with it, that restored Peter.
Those that condemned Jesus for a blasphemer, were the vilest blasphemers. He referred them to his second coming, for the full proof of his being the Christ, to their confusion, since they would not admit the proof of it to their conviction. He owns himself to be the Son of God, though he knew he should suffer for it. Upon this they ground his condemnation. Their eyes being blinded, they rush on. Let us meditate on this amazing transaction, and consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.
No comments:
Post a Comment