Good Morning! Today we will be reading Mark 14:43-51 about the arrest of Jesus. To give us a fuller picture of this scene read the parallel passages: Matthew 26:47-56, Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-11 and note in your journals any additional details that you learn from these passage.
Let’s observe this scene carefully. What do you observe in the disciples as Jesus is being arrested? What is their attitude and their actions? What about those who have come to arrest Jesus (including the “betrayer”)? What are your observations about their attitude and actions? And now, look to Jesus. What is He doing? What do you see in His demeanor, His attitude and His actions throughout His arrest? What do you observe is His greatest concern in this moment?
Something that jumped off the page at me as I observed this scene is Jesus’ concern for the Scripture. “Let the Scripture be fulfilled” he says in Mark’s account as He humbly submits to His arrest. His submission to “The Scriptures” is His submission to His Father. Submission that He had already done as He prayed “not my will but thine be done.”
Spend some time looking up a few of the Scriptures that were fulfilled in this scene journaling about what each of these Scriptures speak to: Psalm 41:9; Psalm 27:2; Zechariah 13:7.
As Jesus humbly says “Let the Scriptures be fulfilled” a part of that fulfillment is being betrayed and abandoned by those whom he had poured His life into for three years. Betrayed and abandoned by men whom He had lived with day in and day out. Served with. Laughed with. Cried with. Men whom He had travelled with. He went to weddings with them. He went to funerals with them. He ate meals with them. He trained them. Discipled them. Taught them the Scriptures. Taught them to pray. Taught them who He was. Taught them His purposes. Taught them about God’s kingdom. And in His greatest hour of need - 1 betrayed him with a kiss and all others “left him and fled.” Let the Scriptures be fulfilled.
He stands there alone. Calm. He doesn’t fight. He doesn’t flee. He stays. Let the Scriptures be fulfilled.
See Him standing there. Shackled. Imprisoned. Jesus, the Son of God, in shackles. Imprisoned and shackled so that we who had been imprisoned and shackled by sin could be set free!
Behold the Lamb of God - isn’t He wonderful?
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