The Greatest Strength
Scripture: Matthew 26:47-56 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)
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. (Matthew 26:47–56 NLT)
The greatest strength was not the mob of men armed with swords and clubs, sent by the fearful, greedy leading priests and elders of the people. The greatest strength was not Judas’ kiss of betrayal, which released the mob to grab Jesus and arrest him. The greatest strength was not Peter’s sword, slashing wildly at the mob and cutting off the ear of the high priest’s slave.
The greatest strength was Jesus making the decision he had made first in an agony of prayer and surrender, and now made in real time. The greatest strength was not even the unimaginable power of thousands of angels who could have instantly ripped open the space-time continuum and protected Jesus and his followers from the swords and clubs of the mob. The greatest strength was Jesus not asking his Father to stop what had begun with Judas’ kiss and would continue for the next twelve hours or so until Jesus hung dead on the cross!
Prayer:
Father, Thank you for your love, stronger than man’s hate and fear. Thank you that your love for us sent Jesus to redeem us from ourselves. Jesus, thank you for exercising the greatest strength and not bailing out on us when we did our worst to you. The strength of love is the greatest strength! Help us to have the strength of love! Amen!