Apicontent

“While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd appeared, and the man named Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He walked up to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, ‘Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?’ When those around him saw what was going to happen, they said, ‘Lord, should we use our swords?’ Then one of them struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, ‘Enough of this!’ And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.” —Luke 22:47–51

Here we see the angry crowd led by one of Jesus’ own disciples, one of his closest friends—Judas. Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. How ironic! To us, a kiss is generally a sweet sign of love, and in Bible times it was an act of friendship. Yet Judas desecrates and abuses it. Hmmm … I wonder how often we desecrate and abuse what is sweet and good?

“Man sees your actions, but God, your motives.” —Thomas a Kempis

“Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.” —Charles Spurgeon

God is looking for obedient behavior from His children stemming from proper motives! I am reminded of David’s words to his son Solomon regarding the building of the temple:

“And you, Solomon, my son, obey the God of your father and serve him with submissive attitude and willing spirit, for the LORD examines all minds and understands every motive of one’s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let you find him, but if you abandon him, he will reject you permanent. Realize now that the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do it!” —1 Chronicles 28:9–10

Have you ever noticed that there are simply no secrets hidden from Jesus? Knowing full well who was to betray Him, Jesus was aware of Judas’ “secret” sign which would show the crowd accompanying him exactly who they were looking for to arrest. I am reminded of God’s words in Jeremiah:

“Do you really think anyone can hide himself where I cannot see him?” the LORD asks. “Do you not know that I am everywhere?” —Jeremiah 23:24

Nothing is outside the realm of God’s all-knowing plan—nothing!

Become More

“Jesus is the One who shows us the paradoxical route to meaning in a chaotic and hostile world. It’s the paradox of the gospel: Strength is found in weakness. Control is found in dependency. Power is found in surrender … God uses the frustrations of this life and the hurt of relationships to compel us to look beyond what we can control to the God who controls all things in order to woo us to himself. As we move from control to surrender, we move from chasing the wind under the sun to embracing God above it.” —Dan Allender, Breaking the Idols of You

Further Reflection

“I am the LORD, and there is no peer; there is no God but me. I arm you for battle, even though you do not recognize me. I do this so people will recognize from east to west that there is no God but me; I am the LORD, I have no peer. I am the one who forms light and creates darkness; the one who brings about peace and creates calamity. I am the LORD, who accomplishes all these things.” —Isaiah 45:5–7

“Then he came to his disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, ‘So, couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done.’ He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.’” —Matthew 26:40–45

Have you ever been depressed over circumstances differing greatly from what was hoped or perhaps even prayed for? If so, you are in good company. These disciples, exhausted from sorrow, were experiencing such despair. Much more than just followers of Jesus, these guys were Jesus’ most trusted friends. But they were tired!

Oftentimes, we too are so discouraged over a situation that we choose to retreat in sleep, under the comfort of the comforter, when in reality our comfort must come from the Comforter! Jesus cries out to us: “Why are you sleeping?”

“He speaks as one amazed to see them so stupid. How small a thing it was that he expected from them–only to keep watch with him. If he had bid them do some great thing, or die with him, they thought they could have done it; and yet they could not do it, when he desired them to keep watch with him … Yet, He considered their frame, and did not chide them, for he remembered that they were but flesh.” —Matthew Henry

Friend, this is our hour! Jesus encourages us to watch and pray, emphasizing the weakness of the flesh even though our spirits are so well-intentioned!

Paul warns:

“So it the one who thinks he is standing be careful that he does not fall!” —1 Corinthians 10:12

He adds in the book of Ephesians:

“With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints.” —Ephesians 6:18

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are to always be praying and alert, not only when the enemy attacks but on all occasions.

Become More

Let all of our trials lead us to earnest prayer. May we pray from the heart! As we call upon the Lord, He will hear us and He will help us.

“When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul.” —Jeremiah 29:12–13

Further Reflection

“Labor to get a deep sense of the majesty of God, and of his mercy, upon thy mind, that thy prayers may be fervent and earnest; and God will bless thee.” —K.H. von Bogatzky

“Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And in anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” —Luke 22:43–44

Here we see a ministering angel sent to strengthen Jesus as He prays in anguish. The word translated “anguish” is from the Greek word agonia meaning: “A contest, conflict; stress, agony intense inner tension. It has in mind the intense anxiety, dread, or tension one experiences in anticipation of a conflict, as a soldier before a battle or an athlete before a match. It denotes Jesus’ anguished state of mind in Gethsemane prior to the crucifixion. He is filled with dreaded anticipation, not fright or panic, as He faces the epic battle on which man’s salvation rests. In the ultimate conflict of the ages, Jesus will emerge as the Victor” (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible New Testament Lexical Aids).

I love the fact that God sent an angel to strengthen our Lord! I am reminded of Psalm 91:11:

“For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do.”

Jesus earnestly sought His Father in prayer. God was His refuge—as He is ours. While Jesus was not delivered from His sufferings, He was strengthened and supported in them. We are always given the grace sufficient to meet every difficulty God allowed us to face.

Oftentimes during trials and calamities, it is difficult to remember the promises of God. I have found Psalm 91 to be a helpful passage of scripture to turn to. Indeed, I have found it to be so profitable in my life I have committed the entire Psalm to memory. I call it the “I will” Psalm. In its sixteen verses, we find the word “will” used over 20 times! It points to God as being our faithful refuge, fortress, and protector as we rest in His shadow—even through the difficulties we experience. This wonderful psalm ends with these encouraging words:

“The LORD says, ‘Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him. I will protect him because he is loyal to me. When he calls out to me I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in trouble; I will rescue him and bring him honor. I will satisfy him with long life, and will let him see my salvation’”. —Psalm 91:14–16

God delivers, protects, and answers. He is with us in trouble. He rescues and honors and satisfies. Who could ask for greater promises than these?

“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.” —Hebrews 2:17–18

Become More

“Grief exalts us, and troubles lift us.” —Charles Spurgeon

“The one who gives the power gets the glory.” —John Piper

“Peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God.” —Alexander Maclaren

“Faith raises the soul above the difficulty, straight to God Himself, and enables one to stand still. We gain nothing by our restless and anxious efforts … It is therefore true wisdom, in all times of difficulty and perplexity, to stand still—to wait only upon God, and He will assuredly open a way for us.” —C.H. Mackintosh

Further Reflections

“Though assaults be many, and my enemies mighty, if God strengthen me, I have enough to comfort me; for the greater my enemy, the more glorious my victory; and the more glorious my victory, the more triumphant my glory.” —K.H. von Bogatzky

“The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot sustain you!” —Anonymous

“He went away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’” —Luke 22:41–42

In these verses, we see Jesus modeling what He taught His disciples about prayer:

“So pray this way: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’” —Matthew 6:9–10

I am reminded of Paul’s words to us in Romans regarding God’s will for our lives:

“Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.” —Romans 12:2

God’s will for our lives is always good and well-pleasing and perfect—whether we are able to ascertain that through our emotions and feelings or any other of our senses. God has prepared profitable, useful, and beneficial things for each one of us and it is His desire for us to walk in them.

“For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them.” —Ephesians 2:10

When we do not submit to God’s will for our lives, we do ourselves a disservice. Our prayers should echo that of King David:

“Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God. May your kind presence lead me into a level land.” —Psalms 143:10

Like Jesus, David’s prayers were based on his trust in God. David not only wanted to be shown God’s will for his life but also to be taught how to stand firm in it—knowing with certainty God’s way was for his ultimate good and for the good of others. In our frailty, being both lame and blind (not to mention dull), we would often choose wrong paths simply because of ease and comfort not to mention fleshly desires and lust.

Famous hymn writer Fanny Crosby was blinded at the age of six weeks by a doctor’s careless treatment. In her autobiography, Fanny Crosby’s Life Story, she wrote: “It seemed intended by the blessed Providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation.” The doctor who destroyed her sight never forgave himself and moved from the area, but Fanny Crosby held no ill will toward him. “If I could meet him now,” she wrote, “I would say ‘Thank you, thank you’—over and over again—for making me blind.” In fact, she claimed that if she could have her sight restored, she would not attempt it. She felt that her blindness was God’s gift to her so that she could write songs for his glory. “I could not have written thousands of hymns if I had been hindered by the distractions of seeing all the interesting and beautiful objects that would have been presented to my notice.”

What an amazing testimony! How often I flee from the difficult; seeking relief, desiring ease, rather than embracing what is allowed in order for God to make me into the image of Jesus Christ. Filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, how much better to prefer our lives to be beautiful songs played for His glory than to delve into the pleasures of this world for a short time. 

Become More

“Somehow in the wonder-working providence of God, our worst problems become our best pulpits. God turns our tragedies into testimonies and our emergencies into evangelism. Our testimonies are forged and crafted in the trials of life, our pain has an evangelistic purpose, our problems become His pulpits, and the things that happen to us turn out for the furtherance of the gospel.” —Robert J. Morgan

“How it pays to take one step at a time with God!” —Isobel Kuhn

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him.” —1 Corinthians 2:9

Further Reflection

“Enable me to do what is pleasing to you; give me that grace that is necessary to the right knowledge of your will, and an acceptable obedience to it, that we may neither displease God in anything we do nor be displeased at anything God does.” —Matthew Henry

“God always gives His very best to those who leave the choice with Him.” —Hudson Taylor

“Then Jesus went out and made his way, as he customarily did, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he came to the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you will not fall into temptation.’” —Luke 22:39–40

While some people find routine to be boring, I often find it comforting. Routine was a part of Jesus’ life, too. In our verses for today we find Him “as he customarily did” on the Mount of Olives. He would routinely retreat to a solitary place where He could spend time with His Father in prayer.

There are certain spiritual disciplines that should be routine in our lives … and this is one of them. When we spend time with God and in His Word, we find focus and strength and clarity.

Scripture tells us:

“Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately.” —2 Timothy 2:15

“Pray continually.’ —1 Thessalonians 5:17

“In my heart I store up your words, so I might not sin against you.” —Psalm 119:11

In our verses for today, Jesus commands us to pray against falling into temptation. We must recognize and flee from whatever or whoever causes us to stumble and fall from the path God has chosen for us to follow. We are not to make excuses or try to justify poor choices when the Holy Spirit is clearly directing us to “Run!”, “Flee!”, “Don’t go there!”, or “Don’t do it!” When God shows us that something is wrong for us, it is wrong for us—no matter if it is acceptable for someone else. We must keep our eyes on our own paths! The conscience is a wonderful gift from God—pay attention to it!

Become More

“So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. You also lived your lives in this way at one time, when you used to live among them. But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it.” —Colossians 3:5–10

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place.” —2 Corinthians 2:14

Further Reflection

“Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints.” —Ephesians 6:10–18

“But Peter said to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me.’” —Luke 22:33–34

We must be on guard against our presumption, lest, like Peter, we fail. Peter, as confident as he was in his own heart, was not ready to go to prison or to death with Jesus. Our hearts are untrustworthy. Let’s give Peter credit; this event occurred prior to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit’s power. Our flesh is flawed at best, nevertheless, we are to be on guard against the deceitfulness of our own hearts:

“The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who can understand it? I, the Lord, probe into people’s minds. I examine people’s hearts. I deal with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve based on what they have done.” —Jeremiah 17:9–10

The Lord is the only true discerner of each person’s innermost thoughts and motives. This is particularly important for us to acknowledge in the spiritual realm.

“Private loop-holes, sinful lusts, can hide themselves at times so well as to seem quite dead; but if we grow careless, they spring up again on a favourable occasion, and sometimes appear in a spiritual shape, and take a fine spiritual name. Thus, though the flesh exceedingly likes sensual indulgences, yet to flatter its lust of pride, and the vanity of being thought a perfect man, it will sometimes endure great mortification. Therefore we ought always to be jealous of ourselves, and guard as much against self-righteousness as licentiousness; for the flesh is never more fleshly and dangerous than when it has the most spiritual appearance, and covers its lusts with the holiness and spirituality of angels.” —K. H. von Bogatzky

Become More

How do we go about searching and guarding our hearts so as to equip ourselves for the high calling of discipleship? Like King David, we must ask God to examine our hearts and point out to us what needs to go and what needs to be fanned into flames. We must seek His ways fully through study and application of His Word, through prayer, through praise and thanksgiving, and through hiding His Word in our hearts.

“Examine me, O God, and probe my thoughts! Test me, and know my concerns! See if there is any idolatrous way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way!” —Psalm 139:23–24

Further Reflection

“The wiser we are in our own conceits, the more negligent are we in prayer, the more destitute of true wisdom and faith; for the Lord gives sight only to the blind, and to the babes, who pray for it.” —K. H. von Bogatzky

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.’ You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. You ought to say instead, ‘If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that.’” —James 4:13–15

“Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” —Luke 22:31–32

These verses wonderfully demonstrate the sovereignty of God by presenting His omniscience (all-knowing) and omnipotence (all-powerful) character. As believers, we are kept by the all-knowing and all-powerful care of God! In these verses, we also see God’s boundaries on Satan.

Remember the disciple’s words spoken of Jesus?

“And the men were amazed and said, “What sort of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!” —Matthew 8:27

Jesus is our faithful intercessor who sits at the right hand of God and lives to intercede for us.

The writer of Hebrews says:

“But he holds his priesthood permanently since he lives forever. So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” —Hebrews 7:24–25

As believers, we are not left to our own resources in our sufferings but are helped by the Holy Spirit. We are weak, yet Christ is our strength. After the suffering, we are able to brightly present the very presence of Jesus to a hurting world. When the dross has been skimmed off after the heat, bright gold shines forth. After our trials, we are better equipped to encourage and strengthen our brothers and sisters.

Become More

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will.” —Romans 8:26–27

Further Reflection

“May the Lord make us watchful against our own spirit, and against the evil one, especially when he is transformed into an angel of light, that it may not be in his power to sift us so as to gain an advantage over us, by our listening to his inward suggestions, or yielding to his subtle temptations.” —K. H. Von Bogatzky

“Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ Then he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” —Luke 22:17–20

The Master’s table is our individual and corporate privilege! When we come to it, we obtain a fresh and renewed awareness of the precious benefits of our Savior’s sacrifice. It is to be our constant reminder of the person and work of Jesus. His body broken, His blood poured out, the elements constantly pointing to the truth that Christ Jesus died for sinners; our foundation for encouragement, hope, and joy. The blood of animals, while commanded through the law, was not sufficient. The constant sacrificing for sins was proof enough of that. The writer of Hebrews tells us:

“For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” —Hebrews 10:1–4

Jeremiah prophesied regarding God’s future establishment of a new covenant which would be based on the full and eternal atonement secured by the death of Christ Jesus. 

“Indeed, a time is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” says the LORD. “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the LORD. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people.” —Jeremiah 31:31–33

This new covenant is based on an individual, personal knowledge of God and is characterized by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is an eternal covenant of peace which Jesus, the Prince of Peace, ushers in. Paul tells us in Colossians:

“And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” —Colossians 2:13–15

“The agony in Gethsemane was the agony of the Son of God in fulfilling His destiny as the Savior of the world. The veil is pulled back here to reveal all that it cost Him to make it possible for us to become sons of God. His agony was the basis for the simplicity of our salvation. The Cross of Christ was a triumph for the Son of Man. It was not only a sign that our Lord had triumphed, but that He had triumphed to save the human race. Because of what the Son of Man went through, every human being has been provided with a way of access into the very presence of God.” —Oswald Chambers

Become More

“God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” —2 Corinthians 5:21

“For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him.” —John 3:16–17

Further Reflections

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.” —-Acts 4:12

“For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–it is not by works, so that no one can boast.” —Ephesians 2:8–9

“Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas took the piece of bread, he went out immediately. Now it was night.” —John 13:29–30

The hour had arrived when darkness reigned. Judas had perhaps deceived some of his peers, but he had in no way fooled the Lord Jesus. Jesus was not taken by surprise—He never is. We find this confirmed in Luke when Jesus responds to those who came to arrest Him:

“Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come out to get him, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs like you would against an outlaw?’” —Luke 22:52–53

Make no mistake about it; darkness reigned because darkness was permitted to reign. God is the only one with ultimate, full, and complete power—Satan must answer to Him. Recall the story of blameless Job. The adversary could do nothing more to Job than God allowed:

“So the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.’ Satan answered the LORD, ‘Is it for nothing that Job fears God? Have you not made a hedge around him and his household and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock have increased in the land. But extend your hand and strike everything he has, and he will no doubt curse you to your face!’ So the LORD said to Satan, ‘All right then, everything he has is in your power. Only do not extend your hand against the man himself!’ So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” —Job 1:8–12

Again Satan asks permission to attack Job and God once again places certain restrictions upon him:

“Again the day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also arrived among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Where do you come from?’ Satan answered the LORD, ‘From roving about on the earth, and from walking back and forth across it.’ Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. And he still holds firmly to his integrity, so that you stirred me up to destroy him without reason.’ But Satan answered the LORD, ‘Skin for skin! Indeed, a man will give up all that he has to save his life! But extend your hand and strike his bone and his flesh, and he will no doubt curse you to your face!’ So the LORD said to Satan, ‘All right, he is in your power; only preserve his life.’” —Job 2:1–6

After Jesus’ death and resurrection Peter addresses the crowds with the following truth:

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know—this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles. But God raised him up, having released him from the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power.” —Acts 2:22–24

In our verses for today, we are told that because Judas was in charge of the group’s money, some of the disciples assumed the high road regarding his actions—not even questioning his abrupt departure—they trusted him. They were surely fooled and soon to be sorely disappointed. Nothing hurts worse than a betrayal by a friend or family member or loved one. Second-guessing one of their own would not have entered their minds. They were supposed to be like-minded brothers—treating one another lovingly and selflessly—following closely in their Master’s footsteps.

Become More

While the disciples had no reason to question Judas, Jesus knew fully was all of his motives, yet treated him no differently. 

Jesus is never taken by surprise. Satan has boundaries—God does not. Always keep your trust in God alone!

Further Reflection

“But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8

“Then the disciple whom Jesus loved leaned back against Jesus’ chest and asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus replied, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread after I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then he dipped the piece of bread in the dish and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. And after Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘What you are about to do, do quickly.’ Now none of those present at the table understood why Jesus said this to Judas.” —John 13:25–28

Leaning against Jesus, the beloved disciple is perfectly positioned to ask of the Master who will be the one to betray Him. Those who rest upon the Lord are privy to some of the deepest secrets of His heart. 

All are invited to rest with Jesus. His call found in Matthew is not an exclusive one:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.” —Matthew 11:28–30

I can just imagine John’s head against Jesus’ chest. Rest is very important to God and it is a subject which is addressed many times in Scripture. God himself rested on the seventh day making it holy. He commanded man to rest, animals to rest, and even the land to rest. We who live in such a frenzied hectic world should take note of this. We put more and more on our plates filling our hours with work and more work yet getting less and less accomplished. We seem to be continually striving to drink from the empty cups of our own power, ever stuffing our emotions, acceptance, money, positions, and possessions into bags with gaping soul holes—always coming up unsatisfied.

However, it is God’s desire for us to be abiding, not striving or struggling. We are to be looking to Jesus and His power. He is our strength for service as well as our source of abundant unchanging joy.

Jesus clearly teaches that our strength is found in resting in Him! This sure truth remains—anything of eternal value is accomplished only through Him:

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.” —John 15:4–5

What does remaining or resting look like in real life? How is this intimate relationship with Jesus achieved? Certainly, it begins with our salvation in Christ, accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord … but it was never meant to cease at that point. Our growth—our sanctification—is to continue throughout our lives. Resting consists of being in fellowship with God through His Word, through prayer, and through loving obedience to Him. It is secure and safe. It is a place of peace and hope and strength. 

Become More

Never having given Christ lordship of his heart, Judas remained open to the advances of the adversary.

“Let us watch jealously over our hearts, and beware of giving way in the beginnings of sin. Happy is he who feareth always, and walks humbly with his God. The strongest Christian is the one who feels his weakness most, and cries most frequently, ‘Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe.’” —John Ryle

Further Reflection

“As to work, mine was never so plentiful, so responsible, or so difficult; but the weight and strain are all gone. The last month or more has been perhaps the happiest of my life, and I long to tell you a little of what the Lord has done for my soul … When the agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before. McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before I did, wrote: ‘But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith but by resting on the Faithful One.’” —Hudson Taylor