Betrayal in the Garden

Friends,

Two of the greatest love stories ever told. The one, at Camelot…the other, at Calvary. Two of the noblest kings ever to live. The one, King Arthur…the other, the King of the Jews. There are many comparisons and contrasts between Camelot and Calvary, but one scene from Camelot illustrates a great theological dilemma that only the cross could resolve.  We start with a scene from Camelot, where the immoral relationship between Queen Guinevere and Arthur’s most trusted knight, Sir Lancelot, has divided the Round Table. When the scheming Mordred catches them in an encounter, Lancelot escapes. Guinevere is not so fortunate. She faces a trial. The jury finds her guilty and sentences her to die.  As the day of execution nears, people come from miles around with one question on their minds: Would the king let her die?  Tragically but resolutely, Arthur decides: "Treason has been committed! The jury has ruled! Let justice be done!"  Arthur stands high in a castle window, as Guinevere enters the courtyard, she walks to the unlit stake.  Arthur turns away, emotion brimming in his eyes.  A herald mounts the tower where Arthur has withdrawn -- “Your Majesty. Shall I signal the torch?"  But the king cannot answer.  Arthur’s love for her spills from his broken heart: "I can’t! I can’t! I can’t let her die!"  Seeing Arthur crumble, Mordred relishes the moment: "Well, you’re human after all, aren’t you, Arthur? Human and helpless."  Tragically, Arthur realizes the truth of Mordred’s remark. Being only human, he is indeed helpless. But where this story ends, the greatest story ever told just begins.  Another Execution Scene. Another time. Another place. Another king.  The setting: A world lies estranged from the God who loves it. Like Guinevere, an unfaithful humanity stands guilty and in bondage, awaiting judgment’s torch.  Could God turn His head from the righteous demands of the law and simply excuse the world’s sin? Like the wicked Mordred, Satan must have looked on in delight:  Without even waiting for His Guinevere to look up in repentance, the King stepped down from His throne, took off His crown, laid aside His royal robes, and descended His castle’s polished steps into humanity’s pockmarked streets. That scene in the movie was an epiphany of understanding. Suddenly, it all made sense. We know now why He had to die, why there was no other way. When love and justice collide, only the cross offers a happy ending. (Philippians 2:6-8)  (From Ken Gire’s book Windows of the Soul. Copyright © 1996 by Ken Gire, Jr. Zondervan Publishing Houses.)

It is just over a month until Easter.  We will consider the story of Jesus’ betrayal, death, burial and resurrection…the most important events in the history of the world.  After Jesus’ High Priestly prayer in chapter 17, the private ministry of the Lord and His disciples has now ended, and the public drama of redemption is about to begin (John 18:1-11).  Man will do his worst, and God will respond with the very best. This reminds us of what Paul shares in Romans 5:20, “But, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”  Perhaps the best way to see and understand the truths of this section of Scripture, is to pay attention to the symbolism that is involved.  First, we have the Garden of Gethsemane (which means “oil press”), and which is located on the west side of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem.  Jesus would often retreat to this garden to pray, rest, and meditate. (Luke 22:39)  Human history began with a garden…the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8ff), and the first sin of man was committed in that place.  Jesus is obedient to His Father when He comes into this garden, and…because of His obedience…righteousness and life are available for all who would trust in Him. 

Now, Jesus has been rejected by His people and at the very moment is being betrayed by one of His disciples.  Jesus is fully aware of what lies ahead of Him.  He leaves eight men near the entrance, and then takes Peter, James and John and goes into another part of the garden to pray.  Judas has lived with Jesus for perhaps three years, and has listened to Him teach…yet, He does not really know Jesus. The traitor brings soldiers armed with clubs.  The word “band” means this number is equivalent to a Roman cohort -- 600 men! Judas wants to be certain that he has enough men to handle the job, apparently…if only he had a clue at all, as if the Father couldn’t dispatch 600 men with but a whisper.  He has no idea that the Lamb of God is going to meekly submit, and that there will be no battle.  Jesus understands what is about to take place. Judas expects some sort of deception, so he arranges to identify Jesus by kissing Him (Matthew 26:48-49).  The kiss is a sign of affection and devotion…so the fact that it is used for betrayal symbolizes just how base an act of treachery that is taking place.

Jesus shocks both Judas and the officers by boldly presenting Himself to them.  He has nothing to fear and nothing to hide…He willingly lays down His life for the sheep.  By surrendering, Jesus helps to protect His disciples from harm…He keeps them safe not only spiritually, but physically as well (John 17:11-12).  It is fascinating that all of the soldiers draw back and fall to the ground when Jesus tells them, “I am He.”  Perhaps their fall is a manifestation of Divine power or an exhibition of the majesty of Jesus…we do not know.  What we do know is this -- Jesus is in control of this situation.  The Jewish leaders had tried to arrest Jesus on a number of occasions, and always without success.  They may be prepared for conflict, but when they are met with surrender and calm, they are overwhelmed. 

All of the disciples have courageously affirmed their devotion to Christ, now Peter decides to prove it with an act of violence.  He draws out a sword and decides to bring the fight to those present…he cuts off the ear of the servant of the high Priest, a man named Malchus…like this provocation had any chance of succeeding.  Peter obviously has not understood Jesus’ plan…that this is going to be a “spiritual” battle, and not a physical one. The sword represents rebellion against the will of God.  His spirit, heart are not yet in the right place…but, they will be.  Jesus does not need Peter’s protection…as He could have called 10,000 angels to come to His defense.  Jesus’ miracle in healing Malchus’ ear symbolizes and reveals Jesus’ grace toward us…and so the story will move ahead.

So in case some left it out or forgot to mention it when they explained what it meant to be a Christian, let me be clear: There is no forgiveness without repentance. There is no salvation without surrender. There is no life without death. There is no believing without committing.  Kyle Idleman, "Not a Fan" (p. 35)

There are so many lessons to learn from this event.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace who came not with a sword, but with grace and love.  This is not a political statement in my estimation…and those who would use this event to defend pacifism do so out of context, in my estimation.  But, what we do understand is that Jesus wants us to live lives of surrender…and to understand that we are not going it alone in the spiritual battle against the world and Satan.  He is willing to come along side of us and fight our battles.  He sent His Holy Spirit to do just this…to empower us to live lives based upon His estimation of matters in this life, and not from our own standards, as exemplified by Peter.  It really does come down to a choice that we have to make every single day – am I going to live for Christ, or am I going to live for myself.

Blessings, Don

Strong in His Might

Friends,

Ken Klaus offers this -- During World War II it must have been difficult to be an American citizen with the name William Patrick Hitler. It must have been doubly difficult if you were the only nephew of the chancellor of Nazi Germany. And, if you wished to enlist and fight against Germany, you first had to get the president's permission, and pass an investigation by the FBI. This is what happened to William Patrick Hitler. He had come to America in 1939 and in 1942 asked Franklin D. Roosevelt's permission to enlist. When the government's blessing was received, he joined the Navy in 1944 and served for years before he was injured. William Patrick Hitler took a stand for that in which he believed. He stood firm in his faith and did what he did out of love for his country and his friends. His is quite an example for Christians, isn't it? You know, once upon a time we were part of an evil empire that was dedicated to the enslavement of the entire world. But then something happened. By God's design we came into contact with the freedom that could be ours in God's Kingdom of grace. Through Word and obedience, we were made citizens of this Kingdom, which had been brought into being by God's promise and the Savior's sacrifice. As members in that Kingdom we rejoice that the final, ultimate victory has already been won by the risen Savior. Still, skirmishes and scuffles, conflicts and combat continue on. And we are given a choice. We can volunteer to fight with our comrades in Christ, or we can try to blend into the background as a noncombatant. I know what William Patrick Hitler did. I pray we might be as brave and committed to the cause of the Christ.

In short, this is what Paul is reminding the Ephesians in 6:10-20.  We are in a spiritual battle…and preparation is as important as the battle itself in any wartime situation. The soldiers of ancient times would be well-equipped with armor…you have seen enough movies to know this. Paul uses different sections of this type of armor to illustrate the kind of preparation that we must do spiritually.

An important part of preparation is to know the enemy. And the evil one (Satan – adversary, devil – accuser) is the leader. We have a significant amount of information about him In the Word of God…there is no reason to be ignorant in our understanding. Even though there are certainly mysteries as to his origin (Luke tells us that he was cast down from heaven to earth, 10:13), there is no mystery as to his activity. We do know that he limited…that he is working from a losing position…that he is not eternal…he is not all-knowing…and that he does indeed have to have helpers. These helpers are called principalities, powers, rulers, the spiritually wicked – a definite army of beings that assist him in his bidding. Paul indicates that this group is no joke…Satan and his minions are strong, and that we must have the power of God in order to stand up against him. And he doesn’t fight fair…he is subtle, intelligent, tricky. He seeks to blind the eyes of men and women to the truth of God’s Word. 

As believers in God’s plan and his will, Satan brings the battle to us.  He is a defeated enemy, and he doesn’t want to see anyone succeed in being faithful to God’s calling through His Son. A truly important thing to remember is, as John shares in his first letter – “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) This is a powerful encouragement! Paul tells his audience that an important part of preparation is to put on spiritual armor, and he explains what each piece is and how it works. The girdle (the underneath pants), holds the parts of the armor together -- (apparently this terminology wasn’t acceptable to some, because later translations changed the word to “belt.” And for good reason – what guy would want to be known to be wearing a girdle?) :-) Nonetheless, like the belt, truth is the integrating force in a Christian’s life – it is what holds everything else together. A man of lies comes apart, but a person of integrity can face the enemy without fear. The breastplate covers the upper body, and it symbolizes righteousness. The life we live either fortifies us against Satan’s attacks or it makes it easier for him to defeat us. The breastplate, being the largest piece, covers our hearts, as does the righteousness of the Lord. The shoes or boots help us to stand in battle.  We need to be prepared to take the gospel to a lost world…a world that needs to hear about “the peace that passes understanding.” The shield was a large piece of equipment, typically made of wood and leather, and it would protect the soldier from weapons. We hold up under our faith when Satan is firing flaming arrows at us…our faith offers us protection, and it needs to be steady, as we do not know when the enemy will mount an attack. The helmet protects the head. It symbolically protects the mind controlled by God; the person who studies the Word of God and truly discerns the message therein will not be led astray, assuring salvation. The sword is the Word of God. The message of God pierces the heart like a sword.  The Spirit of God wields the sword, uses the Word of God in the life of the believer to accomplish God’s purposes and to make us more like Jesus. The sword is an offensive weapon…it represents a message that is intended to be taken to other people.

But, all of this a moot point in we are not in communication with the Commander! We need to constantly have a mindset of prayer.  This doesn’t mean that we are always praying to the Lord out loud, but that we are prayerful in our Christian walk…our mindset is bent on asking the Lord’s opinion, asking for His help.  In all of this, the evil one can be defeated and we can experience victory, and help to facilitate victory in others’ lives.  Paul says, “Watch and pray.”  God expects for us to us our spiritual, discerning wisdom in order to overcome in the spiritual battles that come our way. Finally, we pray as a part of a great family of believers. Paul asks for the Ephesians’ help, support in prayers…can we be any different?

I mentioned the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis in a recent post. So, now I will share a Screwtape Letters type of fable.  It is told concerning a meeting that Satan had with his workers.  They were assembled to devise the means whereby they might be able to cause people on earth to stumble.  One rose up and said, “I will go to earth and tell men that the Bible is a fable, and that it is not divinely appointed by God.” “That is good, but not good enough,” said the leader.  Another said, “I will tell them that there is no God, no Savior, no heaven, and no hell.”  Satan said, “No that will not do, we cannot make them believe that.” Suddenly another arose and suggested – I will go and tell them that there is a God, a Savior, a heaven and a hell…but, I will also tell them that there is no hurry to believe, tomorrow will do.” So, they sent him.

Unfortunately, too many people…good people…raise the white flag, spiritually and say – “I give up.” And this is tragic.  Others by their inaction…being too busy with the world…have given the evil one the victory. In effect, they are the ones who say, “I will get serious about my faith tomorrow.”  We have to be active, purposeful if we are going to effectively win the spiritual battles that come our way.  There is no trial or temptation so great that you cannot overcome it by the help of the power of the Spirit of the Lord!  We cannot do this if we are not regularly in the mindset of prayer and studying the message of God in the Word of God.  We have to remember, the battle has already been won!  We simply need to rely on the strength of His might and the Lord will go to battle for us as He did with David against Goliath.  If in our own strength we confide, we will surely fail. But, if we trust in the Lord, and wage the war according to His plan and activity, we will overcome and succeed!

Blessings, Don

The Return of the Rain (or King Ahab's Long Ride Home)

Friends,

Sunday, July 20^th, was the 45^th anniversary to the day (July 20^th, 1969) of man’s first big footprint on the moon.  If simple men are able to reach the moon, you and I can reach the stars with God's help! The Apollo missions faced some monumental challenges. Giving up would have been easy for NASA, but the organization persevered…and so can we when we face difficulties along the way in our walk with the Lord. As long as we are lined up with God's will, we can accomplish many things…including some things that others say that we could not possibly do.

That is pretty much Elijah's life story. This is the latest installment concerning some important lessons in perseverance that we can learn from the prophet Elijah.  The prophet announced three years before that it was going to be his word, as facilitated by the Lord, that was going to stop the rains from coming upon the land. It would only be his word that would start them again (1 Kings 17:1). Now, It has been a long and disappointing day for King Ahab, the King of Israel, to this point (1 Kings 18:41-46). A monumental event has just taken place, as God has defeated Ahab and his prophets, debunking their idol, Baal...proving to the people of Israel that He is the One True God!  As the result, all of the prophets of Baal are rounded up and eliminated. What is fascinating is that Elijah and the king are standing face to face, as if nothing has happened. I just have to wonder if Elijah wasn’t tempted to taunt, as he had done earlier in the clash with the prophets of Baal, and say – “How do you like them apples!” (Or something to that effect). Nevertheless, Elijah sends the king to one of the servants to get something to eat, while he himself goes to the top of Mt. Carmel to pray and ask the Lord to send the much needed rains.

Elijah adopts an unusual posture…nearly a fetal position…which indicates his great humility and concern for the people. This is another indication that Elijah’s deepest desire is to live to please the Lord. Unlike when he prays for the Lord’s intervention at the altar (when the Lord consumes the altar, water and sacrifices), the answer to this prayer does not take place immediately.  Seven times Elijah sends the servant to look toward the Mediterranean Sea and to report concerning any storms that might be gathering. Six of those times, the servant reports nothing.  But, as with the story of Naaman (upcoming in the Kings correspondence in 2 Kings 5), perseverant faith is fulfilled in the seventh trip to the water. The prophet does not give up, but he does pray the seventh time (a number that indicates perfection, completeness)…and the servant sees a tiny cloud coming up from the sea. This is certainly a good example for us to follow as we continue to appeal to the Lord in prayer. The little cloud that arises is not the storm, but is the forerunner of what is to come.

Meanwhile, Elijah tells King Ahab to mount his steed and chariot and return to his palace in Jezreel as soon as possible. We are not told how he breaks the news to Queen Jezebel that Baal has been publicly humiliated and declared to be a false god, and that Baal’s prophets have been slain.  And this is all probably just as well, as this message is rated G. :-) Neither the drought nor the famine has brought the evil king and queen to repentance, and it isn’t likely that fire or rain from heaven is going to change anything.  (In fact, as we will see later, Jezebel is still determined to kill Elijah). Soon, the heavens turn black with clouds and great torrents of rain begin to fall on the land.  The Lord not only proves that He is the true and living God, but also that He approves of the ministry of his servant Elijah. Elijah does not have chariots or servants, but he does have the power of the Lord. Elijah runs on ahead of the king…with his horses and chariots…to reach Jezreel, which is about seventeen miles from where they were located. Now, this is rather remarkable. I would want this guy on my Olympic Marathon team! We have to wonder how this actually takes place.  Well, considering Ahab is going to have to share his terrible news with his beloved queen, I am certain that he is no hurry whatsoever to get back and reveal what has taken place.

John Killinger retells this story from Atlantic Monthly about a matter of perseverance – “In the days of the great western cattle rancher, a little burro sometimes would be harnessed to a wild steed. Bucking and raging, convulsing like drunken sailors, the two would be turned loose like Laurel and Hardy to proceed out onto the desert range. They could be seen disappearing over the horizon, the great steed dragging that little burro along and throwing him about like a bag of cream puffs. They might be gone for days, but eventually they would come back. The little burro would be seen first, trotting back across the horizon, leading the submissive steed in tow. Somewhere out there on the rim of the world that steed would become exhausted from trying to get rid of the burro, and in that moment, the burro would take mastery and become the leader. And that is the way it is with the kingdom and its heroes, isn't it? The battle is to the determined, not to the outraged; to the committed, not to those who are merely dramatic.” (From Leadership, Summer, 1989.)

Ahab was defeated because of his idolatry and lack of faith in the Lord…he trusted in himself (or rather, his wife), rather than God. This is contrasted with Elijah. Although he was a human who experienced some significant struggles (as did many other of God’s leading people in the Bible), he trusted in the Lord and persevered through the trials that came his way. And as we see often times, the battle doesn’t go to the strongest, but to the most enduring -- you know this…you have seen the Rocky movies. There are times in our lives when we have to wait…perhaps we are waiting for the rain, or maybe we are waiting for the sun.  Or, we are waiting on the Lord to make His move with us. Sometimes answers come quickly, other times they do not come easily, if at all. Most of the time when people fail, though, it is because they did not stick-to-it or hang in there quite long enough, as it relates to some project or difficulty. When we are able to persevere and endure, we can more readily see the full fruit of what the Lord is doing in and through us. 

Blessings, Don