Monday, May 31, 2010

No man take it.

In John 18:4-7, Jesus is in the garden praying, when Judas and the soldiers arrive, Jesus ask them twice "Whom seek ye?". He has to tell them the second time that He is the Jesus they are there to arrest. I can just imagine the soldiers unbelief that someone would admit to being who they were trying to arrest. Then the soldiers tell they are there to arrest Jesus, and one of the disciples, pulled out a sword and attacked the soldiers, trying to protect Jesus, because he still did not understand just what Jesus had been telling them. Mt 26:53 tells us that Jesus asked him "don't you think I can call twelve legions of angels, to protect me?" There is some argument on just how many soldiers were in a legion, but it was somewhere around 5,000. Twelve legions would then be around 60,000 angels. He could have called sixty-thousand angels to set Him free, but he choose to go to Calvary for you and me.
Then in Luke ch 23, v. 34, Jesus not only forgave the people crucifying Him, but He asked the Father to forgive them. Because His blood had to be shed.
After some more time had passed, He said "it is finished", His work was done, then He said "Father into thy hands I commend my spirit", as He choose to separate His spirit and His body. He did not die, from being crucified, He choose the moment that His spirit left the earthly body. Look in John 10:17-18, He says, "I give my life, I give it up of my own power, no man can take it. I have the power to give it up, and I have the power to take it back, God the Father has given Me this power."
"What a Mighty God we serve", that He has the power to choose when His earthly body dies, and when it comes back to life. What a loving God we serve, that He is willing to suffer the horrible death on the cross, that we might be with Him in paradise.

1 comment:

  1. So thankful for His willingness to lay His life down for a sinner like me!

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