Lent Day 26: Matthew 26 (#7)

Verse 55: At that time, Jesus said to the crowd, "Did you come to arrest me with swords and clubs, as if I were a robber? I sat in the temple every day, teaching, yet you did not lay a hand on me.

Verse 56: But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." At that time, all the disciples abandoned Jesus and fled.

◇ Jesus calmly spoke to the crowd who came to arrest him with swords and clubs, saying, "When I sat in the temple every day teaching, you did not leave me alone. Why do you come now, in the middle of the night, to arrest and bind me?"

What were they doing while Jesus was teaching in the temple, as he mentioned? What were they doing when people gathered to hear his authoritative teachings? What were they doing when Jesus overturned the tables of the merchants and money changers in the temple courtyard and rebuked them? The crowd sent by the high priest, who had heard rumors about Jesus in Jerusalem or had personally received his authoritative teachings and witnessed miracles, did they not know who Jesus was?

What did the disciples do at this time?

Seeing Jesus willingly bound by the armed crowd sent by the high priest, all the disciples fled. Even Peter, who had drawn his sword, abandoned Jesus and ran away. The disciples all fled. They were looking for Jesus who had subdued the armed crowd with a single breath and taken Jerusalem. However, they saw Jesus unable to use any power (not using any power) and being bound. 

Both the crowd sent by the high priest and the disciples abandoned Jesus.

The first reason they abandoned Jesus was that they really didn't know who he was. If they only looked through the lens of Jewish law or were brainwashed by the high priests, they would not have seen Jesus as the Messiah. The second reason is that they closed their eyes for their own benefit. Wouldn't they have closed their eyes pretending not to know Jesus and fled from the scene to preserve their lives?

Don't we also close our eyes and abandon Jesus in such situations? Isn't there a time when we can't see Jesus clearly because our eyes are blinded by the knowledge and experiences we have, the values and trends of the world? Don't we close our eyes and refuse to see Jesus for our own benefit and to survive?

♧ God, have mercy on us! Open our blinded eyes, and let us not close our eyes but look straight at Jesus and move forward! Holy Spirit, lead us in truth!