Christ Church Daily Devotion March 27 2024

Jesus endures betrayal by Judas, one of his disciples, who betrays him with a kiss. Jesus' followers ask if they should strike with their swords, and one of them cuts off a servant's ear, but Jesus heals it. Jesus questions why they come with swords and clubs, as he never led a rebellion. They arrest Jesus and take him to the high priest's house. Peter denies knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus had predicted. Jesus endures these experiences, including betrayal, conflict, darkness, and denial by his own disciples. We should not overlook these events and reflect on how easily we can miss who Jesus truly is. Jesus came not to be an earthly king, but his disciples often misunderstood this. Judas may have been disillusioned by Jesus' different approach to power. The disciple who struck the servant's ear may have been similarly disillusioned. Jesus knew Peter would be vulnerable to fear and he denied knowing Jesus. The phrase "when darkness reigns" is Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for March 27, 2024. Today we will be reading from Luke chapter 22, verses 47 through 62. While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, Lord, should we strike with our swords? And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, No more of this, and he touched the man's ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders who had come for him, Am I leading a rebellion, that you should come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour, when darkness reigns? Then seizing him, they led him away, and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard, and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him, seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, This man was with him. But he denied it. Woman, I don't know him, he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, You are one of them. Man, I am not, Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean. Peter replied, Man, I don't know what you are talking about. Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the words the Lord had spoken to him before the rooster crowed today. You will disown me three times. And he went outside and wept bitterly. Not only did Jesus endure the physical pain of the crucifixion, but let us pause and remember the experiences he endured beforehand. Today we read that Jesus, in verses 47 and 48, endured being betrayed by Judas, one of his own disciples. We see in verses 49-51, Jesus endured seeing one of his own disciples strike a servant of the high priest with a sword. In verses 52-53, Jesus endured seeing the leaders from the temple where he had been teaching come to arrest him and added to this, he would endure the time when darkness would reign. And then Jesus endured being denied three times by Peter, another one of his own disciples. Betrayal, conflict with a sword, the time when darkness reigned, and denial all delivered by the people Jesus knew. And even three of these were his inner circle of disciples. During these experiences are each and all more than enough for anyone to endure. Sometimes we read over these too quickly. But today we pause to consider how easy it is to miss who Jesus came to be and how and where we might find ourselves in these verses. Luke's writings continually remind us that Jesus came not to be an earthly king, but his disciples often miss this. They still wanted Jesus to claim his earthly kingdom. We don't know Judas' motive for betraying Jesus. We do know from the earlier verses 3-6 of this chapter 22 that this betrayal had been intentionally planned for some days prior to this time of Jesus' arrest. Could Judas have been disillusioned because Jesus' way of power wasn't to become an earthly king? Could the disciple who struck the servant's ear with the sword have been disillusioned too? Gaining power by the sword wasn't the way Jesus had taught or lived. Jesus knew how vulnerable Peter would be to his own fears. Peter denied knowing him rather than to stand by his Lord in Jesus' darkest hour. What would we have done? The words, when darkness reigns, captured my attention. The commentaries tell us the reigning power can be contrasted with the power of Jesus, his gifts, in chapters 4, 5, 9, 10, and 20 of Luke. Each of these speak of Jesus' authority and power which has come from the Spirit of God for healing, forgiving, and giving life unto others. This is an incredible contrast of power over the power of darkness which destroys others for the sake of saving self. All of this Jesus endured before the trial, the flogging and the crucifixion for the sake of love, forgiveness, and to give the gift of life and eternal life, eternal. Your personal worship option today. Jesus, thank you for enduring and overcoming the betrayal, the conflict, and the denial and the reign of darkness. To forgive us and to bring us to new life by your power, your grace, and your love. Help us to walk in the light of your footsteps always. Amen.