SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/6/2017
11:52 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-1 “Christ’s Supreme Courage”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: John 18:1-4a
Message of the
verses: “1 When Jesus had spoken
these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron,
where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples. 2 Now Judas
also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with
His disciples. 3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from
the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and
weapons. 4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went
forth.”
We have talked before how that John’s gospel is different
than the other three gospels, and I am not saying that because it is different
that it contrary to the things that are in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Let us look once again at the theme of John’s
gospel “30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of
the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may
have life in His name.” We have
to keep reminding ourselves of the reason why John wrote this gospel to help us
understand the different sections of it when we get to it and as we begin
chapter eighteen we are moving into a different section which will end with the
crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord.
Make no mistake our Lord was in control of all that is going to happen
to Him and as we look at these verses we will better understand it, as this is
very important for us to understand.
Jesus did not die as a martyr so that people would feel sorry for Him,
Jesus died, in the words of Peter “this Man, delivered over by the
predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands
of godless men and put Him to death (Acts 2:23).” Now you may ask if this was the predetermined
plan and foreknowledge of God how can those who caused this to happen be
blamed. All who were involved in the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ desired to do what they did, they wanted to do it
and so they will be punished for their sin of doing this. Once again I have to look at Deuteronomy
29:29 when I come to situations like this “"The secret things belong to
the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever,
that we may observe all the words of this law.”
We cannot understand everything that God does, nor should we be able to
understand everything He does. John
MacArthur stated in one of the sermons that I listened to that trying to figure
things like this up will have cause you to lie down under the pew reciting the
Greek alphabet.
“Jesus went forth with His disciples,” MacArthur writes “The
point made here is not that they left the upper room, but that they left
Jerusalem. They had already abandoned
the upper room, so that the last part of Jesus’ farewell discourse, and His
High Priestly Prayer, took place as He and the disciples passed through the
streets of Jerusalem.” John 14:31b
states “let us go from here.” This
statement speaks of Jesus and His disciples leaving the upper room on their way
through Jerusalem towards Gethsemane.
Jesus and His disciples would leave Jerusalem on their
way to the Mount of Olives and on their way there they would have to cross “over
the ravine of the Kidron,” and as they moved this way they would cross over a “wadi”
which was where the blood from all of the sacrificed lambs flowed out of the
temple where they were sacrificed. Can
you imagine what our Lord may have been thinking about when He crossed over
that wadi? John MacArthur writes the
following on the history of the Kidron Valley as it “had been part of another
scene of betrayal and treachery, as David fled Jerusalem after Absalon’s
rebellion (2 Sam. 15:23). Asa (1 Kings
15:13), Josiah (2 Kings 23:4-12), and Hezekiah (2 Chron. 29:16; 30:14) had
burned idols there in connection with their reforms.”
John does not mention the place where Jesus was headed
for, but Matthew and Mark call it Gethsemane, and this name actually means “oil
press,” which suggests that it was an oil orchard, and these orchards were very
common on the Mount of Olives. The rich
of Jerusalem would have their orchards there because they did not have the room
in the city to plant an orchard. Gethsemane’s
meaning “oil press” was fitting to what happened to our Lord there, but because
this presented His humanity John does not mention it. Jesus would spend time here in prayer to His
Father and Judas knew this place very well as “Jesus had often met there with
His disciples.” We will pick up here in
our next SD.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: These have always
been difficult passages for me to read and in this case study because of
knowing what would happen to my Lord, and yet I know that this was in the plan
of God to happen and for that I am thankful, knowing that this would be the
only way that I could ever have a right relationship with the Lord.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust that the Lord will teach me the things
that will bring honor and glory to Him.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “2 Samuel” (21:20).
Today’s Bible question: “When the Syrian army surrounded the place
where Elisha was, how did the Lord smite them?”
Answer in our next SD.
4/6/2017 12:38 PM
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