SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/13/2017
9:34 AM
My Worship Time
Focus: PT-1
“Jesus’ Trial: Act One
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: John
18:12-14
Message of the
verses: “12 So the Roman cohort and
the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, 13 and
led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high
priest that year. 14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it
was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.”
Now we have mentioned in earlier SD’s that there were
perhaps a thousand people who came out to arrest Jesus and John MacArthur writes
that the word “commander” in the Greek is chiliarchos
which is commander of a thousand. So as
stated before there were both Romans and Jews who came to arrest Jesus as verse
twelve goes on to say, “officers of the Jews.”
These were members of the temple police and as Luke 22:52 points out
there were some high ranking officials: “Then
Jesus said to the chief priests
and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him,
"Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber?”
There were many, many people in Jerusalem at this time of
Passover and so because of what was going on with Jesus the situation was
explosive and therefore this was why so many people came out this night to
arrest Jesus. Jesus was claiming to be
the Jewish Messiah and this went against everything that the Pharisees wanted
to hear for if that were true (and it was) there whole false religion of Judaism
would be in trouble, which is was and soon would end. The Romans knew of this explosive situation
and therefore were on guard and ready.
You wonder what these hardened Roman soldiers felt when Jesus had spoken
His name and the all fell down. You
wonder what they were thinking when Peter cut off the ear of Malchus and Jesus
healed him right there on the spot. As
we read the narrative it looks like they did not even think anything about
it. MacArthur writes “Their stubborn
obtuseness graphically illustrates the terrible power of sin and Satan to blind
the minds and harden the hearts of the unregenerate (2 Cor. 4:4). They are literally ‘dead in [their]
trespasses and sins’ (Eph. 2:1).”
The next step after His arrest as seen in verse thirteen is
to lead Him to Annas first. This hearing
is only mentioned in John’s gospel. This
was the first of the three phases of Jesus’ religious trials which took place
before Annas, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin.
We have to look at the other gospels to see all of this: (Matt. 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; and Luke
22:54). MacArthur notes that Jesus had three
civil trials also, Pilate, Herod, and then again with Pilate.
John MacArthur has a rather long quote about Annas that
we will begin with today and then look at the rest of it in our next SD. “Although he no longer held office at the
time, Annas was the most powerful figure in the Jewish hierarchy. He had been the high priest from A. D. 6 to
A. D. 15, when he was removed from office by Valerius Gratus, Pilate’s
predecessor as governor. He could still
properly carry the title of high priest (vv. 15, 16, 19, 22), in much the same
way that the former presidents of the United States are still referred as
president after they leave office. Annas’s
title, however was more than a mere courtesy.
Many Jews, resentful of the Roman’s meddling in their religious affairs,
still considered Annas to be the true power (especially since according to the Mosaic
law high priests served for life; cf. Num. 35:25).
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: As I look again
at what went on with Jesus during this last day of His life and think about the
truth that He was in control of all of it, I am very thankful for this truth,
and thinking that because He was in control of this, He certainly is in control
of my life as He prays for me from heaven.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to trust the Lord as He prepares me
to teach Sunday school this Easter Sunday.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “The beginning or generation
of things.”
Today’s Bible
question: “Did Pharaoh bless Jacob, or
did Jacob bless Pharaoh?”
Answer in our next SD.
4/13/2017 10:08 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment