SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/26/2024 10:20 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “Shocking
the Twelve”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matt.
26:21b-24
Message of the verses: “He said, "Truly
I say to you that one of you will betray Me." 22 Being deeply grieved,
they each one began to say to Him, "Surely not I, Lord?" 23 And He
answered, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will
betray Me. 24 “The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him;
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good
for that man if he had not been born.’”
We did not get too far in looking at these verses
yesterday, but that was okay as when the Lord is leading me to writes something
I must obey.
Now
we want to begin by writing about how meals were done in the Near East, as the
eating of a meal with someone was considered a mark of friendship, and so to
eat with a person just before betraying him would be to compound the
treachery. The following is what Kind
David wrote in Psalm 55:12-14 after he experienced the betrayal of a trusted
friend: “12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor
is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide
myself from him. 13 But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar
friend; 14 We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in
the throng.”
We know because Jesus is all knowing that He was
aware that He had many enemies, and the disciples of Jesus also knew He had
many enemies, so they were hardly surprised that He would be betrayed. However it was unbelievable that the one who
will betray Him would be one of their own group. We can understand that they were deeply
grieved as John reports that they were “at a lost to know of which one He was
speaking” (John 13:22). Judas was
perhaps among the least who was suspected and the reason was because of his
being the group’s treasure and this indicated his integrity was thought to
beyond reproach. It can be
understandable to think that once Jesus gave the news of betrayal that there
were probable tears. Let us look at Luke
22:23 “And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be
who was going to do this thing.”
MacArthur adds “While discussing the matter among themselves, they may
have pointed accusing fingers at one another, as Luke’s account might suggest (cf.
v. 24). But to their credit, the primary
concern of each man was the possibility of his own culpability, and they each
one began to say to Jesus surely not I, Lord?”
I am sorry to say that I must stop and hopefully I
can do better tomorrow, but I did not sleep well last night and am having a
hard time keeping my mind on the subject matter today.
4/26/2024 10:40 AM
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