April 29
Bible Reading: John 18:1-6
John 18:6, “When Jesus said to them, ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.”
Key to a deeper appreciation of the meaning of the cross is the realization that Jesus’ death was no accident. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “(He) loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). Jesus deliberately subjected Himself to it all—the betrayal, arrest, sham trial, beatings, and crucifixion. It was His love for the Father and for us that worked to bind Him to the cross.
It was a great crowd (in the hundreds), including the chief priests and elders and Roman soldiers, that came to arrest Jesus. They’d likely heard of or witnessed His miracles, so they came en masse bearing swords and clubs. They were also likely concerned about the response of His followers, hence the size of the arresting company.
They came with torches to search for him, but He did not hide. They came with weapons to overcome any resistance, but He did not resist. He identified Himself to be Jesus of Nazareth, whom they were seeking, by declaring “I am he” (John 18:6). As in John 4:26 and 8:58, the statement was a declaration of His deity, for which on a previous occasion they attempted to stone Him. Behold the power of His word, for in making that statement, that great multitude all drew back and fell helpless to the ground like dominos! It was a miraculous demonstration of His deity, and as such, it unveiled how ill-equipped they were to subdue Him. They were worse off than the Lilliputians in their attempt to bind Gulliver.
But He nevertheless allowed them to arrest Him. He could have called to His aid more than “twelve legions of angels” (Matthew 26:53). Had He chosen to resist, all the armies of the world could not have worked to arrest and bind Him, but He had already, in love for the Father and for you and me, bound Himself to the Father’s will. It was our sins and His love that worked to bind Jesus to the cross! And for that, we should be eternally grateful!
“Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain.” — John Piper
THE OLD RUGGED CROSS
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary. [Refrain]
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for ‘twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me. [Refrain]
To that old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he’ll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I’ll share. [Refrain]
LookingtoJesus 