March 19, 2019 – Click here to listen
I was studying chapter 26 of Matthew this morning and the Holy Spirit drew me to the verse about the disciple cutting the ear off one of those in the mob who came for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus told him to put down his sword. He told His disciples that if He so desired, He could call “more than 12 legions of angels” (72,000) to protect Him. (To understand the might of such an army just one angel killed 185,000 Assyrian troops who were threatening Jerusalem as recorded in 2 Kings.)
Make no mistake about it Jesus had the power to destroy the entire lot of them and for good measure turn them into so many blocks of salt. This demonstrates that He was living out His prayer to God, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
He willingly gave His life in exchange for ours, knowing full well what would happen to Him. Contrast that with Peter’s denial that he even knew Jesus three times and we see why Jesus had to come and die for our sins. Jesus said it plainly, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
I am weak but thou art strong as the old gospel hymn goes. Later after Jesus appeared in His risen state and they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost the disciples were emboldened to the point of being willing to die for Christ.
After his ministry of spreading the gospel far and wide, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero. It is traditionally held that he was crucified upside down at his own request, since he saw himself unworthy to be crucified in the same way as Jesus. All of the other disciples except John and Judas were also martyred and suffered cruel deaths. John was exiled to the island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation, and Judas hung himself.
They were still weak in the flesh, but the Holy Spirit was strong. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and follow their example and speak out for Christ at every opportunity.
Eph. 6:10
“be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,”