September 1930
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cerned, you might as well take your rest. But the present calls; therefore rise and go” (cf. Phil. 3:13, 14). BETRAYED INTO THE HANDS OF SINNERS—The marvel o f it! The pure and spotless Son of God delivered unto the will of evil men! How His holy soul must have shrunk from the contact! 42—MY BETRAYER IS AT HAND—Two men—one in the Old Testament and one in the New—earned age-long evil notoriety; Jeroboam, “who made Israel to sin,” and Judas Is cariot, "who also betrayed him” ; and each through self-interest and disregard of his responsibility. Let them be a warning to us. 43— JUDAS, ONE OF THE TWELVE—The repetition of his description is not fortuitous or redundant; the Holy Ghost w uld impress upon us the fact that privilege, and position will not save us from falling. A GREAT MULTITUDE—Consist ing of (a) Roman soldiers, (b) servants of the Sanhedrin, (c)- the rabble. The news of the intended arrest had spread and the rabble was there, either out of curiosity, or stirred up into hatred by the authorities. Wherever Christ was He always drew a mul titude, but too often not to its salvation. W ITH SWORDS AND STAVES—He had evidently been misrepresented as a dangerous character; probably as a leader o f sedition. 44— HIS BETRAYER HAD GIVEN THEM A SIGN—It is quite probable that the Roman soldiers would not have known Him by sight; they would not mingle with the crowds that fol lowed Him. LAY FIRM HOLD. . . . LEAD HIM AW AY SAFELY—It would not be very difficult to lead one man away safely; Judas feared fescue by the crowd—an undesigned con firmation o f the truth of the Gospel narratives. 45— SAITH TO HIM RABBI, RABBI, AND KISSED HIM MUCH—What a fervent profession of discipleship and love; and all the time there was treachery in the heart! Christ desires, not empty profession, nor kisses, but the loyalty that pro duces obedience (cf. Luke 6:46) and absolute uncalculating fidel ity (cf. Rev. 2:10). Men will be.judged, not by their professions, but by their deeds. 47— ONE OF THOSE, etc.-—This was Simon Peter (cf. Jno. 18:10). His name was perhaps omitted for fear o f the ven geance of the Jews (St. John’s Gospel was probably written after his death). Note he is still the same thoughtless, impulsive Peter as ever. This is a further step in the Apostle’s fall: he had for gotten his Master’s teaching (cf. Matt. 5 :7, 44) ; he had also mis understood His words (cf. Luke 22:38). “It is enough” was a phrase used to waive a subject (cf. Deut. 3:26). Such forget fulness and misunderstanding are fruitful of spiritual disaster. HAVING DRAWN THE SWORD—It was not his sword, it was borrowed (cf. Luke 22;38). SMOTE THE HIGH PRIEST’S BONDSLAVE, etc.—This was recrudescence of the fleshly spirit which prompted the declaration of Matt. 16:22. Peter had yet to learn the lesson o f 2 Cor. 10:4. 48— ARE YE COME OUT AS AGAINST A BRIGAND ? —Yes! Not because they imagined Him to be one, but because they feared His power; for they preferred a brigand to Him (cf. Jno. 18:40). The great force sent for His arrest confirms the Gospel stories o f His power and popularity. 49— DAY BY DAY I WAS IN THE TEMPLE, etc.—They did not arrest Him then, partly from motives of cowardice, but also because His hour was not come .. BUT [this is doné] THAT THE SCRIPTURE, etc.—Cf. Zech. 13 :7; Psa. 22:12; 54:3; 86: 14; etc. The detailed fulfillment o f all these passages in the case of our Lord proves the inspiration of the Old Testament. 50— THEY ALL ABANDONED HIM AND FLED— Even Peter the promiser; even the disciple “whom Jesus loved” ! How undependable is the flesh if not made strong by the Holy Ghost. Yet He loved them still!' What a lesson in for giving patience (cf. Eph. 4:32). (To be continued )
so read. WATCH—St. Matthew adds “with me.” Here again we have the human yearning for companionship. Probably also He intended them to remember the connection between watch ing and prayer which He had so recently impressed upon them. 35— FELL UPON THE EARTH AND KEPT PRAYING —The utter physical prostration and fear are evident from the attitude o f body. (Note the tense of continuance—there is nothing wrong in repeated supplication for the same thing [cf. Luke 18:1-7].) THE HOUR MIGHT PASS—Not the hour of the Cross, which was an impossible prayer (see notes above), but that hour of awful prostration, which threatened premature death. 36— ABBA, FATHER—-“Abba,” a Syriac word, seems to mean rather “dear Father.’’ Here “Father” may have been added by St. Mark, for the benefit of the unlearned, or Christ may have duplicated His cry (i.e., Father! Father 1) in His agony and His earnestness. ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE—Here again He meant all possible things ; there are things which are essen tially impossible, and those we must not expect God to do! TAKE THIS CUP FROM ME—This could not be the cup referred to in Jno. 18:11, for o f that cup He had always ex pected, and been willing to drink: that had been settled from the foundation of the world (cf. 1 Peter 1:20; Rev. 13:8). YET NOT -WHAT I WILL, BUT WHAT THOU—He knew quite well what the Father’s will was as to the Cross; there was no room for “amazement” or uncertainty there; but even IF the Father chose to let Him fail at the eleventh hour, well—so be it! After all, the Father knew best. 37— COMETH AND FINDETH THEM SLEEPING— How soon had they forgotten His injunction to be “sleepless” (cf. chapter 13 :33) ! SIMON—This is not “ Peter,” the Apostle, who is to have the keys o f the kingdom of heaven, but the unre generate fisherman. Truly there is the old man (as well as the new) in each o f His disciples; and we need to watch and pray that he may not get the upper hand of us. ART THOU NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO WATCH—“Not even one brief hour? How then wilt thou be able to perform thy promise of-yet greater things?” Is there not here also a very human touch? He had never asked them for anything else, and this one thing they had denied Him. Did they care so little for Him that they could sleep through His agony, and in spite o f it? 38— LEST YE COME INTO TRIAL—Not, that is, to pre vent their coming into trial (which could not be), but that they might be prepared for it when they did so come. THE SPIRIT INDEED IS EAGER, BUT THE- FLESH IS WEAK—The word here is pneumaj spirit, not psukhee, life, and refers to the actual spiritual nature, not to mere intellectual emotion. How true our Lord’s words are o f every real disciple of His (cf. Rom. 7:18, 19; Gal. 5:17) ; hence the pressing need to pray con stantly for strengthening grace. But note the tender love and the divine comprehension that finds excuse even for Peter’s fail ure (cf. Ps. 103:13, 14). 39— PRAYED, SAYING THE SAME WORDS—But the tense is different; this is a single petition, not continuous pray ing. Why? Because the answer came (cf. Luke 22:43). 40— THEIR EYES WERE WEIGHED DOWN—They had been about all day and awake all night. KNEW NOT WHAT TO ANSWER HIM—They felt the fact of .their failure and also ,that; îiD .excuàe ,seem;ed adequate. 41— THE THIRD TIME—St. Matthew tells us that He prayed three times ; St. Mark’s account is, as usual, brief and condensed. He gave them more than one opportunity and they lost them all. SLEEP ON NOW . . . . IT IS ENOUGH . . . RISE, LET US GO (verse 42)—Not -a- contradiction, though it appears to be so. “ Sleep on! - It is all over; your oppor tunity for watching with me is gone. As far as that is con
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