By Pastor Dave Holland
Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.” Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. – Luke 22: 52-54
How do you react in a tension-filled situation? That’s when the real you comes out. There are three types of reactions to the pressure-packed arrest of Christ in this passage.
First, there are those who live under the reign of darkness. Priests and officers stand cowering behind the brute force of the Temple guards. They could have arrested Jesus in the Temple Courts where He preached each day. But they didn’t because they were afraid of the crowds who adored Christ. Fear made them cower and sneak around in the darkness. Similarly, there are many Christians who do not confess their faith in the Lord because they are afraid of how people will respond.
Second, there are the Temple Guards who view Christ as a nuisance. Someone who provoked their officers enough to require them to get out of bed, find Jesus, and arrest Him. Their inconvenience fueled their anger toward Jesus. Christ’s physical sufferings began with these ruffians. Thugs need little reason to beat people. To them, it was fun to mock Jesus. They put a hood over Jesus’ head, struck Him and pushed Him. Laughing at the stumbling figure, they commanded He prophesy who hit Him. They were sadistic men who enjoyed inflicting pain. Yet, Jesus endured.
Finally, Peter followed at a distance. I get it. Peter was afraid of getting arrested too. Nobody wants to be taken into police custody. So, when it mattered most Peter followed at a distance. This phrase haunts me. How many times have I kept quiet when I should have spoken up for the Lord? How many opportunities have I had to witness to Christ’s saving power but instead, I removed myself from the situation?
When I was in Bible College, I was searching for a friend’s house in Los Angeles, Calif. As I was driving, I saw an old Rambler parked in a crowded apartment neighborhood. My grandfather, Red, drove an old Rambler of the same color and model. How many old Ramblers could still be on the road, I thought.
We hadn’t seen Red in over a year, so I looked at the mailboxes for his name.
Sure enough, I found his name. I knocked on his door and heard a feeble, “Who is it?”
“Red, it’s Dave, your grandson.”
“Come on in, Hot *amn, how did you find me?” Said the emaciated old man on the couch, covered with a blanket. Red had once been the strongest man I knew.
“I saw your old Rambler on the street.”
“I junked that car years ago,” he said.
Then I knew the Lord sent me there to speak with Red. “You don’t look yourself Red, are you alright?”
“No, this liver cancer is kicking my butt.”
Everything in me wanted to run to him, hug and thank him for everything he had done for me and my siblings. When I was a kid, when I thought we would have no Christmas, Red showed up out of nowhere with his car full of presents. He gave me my first baseball mitt. Other times, this strong tattooed naval veteran would let my sister and I stand on the couch and comb his silky gray hair (he always had a comb in his front shirt pocket).
Yet, when Red needed me most to share the gospel with him, I failed. I sat stone cold, only mumbling pleasantries about the weather and television programs. Red died a week later. I can only hope that someone better than I had the guts to share the truths that Jesus died for him and rose again to resurrection life. That is our only hope of salvation.
Meanwhile, as the Temple guards lead Christ away, Peter followed at a distance. Imagine if Peter stood up and said, “Jesus is the Son of God. We saw Him heal lepers, blind men and paralyzed people. He even raised the dead.” Instead, when darkness reigned, Peter followed in stone-cold silence at a distance.
Peter failed Jesus.
I failed my grandfather, Red.
We all fail, but Jesus never fails.
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