Tag Archives: Mount of Olives

LUKE’S GOSPEL…LIKE GREAT DROPS OF BLOOD – 58

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“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭39‬-‭44‬ NIV

It amazes me how human imagination loves drama and even twists words to paint a picture in the story that the words never intended. Luke’s portrait of the human Jesus under extreme pressure is one of those misreadings which is a detail not found in the other gospel records of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane…

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

One little Greek word, perhaps deliberately omitted in some translations to heighten the drama, makes all the difference to our understanding of Jesus’ suffering!

The word “like”, Greek “hosi”, made up of two Greek words, “ho” and “sei”, clearly implies “like, as if, in the manner of,”. Luke made a comparison between the perspiration that flowed from Jesus’ face and the free flow of blood from a fresh wound. 

Luke’s description is not what some translators imply… that Jesus sweated blood.  The text clearly says that His sweat was   “like”…“as if it were” great drops of blood.  This idea that He sweated blood does not appear to be in the text. A theory and a doctrine has grown out of a possible misrepresentation of the text.  

The fact that Jesus did not sweat blood in no way detracts from the intensity of His suffering. In fact, it heightens and confirms His thirst when He hung on the cross, because He had become severely dehydrated in this crucifixion process.  

Jesus’ blood loss was purposeful, pouring from the open wounds of the beating, the nails, and the piercing. His body was deliberately mutilated to release the blood He poured out for our redemption…therefore, sweating blood does mot seem to be in  keeping with the manner in which He shed His blood for sin as a sin offering…

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…our forgiveness…

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

and our cleansing…

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The blood of Jesus was not pressed out of Him in moments of emotional agony. He freely shed His blood through the breaking of His body so that we may receive and experience all the benefits of His voluntary and substitutionary sacrifice.  

Let us be careful, in our reading of God’s Word, that we don’t blindly follow the notions of men.  Let us read with care, depending on our supreme Teacher, the Holy Spirit, to give us understanding and to lead us into all truth. 

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – BE ON YOU GUARD

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BE ON YOU GUARD

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. Mark 13:3-8

The brothers must have taken to heart what Jesus had said to them because they came back to Him later with this question, “When is this going to happen?” and “What sign …how will we know when the end is about to happen?” They were aware that this present order of things must come to an end. There was a hope in them that the imperfect with its suffering and evil would not be the final state of affairs.

Jesus had indicated that there was no permanence in their temple but it was also true that there was no permanence in a corrupted creation with its wicked oversight. Wars and natural disasters would continue and even escalate and so would the number of deceivers that would arise in the world. The problem is not with those who come from the ranks of politics and false religions. They are easier to recognise than those who come from within the church.

Because people are lazy or reluctant to study the Scriptures for themselves, many are ill‑equipped to discern the deception which is subtle and closely resembles the truth. Deceivers may be dazzling, popular and convincing but they are dangerous and deadly. To follow their teaching is to veer off course and to move farther and farther from the truth. Jesus’ words to His disciples and to us are, “Be on your guard. You have been warned.”

There are at least two categories of teachers that undermine the two main parts of Messiah’s identity   prosperity preachers who feed on the ‘yetzer harah’, a Hebrew term that refers to the attitude of person who is selfish and self-centred, and prophecy interpreters who undermine the nature of our ruler-ship with Christ now. Peter was guilty of misunderstanding the content of his confession. He saw Jesus as one who would overcome Rome and restore Israel’s political glory. Jesus came to teach us how to rule over our own unruly hearts first. He came to teach and demonstrate obedience and submission to the Father, even if it meant suffering and loss in this life. Anything that contradicted the heart of Messiah’s disposition was deception.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – CONSPIRACY!

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CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CONSPIRACY!

“He spent His days in the Temple teaching but His nights out on the mountain called Olives. All the people were up at the crack of dawn to come to the Temple and listen to Him.

“The Feast of Unleavened Bread, also called Passover, drew near. The high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way to do away with Jesus but, fearful of the people, they were also looking for a way of covering their tracks.

“That’s when Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot. He was one of the Twelve. Leaving the others, he conferred with the high priests and temple guards about how he might betray Jesus to them. They couldn’t believe their good luck and agreed to pay him well. He gave them his word and started looking for a way to betray Jesus, but out of sight of the crowd.” Luke 21:37-38; 22:1-6.

The plot thickens, as they say!

How amazing that, in all of history, never had God and the devil worked so closely together to accomplish so daring a plan! Two opposing agendas meet and synchronise in the greatest drama the world has ever witnessed. God turns Satan’s hand to be His unwitting accomplice in signing his own doom.

None of this would make sense had it not been for Isaiah’s prophetic insight in predicting this event hundreds of years before it happened. “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand.” Isaiah 53:10 (NIV).

Judas, one of Jesus’ closest associates, conspired with His enemies to sell Him out. Why? We will never really know. His greed for money was in the plot, but there had to be something more sinister than that. Was Judas disillusioned with Jesus because He had not met his expectations?

In this mix of ordinary men there were different ambitions and aspirations. They had agreed that Jesus was the Messiah but what did that mean to them? Their many squabbles over their pecking order suggest that their concept of Messiah was political. They were hoping for the overthrow of Roman occupation and the re-establishment of David’s glorious reign, free in a land that was their own. They were looking to Jesus to do something miraculous. Hadn’t He proved His power over nature, demons, sickness and even the people who were trying to destroy Him? Surely Rome would be a pushover for someone as powerful as He had proved to be!

But, to Judas’ frustration, Jesus gave no sign of making a move. He would have to orchestrate a showdown with Rome, and Passover was the most opportune time to do it. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, masterfully brings these agendas together and lays the responsibility for Jesus’ death on the shoulders of the Jews, but under the direction of God Himself. No novelist could have imagined a plot like that for a good story! It had to be God.

“‘This man was handed over by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge, and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him…Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:23-24; 36 (NIV).

It had to be Passover time because Jerusalem would be full of Jews from all over Israel, enough people to join Jesus in a successful uprising. If Jesus was cornered, would He strike out against His captors?

For the Jewish leaders, it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of Him. For God it was the perfect opportunity to set Jesus up as the sacrificial Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. For Satan it was the perfect opportunity to bring his arch enemy down and hold him in his power forever through death.

On December 11th, 1845, James Lowell published these words as the last verse of an anti-slavery hymn.

“Though the cause of evil prosper, yet ’tis truth alone is strong;                                                  Though her portion be the scaffold and upon the throne be wrong;                                            Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown                                                 Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.”

At the end of his magnificent presentation of the meaning of the cross, the Apostle Paul penned these words:

O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments and His paths beyond tracing out!                               

Who has known the mind of the Lord?                                                                                           

Or who has been His counsellor? 

Who has ever given to God that God should ever repay him?                                                     

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.   Romans 8:33-36                                                  

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – JESUS TAKES CENTRE STAGE

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JESUS TAKES CENTRE STAGE

“After saying these things, Jesus headed straight up to Jerusalem. When He got near Bethphage and Bethany at the mount called Olives, He sent off two of His disciples with instructions, ‘Go to the village across from you…you’ll find a colt tethered…untie it and bring it…’

“The two left and found it just as He said…They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As He rode, the people gave Him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the street.

“Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed.

‘Blessed is He who comes,                                                                                                                      The king in God’s name!                                                                                                                        All’s well in heaven!                                                                                                                              Glory in the high places!’

“Some Pharisees from the crowd told Him, ‘Teacher, get your disciples under control!’

“But He said, ‘If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.'” Luke 19:28-40.

This event, which is called Palm Sunday on the Christian calendar, was both highly significant and highly provocative in the life of Jesus, and at this particular time in the Jewish year.

It was the eve of Passover. People were gathering in the city for the feast from all over the country. It was a time of religious fervour and political ferment. The Roman authorities were on high alert for any signs of trouble. Messianic expectation was reaching flash point and all eyes were on this rabbi who was saying and doing outrageous things.

The religious authorities were well aware of how volatile the situation was and were keeping a sharp eye out for any signs of uprising from Jesus and His followers. They knew that the only solution was to eliminate Him to bring things back under control before Rome stepped in and set off a blood bath. However, they could do nothing at Passover because there were too many Jesus-supporters in the mob.

Then, into this tinder box situation, Jesus calmly entered on the back of a donkey! This was what they feared the most because it was public announcement that He was making a bid for kingship! They desperately implored Him to shut down the exuberant praise that was being stirred up in the mob, but Jesus laughed them off and they were even more enraged and determined to silence Him.

What was the significance of this provocative act? First of all, it was yet another fulfilment of an ancient prophecy, “”Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9 (NIV), a Messianic fingerprint that would confirm the claim of Jesus that He was the king of the Jews.

Secondly, Jesus was claiming a kingship that was in no way intended to challenge their Roman overlords, but they did not understand that. They waited with baited breath to see what He would do when He entered Jerusalem. Would He head for the governor’s palace to throw down the gauntlet? They did not understand His hot tears over the city. Instead of heading for the governor’s residence, He turned towards the temple.

The meaning of this prophetic action went right over their heads. They did not understand that Jesus was claiming a right to rule over the lives and destiny of His people that went far deeper than political authority. He was representing a kingdom that overrode every other kingdom, the kingdom of God. In a few days, He would authenticate that right by giving His life to remove the barrier of sin that stood in the way of access into that kingdom, and that would give anyone who believed in Him the right to approach the Father.

Jesus was no threat to Rome. Rome was only a pawn in the hands of a far more sinister domain, the domain of Satan, the god of this world. “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:15 (NIV).

However, this action was imperative for Jesus because it was also the final nail in His own coffin. Like it or not, the religious leaders were forced to take action, spurred on by the offer of the treacherous Judas, because Jesus had to die as God’s sacrificial Lamb at the precise moment when the Passover lambs were being slaughtered!