Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion (6 page)

Satan was terrified of Jesus, and he revealed his fear of the Messiah long before the Garden of Gethsemane. When Jesus was born on this earth, the enemy inspired Herod the Great to slaughter all the babies in Bethlehem and the surrounding region in an attempt to kill Him.

A spirit of fear will always prompt people to overreact. Think about your own life for a moment. Are you facing an absurdly disproportionate amount of opposition against you right now because of your stand for God? If so, consider why the enemy is so afraid of what God plans to do through you!

How many times has the devil sought to destroy your life, your family, your business, or your ministry — but each time, you and yours eluded the enemy’s grasp? What God-ordained purpose have you been preserved to fulfill? What has God instructed you to do in diligent preparation for that purpose to come to pass?

Chapter 6:
Misunderstandings
and Suspicions

Have you ever had an experience with someone who had a wrong perception of you? When you heard what that person thought of you, were you shocked to hear it? Did you wonder,
How could anyone ever think something like that about me?

The more well-known you become, the more that people hear all kinds of rumors about you — most of which are completely untrue. You know how rumors work. When one person hears a rumor, he passes it along to another person, who then repeats it to someone else — and so it goes from one person to the next, growing more and more ridiculous with each telling. Finally, an entire story is being told that has no truth in it whatsoever. Unfortunately, when people hear a rumor, they usually believe it!
This is one reason Christians need to be very careful not to participate in gossip.

I don’t know what stories were being repeated about Jesus, but they must have been pretty wild. After all, when the Roman soldiers and temple police came to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, they were armed to the fullest extent! They also brought enough lanterns and torches to light up the entire Mount of Olives. What had they heard that made them think they needed to be so heavily equipped in order to find Jesus and the three disciples He’d brought along to pray with Him that night?

Judas had obviously prepared them for the worst. He had seen Jesus perform innumerable miracles, so he knew very well about the massive power that operated through Him. Judas had also been present in the past when religious leaders tried unsuccessfully to catch Jesus as He seemed to vanish, supernaturally slipping through the crowd to safety (Luke 4:30; John 8:59). Each time Jesus’ enemies thought they had Him, but then suddenly — poof! He was gone!

When the troops arrived that night, they must have been operating on the basis of these stories. John 18:3 tells us, “Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.”

I want to draw your attention to the words “lanterns,” “torches,” and “weapons.” When you see the impact of these words, you’ll understand that the soldiers who had come to arrest Jesus were acting on presumptions about Him that were totally inaccurate!

In the first place, Passover occurred at the time of a full moon, so the night was already very well lit at this time of year. But Judas didn’t want to take a risk that Jesus and His disciples wouldn’t be found; therefore, Judas obviously instructed these armed forces to be equipped to search, hunt, and track them down with the aid of “lanterns” and “torches.”

The word “lantern” comes from the Greek word
phanos.
This word refers to
a bright and shining light
. It portrays something like a lamp stand — a light that is intended to “light up” a room so you can see things better. A
phanos
was actually the equivalent of a first-century flashlight. Its light was so brilliant that it penetrated darkened areas and revealed things hidden in darkness.

In addition to these lamps, John 18:3 tells us that the soldiers also carried “torches.” The word “torch” is from the Greek word
lampas
, a word that describes
a long-burning oil lamp
. The “lamps” mentioned above were brilliant but short-lived. These “torches,” however, were oil-based, had a long wick, and could burn all night if necessary. The fact that these soldiers came with these torches strongly suggests that the soldiers and police were prepared to search all night. So when they came to the Garden of Gethsemane that night, they had enough bright shining lights (
phanos
) and long-burning oil lamps (l
ampas
) to hunt for Jesus all night long.

Several hundred soldiers scoured the hillside, carrying brightly lighted lamps as they searched for Jesus. This was the scene that occurred that night. Were the soldiers apprehensive that Jesus and His disciples might hide from them?

A great number of caverns, holes, and caves were scattered all over the hill where the Garden of Gethsemane was located. The hillside was also a place of many graves with large tombstones, behind which a person could hide. Finally, the hill offered prime hiding spots in its many great olive trees with twisted branches. So why in the world would 300 to 600 soldiers, plus the temple police, need so many brilliantly lit lights to find Jesus — unless they thought He would try to hide or escape from them?

John 18:3 also tells us that the soldiers and temple police brought “weapons” with them. The Greek word for “weapons” is
hoplos
, the very word that depicts
the full weaponry of a Roman soldier
referred to in Ephesians 6:13-18. This means the soldiers came attired in full weaponry — belt, breastplate, greaves, spikes, shoes, oblong shield, a brass helmet, a sword, and a lance. These 300 to 600 soldiers were ready for a
huge
skirmish and confrontation!

But there’s still more to this story! In addition to the weapons the Roman soldiers bore that night, the temple police also came ready to put up a fight. Mark 14:43 says, “And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.”

I want you to notice those words “swords” and “staves.” The word “sword” is the Greek word
machaira
. It refers to
the most deadly type of sword
, one that was more often than not used for stabbing someone at close range.
Does this mean the temple police were ready to stab and draw blood that night?

The word “stave” is from the Greek word
zhulos
. The word
zhulos
describes
a thick, heavy stick made of wood.
You might say it was a heavy-duty, dangerous, hard-hitting club intended to beat someone. When you look at the combined list of weapons brought to the Garden of Gethsemane that night, you will readily understand that these Roman soldiers and temple police were prepared to be militarily engaged!

As noted earlier, the stories being repeated about Jesus must have been pretty wild! What makes this even wilder is the likely prospect that Judas Iscariot was the one who fanned the flames of these rumors! He was right alongside the soldiers with all their lanterns, torches, and weapons.

Is it possible that after Judas had walked with Jesus for three years, he himself had never really come to know the real Jesus? Did Judas have a false perception of how Jesus would respond in such an event? It makes one wonder what kind of relationship Judas had with Jesus to perceive Him so inaccurately. The next two chapters will sufficiently answer this question regarding the kind of relationship Judas
really
had with Jesus.

As you know, Jesus willfully went with the soldiers that night. He and His disciples did
not
hide or put up a fight. After being supernaturally empowered by the angel God sent to help Him, Jesus rose up and went out to greet Judas and the troops. However, I’m personally convinced that when Jesus saw Judas surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers and temple officers with lanterns, torches, and weapons, it must have stunned Him! I think Jesus was surprised to learn just how erroneously Judas perceived Him.

The next time you hear that someone has a wrong perception about you, don’t let it ruffle your feathers too much. Remember all the times you’ve had a wrong perception about someone else! You were just so sure that your opinion about that person was right, but then you discovered you were so wrong! If you’ve perceived others incorrectly at times, why should it surprise you when the same thing occasionally happens to you?

Instead of arguing or trying to prove a point, Jesus simply surrendered, went with the soldiers, and gave His life for the very men who arrested Him.

If you ever find yourself in this position, consider it an opportunity to show people who you really are. Notice that Jesus didn’t say to those who came for Him in the Garden, “How dare you think so badly about Me!” Instead of arguing or trying to prove a point, He simply surrendered, went with the soldiers, and gave His life for the very men who arrested Him. The response Jesus made with His life was the greatest comeback He could have demonstrated to them!

So when people misunderstand you, follow Jesus’ example. Back off and take some time to think and pray about the matter before you proceed. Don’t let the devil get you all upset because you were misunderstood. This may be the greatest chance you’ll ever have to show people the truth about who you really are as a result of God’s grace on your life!

When people wrongfully judge us, we often want to retaliate with our words. But the best response comes from the way we live.

What is your life saying about you? Think about a time when the quality of your character invalidated a negative perception someone held about you. Did that misunderstanding affect the way you presented yourself and, in turn, perceived others?

The devil continually seeks to interject thoughts into our minds that will cause us to misinterpret the actions of another in order to create walls of division. When he succeeds in this strategy, the enemy prevents us from receiving from one another.