Saturday, October 27, 2012

Arrest, Trials, Denials: Triplets of Betrayal



As we continue our study of triplets in Scripture, echoing God’s Triune nature, we find the same pattern repeated in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. All of Christian doctrine, and our blessed hope of eternal life and of His glorious reappearing (Titus 2:13; 1 Peter 1:3), hinges on the sacred triplet of His death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

The road to Calvary where Jesus was crucified was paved with betrayal by His chosen disciples, by the leaders and commoners of the Jewish people He was sent to deliver, and by the Roman rulers that occupied His birth nation of Israel. His betrayals by these three groups resulted in His arrest and trials and in denials of His divinity.

Events of the crucifixion were set in motion when Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 27:3), which was the going rate for a bondservant. How fitting, in light of God the Son taking on human flesh and coming to earth the first time not as King, but as a humble servant. Not only did He come to teach us how to serve, but to offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice to redeem us from our sins.

At the Lord’s Supper on the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus performed three sacred acts with the bread that symbolized His body:.He blessed it, and brake it, and gave to them (Mark 14: 22). The blessing was an act of worship thanking the Father not only for His provision of physical sustenance, but for giving Him the opportunity to save the souls of all who trust in Him.

Breaking the bread symbolized how His precious body would be battered beyond recognition, as He paid in full the punishment every one of us owes for all our sins, past, present and future. Giving the bread to the disciples signifies how He gives eternal life to all who trust in His death, burial and resurrection as the only way to Heaven.

After supper, Jesus and His disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32), where He prayed a threefold prayer. He asked that God’s will be done as He prepared Himself for the unimaginable spiritual as well as physical ordeal He would face. He prayed for those disciples who were present, and He prayed for every believer who trusts Him as Savior (John 17).

As Jesus removed Himself further into the garden, He took with Him His inner circle, Peter, James, and John (Mark 14:33). Three times He begged them to stay awake with Him and pray, but all three times they fell asleep (Mark 14:41).

As Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss that let His captors know His identity, Jesus was surrounded by a hostile crowd of chief priests, scribes and elders (Mark 14:43) armed with lanterns, torches and weapons (John 18:3). He was then subjected to three mock trials by Caiaphas (Matthew 26:57-67), Pilate (Matthew. 27:2; Mark 15:1-15) and Herod: (Luke 23:7-11).

At the trial led by the high priest Caiaphas, the chief priests, elders, and all the council looked for false witness against Jesus so that He would be sentenced to death (Matthew 26:59; Mark 14:53). Having accomplished their heinous objective, they spit in His face, beat Him, and struck Him with the palms of their hands (Matthew 26 67).

Then they stripped Him naked, kneeled before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! They adorned Him with three mock symbols of a king: a scarlet robe, a crown of thorns, and a reed in his right hand (Matthew.27:28-29).

Not only was Jesus scorned by His captors, He was denied three times by Peter, who had pridefully boasted that he would follow His Master to the death Matthew 26:75; Mark 14:30

Despite this humiliating and painful ordeal, the Scripture here records three titles of Jesus revealing His true nature as Messiah, fully divine yet fully man: the Christ, the,Son of the Blessed, and the Son of man (Mark 14:61-62).

After Pilate determined that he could find no fault in Jesus, the people cried out three times that Jesus be put to death:

Matthew 27: 22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.

24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

Throughout history, there has always been a small remnant of those who remain true to God even though the multitudes reject Him.

As Christ took the final steps down Calvary’s road where His suffering and death would culminate in our redemption and eternal life, even His closest friends and followers scattered in the face of what seemed to be sure defeat. Far from being thankful that their Messiah was delivering them, the Jews and their religious leaders failed to recognize who He was and clamored for His death.

Yet to the faithful Old Testament saints (Hebrews 11), such as Abraham and Noah, can be added the faithful remnant of those who did not desert Christ as He died for us. Among His closest circle these were His mother Mary, His beloved disciple John, and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25-26). Also in the faithful remnant were the occasional Jew such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea: (John 19:38-39) and even the Roman centurion who glorified God as realized Jesus was righteous (Luke 23:47). ‘

May each of us be numbered with the faithful remnant honoring God and loving Christ even when the world dishonors and rejects Him.



© 2012 Laurie Collett



 

36 comments:

Nadwrażliwiec said...

You have very deep sight into the Trinity. I didn't thought about it in this way. Greetings and blessings to You! :)

Frank E. Blasi said...

Gosh, it ia amazing how the number three keeps turning up even on the night of his Passion. This is a very enlightening post, and I really feel blessed by God for just reading it.
Thank you for posting, and I look forward to read more of your uplifting work.
Frank.

Laurie Collett said...

Thank you, Zim, for your encouragement! I appreciate your kind comment. May you have a blessed week in Him,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Frank, I am blessed and humbled by your comment. This means so much to me coming from you, as I am continually uplifted by your insights into Scripture in the context of history and our current society.
May you have a blessed week!
Laurie

Dolly @Soulstops said...

Wow, never noticed all the triplets before...Thanks, Laurie...praying to be one of the faithful remnant...blessings to you :)

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Dolly! May we be in the faithful remnant that spreads His Word and His love.
God bless,
Laurie

Donald Fishgrab said...

Under the Law,at least two witnesses were required to prove any thing. One person can easily be mistaken or lie. A second witness making the same claim implies that the claim is probably true. A third one makes it nearly impossible to be mistaken unless there is deliberate misrepresentation. In much the same way a person can inadvertently make an incorrect or offensive statement. To repeat it the third time indicates it was not unintentional. The actions taken were deliberate in every case.

Laurie Collett said...

Excellent point, dfish! Whatever God says 3 times must have particular significance.
May you have a blessed week in Him,
Laurie

Denise said...

Bless you for sharing.

Pamela said...

An excellent post. Thank you for allowing God to use your talent to teach others. I can tell you spend a lot of time in the Word.

Unknown said...

Lovely -- I love your in-depth study!

Alecia Simersky said...

Great insight! I learn something every time I pop over here:) what a blessing.

Laurie Collett said...

Thank you Denise. God bless and keep you too, dear one.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Pamela -- I really appreciate your kind words and encouragement! Many blessings to you,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks so much, Jen!
God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Alecia, your kind comment is a great blessing to me!
Love in Him,
Laurie

Anonymous said...

Hello there, I just found you through a wise women builds her home. I was just learning about triune last night....at our homegroup we have been watching the truth project, and I just thought it fascinating that I came across this post after last night he he he, thank you for your post. Kind Regards, Tara.

Laura said...

So humbled by this triplet, Laurie. Thank you for these insights.

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Tara! Thanks so much for your comment & for following! There are no coincidences with God -- I'm glad you found this post in His perfect timing! I have written several other posts on the Trinity -- here is the link to one of them, and you can find others in the archives for June, July & August:
http://savedbygracebiblestudy.blogspot.com/2012/06/gods-signature-three-in-one.html
God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thank you, Laura, for your sweet words.
Love in Him,
Laurie

elizabeth said...

Thank you so much for your kind comment on my guest post at Imperfect Prose. All of the kind feedback I got meant so much to me.

Anonymous said...

Hi Laurie, so good to see you here on Winsome Wednesday again. I always look forward to seeing you there.
God bless
Tracy

Loverocks said...

Thanks for sharing. I'm visiting from missionalwomen.com

Blessings,
Amanda
http://lordleadmeon.blogspot.com/

Deborah said...

Hi Laurie..Im following you in friendship :)
Thank you so much for your visit and kind words.
Have a lovely weekend!

In His love,
Deborah \o/

Paula said...

Hi Laurie! Thanks for stopping by and linking up with my NO RULES Weekend Blog Party :))

Have a great weekend!
Paula
lifeasweknowitbypaula.blogspot.com

Laurie Collett said...

You're very welcome, Elizabeth! Thanks for your visit & comment.
God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Tracy! I'm so glad you're back with Winsome Wednesday! May you have a blessed week in Him!

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Amanda, for your visit & comment, & God bless!
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Deborah! May you have a blessed week in Him!
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Paula! Thanks for your visit & comment & for hosting!
Blessings,
Laurie

Michelle said...

Laurie, I have never thought of the way trinity appears in so many different ways and dynamics. Thank you for sharing this at the prairies this week.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Michelle -- I am blessed that you found this post helpful. Thanks for your sweet comment & God bless!
Laurie

Katherines Corner said...

Thank you for joining in the fun at the Thursday Favorite Things hop. Happy Monday wishes xo P.S. sorry I'm so late visiting :-)

Laurie Collett said...

You're very welcome, Katherine, & thanks for your comment!
Blessings to you,
Laurie

Shari said...

Thank you so much for the time that you take to dig deep into God's word and help us understand it better. You're a blessing to so many people. Thank you also for linking up!

Shari @ Leaving A Legacy

Laurie Collett said...

Wow, Shari, I am blessed by your comment! I pray that God would use me to help spread His Word. And thank you for your encouragement and for providing a forum for us to share with one another.
Love in Him,
Laurie