Stop. Look and Listen
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??????????? Sweet and sour, hot and cold, sad and happy, we have all experienced these opposites. In fact, they say that in marriage, opposites attract. Someone who likes a formal schedule can be attracted to someone who has a more "go with the flow" approach to life. As God inspired people to write the Bible, He needed a way to organize what they wrote. Without an organized approach to writing our brains can become dull and sleepy. So, God often inspired biblical writers to use opposites in passages to reveal the meaning.
??????????? The opposites expose a problem and the solution. The problem is a result of our self-centered thinking, and the solution is based on Jesus' way of thinking (which are opposites). As we take the simple step of watching for opposites while reading the Bible, we can discover God's solutions to our problems.
??????????? To learn more about how the power of opposites reveal God's solutions, I would like to take a look at John 18:1-8, which tells the story of Jesus' arrest. "When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, 'Who is it you want?' 'Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied. 'I am he,' Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground."
??????????? The opposites in this passage are Judas, the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the detachment of soldiers versus Jesus and other disciples. I can imagine how the disciples felt. It was night, and the detachment of soldiers carried torches and weapons. This was serious; to make things worse, one of their own guided the soldiers to Jesus. Yet, it says that Jesus already knew what was going to happen.
The problem revealed by the opposites is simple: Jesus, the leader of the disciples, the Messiah, was about to be arrested. This was like a 2 am phone call type event. You know something is wrong. You anticipate trouble as you answer the phone. The good news can wait till the next day. Bad news is urgent.
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??????????? The solution to the problem of Jesus' arrest reveals an important aspect of Jesus' ministry we should be familiar with as we walk with Him. When Judas arrived with the mob of soldiers and officials to arrest Jesus, Jesus asked them whom they were looking for, and they responded, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus then said, "I am He." At that moment, the power of Jesus' words, the verification of His divine status, knocked them all to the ground.
??????????? Just consider this scene. Jesus spoke, and they all fell to the ground. How could the soldiers and religious leaders ignore what happened? Yet they did. They did not stop to consider the importance of being knocked to the ground. They did not stop to pray and ask God for wisdom with what they were doing. They pressed on. They believed they were right and would let nothing interfere. They knew what was best, they knew what needed to happen.
??????????? So, who was really in control of the situation, Jesus or the mob? The solution in this passage reveals that humans can plot, plan, manipulate, and deceive, yet God is in control. The solution to the arrest and betrayal by Judas was for His true followers to experience the real power of Jesus' words. It also exposed how those who opposed Jesus thought of faith as a stop-at-nothing, pressing forward without asking questions adventure.
??????????? When they all got knocked to the ground, then got up and pretended nothing happened, it revealed how Judas, the chief priests, Pharisees, and the detachment of soldiers welcomed this kind of blindness in their lives. This was nothing new. They could break an expensive vase in a shop and hide it, find money in the street and not seek to find out who it belonged to; they could ignore the obvious if it meant admitting they were wrong. Admitting they were wrong would be too much for them to manage. So, they pressed forward, over the cliff they went, not stopping to catch their breath and ask questions. They were blind to what they were doing and enjoyed it.
??????????? This solution is valuable for us to embrace in our lives. We always need to be on guard for how our stealthy selfishness can lead us astray. We can press forward with things we believe are good yet soon discover the emptiness that flows from our blind persistence. Just as Jesus revealed the power of His Word when He was arrested, Jesus seeks to reveal the power of His Word in our lives. Yet, we will often find that we need to stop, look and listen as we catch our breath, do a reality check, take an assessment, and pray to know the real motives behind our intentions.
??????????? Jesus could have easily escaped from the soldiers. When He said, "I am He," and they all fell to the ground, He could have run away, yet He did not. It should have been a warning for them to stop and evaluate, yet they simply pressed forward in their blind ambition. Jesus had already accepted that He would be arrested and put to death. He voluntarily cooperated with the soldiers. He willingly drank the wine of God's wrath for us.
??????????? What was the difference between the group Jesus led and the group Judas led? The group that Jesus led learned about how the Words of Jesus had power and authority. The group Judas led pressed forward and did not learn that lesson, yet we can. We can learn to stop, look, and listen, take a breath, put things on hold, and not be afraid to wait, pray and ask questions.