Allow

Luke 22: 41-53 (The Message)

41-44 He pulled away from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and prayed, "Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?"

At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.

45-46 He got up from prayer, went back to the disciples and found them asleep, drugged by grief. He said, "What business do you have sleeping? Get up. Pray so you won't give in to temptation."

47-48 No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a crowd showed up, Judas, the one from the Twelve, in the lead. He came right up to Jesus to kiss him.

Jesus said, "Judas, you would betray the Son of Man with a kiss?"

49-50 When those with him saw what was happening, they said, "Master, shall we fight?" One of them took a swing at the Chief Priest's servant and cut off his right ear.

51 Jesus said, "Let them be. Even in this." Then, touching the servant's ear, he healed him.

52-53 Jesus spoke to those who had come—high priests, Temple police, religion leaders:

"What is this, jumping me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal?

Day after day I've been with you in the Temple and you've not so much as lifted a hand against me.

But do it your way—it's a dark night, a dark hour."

What do we do when hard times come?

At a basic human level, we are pushed to either fight or run. Our survival instinct kicks in...and the swords come out.

When the authorities come to arrest Jesus, Peter is ready to fight.

But what is Jesus' response? He allows. Had he wanted, he could easily have escaped. He willingly submits to those who come to do him harm. He heals the ear that Peter had violently removed.

The disciples must have felt so confused. Perhaps they were even disappointed. Almost certainly they must have doubted Jesus' real identity. How could the Messiah, the King, allow himself to be arrested and mistreated in this way? How could Judas have betrayed them?

But Jesus moves with peace. He is reconciled to the self-limiting sacrifice that has begun.

Sometimes we think that if we knew how our lives would come out, faith and peace would be so much easier.

Sometimes we're tempted to make less of Jesus' death because he knew resurrection lay just on the other side of that dark door.

I don't think anything about this was easy. But I find his "allowing" inspirational.

As Jesus walks through his "passion," we can learn so many ultimately valuable things.

No matter what comes...nothing can separate us from the Father. We don't have to fight or run.

We can stand and walk in God's power, not our own.

Prayer: Father, we seek to learn from Jesus' example. May we be so filled with trust that we can stop fighting with the world, and allow our lives to unfold as you lead us. What is your will?

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.