Unlimited: Armed with Swords and Clubs
Jul 27, 2024 1742
Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders (Mark 14:43, NIV).
At Gethsemane, Jesus announced that the hour has come, and that the Son of Man was delivered into the hands of sinners. He told his disciples to get up, because his betrayer arrived.
And at that very moment, Judas arrived leading a large armed mob.
Judas appeared at the head of the mob. He was the one who is leading the way.
The people who came to arrest Jesus were a rabble. There were soldiers there with swords. These were likely part of the Temple Guard, under the authority of the High Priest. Together with them there were people who have brought along clubs, in order to be part of the action.
Mark mentions that the crowd was sent “from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.” The chief priests were Sadducees, and they were in charge of the temple in Jerusalem. The teachers of the law were the theologians of their religion. The elders sat on the 71-seat Sanhedrin, the supreme council and court of the Jewish people.
I wonder if the people in this mob were proud of themselves. After all, they were obeying their leaders, and they were doing their religious duty.
– Eliezer Gonzalez
Eli’s Reflection: Think back on your own life. Is there something that today you regret doing in church or in relation to your faith, particularly if you thought you were doing the right thing at the time? Discuss what happened with a close Christian friend. What can you learn from that experience?
JASON ANDREW TOPPIN
Apr 30, 2021
AS RUBIN MARK SAYS "JESUS ALL FOR JWSUS , ALL I AM AND HAVE, AND ALL I WANT TOMBE".