14:1 Amazing. These guys had waited hundreds and hundreds of years for the son of David to show up. The excitement for His coming passed down from generation to generation. The day finally arrives, He's here, and they can't wait to kill Him. To silence this man, this teacher, who seeks to overturn their way of life, to remove the comfort of their sacrifices and outward piety. He shows them their faults, and they want to bury Him and keep all their dirty little secrets and shame buried deep. But, aren't we just like them when we think our way is best and God, well, He just doesn't understand.
14:2 Was it that Jesus was stealing their thunder or that Jesus was condemning their religion? Probably both! The people as a whole loved Jesus for all the reasons the Pharisees hated Him. The Pharisees have controlled the people for a long time so they understand there is a time and a place for all things. And control they did. For in a weeks time the crowd they didn't want to riot against them would riot for them for to execute the king. Jesus.
14:3-9 Verses like this make me smile because almost 2,000 years ago Jesus said her story would be told in memory of her and I sit here reading it.
14:10-11 I've always kinda wondered why He had to be betrayed. Like if Judas hadn't betrayed Him the Pharisees would have just given up. Well guys, if someone could just tell us where to find this Jesus Christ superstar we could find a way I'm sure to kill Him, somehow. But, oh well.
14:17-19 The heart can be a scary creature. These guys have spent 3 to 3-1/2 years together and I'm sure know each other inside and out, yet they each question themselves rather than another of the group. They must have had no idea Judas was capable of this betrayal. Maybe too, they had each been shown so much of themselves they didn't know was there, the thought is. I don't think I could be the one but maybe Jesus knows something about me that I don't. I hope not. In another place it says Jesus told Judas to go and do it. Even with this the disciples did not know Judas was betraying Jesus.
14:27-50 There is a certain romance about the future or glorification of response in a yet to happen circumstance. I imagine myself greater, nobler, capable of withstanding great pain or humiliation. Yet when the time comes, often the delusions shows itself. This is what happened here. The reality came suddenly, a fairytale ended and darkness exploded. What are you doing? He's done nothing wrong. He's a good guy. He wouldn't hurt a fly. Where are you taking Him? This doesn't even make sense. He's a teacher, He's not hurting anyone. In an instant the world of each disciple was turned upside down, inside out. Jesus, show them who you are. Your daddy is God. Did you lie to us? How can man hurt the son of God? This doesn't make sense. And Judas, what the heck are you doing? You are one of us. Just a bit ago we were eating together, what happened to you? I can't imagine in myself how turned around the world of each disciple was. The confusion and hurt inside must have been sickening. Yet this was the furnace. This was the time that forged something inside the 11 that would lead many others to glory and each of them to their death.
14:53-64 Jesus was not guilty of any crime, certainly not one worthy of death. Had He offered defense of Himself He likely would have been set free so He keeps His mouth shut. When He does finally speak, He says something very true but something He knew would anger the high priest and ensure He continued on His road to death. I believe He also came to a place where it would have been highly disrespectful to not answer. It may seem silly to us the need to be respectful, but Jesus loved or I guess loves this high priest just the same as you or I or Peter or John and was in a position due respect.
14:65 These are the highest of the religious leaders and should understand the need to love and respect all men even if you don't like them. Jesus displays this while they display the opposite.
14:66-72 This is Peter's undoing here, his unraveling. These three denials are the first half of his final forging. The other half is coming soon. I imagine everything inside of Peter is all jumbled up. He's given everything to Jesus, seen the unbelievable time after time. This is the Messiah. The Messiah! Upstairs being beaten. What could possibly be going on? What plan could Jesus have now? Just days ago we were coming into town triumphantly. The king coming home. All around was joyous celebration, laughing and dancing. Where has it all gone wrong? My king, were we wrong? You were so convincing. All those miracles. You calmed the sea. How can you have done so much and not been our savior, the Messiah? The one who would save us, restore our land, make all things right? None of this makes sense. No, it's not right. C'mon Jesus. Show them who you are. Use your power. Save yourself and us. But.....Are you just a fraud? As I write this I imagine if I were inside Peter's mind at these moments his thoughts would be shooting so fast, this way and that. Just a short glimpse would likely fill a book and I imagine that book crying. Sitting on the shelf with tears pouring out. Such anguish of soul was Peter that He had no faculties to make sense of it. Somewhere deep inside he knows the truth. That Jesus is about to die. But this truth has never fit into the story right. It doesn't belong. He even told Jesus as much and Jesus called him Satan and said to get behind him. What was that? This is the great intersection. All Peter knows one way, and all he doesn't the other way. The stoplight is broken and it's all crashing together. He responds just as most of us would. He's not denying himself, but Jesus. Soon it will all change.
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