Chapter 26.
The Plot to Murder Jesus
1. And it came to pass when Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples,
2. “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man is delivered up to be crucified.”
3. Then gathered the chief priests and the scribes, and the elders of the people, into the courtyard of the chief priest, who was called Caiaphas;
4. And consulted that they might take hold of Jesus by deceit, and kill [Him].
5. But they said, “Not at the festival, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
All along, Jesus has been patiently instructing His disciples, sometimes encouraging with promises about future glory when they will sit on thrones and sometimes reminding them that those who humble themselves will be exalted. This portion of the disciples’ education is now complete. Through parable after parable, and example after example, Jesus has done everything possible to prepare His disciples for His last days on earth. The lessons began on the mountaintop when Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” and culminated when Jesus left the temple to give three final parables, one about love, one about wisdom, and the last one, about useful service.
When we acknowledge that without the Lord, we can do nothing, we are “poor in spirit.” This is indeed a blessing because it opens us to receive the kingdom of heaven. Similarly, the six acts of charity, when understood spiritually, teach the same lesson: without the Lord there is nothing good or true in us; without the Lord we have tendencies toward every evil; and without the Lord we dwell in total darkness. However, once we make this acknowledgement and strive to put away the evil and falsity that block the Lord’s entrance, the Lord enters with love, wisdom, and power, enabling us to do useful service that is truly good. Just as Jesus promises that the poor in spirit will receive “the kingdom of heaven,” He promises that those who perform the six acts of charity with God’s love in their hearts and wisdom in their minds will “inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.”
This marks the end of Jesus’ teaching ministry, at least for the time being. From this point on He tells no more parables. It’s time to see if the disciples can put Jesus’ teachings into their lives. Similarly, there are times in each of our lives when we have received sufficient instruction. We have learned the truth; the task is now to apply it to life. Therefore, the next episode begins with the words, “When Jesus had completed all these sayings, He said to His disciples, ‘You know that after two days Passover takes place, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified’” (26:1-2).
Even while Jesus is preparing His disciples for His crucifixion and death, the religious leaders are plotting it. As it written, “Then assembled together the chief priests and the scribes, and the elders of the people, into the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas. And they plotted how they might take Jesus by deceit and kill Him” (26:3). 1
This time, it’s not just the religious leaders. It’s the chief priests, the scribes, the elders of the people, and, even the temple leader himself, the high priest, Caiaphas, who has his own palace. This represents not just an isolated attack of a few evils within us, but rather an all-out assault on everything we believe to be good and true — from the lowly scribes to the high priest himself. It should also be noted that this assault will not be a direct and open one; rather it will be done in a sly and treacherous manner. As it is written, “They plotted how they might take Jesus [i.e. all that is good and true in us] by deceit and kill him.” Moreover, they knew that the murder could not take place during the high holiday called Passover. This was not out of respect for Passover and all that it represented, but rather out of fear that the murder of Jesus might upset the people. Therefore, they said to each other, “Let’s not do it at the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people” (26:5).
Costly Oil
6. And when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7. There came unto Him a woman, having an alabaster [vessel] of ointment, very precious, and poured it on His head as He sat.
8. But when His disciples saw [it], they were indignant, saying, “For what [purpose was] this loss?
9. For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.”
10. And Jesus knowing, said to them, “Why belabor the woman? For she has worked a good work on Me.
11. For you have the poor always with you; but Me you have not always.
12. For in that she has poured this ointment on My body, she has done [it] for My burial.
13. Amen I say to you, wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, what this [woman] has done shall be spoken for a memorial of her.”
We have just spoken about the various ways the hells work within us work, especially by trickery and deceit. This next episode gives an illustration of one of the ways that this takes place. A woman anoints Jesus’ head with very costly fragrant oil. This represents the love in our hearts that each of us should offer to the Lord. It is “very costly,” because it has been achieved through the combats of temptation. In every temptation combat that we undergo, it is the Lord who fights for us every step of the way. In pouring oil on the head of the Lord, we acknowledge Him as our king, the anointed one, who gives us the laws of life, the very laws that help us to win the victory in every combat of temptation.
The deceitful trickster in us, however, sneaks in to take the credit for every victory in temptation. “Nice job,” we hear whispered into our inner ear. “You are very good at overcoming in temptation.” To the extent that we take credit for our part in subduing the hells within us, we discredit what the Lord has done for us. Because the Lord allows us to feel that we have won the victory by ourselves, we forget that the credit for every victory belongs to the Lord. Although we must do our part, it is the Lord alone who subdues the hells in us and wins every victory. In giving ourselves the credit for the victory, we actually strengthen the love of self in us, rather than subdue it. If pride takes the place of humility, we will go through further temptations until we realize that the credit belongs entirely to the anointed one, the king, the Lord alone. 2
This episode then, pictures two sides of ourselves. On one side, is the woman who wants to give full credit to the Lord, represented by the act of pouring costly oil on His head. On the other side, are the disciples who are confused. They say, “To what purpose is this waste?” For this oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor” (26:9).
Anointing the head with oil
In order to understand the more interior significance of this episode, we need to consider the symbolic implications of what is meant by the woman’s pouring costly oil on Jesus’ head. In biblical times, when a king took office the official coronation ceremony featured the use of oil in anointing the new king. Aaron, the high priest was anointed with oil, as were Saul and David. In fact, the very term, “Messiah” means “anointed,” and was associated with the coming king who would save His people. Therefore, He was called “the anointed one.” By anointing Jesus’ head with oil, this woman was recognizing Him as the promised Messiah. The disciples, however, who have recently heard a parable about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and taking in the stranger, are not thinking in these terms. Instead, they are thinking about helping the poor. Therefore, it is understandable that they might say, “To what purpose is this waste?” and “This oil could be sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.”
The disciples are not wrong, nor are they being selfish in their logic. After all, it’s good to help the poor. Jesus made this quite clear through the literal meaning of the parable of the sheep and the goats. But it’s too easy to forget that the Lord must be central in our lives. It’s easy to allow our lower nature to convince us that worship is a waste of time, that reading the Word is pointless, and that time spent in prayer could be better used by doing good for others. But all of this misses the main point: every good work is only good insofar as it is the Lord working through us. That’s why Jesus gently rebukes His disciples, telling them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has worked a good work upon Me” (26:10). In other words, good works are important; they are the goal. But we can’t reach that goal in a selfless way without first keeping the Lord at the center of our lives.
Jesus then concludes this episode by saying, “The poor you have with you always, but you do not always have Me with you” (26:11). It would be a mistake to take this literally. God is always with us, in our very midst. Therefore, we need to understand these words at a more interior level. There are times when we feel closer to God and times when we feel further away from God. When God seems to be absent, when we are not feeling His love or thinking from His wisdom, we are “poor” indeed. The possibility of being in these poor, impoverished states is “with us always.” But there are also moments when we feel truly close to the Lord, wanting to glorify His name, and make every action a holy offering to Him. These are the times when we “anoint the Lord’s head” with the oil of our love and devotion. Because these times are not always “with us,” we need to act on them when they are. While it is important to care for the poor, we should remember, first of all, to “anoint the Lord” with the costly oil of love and devotion.
Jesus then adds, “When she poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial” (26:12). With these words, Jesus not only reinforces the literal idea that He will “not be with them always,” but He also takes them back to the words He spoke at the beginning of the chapter, saying, “the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” He is reminding the disciples that the crucifixion is drawing near and that they should therefore pay careful attention to what this woman has done. “Wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world,” He says, “what this woman has done shall be spoken as a memorial for her” (26:13). What has she done? Literally, she has anointed Jesus with oil. Spiritually, her action represents that highest aspect of ourselves, the state of mind we enter whenever we gratefully remember that the Lord as our king and ruler of our lives. It is an act of humble devotion and gratitude.
Thirty Pieces of Silver
14. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, going unto the chief priests,
15. Said, “What do you will to give me, and I will deliver Him up unto you?” And they established with him thirty [pieces of] silver.
16. And from then on, he sought an opportunity that he might betray Him.
The anointing of Jesus’ head represents the acknowledgement of God as the king and ruler of one’s life. In the next episode this kind of grateful, humble acknowledgment is contrasted with the reward-seeking attitude of of Judas Iscariot who approaches the chief priests and asks, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” (26:15). Judas is looking to earn some extra money by delivering Jesus to the chief priests.
Judas’ question about a reward brings to mind a similar question that Peter asked in an earlier episode. “See, we have left all and followed You,” Peter said to Jesus. “Therefore, what shall we have?” (19:21). There is a difference, however, between the ill-intentioned question of Judas, and the innocent question of Peter. This is a vital distinction that needs to be made in every life. In the early stages of our spiritual development, rewards and incentives can be useful. Hopefully, however, we will come to the point when we are no longer looking for any reward other than the delight which comes with useful service. When we come into this humbler state, we find ourselves doing good out of love. This means that we are doing good out of a genuine affection for doing good, and not for a reward of any kind. 3
When Judas asks the chief priests, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” they do not answer him. We read, simply, that “they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver” (26:15). In biblical times, thirty pieces of silver was not a lot of money. It was the compensation collected if an owner’s slave was injured. In those days it was equivalent to a few weeks’ wages. This incident reveals how little value they placed on Jesus’ life and on His work of salvation — not much value at all, worth only “thirty pieces of silver.” 4
Little did they know that a person of the greatest value imaginable was standing in their very midst. He was the very one who had delivered their ancestors from Egyptian captivity; and He was the very one who had come again, in person, to deliver them from their sins. Ironically, this episode ends with the words, “And from that time Judas sought an opportunity that he might deliver Him” (26:16). The one who had come to deliver His people from their sins was about to be delivered to His captors.
The Passover Begins
17. And on the first [day] of the unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where willest Thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the Passover?”
18. And He said, “Go ye into the city to a man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; I will do the Passover at thy house with My disciples”’”.
19. And the disciples did as Jesus directed them, and prepared the Passover.
20. And when it became evening, He sat with the twelve.
21. And as they were eating, He said, “Amen I say to you, that one of you shall betray Me”.
22. And sorrowing exceedingly, they began to say to Him, every one of them, “Is it I, Lord?”
23. And He answering, said, “He that dips the hand with Me in the dish, the same shall betray Me.”
One of the fundamental themes in any true religion is that the Lord alone frees us from spiritual captivity. Nowhere is this truth more dramatically illustrated than in the divinely wrought deliverance of the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. According to the story, the children of Israel, had been slaves in Egypt for many generations. When they cried out to the Lord to deliver them, the Lord responded by sending plagues upon the Egyptians. The children of Israel, however, would be spared if they put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts and above the door of their houses. When the Lord saw the blood of the lamb, He would “pass over” and not destroy the children of Israel.
Further details of this miraculous deliverance will be given in the episode titled “the Last Supper,” but for now it is important to know that it was the first of many “Passovers” commemorating deliverance from Egyptian captivity. For over a thousand years this event had been commemorated with an annual celebration lasting eight days. In keeping with that tradition, this next episode begins with preparations for the celebration of Passover. As it is written, “Now the disciples came to Jesus … saying to Him, ‘Where do you want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?’”(26:17). Jesus answers, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples”’” (26:18). 5
The words, “Go into the city to a certain man,” signify going inward to a specific truth, a truth that will be especially useful in meeting a forthcoming spiritual trial. In Jesus’ case, His trial would be His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. In the case of the disciples, their trial would be one in which their devotion to the Lord would be tested. Would they remain faithful to everything Jesus had taught them? Or would they flee at the first sign of danger? It is important to keep in mind that all of this is taking place as they prepare for the Passover. What could be a better preparation for the approaching challenge than the remembrance of how the Lord miraculously freed the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage? As it is written, “So the disciples did as Jesus directed them; and they prepared the Passover” (26:20).
Traditionally, the Passover began at evening, at the setting of the sun. The going down of the sun represents a dark time of spiritual trial as we prepare for the end of an old way of life (a life of spiritual bondage) and prepare for a new way of life (a life of spiritual freedom). 6
During this time, we must go inward to discover our true motivations and desires. It is the beginning of a separation from all that is selfish and self-serving in us. As we engage in this separation process, we must search our hearts to discover in what way our thoughts and actions might betray our devotion to the Lord. Have we placed the “blood of the lamb” on both sides of the door, and above the doorway of our minds? Have we used divine truth (the Lord’s “blood”) to protect us from destructive thoughts and feelings that strive to enter our minds? 7
Similarly, we must ask ourselves whether or not we have we been faithful followers of the divine principles represented by the twelve apostles? Each of the disciples represented some aspect of goodness or truth, whether it be devotion to the Lord or the life of charity towards the neighbor. Have we been good disciples, or have we been disloyal to those essential principles? And so, as they were eating, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly, I say to you, one of you shall betray Me” (26:20). When they heard Jesus say this, “they were exceedingly sorrowful” (26:22). 8
Each of the disciples, in turn, approaches Jesus and asks, “Lord, is it I?” This is the process that each of us must go through as we examine our motives, observe our thoughts, and consider our actions. Have we been dishonest? cruel? unmerciful? Have we sought merit for our good deeds? Have we harbored murderous judgments about others? Lord, we ask, “How have I betrayed you?” and “When did I do this?” As we search our souls in the light of truth from the Lord’s Word, we must ask the question that each of the disciples asked, “Lord, is it I?” And Jesus responds by saying, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me” (26:23).
Jesus’ reference to “dipping one’s hand in the dish,” calls to mind the eating of bitter herbs in remembrance of the time spent in Egyptian bondage. This aspect of Passover is a most solemn moment; it is a time to dwell on the hard bondage suffered by those who were in Egyptian captivity. But it is also a time to remember the joy of redemption, the wonder of being released from bondage through the mighty hand of the Lord. What the disciples do not yet fully realize is that He who led them out of bondage is now sitting in their very presence, eating with them, and celebrating the Passover with them — even dipping His hand with them in the same dish of bitter herbs.
More Than a Rabbi
24. “The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for him if that man had not been born.”
25. And Judas, who was betraying Him, answering said, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He says to him, “Thou hast said.”
Like the other disciples, Judas has dipped his hand in the dish, but while his hand is in the dish, his mind is on his reward. He typifies the spirit of hypocrisy, for while pretending to be engaged in a sacred celebration in memory of his people’s deliverance from bondage, he is actually participating in the capture and bondage of the One who could set him free.
Whenever we use the sacred traditions of worship, or some truth from the Lord’s Word to our own advantage, we, like Judas, betray the Lord. The truths of religion are given to assist us in the process of spiritual rebirth, not for self-aggrandizement and gain. Our part is to learn these truths and apply them to our lives. However, it would be better not to learn them at all, than to misuse them. As Jesus says, “Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (26:24).
The disciples become concerned. Each disciple, in turn, wonders, Is Jesus talking about me? Does Jesus think that I am the one who will be betray Him? And so, one at a time, they each ask Jesus, in turn, “Lord, is it I” (26:22). Judas is the last of the disciples to approach Jesus. Up to this point, Judas has been able to conceal his betrayal from everyone except Jesus. The dramatic intensity is at its height as Judas approaches Jesus and says, “Rabbi, is it I?” All the other disciples said, “Lord is it I?” but Judas calls Him, “rabbi.” After all these years, after all these miracles, and after everything Jesus has said and taught them, Judas does not recognize Jesus’ divinity. He calls Him “rabbi” rather than, “Lord.” And yet, it should have been clear by now that Jesus is much more than a rabbi. Therefore, when Judas says, “Rabbi, is it I?” Jesus answers, “You have said it” (26:25). By his own words, Judas has incriminated himself.
The Last Supper
26. And as they were eating, Jesus taking the bread, and blessing, broke [it], and gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
27. And taking the cup, and giving thanks, He gave [it] to them saying, “Drink out of it, all of you.”
28. “For this is My blood, the [blood] of the New Covenant, which [is] poured out for many for the remission of sins.
29. And I say to you, that I will not drink henceforth of this produce of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of My Father.”
30. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.
While Judas’ self-incriminating words are still hanging in the air, Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to His disciples. He had already broken bread at the time of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, and again at the feeding of the four thousand. But this time He adds something new — and most dramatic. “Take, eat,” He says. “This is My body” (26:26). He then picks up the cup, gives thanks, and passes it to His disciples, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is the blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (26:26-28).
It is generally assumed that the broken bread foreshadows the breaking of Jesus’ body on the cross, and the red wine foreshadows the spilling of Jesus’ blood, which would occur during His crucifixion. It is also generally assumed that the lamb that was sacrificed and eaten during the original Passover feast foreshadows Jesus, the Lamb of God, sacrificing Himself for the sins of the world. The idea behind these assumptions is that if we remember that Jesus died in place of us, allowing His body to be broken, and His blood to be spilled, we will be saved “by the blood of the Lamb.” This is often referred to as the “vicarious atonement.”
Jesus knows that the crucifixion is drawing near and that this will be the last time He will have an opportunity to eat and drink with His disciples. Therefore, He tells them, “I will not drink this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom” (26:29). It is for this reason that this episode is sometimes referred to as the “Last Supper.”
But Jesus’ words carry a much more interior significance. He is comparing the social benefits of eating and drinking together — an activity which facilitates friendship — with the spiritual benefits of taking in the Lord’s love (bread) and wisdom (wine) and making them one’s own. The physical feast facilitates friendship on earth; the spiritual feast facilitates conjunction with God. In other words, Jesus is referring to spiritual conjunction with Him through receiving His love and living according to His wisdom.
This is what it means to eat bread and drink wine anew (with new meaning) in the kingdom of God. 9
An everlasting ordinance
To understand the true meaning of this “Last Supper,” we need to examine the essential elements and requirements of the original Passover feast. Although we touched on this briefly at the beginning of this chapter, we will now go into greater depth. It’s about 1200 years before the birth of Christ. The children of Israel have been captives in the land of Egypt for over 400 years, and the time has come for them to be released from bondage. Moses has been raised up to deliver his people from Egyptian servitude, but Pharaoh will not let the people go. In consequence, plague after plague is visited upon Pharaoh and his people. The ninth plague — a plague of darkness over all the land — has just passed, and the tenth plague is about to come. The destroyer will be sent throughout Egypt to kill the firstborn in the land, “from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on the throne, even to the firstborn of the maidservant … and all the firstborn of the beasts” (Exodus 11:5).
But a special provision is made for the children of Israel so that they will be protected during the time of the final plague. In order to avail themselves of this protection, however, they must select a “lamb without blemish,” kill it at twilight, and put the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts of their homes (Exodus 12:5-7). The lamb is to be eaten that evening, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. As it is written, “It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast” (Exodus 12:12). But the children of Israel would be saved by the blood of the lamb: “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I shall strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13).
Because this sacred event was never to be forgotten, the Passover feast was to be celebrated as an everlasting ordinance throughout all generations, and as a memorial of what the Lord had done for His people. In the future when children would ask, “What do you mean by this service?” parents were to answer in this manner: “It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households” (Exodus 12:28).
With this background in mind, we return to the scene of Jesus and His disciples who are celebrating this “everlasting ordinance,” but in a new way. As they are eating, Jesus initiates a new ceremony with bread and wine: “Take, eat; This is my body.” Similarly, Jesus lifts the cup and says, “This is My blood of the new covenant.” His use of the phrase “new covenant” calls to mind the familiar words of the prophet who said, “Behold the days are coming … when I will make a new covenant … not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the house of Egypt” (Jeremiah 31:31-32). This “new covenant” would be written on the human heart. We read, “This is the covenant that I will make … I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people … for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:33-34). Similarly, as Jesus lifts the cup, He fulfills the words of Jeremiah’s prophecy, saying, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (26:28).
This prophecy about the Lord’s forgiveness of sin, taken together with Jesus’ mention of a new covenant and the remission of sins, has led some people to believe that if they confess their belief in Jesus’ shed blood, they will be “saved.” This idea is based on a particular view of the Passover story as it applies to Jesus. It involves seeing God as being so angry with the human race that He was determined to destroy everyone. But Jesus — according to this interpretation — intervened on our behalf. He became the “Lamb without blemish” who would be sacrificed as a way of atoning for all human sin. The living sacrifice of Jesus, including His shed blood on the cross, would somehow have the same effect as the “ blood of the lamb” over the doorposts during the original Passover. In essence, this theory states that all who believe in Jesus’ blood sacrifice will be “saved” from the wrath of God. The Lord will “pass over” them and not destroy them, just as He passed over the homes that were saved by the “blood of the lamb” on the doorposts. In addition, as a reward for this belief, all of their sins will be forgiven.
While it is possible to see how sincere believers came to this conclusion, we need to consider some of the erroneous ideas it contains. First of all, we must believe that an angry God has determined that He will destroy His own children. Further, we must believe that the wrath of this angry God can somehow be appeased through the death of an innocent person. And we must also believe that blood can wash away sin. While it is possible to come to these conclusions through reading the literal teachings of scripture, such inferences cannot be reconciled with either human reason or a just idea of God. Jesus did not come to shield us from God’s wrath; He came to shield us from hell’s rage. 10
He also came to give us the divine truths (represented by “the blood of the lamb”) that can set us free. When we examine ourselves in the light of the divine truth, we search out our evils, confess them before the Lord, and pray for the strength to turn from them. Then, with all the power and effort we can summon, we refrain from committing these evils. And we do so as if this power is from ourselves, while acknowledging it is entirely from the Lord. To the extent that we do this, striving to shun evils with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, our sins are, indeed, “taken away” — yes, by ‘the blood of the lamb,” but only through the divine truth represented by that blood. 11
“This is My blood of the new covenant,” says Jesus, “shed for many for the remission of sins.” It is evident that Jesus is speaking spiritually. He is comparing the truth that He has brought to the human race to the function of blood in the human body. Among its many functions, blood carries everything we need to maintain our health and bodily functions. Penetrating everywhere, blood carries hormones, vitamins, oxygen, and heat to every part of the body. It also carries antibodies which help to heal wounds, fight infection, and protect against disease. Blood helps to remove carbon dioxide and waste matter. If these substances, which become toxic to the body, are not removed by the circulation of the blood, we will die.
By analogy, then, we can begin to appreciate what spiritual truth does for our spiritual body. It nourishes us and gives us spiritual strength. It is constantly on the lookout for anything that might be toxic to our spiritual health. It helps us to identify, fight against, and remove evil thoughts and desires that would otherwise infect and destroy us. The “blood of the Lamb,” then — in spiritual terms — must be applied to the doorposts of our mind. This is the truth of the Lord’s Word. It is spiritual blood, circulating throughout our spiritual bodies, inspiring us with hope and vitality, while defending us from destructive thoughts and emotions. The children of Israel were told to kill a lamb and place its blood over the doorposts of their homes. That was the blood of the old covenant. But the blood of the new covenant is spiritual truth. It is to be placed on the doorposts of our minds to protect us against evil and inspire us to do good.
In the “Holy Supper,” Christians re-enact this moment in time when Jesus offered His disciples bread to eat, saying, “This is My body” and wine to drink, saying, “This is My blood.” We are not, however, to think of this as literal flesh and blood, but rather as spiritual bread (love) and spiritual wine (truth). The bread and the wine symbolize spiritual goodness and truth — the two qualities that make us human. The more we have of these qualities, the more human we become, for they have their origin in God.
In the nourishing, life-giving qualities of the soft, warm bread, the divine love is represented; and in the cool, refreshing, revitalizing fruit of the vine, the divine wisdom is represented. In the Holy Supper we take these two substances into our body, digesting and assimilating them in the same way we digest and assimilate God’s love and wisdom. Working secretly within us, like the secret processes of digestion and assimilation (over which we have no control), God is continually working a great miracle within us, protecting us against evil through the truth of His wisdom (wine), and inspiring us do good through the power of His love (bread). It is then up to us to put this love, wisdom, and power into our lives through performing useful service. 12
As Jesus concludes this last supper with His disciples, He knows that the hour of His crucifixion is near, and that His death is imminent. But there is no expression of sorrow. On the contrary, Jesus faces the future with a song on His lips. We read, therefore, that “When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (26:30). It is a fitting conclusion to the last supper He would have with His disciples while on earth.
The Sheep of the Flock will be Scattered
31. Then says Jesus to them, “All [of] you shall be made to stumble in Me in this night; for it is written,’ I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’
32. But after I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.”
33. But Peter answering said to Him, “Though all shall be made to stumble in Thee, I will never be made to stumble”
34. Jesus declared to him, “Amen I say to thee, that in this night, before the cock crows, thou shalt three times deny Me.”
35. Peter says to Him, “Though I must die with Thee, I will not deny Thee.” Likewise said all the disciples.
Even though Jesus has a hymn on His lips, He knows in His heart that all of His disciples will betray Him: “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me,” He says. Then, to confirm His prediction, He quotes the prophet Zechariah: “I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered” (26:31). Nevertheless, Jesus is not upset or sorrowful, for He knows that the story does not end with crucifixion: “But after I have been raised,” He says, “I will go before you to Galilee” (26:32). No matter how agonizing the crucifixion will be, Jesus knows that resurrection is coming. His mind and heart are not focused on the impending suffering, but rather on the great work that is soon to be accomplished.
Similarly, we can know that there will be trials to go through along the path of our spiritual development, with many ego deaths along the way. But if we keep our focus on the outcome, we will be able to enter every spiritual struggle with a song on our lips, and faith in our hearts. However fierce the battle, we can know that victory is assured because the Lord, who fights for us, is inmostly present.
The taking of the Holy Supper represents those moments in our life when we are closest to the Lord. We feel strengthened, and confident, for the Lord’s presence is near. This heightened state of love is represented by “going out to the Mount of Olives” and singing a hymn. In these states, we have full confidence that we will follow the Lord and not depart from the path of His commandments Yet, in the process of regeneration, there are times when we fall away from these heightened states of love — times when our high resolve is challenged, times when we “will be made to stumble.” 13
This tendency to backslide is a fact of spiritual life. And yet it is also a spiritual reality that we tend to deny this. Such stubborn refusal to accept our tendency to relapse is represented in the next episode. Jesus has just predicted that all of the disciples will be made to stumble that very night, but Peter refuses to believe this. Instead, he is adamant about his devotion to Jesus. “Even if all are made to stumble,” he says, “I will never be made to stumble.” And then he adds, “Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you” (26:35). And all the rest of the disciples say the same.
Jesus, however, knows otherwise. He knows that Peter will deny Him three times that very night — even before the rooster crows. He also knows that each of us, like every one of the disciples, will stumble many times in our efforts to grow spiritually, even though we (like Peter) are confident that we will never stumble again. It’s a vital lesson that we all must learn, however painful the process.
In order to grow spiritually, confidence in self must be replaced by full confidence in the Lord. It’s a hard lesson, learned gradually through relapse and recovery, over and over again. We must stumble, over and over again, until we finally realize that our only hope, our only trust and our only confidence is in the Lord. As it is written in the psalms, “Though they stumble, they shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds them with His hand (Psalm 37:24). Indeed, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8). 14
Easier said than done, as we shall see.
In the Garden of Gethsemane
36. Then comes Jesus with them to a place called Gethsemane, and says to the disciples, “Sit ye here, while I going away shall pray [over] there.”
37. And taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to sorrow, and to be in agony.
38. Then He says to them, “My soul is surrounded with sorrow unto death; remain ye here, and watch with me.”
39. And coming forward a little, He fell on His face, praying, and saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou [willest].”
40. And He comes to the disciples, and finds them sleeping, and says to Peter, “Had you thus not strength one hour to watch with Me?
41. Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is eager, but the flesh [is] weak.”
42. Again for a second [time] going away, He prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Thy will be done.”
43. And coming, He finds them sleeping again; for their eyes were heavy.
44. And leaving them, going away again, He prayed for a third [time], saying the same word.
45. Then He comes to His disciples, and says to them, “Do you sleep still, and rest? Behold, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46. Arise, let us lead [the way]; behold, he that betrays Me is near.”
Jesus and His disciples now descend to a small garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives — the Garden of Gethsemane. The geography of descent symbolizes the way we experience ups and downs in our own spiritual life. From high points of firm resolve and unwavering faith we come down into times of doubt, times when our faith is challenged, and our spiritual life is under attack. Times like this, when we are feeling “downhearted” and “depressed,” can be described as times of mental pressure. Fittingly, the word “Gethsemane” means “olive press,” an accurate description of the spiritual pressure and mental anguish that Jesus is about to undergo.
The olive, especially in biblical times, served in many important ways. It produced the oil that was used to anoint kings, reduce friction, heal injuries, and light lamps. Its golden color, its warm smooth feel, and its ability to provide both heat and light make it an appropriate symbol of God’s love. 15
The oil of the olive, which is the very essence of the tree, can only be extracted under the most intense pressure. It is in situations in which we find ourselves under great spiritual pressure that our essence comes out. If our intentions are loving and noble — like the representation of the olive and its oil — this will become apparent. It is these intentions, inmost desires, and utmost loves that are about to pour forth from Jesus as He enters the agony of Gethsemane. Under such crushing pressure, Jesus’ inmost love for the salvation of the whole human race will emerge.
This powerful episode begins with Jesus saying to His disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there” (26:36). Then, taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him (James and John) He enters His time of agony. He begins to be “sorrowful and deeply distressed” (26:37). We are told very little about His mental anguish at this point except that He says, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (26:38). Just a short time ago, on the Mount of Olives, He was celebrating the Passover, and singing a hymn with His disciples; but now as He descends to the garden, He experiences profound sorrow — even unto death. Going a little farther ahead, He falls on the ground, prostrates Himself in deepest anguish and says, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me”(26:39).
The agony of our temptations are directly related to the love that is being challenged at the moment. If the bonds of affection are minimal, the grief that is experienced will also be minimal. On the other hand, if the love is deep and profound; the grief will be equally deep and agonizing. Many people are familiar with the overwhelming sense of grief that accompanies the loss of a loved one. The deeper the love, the deeper the struggle. 16
It is impossible for us to comprehend the grief that Jesus endured; this is because we can never know the full extent of His love. We can know, however, that He fought, not from any selfish motive or from any self-serving love, but from the deepest and profoundest love of all — the love for the salvation of the entire human race. In Jesus, this love was relentlessly challenged by hellish forces that attacked Him at every possible moment and in every possible way from His earliest childhood throughout His life. And now, at Gethsemane, they are reaching a new height of severity, commensurate with the divine love with which He is becoming One. 17
Jesus knows that His hour is near, and that He is soon to drink fully from the cup of utmost suffering. On one level, this “cup” represents the physical circumstance of the crucifixion. He knows that this will involve dreadful physical pain, even to the loss of His physical life. At a more interior level, however, this cup is soon to be filled with unimaginably violent and furious spiritual assaults on His inmost love. He will come into doubts about whether or not the human race can be saved, whether or not people will use their God-given gifts of freedom and rationality, and whether or not God should override their freedom and simply compel them.
One way to understand Jesus’ struggle in Gethsemane is to compare it to a parent who experiences deep agony over the poor choices a child has made. That parent’s grief can be extreme, especially when the parent’s love is deep and the hopeless feeling that “this child will never change” is setting in. How much more does Jesus suffer when He is tempted to feel that all is lost for the human race! After all, He has done everything He possibly could to save humanity. He has given love, offered wisdom, healed the sick, and performed many miracles. In return, He foresees that His own disciples will betray Him; He will experience abandonment, crucifixion, and death while His disciples do nothing. This is indeed a bitter cup of despair, and this is why He prays, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me” (26:39).
In fact, Jesus repeats this prayer three times during His agony in the garden. As many know from their own experience, the agony of temptation is not always lifted in a moment. They must return again and again to the power of prayer, begging God for His strength and protection. This is why Jesus prays repeatedly that the cup might pass from Him, acknowledging each time that if it cannot pass, that God’s will be done. He repeats the same prayer three times, ending each prayer with a version of the immortal words, “Not My will, but Thy will be done” (26:39, 42, 44).
When Jesus first entered the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples, He specifically asked Peter, James and John to, “Stay here and watch with Me” (26:38). But instead of being watchful, they fall asleep. Therefore, Jesus says to them, “Could you not watch with Me one hour?” (26:40), and again He says, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (26:41). No matter how often He tells them to be watchful, they keep falling asleep.
It is important to note that Jesus does not just tell them to “watch.” He says, ““watch and pray” lest they fall into temptation. In the preceding episode the disciples had eaten the flesh (received the love) and drank the blood (received the truth) of the new covenant. This love and truth is given to protect us from the evil desires and false thoughts that attempt to invade our minds and destroy our souls. To protect against this encroachment, we must be ever watchful, alert, and spiritually awake to what is happening in our inner world. Too often, we are like the disciples who keep falling asleep — even though Jesus keeps reminding them to “watch and pray.”
We “watch and pray” when we are aware that without the Lord our spiritual lives are at risk every moment. Similarly, we “watch and pray” when we choose to remain in the Lord’s love, guided by His truth. When Jesus asks His disciples to “stay awake,” He is speaking to us as well. We must be spiritually vigilant. We cannot allow ourselves to be lulled into self-reliant complacency, or to become content with how much we know or how much good we do. There are indeed “grace periods” along the spiritual path, times when we feel content, relaxed, and at peace. But even then we cannot drop our guard. We must “watch and pray,” lest we be taken by surprise and overcome by some sudden burst of anger, wave of self-pity, or eruption of pride. These are our “Gethsemanes” — those times of crushing pressure when our true essence comes out. 18
Even though Jesus has repeatedly told them to watch and pray, the disciples keep falling asleep. It’s a lesson for each of us. We must stay spiritually awake, always ready to combat evil, fully prepared with truth in our minds, love in our hearts, and a prayer to the Lord on our lips. The more we do this, moving through life aware and alert, we will develop an early warning system — the spiritual ability to detect unpleasant moods, uncharitable thoughts and unloving feelings at their earliest and most subtle arising.
Like destructive weeds, as they first thrust their tiny shoots above the ground, these moods, thoughts and feelings can be identified and uprooted. And it gets easier with practice — but we must be ever watchful. For “the betrayer” will always be at hand. Therefore, as this episode comes to a close Jesus says, “Are you still resting and sleeping? Behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners” (26:45). Jesus tells His disciples to “Rise,” but it is too late. “See,” says Jesus, “he who betrays Me is at hand” (26:46).
The Capture
47. And while He was yet speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a crowd of many, with swords and wooden [rods], from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48. And he that betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I shall kiss, is He; take hold of Him.”
49. And straightway coming to Jesus, he said, “Hail, Rabbi.” and kissed Him.
50. And Jesus said to him, “Fellow, why art thou here?” Then coming, they put [their] hands on Jesus, and took hold of Him.
51. And behold, one of them with Jesus, stretching out the hand, withdrew his sword, and smiting the servant of the chief priest, took off his ear.
52. Then says Jesus to him, “Return thy sword into its place, for all they that take the sword shall perish by the sword.
53. Thinkest thou that I cannot now implore my Father, and He will cause to stand by Me more than twelve legions of angels?
54. How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that so it ought to be?”
55. In that same hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Are you come out as against a robber with swords and wooden [rods] to take Me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and you did not [take] hold of Me.
56. But all this came to pass, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples, leaving Him, fled.
Even as Jesus is reminding His disciples to watch and pray, Judas arrives with “a great multitude” carrying “swords and clubs” (26:47). They have been sent by the religious leaders to arrest Jesus and take Him captive. Judas has arranged to give them a sign by which they will know which one is Jesus. Judas has told them: “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him” (26:48). According to plan, then, Judas meets Jesus, says, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and then kisses Him. Normally, a kiss is a sweet and loving gesture of unity and friendship. But Judas’ kiss is just the opposite. It is the kiss of the hypocrite — by no means the kiss of a friend; it is the kiss of one who praises the Lord with his lips (as in a “kiss”), but whose heart is far from Him. 19
In response to Judas’ hypocritical greeting, Jesus replies, “Friend, why have you come?” (26:50). Referring to Judas as a “friend” in this context is deeply ironic. Jesus knows that
Judas is here to betray Him. Nevertheless, He addresses him as “friend” — but Jesus’ word choice is significant. The Greek word that Jesus uses for “friend” in this context is “hetairos” which means “acquaintance.” Normally, Jesus would have used the word “philos” which suggests deep friendship and brotherly love. There is a fundamental difference between these two sorts of friends. In two previous episodes Jesus used the word “hetairos” to describe the envious laborers in the vineyard (20:13), and the hypocrite who attended the wedding without a wedding garment (22:12). In both cases (and now in this episode) the term “hetairos” refers to religious pretenders like Judas, who practice an outwardly moral life, not because they love God and believe in Him, but because they can gain something of self-interest from it. In this regard, it should also be noted that Judas again calls Jesus “Rabbi” — not “Lord. He sees Him as a teacher (rabbi) but not as his Lord. 20
Judas’ kiss is the sign that Jesus is the one to be captured. But as a soldier moves in for the arrest, one of the disciples takes out a sword and cuts off the soldier’s ear. Earlier in His ministry, Jesus said, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (10:34). But now Jesus teaches a different lesson: “Put your sword in its place,” He says, “for all who take the sword will perish by the sword (26:52).
Why would Jesus first speak approvingly of the sword, and now admonish a disciple for using it? A “sword,” it will be recalled, symbolizes the ability of truth to make sharp discernments between right and wrong. Like a sword, truth fights for us; it defends us from evil and falsity, and it protects all that is good and true in us. Such “fighting truth” is vital to us in the beginning of our regeneration, for without a knowledge of the truth we would not be able to defend ourselves against falsity or “cut out” those negative thoughts and destructive behaviors that are so detrimental to our spiritual development. At this time in our life, truth must lead the way.
But as we spiritually mature, truth gives way to good. We notice that we are less inclined to argue with others, and have less need to be “right.” We are increasingly reluctant to use truth as a defensive weapon. Instead, we begin to see that there is a more powerful weapon — if it can be called a “weapon” at all. It is the power of love. This advanced state of spiritual development is signified by Jesus’ words, just after He tells the disciple to put down his sword: “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (26:53). “Praying to the Father” represents drawing upon the divine love within Him, a love more powerful than anything on earth or in heaven — for it is the Divine Omnipotence itself. 21
Here we see a continuation of the previous episode in which Jesus entreated His disciples to “watch and pray.” Once again, Jesus speaks of the efficacy of prayer, reminding us that it is more powerful than the sword, for it connects us with the most powerful force in the universe: divine love. This is what Jesus means, then, when He says that there is no need for swords or defensive combat, for He possesses the ultimate weapon — the most powerful force in the universe: He can pray to His Father.
All of this, however, is beyond the understanding of the disciples. At this point in their spiritual development, they can understand combat and victory in its most external forms. But they are not yet able to understand much about internal combat — and especially the nature of the internal combat that is going on in Jesus’ heart and mind. We need to remember that these are the same disciples who wanted to sit on thrones, the same disciples that Jesus said would betray Him, and the same disciples who fell asleep while Jesus went through His agony in Gethsemane. They have not come very far.
Nevertheless, Jesus continues to instruct them and teach them. This time the lesson is about inner restraint, and the willingness to put the sword back in its place. Those who truly follow the Lord, even to the end, will understand something of the power of divine love; it is which never fights, but always conquers. The disciples, however, cannot grasp this. Instead, they are so confused and frightened that they all “forsook Him and fled” (26:56).
Indeed, it is difficult to believe that we do not have to fight in order to conquer. Initially, most of us will flee from this idea. 22
Peter Follows … at a Distance
57. And they that [took] hold of Jesus led [Him] away to Caiaphas the chief priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together.
58. But Peter followed Him from afar off up to the courtyard of the chief priest, and entering inside, sat with the attendants, to see the end.
59. And the chief priests, and the elders, and the whole council, sought false witness against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death,
60. And found none; though many false witnesses came, they found none. But at last two false witnesses, coming, said,
61. This [Man] declared, “I am able to undo the temple of God, and within three days to build it.”
62. And the chief priest standing up, said to Him, “Answerest Thou nothing? What do these witness against Thee?”
63. But Jesus was silent. And the chief priest answering said to Him, “I adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us if Thou be the Christ, the Son of God.”
64. Jesus says to him, “Thou hast said; nevertheless I say to you, From henceforth you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65. Then the chief priest rent his garments, saying, “He has blasphemed; what further need have we of witnesses? See, now you have heard His blasphemy.
66. What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is subject to death.”
67. Then did they spit in His face, and buffeted Him; and they hit [Him],
68. saying, “Prophesy unto us, Christ. Who is he that smote Thee?”
“All of the disciples forsook Him and fled” — all, that is, except Peter, “who followed Him at a distance” (26:58). Peter represents our faith — a faith that still hangs on, hoping that things will turn out all right. But it is a wavering faith; it still follows Jesus, but it follows Him “at a distance.” And it watches as they lead Jesus away and take Him to Caiaphas, the high priest. There the religious leaders are assembled, ready to accuse Jesus of blasphemy so that He might be put to death.
During this time, many false witnesses are brought forward to accuse Him, but nothing of substance is said. Then one of the false witnesses steps forward and says, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days’” (26:61). Jesus has indeed predicted that the temple will be torn down (24:2), but He has not said that He will tear down the temple at Jerusalem or build that temple up again. So this is clearly a false accusation.
But it does contain a deep truth when understood spiritually, for Jesus’ body is indeed a temple housing the living spirit of God. That temple is His human body that houses His Divine Soul. It is a temple that will be beaten, whipped, crucified, and indeed “destroyed,” but not before Jesus has finished His work on earth. And He will indeed “build it in three days.” That is, He will rise again, no longer in the earthly body that He took on from Mary (that “temple” will be destroyed), but in the form of a risen and glorified Humanity — a new and Holy Temple, purified of all human weakness, and filled with all Divine Power. This is why Jesus is able to respond to this accusation by saying, “Hereafter you will see the Son of Man, sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (26:64).
In keeping with the theme of this section, Jesus does not defend Himself. His only response is to speak of the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven. For Jesus, it is another reference to the divine love (the “right hand of power”) which comes through divine truth (“the clouds of heaven). But for the literal-minded high priest it is blasphemy. To him it sounds like Jesus will set Himself up as a literal king — sitting on a physical throne.
This idea infuriates the high priest. He tears his clothes and cries out, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have for witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!” (26:65). And they all answer and say, “He is deserving of death” (26:66). Then they spit in His face, and beat Him, saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” (26:68).
The Crowing of the Rooster
69. And Peter sat outside in the courtyard; and one maid came unto him, saying, “Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.”
70. But he denied before [them] all, saying, “I know not what thou sayest.”
71. And when he was gone out into the porch, another [maid] saw him, and said unto those that were there, “This [man] was also with Jesus of Nazareth.””
72. And again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man.”
73. And after a while came unto [him] they that stood by, and said to Peter, “Truly thou also art [one] of them; for thy speech betrays thee.”
74. Then he began to curse and to swear, [saying], “I know not the Man.” And straightway the cock crowed.
75. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, which He said unto him, “Before the cock crows, thou shalt deny Me three times.” And going outside, he wept bitterly.
While Jesus is being reviled and spat upon by the religious leaders in Caiaphas’ palace, Peter remains outside in the courtyard. Wavering faith will not come to the rescue. This is the kind of faith which is in our mouth, and maybe also in our understanding, but not yet in our hearts. Though Peter is adamant that He will never deny Jesus (26:34), he now proceeds to deny Him, not just once, but three times. We read, “And a servant girl came to Peter, saying, ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee.’ But he denied it” (26:69). This is the first denial. Again, another girl comes and says, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. But again he denied” (26:71). This is the second denial, and this time it is even more adamant. Peter makes an oath, saying, “I do not know the Man” (26:72).
Each of these servant girls represents a gentle stirring of affections, an inclination to follow the Lord, and live by the truth that He teaches. But each time we are held back “What will people think?” “Will I be embarrassed?” “Will it be uncomfortable?” “Will I lose friends?” “Will I have to suffer for my faith?” Like Peter, we still follow the Lord — but from a distance. The gentle stirring of our hearts is not strong enough to overcome our fears and doubts.
Finally, Peter is given one last opportunity to assert his allegiance to Jesus. Others come to him and say, “Surely you are one of them because your speech betrays you” (26:73). This time Peter’s denial is even more vehement than before. In the first instance he simply denies knowing Jesus. The second time his denial comes in the form of a solemn oath. But this time he passionately denies any acquaintance with Jesus. We read that Peter “began to curse and swear, saying, ‘I do not know the Man’” (26:74). Peter’s response must giuve us pause. We need to ask ourselves, “Whatever happened to the faithful disciple who said, ‘Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble’”? (26:33).
The answer is that Peter needs to learn a lesson that we all must learn. Our faith will be tried. There is no way out. But we can be ready and watchful when those trials come, confessing our faith in God by living according to His Word. This is the very lesson that Peter needs to learn, and it is brought home to him with heart-breaking poignancy: the rooster crows and Peter remembers what Jesus said to Him: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times” (26:75).
The crowing of the rooster at the break of dawn is a dark moment for Peter. We read that “he went out and wept bitterly” (26:75). Yet, that same crowing has another meaning too. For the crowing of the rooster also marks the end of our darkest hour, and the beginning of a new day. After every night there comes the dawn of a new day. After every death there comes the promise of a new birth. And so, in the crowing of the rooster, Jesus not only prophesies Peter’s betrayal, but the dawning of a new awareness — not just for Peter, but for all humanity.
However long the night, the rooster will crow, and morning will come.
फुटनोट:
1. True Christian Religion 498: “A person is prey to two loves, that of dominating others and that of possessing everyone’s wealth. These loves, if given free rein, race away without limit. The hereditary evils a person acquires by birth come chiefly from those two loves…. Everyone who is controlled by these loves sees oneself alone as the one person in whom and for whom all others exist. Because they are without pity, fear of God, or love for the neighbor, they are unmerciful, savage and cruel. Their greed and their longing to rob and steal are hellish, and they are sly and deceitful in carrying out such crimes.
2. Arcana Coelestia 1692: “It is the Lord alone who fights in the those who are in the combats of temptation, and who overcomes. From themselves people have no power at all against evil or infernal spirits.” See also Arcana Coelestia 2273[2]: “The temptations in which people overcome are attended with the belief that … they are infernal rather than heavenly… If they come into thoughts contrary to these, they [must go through] … similar temptations and sometimes more grievous ones, until they have been reduced to such sanity that they believe they merit nothing.”
3. Arcana Coelestia 4145: “People who are being regenerated believe at first that the good which they think and do is from themselves, and that they also merit something; for they do not yet know, and if they know, they do not comprehend, that good can flow in from some other source, nor that it can be otherwise than that they should be recompensed, because they do it from themselves. Unless they at first believed this, they would never do any good. But by this means they are initiated not only into the affection of doing what is good, but also into knowledge concerning good, and also concerning merit. When in this manner they have been led into the affection of doing what is good, they then begin to think differently and to believe differently, namely, that good flows in from the Lord, and that by the good which they do from their own, they merit nothing. At last, when they are in the affection of willing and doing what is good, they altogether reject self-merit, and even have an aversion for it, and are affected with good from good. When they are in this state, good flows in directly.”
4. Arcana Coelestia 2276[2-3]: “The number ‘thirty’ wherever one reads it in the Word, means something relatively small…. Or, how small a value those people placed on the Lord’s merit, and on redemption and salvation from Him. This explains the reference to the thirty pieces of silver in Matthew…. A slave, who was not considered to be worth much, was valued at thirty shekels, as is clear in Moses, ‘If the ox gores a slave or a servant-girl, the owner shall give to his master thirty shekels of silver; and the ox shall be stoned’ (Exodus 21:32).
5. Arcana Coelestia 402: “Whenever the name of any city occurs in the Word, it never signifies a city but something doctrinal.” See also Arcana Coelestia 2268: “In the Word, the human mind is compared to a ‘city’” and Arcana Coelestia 3066: “When the inhabitants of a city are referred to as ‘men,’ it signifies truths.”
6. Apocalypse Explained 401[29] “In Egypt they were in a servile state, and thus in a state of ignorance… signified by ‘the setting of the sun.’ See also, Apocalypse Explained 911[18]: “Passover signified deliverance from the falsities of evil, which is the first thing of regeneration.”
7. Arcana Coelestia 9410[6]: “They who are in the external sense of the Word separate from the internal … understand this prophetic saying [‘the blood of the lamb’] no otherwise than according to the letter; namely, that by ‘blood’ is meant blood, thus the Lord’s passion; when yet it is the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord that is there meant by ‘blood.’ They who are in true doctrine are able to know that they are not saved by blood, but by hearing truth Divine, and doing it.
8. Apocalypse Explained 431[6]: “In the spiritual sense, ‘the twelve apostles’ signify all truths from good.” See also Arcana Coelestia 433: “The Lord's twelve disciples represented the church of the Lord in general, and each one of them some universal essential of it.”
9. Arcana Coelestia 3832: “Eating and ‘drinking in the Lord’s kingdom … mean making the good of love and the truth of faith one’s own.” See also Apocalypse Explained 329[3] “When anything of meat is named in the Word, good is meant, and where anything of drink is named, truth is meant. From these considerations it is evident, that by the blood from the Passover lamb, which the sons of Israel were commanded to sprinkle upon the two posts, and upon the lintel of their houses, is meant the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.”
10. Arcana Coelestia 9033: “The Lord punishes no one, because He is mercy itself; and therefore, whatsoever He does, He does from mercy, and by no means from anger and revenge.” See also Arcana Coelestia 9244: “All who are governed by heavenly love have confidence that the Lord saves them. For they believe that the Lord came into the world to impart eternal life to those who believe and lead lives in keeping with what He taught and prescribed.”
11. New Jerusalem Its Heavenly Doctrine 163: “People who live the life of charity and faith do the work of repentance daily; they reflect upon the evils which are with them, acknowledge them, guard against them, and supplicate the Lord for help … See also New Jerusalem Its Heavenly Doctrine 165: “Sins are not forgiven by repentance with the lips, but by repentance in life. A person's sins are continually being forgiven by the Lord, for He is absolute mercy. But the sins cling to the person, however much he thinks they are forgiven, and the only way to have them taken away is to live in accordance with the commandments of true faith. The more he lives thus, the more his sins are taken away.”
12. Divine Providence 296: “The stomach rolls about the food it receives, opens and separates it by means of solvents, that is, digests it, and distributes appropriate portions to the little mouths opening there of the veins which drink them in…. Similar operations take place in the interiors of a person’s mind…. Hence it is evident that the Divine Providence operates with every person in a thousand hidden ways. Its unceasing care is to cleanse people because its end is to save them. Therefore, nothing is more incumbent on a person than to remove evils in the external. The rest the Lord provides, if His aid is earnestly implored.”
13. Arcana Coelestia 9780[12]: “That the Lord so often went up the Mount of Olives was because ‘oil’ and ‘the olive’ signified the good of love, as also does a ‘mountain.’ The reason was that while the Lord was in the world all things respecting Him were representative of heaven; for thereby the universal heaven was adjoined to Him. Therefore, whatever He did and whatever He said was Divine and heavenly, and the ultimate things were representative. The Mount of Olives represented heaven in respect to the good of love and of charity.”
14. Arcana Coelestia 8478[5]: “Those who are in the stream of Providence put their trust in the Divine and attribute all things to Him; but that those who are not in the stream of Providence trust in themselves alone and attribute all things to themselves.”
15. Arcana Coelestia 886: “The ‘olive’ signifies the good of charity. This is evident from the signification in the Word not only of an ‘olive but also of ‘oil.’ It was with olive oil, together with spices, that the priests and kings were anointed, and it was with olive oil that the lamps were trimmed. . . The reason olive oil was used for anointing and for lamps was that it represented all that is celestial, and therefore all the good of love and of charity; for the oil is the very essence of the tree, and is as it were its soul, just as the celestial, or the good of love and of charity, is the very essence or the very soul of faith; and hence oil has this representation.”
16. Arcana Coelestia 1690[3]: “All temptation is an assault upon the love in which the person is, and the temptation is in the same degree as is the love…. The Lord’s life was love toward the whole human race, and was indeed so great, and of such a quality, as to be nothing but pure love.”
17. Arcana Coelestia 1812: “While He lived in the world the Lord was in continual combats of temptations, and in continual victories, from a constant inmost confidence and faith that because He was fighting for the salvation of the whole human race from pure love, He could not but conquer…. In all His combats of temptation the Lord never fought from the love of self, or for Himself, but for all in the universe.”
18. Divine Providence 183: “For a person from his hereditary evil is always panting for the lowest hell; but the Lord by His Providence is continually leading him away and withdrawing him from it, first to a milder hell, then away from hell, and finally to Himself in heaven. This operation of the Divine Providence is perpetual.”
19. The Greek word which is used here is “chairo” –a familiar greeting meaning “be well” or “be healthy.” Since Judas was arranging for the capture which led to Jesus’ death, a greeting which wishes Him “health” is especially ironic.
20. Apocalypse Explained 195: “He who has not a wedding garment signifies a hypocrite, who, by moral life, assumes the semblance of spiritual life, when yet it is merely natural”; True Christian Religion 380: “Spurious faith is every faith that departs from true faith, and is held by those who … regard the Lord not as God, but as a mere man (True Christian Religion 380).
21. Apocalypse Explained 430[16]: “‘Do you think that I cannot now beseech My Father and He will cause to stand by Me more than twelve legions of angels?’ ‘Twelve legions of angels’ meaning the whole heaven, and ‘more than these’ signifying Divine Omnipotence.” See also Arcana Coelestia 1735: “The Lord’s Internal is Love itself, to which no other attributes are appropriate than those of pure love and so of pure mercy towards the whole human race. Such mercy wills to save all, to make them eternally happy, and to impart to them all that is its Own — thus out of pure mercy and by the mighty power of Love.”
22. Arcana Coelestia 1950[2]: “Rational good never fights, no matter how much it is assailed, because it is gentle and mild, long-suffering and yielding, for its nature is that of love and mercy. But although it does not fight, it nevertheless conquers all. It does not ever think of combat, nor does it glory in victory. It is of this nature because it is Divine and is of itself immune from harm; for no evil can assail good, indeed it cannot even remain in the sphere where good is. Just as soon as it approaches, evil retreats of itself and falls back; for evil is of hell, while good is of heaven.”
