John 18:3-11 (NLT)
3 The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove. 4 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. �Who are you looking for?� he asked. 5 �Jesus the Nazarene,� they replied. �I Am he,� Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) 6 As Jesus said �I Am he,� they all drew back and fell to the ground! 7 Once more he asked them, �Who are you looking for?� And again they replied, �Jesus the Nazarene.� 8 �I told you that I Am he,� Jesus said. �And since I am the one you want, let these others go.� 9 He did this to fulfill his own statement: �I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.� 10 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest�s slave. 11 But Jesus said to Peter, �Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?�
These verses show the betrayal of Jesus by Judas to the leading priests and Pharisees. Soldiers and Temple guards were accompanying Judas to arrest Jesus. Jesus was asked if he was Jesus the Nazarene. He answered, �I Am he�. Just the power of His name and His presence forced His enemies to fall back in awesome fear of His name. Acting out of impulse Peter went on the offensive and attacked one of the high priest�s slaves. Once again Jesus reminded Peter this was what He was sent to do.
In the 8th Book of Mark, Mark tells us this about Peter, �Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. �Get away from me, Satan!� he said. �You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God�s.�� Suddenly Peter found himself opposed to God�s plan. Peter begins to realize things are not going to happen as he assumed. Jesus wasn�t setting up an earthly kingdom; instead Jesus was preparing Himself for sacrifice. Had Peter been with Jesus praying instead of sleeping maybe he would have understood what was to take place. But again we find Peter lashing out to protect Jesus fearing the plan he knew God had in store. How often do we fear the plan God has for our life? God starts leading us on a walk with Him and then when we realize things aren�t going the way we desire. It is then we want to change the plan instead of trusting God. Read the words of the song Trust and Obey by John H. Sammis and Marc Hedlin (Copyright) as you think about your walk with Jesus.
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word
What glory He sheds on our way
While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
chorus:
Trust and obey,
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt nor a fear,
Not a sigh nor a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
(chorus)
But we never can prove
The delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
(chorus)
Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we'll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go,
Never fear only trust and obey.
(chorus)
