“Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” (Luke 22:52-53 KJV).
This "pressing" and voluntary submission to bear humanity’s (yours and my) sins, choosing to pour out grace and the agony on the cross over avoiding the cup of suffering, mark as the beginning of our Lord’s agonizing journey. The "Pressing" in Gethsemane with sweat and blood is the start of the Lord’s heavy, emotional and spiritual crushing for our sake, mirroring the olive pressing process to extract oil (Luke 22:44).
The chief priests, temple captains and religious elders creep under the cover of darkness waving their swords and staves to arrest the Lord. They’re given this temporary window to do their dark scheme. This is ironic. They all have the Lord freely available to them as He teaches in the temple daily. But, they couldn’t lift a hand on Him. Our Lord Jesus acknowledges that the religious authorities operated under the quick permission of darkness because it’s the designated time for Him to take substitutionary judgment in our stead.
Our Lord invoking His choice to love, rather than calling down from heaven legions of angels to defend Himself, He willingly submitted to the work of darkness of that hour to secure eternal redemption and righteousness for us all who believe. Yes, that moment of our Lord crossing the line for His arrest over escape, secure us who hear Him and believe. We too now cross from death to life, as the Scriptures affirm: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC.
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC.
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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