Sun 21 Nov

Have you been arrested? What were the circumstances? Was it one of those RBT situations where you have blown over and the Officer informs you that you are now under arrest for purposes of breath analysis, and you accompany the officers to the RBT van. 

May be the arrest is joke sprung on you by some well meaning friends. Or perhaps it was a case of mistaken identity. They arrested the wrong person, or so you say. 

This morning we examine the arrest of Jesus in the olive grove – Gethsemane. We occasionally see people arrested on the news. Police make their presence known. They bash in the front door and rush inside not knowing what to expect from the would be criminals hiding on the inside. 

The arrest of Jesus is not all that different to arrests made today. There is a large contingent of soldiers (police). It was dark and they did not know what to expect as they entered the olive grove. 

However, Jesus did not resist. Instead of hurting his captors, Jesus actually healed one when His ear was sliced off with a sword. It is a reminder of Isaiah’s words. “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away.” How do you respond to those who oppress you?