“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels.”
~ Matthew 26:53
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you have a friend? Is Jesus your friend? How would you have liked to have gone places and done things with Jesus when Jesus lived on planet Earth as an incarnate guy? Do you think that Jesus was Peter’s friend? Do you think that Peter was Jesus’ friend? What – to you, would make a kid a friend? If you know that a kid is your friend, would you tell other kids that the kid is not your friend? Peter did that one day with Jesus. As Jesus was about to be crucified, Peter told some guys and gals who had asked him if he knew Jesus that he did not know Jesus even though he had for about three years gone places and done things with Jesus. Peter – with his bro Andrew, were making a living fishing before they began going places and doing things with Jesus. Peter and Andrew had been minding their own business using a net to catch fish out on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus yelled out to the two guys to stop fishing for fish and to start fishing with Him for guys. Peter and Andrew were the first of twelve guys who Jesus would ask over the next year or so to join up with Him as His disciples. Peter was an outspoken dude. Peter always had an opinion about whatever. Peter said and did things compulsively. Do you know a kid like Peter? Jesus liked Peter a lot. Peter would become one of Jesus’ three core disciples. Jesus’ other two favorite disciples were James and John. Do you think it is okay to have favorite friends? Your grandpaa when he was a student at Volga’s public high school and at Dordt College knew very few guys who he can say were friends.
A tax collector who Jesus told to follow Him as one of His twelve disciples wrote a book about Jesus’ life. This tax collector’s name was Matthew. Matthew directed what he wrote in his book to the Greeks so that the Greeks – who were Gentiles, would have a better understanding of why Jesus came as God the Son to planet Earth to die on a cross for all the sins of His Father God’s specially elected guys, gals and kids. Matthew zooms through the last few days of Jesus’ life on planet Earth. Matthew 26 covers Jesus’ last couple of days on planet Earth before He was cruelly nailed to a crude cross to die. Jesus – Who was about 35 years old by this time, was on His way to Jerusalem with His band of twelve ragtag disciples – who were probably mostly about His age, when Jesus stopped at a friend’s house in Bethany. Jesus’ friend who was living in Bethany had been a leper. Jesus’ friend was still known as Simon the Leper. Jesus probably had healed Simon the Leper. While Jesus was visiting in the home of Simon the Leper, a gal poured some very expensive perfume over Jesus’ head. Jesus did not mind at all what the gal did to Him while His disciples thought that the gal should have instead sold the perfume and that the gal then should have given the money from the sale of the perfume to some poor guys and/or gals.
The night before Jesus – as God the Son, had His body inhumanly nailed to a rudimentary cross as a sacrifice for the sins of all the guys, gals and kids who God the Father before He created planet Earth had specially elected for Himself to be His very own children, Jesus sat down with His disciples to celebrate together an event that took place almost 1500 years earlier. This momentous event that was remembered annually was called Passover. Passover was celebrated with a feast. The first Passover took place when the death angel passed over the homes of God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, who had used to paint their door’s doorframes the blood of a young lamb that they had killed. The death angel at this same time killed the firstborn kid in every home where an Egyptian family unit lived in in the land of Egypt. This special celebration feast was celebrated each year on the very same day right at dusk on the 14th of Nissan or at the first hour on the 15th of Nissan. While Jesus was probably sitting on a cushion on the floor with his twelve disciples leading the Passover Feast celebration, Jesus told His disciples that one of them was going to turn His back on Him. Jesus was talking about Judas Iscariot. Jesus showed His friendship towards Judas Iscariot when He dipped a piece of bread in a cup of fruit sop and then giving the piece of bread to Judas Iscariot to eat. Sharing a piece of bread which had been dipped first in some fruit sop was a way for a guy to show that he wanted to be a friend with the guy who he was giving the bread. Jesus at the same time knew that Judas Iscariot was the guy who would lead soldiers to capture Him. After Judas Iscariot was given thirty shekels of silver by the chief priests who ministered in the temple that was in Jerusalem, Judas Iscariot led the chief priests and soldiers to the Garden of Gethsemane – which was where Jesus had gone to to earnestly pray to His Father. Jesus had asked Peter, James and John to go with him to the Garden of Gethsemane – to keep watch for Him. Peter, James and John would fall asleep while Jesus prayed. When Judas Iscariot showed up with soldiers to capture Jesus, Peter did not know what to do. Peter would end up going to the courtyard while Jesus was being questioned. While he was hanging out in the courtyard, Peter was asked by a couple of gals and a guy whether or not he knew Jesus. Each time that Peter was asked if he knew Jesus, Peter adamantly responded saying to them that he did not know Jesus. Jesus had told Peter earlier that he – Peter, would say three times that he did not know Him and then a rooster would crow. When that is exactly what happened, Peter was absolutely mortified and chagrined. Why do you think that God the Father allows sad, really difficult moments to take place? Verse 53 says, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels.” God’s plan is to have guys like Peter and your grandpaa experience trying life lessons to learn to accept that God knows what He is doing.
Matthew 26 (357)