Isaiah 53:7,8 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

It is so easy to read the Bible and totally miss what The Lord is trying to teach us. I believe it is possible to know what we are reading and not experience firsthand the eternal and practical applications for our lives.

As we continue to work our way through the steps of Jesus from Gethsemane to Calvary, we see as clear as day that everything that is happening, from the arrest in the Garden, to the betrayal by Judas, to the fleeing of the eleven and the thrice denial of Peter, is all to fulfill Scripture and accomplish atonement for the sin of the world. Nothing is happening by chance. Every detail is according to the will of God in order to fulfill His eternal purpose in Jesus Christ.

Throughout this mock trial and brutal treatment of Jesus we see the worst of man, both friend and foe. In the midst of this scene playing out, it is easy to overlook the character of The Lord Christ on display as He is confronted by His enemies and remains silent. We can miss how He rebukes Peter for taking up the sword, only to heal the soldier’s ear, and by doing so, spare Peter from capital punishment by removing the evidence against Him. Can one even begin to grasp the look on both Jesus’ and Peter’s faces when Peter denied Him the third time? Without a doubt, this final episode of Jesus’ life reveals all that He endured in His drinking of the cup of our sin and God’s wrath. Human words are inadequate to describe what He felt as He became The Lamb of God.

But there are lessons hidden in this account that are meant to challenge, comfort, and convict all believers of Jesus. Observe how Jesus deals with friend and foe and ask how that fits into His call to “Follow Me”. Remember, beloved, The One Who said “It is finished” (John 19:30) also said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 9:9). It is not either - or; it is both. Selah