FIGHT THE RIGHT BATTLE WITH THE RIGHT WEAPONS
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
And immediately, even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders. The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.” As soon as they arrived, Judas walked up to Jesus. “Rabbi!” he exclaimed, and gave him the kiss. Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear. Jesus asked them, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there among you teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.” Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away. One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.
Mark 14:43-52 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
The Passover meal was finished and the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is now complete. Jesus had spent time in prayer and asked for the prayer support of His followers. However, they fell asleep because they did not recognize the gravity of this moment in history. Then comes Judas, the betrayer. Judas has a mob with him. They have brought swords and clubs expecting a fight—but Jesus is not going to put up a fight. Jesus knows this is God’s timing and plan. Mark tells us one of the disciples grab a sword and takes a swing at one of the servants of the high priest and cuts off his ear. The other gospel writers let us know this person was Peter. Perhaps Peter was trying to live up to his claim that he would not deny Jesus and would instead die with Jesus. The problem was that Peter did a foolish thing by attacking the servant with a sword. He was trying to fight a spiritual battle with a physical weapon. He used the wrong weapon, at the wrong time, for the wrong purpose, with the wrong motive. Peter should have been praying earlier instead of sleeping. Now Peter is caught up in a physical battle because he didn’t win the spiritual battle in prayer. How often do we get confused about the battle we are fighting. We think it is a physical battle—people are mistreating us, people are being unfair, people are saying stuff. But the real problem is in the spirit realm. We must be willing to fight the right battle with the right weapons. We will never win a spiritual battle with physical weapons. Our personality, programs, or planning will not replace the power of God that can transform lives. We must realize victory begins in the spiritual realm before we can see it in the physical realm. In our times of prayer, we can win battles that will transform marriages, families, physical bodies, and finances. Relationships can begin the healing process in the spiritual before we see it in the physical. Because Peter was fighting in the wrong arena he lost. Jesus must perform a miracle of healing for the servant (Luke 22:51). Just a side note, I’ve always wondered about the story the servant told. He goes to a garden in the dark of night to arrest this Jewish teacher, gets his ear cut off, and then the guy he came to arrest restores his ear. That had to be s shock to try to wrap your brain around. Why would someone I’m arresting do something nice to me?
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit help me to always be fighting the right battle with the right weapons. Help me to be a person who spends time in the spirit realm to better see Your kingdom come and will done in the physical realm.
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