‘I turned round to see the voice that was speaking to me…. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.’
These words of St John in the Book of Revelation give us a wonderful insight into what the heavenly Jesus looks like. So often we like to imagine the human Jesus, just like us – and rightly so. God comes into the mess of our world, and how we needed him to! But it’s not the whole story. Jesus is fully human, but also fully God. The glorified Jesus is an altogether different proposition – so breathtakingly magnificent that even one of his best friends can do nothing but fall on his face in terrified awe.
This is who we’re really dealing with – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who reigns for ever and ever. And as we see in today’s passage, it’s also who the crowds that confronted Jesus at his arrest were really dealing with – if only they knew! And Jesus at one point sees fit to remind them of it. ‘Don’t think for a moment,’ Jesus says, ‘that you’re arresting me because you have all the power here.’
When Jesus goes with them, he’s not being pragmatic in the face of superior force. Far from it. If he wished to, he could call on ‘twelve legions of angels’ – or 72,000 heavenly beings. Just like that. With a click of his fingers every club could be snapped like a twig, every sword bent into a plough, every thug rounded up and dealt with. Just like that. You don’t mess with the Almighty Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, the Eternal Lord of all Creation….
…Unless this Lord wills it. (That word again.) And in this case, the Lord does. All that power, all that authority is hidden, locked up for a time, because a deeper work is at play. God’s word – delivered by numerous prophets – must be fulfilled.
And so Jesus goes with them – willingly. The hard work in Gethsemane has been completed: an even harder work lies ahead. But today we give thanks that what happens at Jesus’ arrest is not some accident, some failure of planning or momentary lapse of reason. The human authorities are not in charge here. They might think they are… but, in the end, ‘it must happen in this way.’
And we’ll praise God forever that it did.
Faithful Lord, thank you that you gave up your freedom that we might be freed. You gave up your reputation that we might be restored. You gave up your power that we might be empowered. We can never thank you enough. May your peace-filled love overflow in our hearts today. Amen.
Note for Good Friday tomorrow: take some time to read Matthew 26:57-27:56 and spend time at the foot of the cross.