Holy Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Opening Scripture

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us – so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. Psalm 67:1-5

Opening Prayer

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned, unclean. For me, it was in the garden; He prayed, “Not my will, but Thine.” He had no tears for His own griefs, but sweat drops of blood for mine. He took my sins and my sorrows; He made them His very own. He bore the burden to Calvary and suffered and died alone. When with the ransomed in glory, His face I at last shall see, ‘twill be my joy thro’ the ages to sing of His love for me. How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be; how marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior’s love for me!

Daily Bible Reading

John 18:1-14

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Reflection  

After five chapters in the Upper Room, John continues the Passion narrative. Jesus leads the Eleven out of the city and across the Kidron Valley. This basin to the east of Jerusalem separates the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives and flows toward the Dead Sea.

There was a spot in the olive grove where Jesus and the disciples would camp out while visiting Jerusalem. During the festivals, when thousands of pilgrims would descend on the Holy City, most people had to stay in temporary shelters. Judas had stayed at this campsite with the group many times before, so he knew right where to find Jesus.

It’s ironic that centuries earlier, King David was betrayed by his friend Ahithopohel in the Kidron Valley (2 Samuel 15), prompting David to declare, “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me” (Psalm 41:9). Now, Judas would play that same role in the same place.

Jesus, of course, knew all that was about to happen, which was the fulfillment of prophecy and the accomplishment of the Father’s plan. He led His disciples to their usual spot at Gethsemane, where the olives were pressed for their oil, and told them to wait while He prayed.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us that Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to come with Him away from the others to join Him in prayer. Understandably, Jesus was “deeply distressed and troubled… overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

Moving away a little further, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” An angel ministered to Jesus as His sweat “fell like drops of blood to the ground” – like the oil that was squeezed from olives in that place.

When Jesus returned to the disciples, they were asleep. In addition to the other contributing factors, Mark says “their eyes were heavy,” and Luke explains that they were “exhausted from sorrow.” Regardless, when the soldiers showed up with torches and weapons, everyone was instantly awake!

The other gospel writers tell us that Judas the Betrayer was leading the pack. In another cruel irony, he had arranged a signal that the person they wanted was the person he kissed. “Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed him. Jesus replied, ‘Friend, do what you came for.’”

John focuses on Jesus establishing His identity through the declaration: “I AM!” Three times Jesus asks who they are looking for and three times he proclaims, “I am he.” Against a detachment of armed soldiers, the humble, unarmed Messiah is more than a match! At the sound of His voice, the trained warriors drew back and fell to the ground.

And then, there’s impulsive Peter. He’s ready to take on a squad of soldiers, but soon becomes afraid of a servant girl’s question. While no doubt trying to take off the servant’s head (arguably a better target than one of the militia), Peter only managed to cut off the man’s ear. Luke tells us that Jesus called “Stop!” and quickly reattached Malchus’ severed body part (no harm, no foul).

Jesus ensured His disciples’ freedom, allowed Himself to be bound, then followed the group back into the city. It was late at night, which allowed events to unfold away from the festival crowd of spectators and witnesses.

They went first to Annas. In AD 6, he had been appointed “high priest for life” by Quirinius, governor of Syria, but he was deposed in AD 15 by Valerius Gratus, the procurator of Judea. The Romans didn’t want one person to have too much power for too long.

Annas was eventually succeeded by five of his sons, and now his son-in-law Caiaphas was the high priest, though clearly Annas was still calling the shots. This established, religious, “power family” had been plotting for a while now, and they knew just what to do with Jesus.

Flourishing Habit

Intentional Discipleship

I’m struck by Jesus asking the disciples to “watch and pray” with Him at that crucial moment in Gethsemane. He had just prayed for them in the Upper Room, and now He asked them to pray with Him. Matthew records Jesus specifically saying, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

After all He had taught them that evening – not to mention over the past three years – and being “deeply distressed and troubled…overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” Jesus asked his followers to watch and pray.

Perhaps they did pray for a short time but, exhausted from all that had happened, still full after the evening meal, drained by stress and unsettledness, and safely back at their campsite, they fell asleep. Unlike Jesus, they didn’t realize all that was about to happen or sense the urgency of the moment.

Jesus’ response was typically gracious. After His own fervent praying, when He returned to the disciples, He said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

What does it mean for you and me to “watch and pray so that (we) will not fall into temptation, because the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”? How do we maintain spiritual alertness and resist temptation?

As we saw last week, it starts with an attitude of gratitude. To rejoice is a choice! We choose joy, not because of our circumstances, but despite them. We submit to the Spirit’s control throughout the day. We “pray continually,” remaining in God’s presence, acknowledging His involvement in every encounter.

The Apostle Paul offers this instruction in Ephesians 6:10-18:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Spiritual maturity is a choice! Most people remain spiritually immature because it’s not a priority for them. Yet, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

So, “Train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” I Timothy 4:7-8

No one else can love God and other people for you.

No one else can read your Bible and pray your prayers for you.

No one else can submit to the Spirit and resist evil for you.

No one else can give your gifts and do your ministry for you.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!