Posts made in November, 2020


Jesus “Opened not His Mouth”

Jesus “Opened not His Mouth”


Posted By on Nov 28, 2020

On that dark night, Peter, one of Jesus’ disciple acted impetuously but sincerely when he wielded a sword and hacked off the ear of the slave of Israel’s high priest, Malchus. (Matt. 26:51, John 18:10).  Peter attempted to defend his Lord from the armed mob that came to arrest Him, however such protection was not needed by Jesus.  After miraculously restoring the man’s severed ear (Luke 22:51), Jesus said to Peter: “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:52—emphasis added).  This is a fascinating declaration by the Lord Jesus Christ and one worth investigating further.  In the time of Christ, a legion of Roman military was made up of 6,000 soldiers.  And yet, Jesus could have beckoned for more than twelve legions of angels to come instantly to His aid.  This would mean 72,000 warrior angels!  It is recorded in Scripture that a single Angel protected Israel by slaying 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (2 Kin. 19:35).  So, multiplying 185,000 [men] x 72,000 [angels] equals 13,320,000,000.  Amazingly, if Jesus so desired, He could have had His angels slay more than 13,320,000,000 men!  This astronomical figure is nearly two times today’s world population.   Therefore, if Jesus chose to resist arrest and fight the Roman soldiers and the raucous throng that came for Him, it undoubtedly would have been ridiculously easy for Him to overcome: “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.” (Isa. 40:15).  Instead, Jesus went with them silently and without the slightest struggle; “He opened not His mouth.” (Isa. 53:7, cf. 1 Pet. 2:23).  O how fortunate it was that “the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?” (Matt. 26:54).  That the Son of God remained obedient to His Father’s will regardless of the circumstance: “…Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself…I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (Jn. 5:19a, 30b).  And what was the Father’s will?  Answer: for His Son to remain humble, obedient, silent, and suffer a horrendous death on the cross for undeserving sinners.  In other words, Jesus willingly received the cup of His Father’s wrath as propitiation for the sins of all believing mankind.  All things leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, and the crucifixion itself, occurred exactly as God preordained it: The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together...

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“And immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.” Mark 1:12 When most Christians think of Jesus Christ’s suffering, they usually think of His crucifixion; when He atoned for the sins of those who would believe in Him.  It is true Jesus suffered excruciating physical pain at the hands of evil men, and infinitely more from His Father’s wrath poured out on Him on the cross (Acts 2:23, Isa. 53:10, cf. Heb. 4:15).  However, Jesus suffered His entire ministry: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45).  The moment after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, Scripture records the Holy Spirit immediately drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Mark 1:10, 12).   Of the three synoptic Gospels that record the Temptation of Christ, only the Gospel of Mark documents Jesus being forcefully driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit: “And immediately the Spirit impelled 1 Him to go out into the wilderness.” (Mark 1:12).   Interestingly, the Holy Spirit who only previously gently rested on Jesus “like a dove”, had violently driven the Suffering Servant into the wilderness to be tested.    Furthermore, God’s Word states Jesus fasted forty days in that arid, parched desert.  John MacArthur notes: [The Gospels] Matthew and Luke indicate that Jesus went the entire forty-day period without food (Matt. 4:2, Luke 4:2) …He had to face and conquer His strongest enemy even when He was at His weakest.  Mark’s description of Jesus’ temptation implies that the Lord was being tempted by Satan throughout the entire six-week period 2    Additionally, Jesus was ordained by God to suffer from the time of His Temptation to the time of His death on the cross. (Mark 1:12, Acts 3:18, 4:27-28).   Moreover, He suffered at the hands of man’s [and God’s] greatest foe, Satan.  It is a staggering truth to contemplate, that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jn. 3:16).  Jesus suffered immensely in His physical life, so believers will not suffer in their eternal life: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21).  Hallelujah, what a Savior!    1 Impelled, Ekballo: To lead one forth or away somewhere with a force which he cannot resist.”, Biblehub.com, Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database.   Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc.  2 John MacArthur, The MacArthur...

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“Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’” John 4:26 Recognizing Jesus as the Messiah is integral part of understanding His completeness and omnipotence in the Bible.  Dr. John MacArthur writes: The hope of the Messiah lies at the heart of the Old Testament.  From the third chapter of Genesis (Gen. 3:15) to the third chapter of Malachi (Mal. 3:1), the Hebrew Scriptures repeatedly proclaim that the Savior is coming.  In fact, all three parts of the Old Testament canon—the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets—make precise predictions about Him and His ministry (cf. Luke 24:25-27, 44-45). 1   Scripture unquestionably reveals Jesus as the Messiah—Israel’s Deliverer.  The definition of the Hebrew word “Messiah” (Mashiach) and means “anointed one”. The New Testament counterpart is the Greek word “Christ” (Christos).  Dr. John MacArthur elaborates: “Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah, God’s long waited deliverer of Israel, the supreme ‘Anointed One’, the coming High Priest, King, Prophet, and Savior.” 2   Dr. Greg Harris writes: “Christ and Messiah are interchangeable words that mean the same thing.  John 1:41 states that Andrew first found ‘his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which translated means Christ).’” 3 As Jesus was passing through Samaria and wearied from His long journey, He stopped to rest at [Jacobs] a well at about noon.   Shortly after a Samaritan woman came to retrieve water.  Jesus asked her for a drink.  Perplexed by Jesus’ request she said: How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)  Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water… the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’ (Jn. 4:9-10, 14b).   When the woman requested for Jesus to give her living water, in His omniscience He recited the woman’s promiscuous past and her current immoral relationship.  Awestruck, she perceived Him to be a prophet (Jn. 4:15-19).  After further dialogue with Jesus, “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.’  Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.”’ (Jn. 4:25-26 emphasis added). Jesus revealed to the lowly, irreputable Samaritan woman that He is the Messiah. The MacArthur Commentary on the Gospel of John...

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