THE TERRIBLE MEEK + Daily Devotion + Wednesday, March 21, 2012

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2012

Matthew 26:53 “He shall give me more than 12 legions of angels…”

SCRIPTURE READING: MATTHEW 26:51-57

 ⁵¹And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.

 ⁵²Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

 ⁵³Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

 ⁵⁴But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

 ⁵⁵In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.

 ⁵⁶But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

 ⁵⁷And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.

REFLECTION:  We expect the vanquished will surrender and victors will never acquiesce.  Behold Christ, the Captain of “The terrible meek.”

Meekness is not to be confused with weakness.  Christ is meek.  He is far from weak.  His power extends to every corner of the globe and throughout the vast universe.  

 At his arrest in Gethsemane, He testified, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).  In my mind’s eye I see the skies filled with thousands of angels armed with flaming swords, standing at attention and readied to secure our Lord’s release and execute judgment on His pitiful captors. It was an order that was never given.

He “who upholds all things by the word of His power”  (Hebrews 1:3) laid down His life, no man took it from Him.  (John 10:17,18).  That is meekness, perfect meekness on display.

And in what sense is He “terrible?”  In this: He is “extremely formidable.” 

He is terrible because He has need of nothing and cannot be tempted or bought. He is terrible because even the threat and suffering of death itself cannot diminish His love or destroy His redemptive mission. He is terrible because He is willing to pay the ultimate price, even the shameful death of the cross, to save every lost child of Adam’s race. 

Jesus defeated the actual “Axis of Evil”—Sin, Satan, and Sorrow—without lifting a sword, commanding an army, or presiding over a political campaign.  

He won by losing. 

He gained by giving. 

He triumphed by surrendering. 

He captured by loving.

He could not be conquered, vanquished, or extinguished. “Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!” (Revelation 19:6). “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” (Revelation 5:12).

And think of this.  We are Christ’s body in the world today.  Tom Wright reminds us, “When God want to sort out the world, to put it to rights once and for all, he doesn’t send in the tanks, as people often think He should.  He sends in the meek.” 

Charles Rann Kennedy, a playwright of the last century, has the centurion posted at the foot of Calvary say to our Lord’s blessed mother, “I tell you woman, this dead Son of yours, disfigured, shamed, spat upon, has built a Kingdom this day that can never die. The living glory of Him rules it. The earth is His and He made it. He and His brothers have been molding and making it through the long ages; they are the only ones who ever really did possess it; not the proud, not the idle, not the vaunting empires of the world. Something has happened up here on this hill today to shake all of our kingdoms of blood and fear to the dust. The earth is His.  The earth is theirs.  And they made it.  The meek, the terrible meek, are about to enter into their inheritance.”  (From “The Terrible Meek”)

May God grant that we would follow in the footsteps of the Captain of our Salvation!  “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the land.” (Matthew 5:5).

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, With the Apostle we glory in the cross!  We are drawn, just as you taught us we would be, to our Lord Jesus Christ who was lifted up, suspended between heaven and earth on an Old Rugged Cross.  Nothing in our hands we bring—not our precise theology, not our impressive deeds—simply to thy cross we cling.  Lord fill us with that same spirit of Meekness that possessed our Savior.  May we in every way, and at all times submit to do your will. And grant that we will not only inherit the earth, but one day inhabit that place you have gone to prepare for us.  We love you Lord Jesus.  We pray all this in your strong name, Amen.  “Our Father, &c.”