Title: Fulfillment of Prophecy
fulfillment of prophecy
Judas' betrayal
Betrayal has always been repeated throughout human history. Betrayed by someone you love is a common theme in dramas. Sometimes I get betrayed by my friends. Jesus was betrayed by his disciple, Judas Iscariot. Did Judas have a big complaint with Jesus? Or was he just greedy for 30 pieces of silver, as the biblical writers describe it? And why didn't Jesus take good care of his disciples? Anyway, today's text is an explanation of the scene where this betrayal is realized.
As Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and speaking a few words to his disciples, Judas came. Behind Judah were the high priests and armed men sent by the elders. Judas had already made a code with the men. The person he kisses is Jesus. It's not unusual to kiss them because their greeting is always like that. Judas said, “Teacher, how are you?” and greeted Jesus. Jesus said to Judas, “Come on, man, do what you have to do.” Then the soldiers rushed in and arrested Jesus.
According to today's text, when Jesus was arrested by the soldiers, "one of the men with Jesus" drew a sword and struck the high priest's servant's ear and cut it off. The writer of the Gospel of John identifies him as Peter, while the writers of the synoptic Gospels do not give his name. They must have had a hard time discussing Peter's violence directly. In any case, it is said that this man swung his sword and cut off the high priest's ear. Maybe it's the ears, not the stomach or arms? It's unclear whether he accidentally cut off his ear while trying to stab his neck, or if he was targeting the ear from the start. Jesus tells the disciple: “Put the knife back in its sheath. Those who use the sword will perish by the sword.” This is a very famous phrase. This aphorism is also the basis for emphasizing Christian nonviolence.
Jesus went on to say: “Don’t you know that if I ask my Father, he can send more than twelve legions of angels at once? But how will the Bible fulfill what the Bible says that these things must happen?” If Jesus prayed, did angels actually come down to punish the evils of this world? These questions are meaningless. This is because the Bible is not a historical novel, but a confession of faith that explains who Jesus really is. It means that Jesus saves in a completely different way, not in the same way as in this world. People hate to admit it. I hate to even think about it that way. I believe that only in a way that is strong, successful, and successful can a meaningful life be lived. But today's text says that the words of the Bible cannot be fulfilled in that way.
Jesus' fate?
After saying these words to the disciple wielding the sword, Jesus also spoke these words to those who had arrested him. “Are you saying that I am a robber, because you did not arrest me when I was sitting daily in the temple teaching every day, but now I have come with swords and clubs to arrest me?” (verse 55). Jesus did not create secret societies or commit terrorism to destroy Judaism. He proudly taught in the synagogues and temples. They could not even touch Jesus, who was openly active in front of many people, and came to visit him at night when no one knew about it. The behavior of the high priests, who had the highest public power at that time, was very mean. Jesus’ words, “Am I a robber?” can be interpreted as meaning “Aren’t you robbers?”
Jesus summed up this absurd incident like this: “But all these things took place to fulfill the words of the prophets.” It is said that after these words the disciples abandoned Jesus and all ran away. This was the situation Jesus was in at the last moment. The high priests arrested Jesus in the middle of the night like a robber, and all his disciples ran away. And Jesus explained all of that as a fulfillment of prophecy. This means that he knew the unfortunate fate that was approaching him as God's will and accepted it as it was.
Today we come across a very difficult topic. If the event that happened to Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy, then Christianity is no different from historical determinism. In today's biological terms, it's no different from genetic determinism. Is the event of Jesus a fulfillment of what the prophets had already predicted, and furthermore, does our life also lie within that fate? Let's get into this question with today's text.
burden of fate
It is not easy for us to understand the sequence of circumstances from the arrest of Jesus to the crucifixion. Jesus must have been aware to some extent that his death was imminent. Jesus could not have known the consequences of conflict with the high-ranking Jewish religious leaders. So Jesus told his disciples several times that he hinted at his death. And Judas Iscariot's strange behavior must have caught the eye of Jesus. So, what action was Jesus not supposed to take? He could have persuaded Judas not to betray him, or he could have avoided the rightful place to avoid an attack from the Jewish elite. But why did Jesus never make such an attempt and accept all fate as it is?
We now know the answer that Jesus must bear the cross to save mankind. But is this answer correct? If right, why right? Let us first ask this question. Why must the salvation of mankind come through the death of one man? Could there be no way that Jesus could not die and live to save mankind? Why? And why does it have to be death on the cross? Humans do not die on the cross, but eventually die. We die when we grow old, we die when we get sick, and we die when we have an accident. Why is it that the death of the cross is the only way to salvation for mankind?
What we need to know clearly is that Jesus did not deliberately choose to die on the cross to save mankind. Jesus did not step by step through a predetermined program toward the cross. Proof of this is that the prayer of Gethsemane reads: Jesus appealed to his disciples that his heart was on the verge of death and asked them to pray for him. And he prayed like this. “Father, take this cup from me, for you can do anything you will.” (Matthew 26:39) Jesus clearly did not want to be crucified. If the death of the cross was the only way to save mankind, why would he refuse this? Jesus is not sure why he must die now. So I prayed with the heart of wanting to avoid death.
The conclusion of that prayer is, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” We know that this prayer of Jesus was absolutely obedient to God. But this prayer is not so simple. The will of Jesus and the will of the Father are opposed here. Jesus' will is to avoid the cross. But the Father's will may or may not be the cross. What it was at that moment was not yet revealed. This is the reality of Jesus. Push this word further. Jesus is now facing death without fully knowing what God's will is. I can imagine the psychological shock and confusion of such a person. So Jesus cried out on the cross. “Eli, Eli Ramasabachthani!” Jesus struggled with his own destiny right up to his last breath.
From this point of view, what is important in the fact that the events of Jesus are the fulfillment of prophecy is the weight of life that Jesus had to bear. The fulfillment of prophecy would be just a game of pun if it were not for the meaninglessness, fear, and confusion that had come so seriously that he had to give up his soul.
Many Christians today are taking advantage of God's providence. “That is the will of the Lord,” he repeats like a habit. It is not wrong to think that the whole process of life is the will of the Lord, but it is a problem to say that as a basis for avoiding the weight of one's life. They often rationalize their lives by not studying when they are studying and not working when they should be working. This is just fatalism, it is far from the belief that prophecy is fulfilled.
follow Jesus
Here, we must accurately understand the nuances of the story told by the writer of the Gospel of Matthew. Let's read verse 56 again. Let's read the Lutheran Bible. “But it all happened. This has fulfilled the prophecy.” Jesus did not intentionally follow the prophecies in order to fulfill them. I mentioned earlier that Jesus was not a fatalist. But Jesus gave up his intentions, wills, and thoughts and focused only on the kingdom of God. Although he struggled against his destiny, Jesus risked his destiny for God's will to be done in the end.
I don't know if there are people who think this is not a big deal. It's not like that. There is only one person in the history of mankind, Jesus Christ, who has been united with the kingdom of God in this way. Only Jesus Christ lived in complete dependence on himself for the kingdom of God, the will of God. This choice of Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in his life. The fulfillment of that prophecy does not end with arrest and crucifixion, but also extends to the resurrection. The crucifixion is the fulfillment of prophecy that occurred according to Jesus' will to follow God's will, but the resurrection is the fulfillment of the prophecy that occurred through God's intervention. In this way, the Jesus event is the fulfillment of the prophecy that occurred through the obedience of Jesus and the intervention of God, who were the same as us. In this respect he is the Son of God, the Messiah, and our Savior. And we are those who believe in Jesus.
How does “the fulfillment of prophecy” relate to us who believe in Jesus? We cannot be the subject of prophecy ourselves. The fulfillment of prophecy is only for Jesus Christ. It is important that the very same Lord told his disciples to follow him. Those disciples include us. In other words, we are followers of Jesus, the fulfillment of prophecy. Think well. We are not just following the teachings of Jesus, we are following the person of Jesus. We do not follow Jesus in order to obtain a noble character similar to Jesus, or to gain spiritual freedom in life, but to entrust our destiny.
Sometimes some people describe the Christian faith as learning a certain Christian spirit. Some argue that believing in Jesus is practicing love. Christian humanism is needed to make the world a little more human. But being a Christian is not about securing such morals or spiritual values. To entrust our destiny to a man who lived under the same conditions as we did 2,000 years ago, a man whose prophecies were fulfilled in his life. In this way we are indirectly connected with the fulfillment of prophecy. In this way, we are indirectly connected to the truth.
Following Jesus does not guarantee any certainty for us now. Just as Jesus was betrayed and arrested, our lives can become insecure. But just as Jesus wanted the will of God the Father to be done, and obeyed it thoroughly, so as if the prophecy eventually came true, if you trust and follow Jesus, and believe in the promise, the words of the prophecy will come to you. Will be. through Jesus. The words of prophecy that have already been fulfilled in the life of Jesus and through whom we will also participate are salvation, life, eternal life, and resurrection. This is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Amen.