Committed to the Father's Will

Sunday, July 5th, 2026

6:41 am

Good morning! Today I am in Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-52, Luke 22:47-53, and John 18:1-11. Right as Jesus told His disciples to look the betrayer was there, Judas walked up with several Roman soldiers that the leading priests and Pharisees had sent with Him. The soldiers were armed with weapons. John tells us that Jesus asked the men who they were looking for. They told Him, "Jesus of Nazarene." Jesus replied, "I Am He." As He said that, they all drew back and fell to the ground. Once more Jesus asked them who they were looking for. Again they said Jesus of Nazarene. Jesus told them, "I told you that I Am He, and since I am the one you want let these others go. (John 18:4-9)" He did this to fulfill His own statement, "I did not lose a single one of those you have given me (John 6:39 and John 17:12)." The other gospels say that Judas had given the soldiers a sign so they would know which one Jesus was, which was a kiss. When Judas walked up to Jesus, He said "Rabbi" and gave Him a kiss of greeting. Luke tells us that when Judas did this, Jesus asked Him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? (Luke 22:48)". When the disciples saw what was happening, they asked Jesus if they should fight, and Peter struck one of the slaves, that was with the guards, with his sword, and slashed off his ear. Jesus told them, "No more of this. Put your swords back up. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?" Then He touched the man's ear and healed it. Jesus asked the soldiers, "Am I some dangerous revolutionary that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn't you arrest Me while I was in the Temple everyday teaching? But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns. (Luke 22:52-53)". He also tells them that all these things were happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about Him. Then all His disciples ran away. Mark tells us that a young man followed behind Jesus and the guards wearing only a long, linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked (Mark 14:50-52).

Jesus knew what was about to happen. He had been warning the disciples, but they were still taken by surprise. How many times does God tells us something, and we don't listen. We start listening to Him when bad things start happening to us. All of us are like this. But here is the thing, God knows everything that is going to happen, whether we want to listen or not. Everything proceeded just as God had planned, and His plans will continue to be carried out. Peter tried to take matters into his own hands and tried to protect Jesus, but Jesus told Peter to put away His sword and allow God's plan to unfold. It is tempting to try and take matters into our own hands, to force an issue. But most often such motives lead to sin. Instead, we must trust God to work out His plan.

Jesus demonstrated to us perfect commitment to His Father's will. His Kingdom would not advance with swords but with faith and obedience. We too help advance God's Kingdom here by our faith and obedience. Just like Jesus knew He was going to face this hardship, and He stayed obedient to God's will, we too need to stay obedient to God no matter what we face. When we stay obedient, walking in faith, He will give us the strength we need to carry on even through trials.

Like Jesus, stay committed to the Father's will, so you will have the strength to stand through any trial. We are not perfect, just like Peter messed up, we do too, but we can continue forward. Trusting God and allowing Him to guide us into the perfect plans He has for each of us. We don't have to have all the answers, just commitment to God. His ways are perfect and His plans are perfect. All we need to do is walk with Him, and stay obedient to Him. Walk in faith, and allow Him to guide you and give you the strength you need.