[SPEAKER_00]: Christian Parenting Hello and welcome to the True Seekers Podcast.
[SPEAKER_00]: A True Seeker is someone who wants to know the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: They search for what's true and they won't rest until they find it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am a True Seeker and if you are to then you come to the right place where we will search for truth each week in the stories of the Bible.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well hello and welcome back to another episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: Today we continue our journey through the final days of Jesus' life before his death and resurrection.
[SPEAKER_00]: In our last episode we were with Jesus as he prayed to his Heavenly Father in the Garden of Givesemony.
[SPEAKER_00]: He said not my will but yours be done.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus knew what was about to happen and the weight of what he had to carry was very heavy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not only was Jesus about to face separation from His Heavenly Father, but He would endure betrayal from those closest to Him.
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever been hurt by a friend?
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever trusted someone and they let you down?
[SPEAKER_00]: It can be a painful experience to be let down by those we love and trust.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus knew all too well what this was like.
[SPEAKER_00]: After Jesus had finished praying in the garden of Gethsemane, He said to His disciples, Rise, let us go.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here comes my betrayer.
[SPEAKER_00]: And while he was still speaking, Judas, one of Jesus' very own 12 disciples arrived.
[SPEAKER_00]: With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now Judas, the betrayer, had arranged a secret signal with them, so they would know who to arrest.
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, the one I kissed is the man, arrest him.
[SPEAKER_00]: So then Judas walked right up to Jesus, going at once directly to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he said, greetings, rabbi, and kiss him.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus then looked at Judas, and I'm sure with all the sadness and wearing this on his face, replied, do what you came for, friend.
[SPEAKER_00]: Friend, did you hear that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus just called Judas, friend.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even after Judas had just betrayed him and handed him over to death.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then the men stepped forward sees Jesus and arrested him.
[SPEAKER_00]: In that moment, his disciples with him became scared, and with that Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest servant, cutting off his right ear.
[SPEAKER_00]: The servant's name was Malcus.
[SPEAKER_00]: Put your sword back in its place, Jesus said to Peter, for all who draw the sword died by the sword.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think I cannot call on my father and he will at once put up my disposal more than 12 legions of angels?
[SPEAKER_00]: But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?
[SPEAKER_00]: Shall I not drink the cup the father has given me?
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus knew he could call on help from his father and in an instant make it all go away.
[SPEAKER_00]: But he also knew that he had just prayed and said, You're will be done.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he knew this was the will of his father.
[SPEAKER_00]: He knew this is what must happen.
[SPEAKER_00]: But then Jesus reached down.
[SPEAKER_00]: And in that moment,
[SPEAKER_00]: performed a miracle, right in the middle of the chaos, he reached down and touched the man's ear, and healed him.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Bible does not tell us any more about that man, but I cannot help but wonder what happened to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can only imagine that he was forever changed that day.
[SPEAKER_00]: He knew the power of Jesus miraculous touch in that moment.
[SPEAKER_00]: In that hour, Jesus said to the crowd, am I leading a rebellion?
[SPEAKER_00]: that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?
[SPEAKER_00]: Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me.
[SPEAKER_00]: But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus knew this was the will of his father.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then, something sad happened, all of the sudden, all the disciples who had been with Jesus, ran.
[SPEAKER_00]: They deserted him and fled.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Jesus was left alone, alone with his betrayer, and those who had come to arrest him and taken away.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dear true seekers, as we get closer to the moment of Jesus' death, we see how difficult this was.
[SPEAKER_00]: In one of the most difficult and painful moments of Jesus' life, his friends, his closest friends deserted him.
[SPEAKER_00]: They were scared, and they did not fully understand what was happening.
[SPEAKER_00]: They did not know that this was God's plan from the beginning.
[SPEAKER_00]: They could not
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus knows what it's like to have all of your friends abandon you, to not understand and to leave.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yet Jesus did not become angry with them, or vow to never be friends with them again.
[SPEAKER_00]: He still loved them very much as we will see.
[SPEAKER_00]: He knew they were scared.
[SPEAKER_00]: He knew they did not understand.
[SPEAKER_00]: In your moments when you feel alone and maybe you have felt like you had no one to talk to or depend on or rely on, you can know that Jesus knows exactly what that feels like and he is there to be a friend to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus walked through pain and suffering and loneliness so he knows what it feels like when we do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Isn't it so good to know that we serve a God who understands when we walk through hard times?
[SPEAKER_00]: When it feels like we are all alone, we are never alone when we follow Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: His Holy Spirit is always there comforting us and reminding us of the promises of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: He will never leave you or forsake you.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you'd like to read today's story in your Bible, you can find it in Luke, chapter 22 versus 49 through 51.
[SPEAKER_00]: Matthew chapter 26 versus 47 through 55, and John chapter 18 versus 10 through 15.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me pray with you before we go.
[SPEAKER_00]: To Jesus we thank you that you know what it's like to be abandoned by those who you called friends.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what it feels like to be betrayed and because you know what it feels like you can be there for us when we meet a friend.
[SPEAKER_00]: I thank you that we will never be alone as long as we put our faith and trust in you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for walking through pain and suffering so that we might know peace and salvation.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are so grateful to you in your name we pray, amen.
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[SPEAKER_00]: All right, everyone, thank you for joining me and I look forward to our time together next week.
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