AND THEY SEIZED HIM: LESSONS FROM THE ARREST OF JESUS

HOMILY FOR THE PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

In the Bible, there are various representations of the number 6. In biblical numerology, the number 6 is the number of man, the number of imperfection in man’s work. The number is concerned and related only to man. Little wonder then the 6^th commandment is related to mankind. It talks about the worst sin against man; that is, murder. On the one hand, being a number concerned with man, and on the other hand, having thoroughly read through the arrest of Jesus in which we have discovered six peculiar features, we deem it fit to relate these characters to the Christian; the church goer who is also a man. Thus, the 6 (number for man) characters coincide with the possible characters we see in Christian men and women today. What are these characters we find in the story of the arrest of Jesus?

The story of the passion of Christ which we read in the Gospel of today (Mark 14:1-15:47) exposes the different characters we find on earth as we pass through gains and pains. However and particularly, the storyline of the arrest per se in verses 43-52 is very striking and educative to every Christian. Reading through Mark 14:43-52, we discover six characters as a result of six divisions. 1) vv. 43-45 2) v.46 3) v.47 4) vv.48-49 5) v.50 6) vv.51-52.

1. Judas, one of the twelve, appeared.

Judas was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus; a follower who was in-charge of the common purse. Yet, he is found leading the move against Jesus. This is a person who Jesus brought close and even trusted him with money. But he allowed himself to be possessed by the devil to perpetrate the act of betrayal. He is regarded as a thief and a robber by John (cf. John 10:1). His love for money most probably led him into stealing little by little till it reached the evil conception to betray his master for money. He is an icon of hypocrisy, of deception, and of betrayal. He came and kissed Jesus. He used a symbol of love as a method of destruction. The type of kiss Judas offered was one of intense feelings. Thus, this is an expression of a high hypocritical deception with an impression of respect and love.

How often have we forsaken Christ? How do we stand against Christ? How do we allow the evil intents in us to mature into evil plans and execution? Some church goers today profess Christ and yet are the linchpins of the evils in the society. Judas may have foolishly deceived himself into believing that Jesus would be freed by the power of God, and thus carried out his foolish acts. How often do we deceive ourselves, and think we are deceiving God and our fellow Christians? Church goers who belong to this group are those who would want to be known and seen at every slightest celebration in the church to give an impression of hard work and love for Jesus, yet deep down within them is an ulterior motive of selfish enrichment, greed and covetousness. They see the church as their businesses, and would want everything done in the church to be geared towards financial gains. This sort of people can be called hypocrites, betrayers and deceivers. They make the person of Judas alive and active in the church today. They are everywhere.

2. The men seized Jesus and arrested him.

The men who came to arrest went straight on and got hold of Jesus. Finally, they caught him. We can thus imagine how desperate, abusive, violent and rude these men were. Jesus had instructed that all men should come to him and have peace, but these men came to him to destroy the prince of peace. They held Jesus, and most probably thought they had won, but they never knew that their violent grasp of Jesus was temporarily. Victory belongs always to God, and not man.

How often do we go to Jesus for violence and not for peace? How often do we convert the church into a political party of war, rancour and acrimony? How often do we go violent with the ministers of God? When we make ourselves prone to violence in the church, we repeat the mistakes of these rude men. Church goers who belong to this group are those who not only come to church for violence but are always ready to fight the church and pull her down. These are the persons that would connive to push the minister of the word out of their parish because they have been threatened by his positive lifestyle and preaching. This sort of people can be called violent, abusive and rude. They are the prolongation of the soldiers who arrested Jesus, and they are everywhere.

3. One of those standing near drew his sword and struck

You cannot be a witness if you are not courageous. There was a disciple who was courageous enough to fight instantly for the master. He fought to defend Jesus. His courage was commendable but the method is condemnable. Physical force had never been the way of Jesus. The way of Jesus was to lead even his attackers into believing in him and developing formidable faith. He never wanted them to be killed. This disciple portrayed readiness to witness to Christ, courage to defend Christ and his faith. He is thus an icon of martyrdom and courage.

How often do we shy away from proper witnessing? How often do we get afraid of being killed when we are witnessing to Christ? We need courage. Every Christian has to be spiritually courageous and ready at all times to proclaim Christ in faith and trust. Our spiritual courage must train us to love the sinner, working and praying for his conversion. No reasonable Christian prays that sinners be killed, but that sinners repent. Church goers who belong to this group are those who think that what the Church needs is physical courage and force to ward off enemies, disregarding spiritual force and courage. They should know that if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain do the watchmen keep vigil. They need in-depth spirituality to be balanced. Only by so doing can they become a better version of the disciple that struck the man with a sword. This sort of people is the physically courageous; the security agencies (Men of Order and Discipline, Scout, St. Stephen, etc) in the church, and they are everywhere.

4. Am I leading a rebellion, asked Jesus?

This question shows the innocence of Jesus. Jesus was serene and calm through the whole affair. He believed that what was going on was the fulfilment of the Scripture. It is the will of God. Jesus knew he would gain the true peace by allowing the will of God to come through.

How often do we impose our own will on God? How often do we allow our human inclination to over-ride the goodness God has put in us? Jesus stands as our perfect imitator. His serenity was second to none. Many Christians easily give up in the face of pressures and challenges. We become opposites of Christ when we run away from the church at every slightest tension, challenge or misfortune. Church goers who belong here believe that the suffering they encounter is the divine will. They are calm and are faithful, even amidst difficulties. They simply pray for divine assistance, knowing fully well that Christianity involves the cross. They are faithful and are everywhere.

5.  Then everyone deserted Him

We see here the disciples who left their master when the going got tough. Most probably, they have remained all this while to witness the epoch making prison break of the messiah. They must have thought that the messiah was physically indestructible. But when they saw that the dice has been cast, they gave up and deserted him. They had weak faith. Their minds were materialistic and worldly. They failed to see the messiah from a spiritual spectrum. They left him to suffer alone.

How often do we run away when the going gets tough? How often do we leave Jesus when he needs us most? How often do we show our shallow faith by our actions? We need to know that when the going gets tough the tough gets going. Remaining in Jesus makes us stronger. Church goers who belong here are those leave the church when she is undergoing some pains. They run away during the crises moment only to resurface during the glorious time. They change direction when the church is on the construction stage; sometimes, they dodge worship moments for fear of being asked to make donations. They are not ready to identify with the church during the suffering time. These are people of shallow faith, and they are everywhere.

6. A young man fled naked

This young man was stricken by fear. He was following from afar, but when he was been seized, he left his linen cloth and fled. He was afraid of being caught or even embarrassed in the public. For him, it was better to run away naked than to stay clothed and yet caught. He sought to save himself by running instead of standing with the messiah.

How often do we run for fear? How often do we seek not to be embarrassed for the sake of Christ? This is a show of weak faith; however occasioned by fear. Many of us see evil and fail to point them out for fear of being embarrassed. We run away from embarrassment because we feel we over-exaggerate our image. We come to church for honour and not for witnessing. Church goers who belong here are those who would stop coming to church or working for the church because they were corrected over an issue or teaching which may cause public scandal. They even see preaching and announcements as embarrassment by the preacher. They manifest weak and porous faith for such behaviour. They do not know that the greater embarrassment lies in running away naked as the young boy. They have allowed their self image to consume them up to the extent of putting fear into them. They have followed; yes, but upon a perceived confrontation, leave their tools, their talents, their linens, and are on the run. They are afraid and indecisive and are everywhere.

May the Lord assist us so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past. May we correct their errors for better Christianity in our era. Amen. Happy Palm Sunday. God bless you.