The Final Stages Of The Journey

by JARVIS, A. | Category: The Road To Calvary | Aug 1996

According to popular legend, unsubstantiated by Scripture, it was a humble donkey that carried the unborn baby Jesus from Galilee to Bethlehem. His choice of transport for His final journey into Jerusalem was also bumble: 'behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass' (Mat. 21:5). How willingly the colt's owner parted with his animal when he learned from the disciples that 'the Master bath need of him'. Just as willingly the owner of the Upper Room made his guest chamber available.

Scripture is silent as to the identity of these two men; and also with regard to the impact this service for the Master had on their lives. But it is hard to believe that these encounters left them untouched. One thing is certain: like the lad with the five loaves and two fishes, both were happy to give the Master what they had; honoured that they were able to supply what He needed. Would that we were always so willing to give Him of our money, our possessions, our talents, or our time!

That night in the Upper Room must have been an unforgettable experience for the disciples. It provided the setting, not only for the replacement of the oft-commemorated passover with the newly initiated remembrance, but also for some of our Lord's richest ministry and His most poignant prayer. But it is the purpose of this article to comment only on those matters which bear directly on His journey to Calvary. The opening words of the Lord's great prayer to His Father were: 'Father, the hour is come, glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee'. There are few such references to actual times in the calendar of eternity. This is but the second with regard to the plan of salvation:

and both were marked by the glorifying of God the Father. In the first, the birth of God's Son - 'when the fulness of the time came' - was accompanied by a heavenly host proclaiming 'glory to God in the highest'. So too in the second, when at the end of His life His hour having come, He prayed for an opportunity to glorify His Father (John 17:1).

The singing of a hymn drew the events in the Upper Room to a close. We are not told what it was. A psalm quite probably; possibly the Songs of Ascents or the Hallel. Psalm 120 seems to be particularly appropriate:

'Deliver my soul, 0 LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue' (v.2) sums up quite aptly how the Jewish leaders sought to trap Him.

'I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war' (v.7) epitomizes the One who 'made peace through the blood of His Cross' in the face of those who so implacably made war against Him. Whatever hymn it was that those twelve male voices sang in harmony, nothing could ever have sounded more sweetly in heaven.

And above the rest this note shall swell, Christ Jesus hath done all things well.

The small party then moved through the dark streets, over the brook Kidron, and into the olive groves of Gethsemane. The next few minutes were undoubtedly among the most important in God's dealings with mankind. As our lovely Lord confronted Calvary, alone on His knees, the future of salvation's plan rested in His hands: this moment in the quiet, scent-laden darkness, was the very fulcrum of history. Jesus did not want to be alone: He wanted support. Whilst telling the other eight disciples to Sit there and wait, He took Peter, James, and John further in among the trees with the request, 'abide ye here, and watch with Me'. What a supreme honour was accorded to these three men, His closest and most trusted disciples! It was these three alone who had been allowed to witness the raising of Jairus' daughter; and shortly afterwards to see Him transfigured in the mount. 'We were eyewitnesses of His majesty', Peter later wrote. He had thus given them a demonstration of His power then shown them a glimpse of His glory; and now He wanted them to have appreciative fellowship with Him in His sufferings. Singled out for special treatment; hand-picked to watch with Him at this critical time in His journey to Calvary; and they fell asleep!

He didn't ask for much support. Just one hour. Might there be times when our failure to give just 60 minutes to Jesus, requires our work to be undertaken by others. Surely we could never allow this to happen in our time, could we?

When He returned a third time from praying to His Father only to find them asleep again, He said, 'the hour is come ... arise let us be going'.

The imperative, as always, was back in the journey; the brief interlude was over; there was no possibility of an alternative plan of salvation. The possibility of the cup being removed from Him had been rejected; His will had been subjugated to His Father's; and He continued to tread the road to Calvary as, betrayed by the turncoat's kiss, He was bustled away to the high priest.

It is not possible to deal in detail with the events of that night. The illegal, mock trial; the succession of false witnesses; and the futile questioning of Annas, Caiaphas and their henchmen. Suffice it to say that had Mary - who we know was also in Jerusalem at that time - sought her Son again as she had done all those years previously, she would have found Him as before, 'in the midst of the doctors'. Not on this occasion astounding them with His answers; but rather, infuriating them with His silences! Were any of this hostile audience the same men, one wonders, that had marvelled at the twelve-year old's brilliance? If so -recognizing now in the grown man, One of whom it was said 'never man so spoke' - they must have waited with growing apprehension for what He might say to confound them yet again. Little did these Jewish leaders, who sat so inadequately in Moses' seat, know that their feeble efforts to condemn Him were simply part of God's eternal plan. His journey to Calvary was incapable of being influenced in any way whatsoever by their puny power struggles; 'the cup which the Father bath given Me shall I not drink it?' It was this that guided Him,

not the feeble machinations of high priest or Sanhedrin.

There is only space to reflect briefly on the events of the following morning when the vacillating Pilate allowed political expediency to cloud his natural sense of justice, culminating in his total surrender to the Jews:

'Jesus, he delivered up to their will'.

Whilst in no way lessening Pilate's culpability, we should not forget our Lord's gentle rebuke: 'Thou wouldest have no power against Me, except it were given thee from above'. Pilate too, was just an instrument of the Divine will.

To be concluded

JARVIS, A. | Aug 1996
The Road To Calvary