152. Armed With Swords and Clubs – Mark 14:43

At Gethsemane, Jesus has just announced that the hour has come, and that the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. He has just told his disciples to get up, because his betrayer has arrived. And at that very moment, Judas arrives leading a large armed mob.

Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. Mark 14:43

Judas appears at the head of the mob. He is the one who is leading the way. The people who come to arrest Jesus are a rabble. There are soldiers there with swords. These are likely part of the Temple Guard, under the authority of the High Priest.

Together with them there are people who have brought along clubs, in order to be part of the action. Mark mentions that the crowd was sent “from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.”

The chief priests were Sadducees, and they were in charge of the temple in Jerusalem. The teachers of the law were the theologians of their religion. The elders sat on the 71-seat Sanhedrin, the supreme council and court of the Jewish people.

I wonder if the people in this mob were proud of themselves. After all, they were obeying their leaders and they were doing their religious duty. Think back on your own life.

Is there something that today you regret doing in church or in relation to your faith, particularly if you thought you were doing the right thing at the time? Discuss what happened with a close Christian friend. What can you learn from that experience?



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ABOUT THE MINISTRY
The Incredible Journey is a donor-funded ministry passionate about communicating our bold vision of sharing the good news of Christ and preparing people for the soon coming of Jesus.We are devoted to giving Biblical answers to life’s questions through television, the Internet, social media, Bible Centre, evangelistic ministry and Christian living and faith-sharing resources.

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ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Gary Kent is the speaker for The Incredible Journey media ministry. He holds a B.A. in Theology, M.A. in Ancient History & Archaeology, and M. in Divinity. He is an archaeologist who has excavated numerous sites throughout Israel and Jordan. As an internationally-acclaimed speaker and TV presenter, he has spoken and produced numerous documentaries on subjects including the Bible, Bible prophecy, world events and natural health. His passion is to share the good news of Jesus’ imminent return.

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