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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 3
his vehement anger rashly cut off, with his sword, an ear of the servant
of the high priest.
When Jesus saw what Peter had done, he released his hands, though
held firmly by the Roman soldiers, and saying, “Suffer ye thus far,”
he touched the wounded ear, and it was instantly made whole. He
then said to Peter, “Put up again thy sword into his place; for all they
that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I
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cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more
than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be
fulfilled, that thus it must be?” “The cup which my Father hath given
me, shall I not drink it?” Jesus then turned to the chief priest, and
captains of the temple, who helped compose that murderous throng,
“and said, are ye come out as against a thief with swords and with
staves to take me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye
took me not; but the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
When the disciples saw that Jesus did not deliver himself from
his enemies, but permitted himself to be taken and bound, they were
offended that he should suffer this humiliation to himself and them.
They had just witnessed an exhibition of his power in prostrating to the
ground those who came to take him, and in healing the servant’s ear,
which Peter had cut off, and they knew that if he chose he could deliver
himself from the murderous mob. They blamed him for not doing so,
and mortified and terror-stricken by his unaccountable conduct they
forsook him and fled. Christ had foreseen this desertion, and in the
upper chamber had forewarned them of the course which they would
take at this time, saying, “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come,
that ye shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave me
alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.”
Judas was himself surprised that Jesus should deliver himself into
the hands of those who sought to destroy him. He had frequently
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known the Saviour’s enemies to lay plans to take him, but Jesus would
quietly depart and defeat their murderous designs. Now the betrayer
saw with astonishment that his Master suffered himself to be bound
and led away. The false disciple flattered himself, however, that Jesus
had only permitted himself to be taken that he might manifest his
power by delivering himself from his enemies in a miraculous manner.
He knew that nothing else could free him from that armed band. For
three years the Jews had been secretly planning to take him, and now