Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus found His disciples, “Peter, James and John” asleep while He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, and after allowing them to continue sleeping for a while said, “Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that does betray me.” Matthew continued, “And while he yet spoke, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, why are you come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again your sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword”, and in chapter twenty-six and verse fifty-three of his book, Matthew writes how said He could pray and His Father would give Him, “more than twelve legions of angels” where we read:
Do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father,
and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
The verse reads, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, ...” Matthew began words, “do you think” which means “does Peter judge, question or account” “that I cannot now pray” or “that Jesus could not supplicate and ask” “to my Father” which means “to Jesus' Father who is God”. Matthew shared how Jesus questioned Peter as to whether he knew that He could “make a request” of His Father God through prayer.
The verse goes on to say, “... and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew continued with the words, “and he shall presently give me” or “and God would immediately provide and bring near to Jesus” “more than twelve legions” or “a number exceeding twelve legions which were comprised of over six thousand each” “of angels” or “of messengers or envoys”? Matthew shared how Jesus said God would provide over seventy two thousand angels if He requested them.
When we think through upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus not only knew the “spiritual” protection that was available to Him, but also that His Father God would dispatch over seventy-two thousand “angels” at His request. One angel killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians as we read, “And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.” (2 Kings 19:35), so we can only imagine how many people would be destroyed if seventy-two thousand were deployed. Jesus restrained Himself from calling upon His Father for “angels” because “His rescue” was not what He had in mind at this time. He desired to “save” mankind from their “sins”, and when a person yields their life to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they shall have “everlasting life” with Him and be allowed to see and enjoy many more these “twelve legions” upon which Jesus could have called.
Next time Matthew shares how Jesus asks, “how shall the scriptures be fulfilled?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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