They Bound Him

I’ve told you all before that I enjoy watching videos while I do my workouts on the elliptical machine.  I watch boats splashing through huge waves and airplanes doing amazing maneuverers while landing or taking off.  I also enjoy watching police chases.  When they capture the person and get them out of the car, I’m thinking it is standard operating procedure to hand-cuff the offender before transporting them to jail.   Binding their hands makes life easier for everyone—with the exception of the prisoner. It certainly eliminates the likelihood of an unpleasant surprise.  It also causes the prisoner from thinking they could make a break for it and escape.  The scene is obvious—the prisoner is not in charge but are totally under the control of the officers who arrested him.  Except when it came to Jesus.

Yes, it was probably standard operating procedure to bind the prisoner.  But, this was no standard operation.  If they only knew what you know they would have realized how ineffective and completely unnecessary it was to bind Jesus.  So, this evening we pause to consider the events in the Garden of Gethsemane and witness the time

They Bound Jesus

Tying Up Hands With No Evil

We know why they bound Jesus’ hands.  They had probably been told that he was a dangerous person.  So, trying up his hands would be normal because the hands of prisons are usually cuffed because they did something evil with their hands.  But, Jesus’ hands were anything but evil.  What harm had Jesus’ hands ever done?  Jesus used his hands to help, heal and bless. Jesus’ hands had taken children into his arms and he blessed them.  They had healed the blind, the deaf, the lame and fed thousands.  Even there in the garden just a few minutes earlier Jesus used his hands to help the ear of Malchus.

There was no evil in Jesus’ hands.  He was fulfilling what the Psalmist had said, “He opens his hand, and he satisfies the desire of every living thing” (Ps 145:16).  Jesus’ hands are gentle, gracious, giving, helping, healing and filled with God’s almighty power.  Why in the world would anyone want to Tie Up Hands With No Evil?

Jesus’ hands are filled with his providential care and love for you, too.  You wouldn’t ever think about tying them up, would you?  Would you be surprised to hear that you are guilty of this all the time?  You bind Jesus’ hands every time you need something and fail to pray to him.  Listen: “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2).  So, you have a health issue, go to the doctor and receive the treatment.  Did you pray to Jesus first?  You have a tough challenge at work.  Did you pray to Jesus first?  You have tension with your neighbor.  Did you pray to Jesus first?  There is a huge project do.  Did you pray to Jesus first?  If not, then you Tied Up Jesus’ Hands, not intentionally, but with a lack of dependance on him.

You might have experienced another emotion while you witnessed Jesus’ hands with no evil being bound.  Was there a part of you that was a bit frightened?  You weren’t frightened for Jesus, but for those who were Tying Up His Hands With No Evil?  Did you think of the time Jesus was in Nazareth and the crowds wanted to throw him off the cliff?  “But he passed through the middle of them and went on his way” (Luke 4:30).   And just minutes before this do you remember when Jesus asked them, “Who are you looking for?”  ⁵ “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus told them.  Judas, the betrayer, was standing with them. ⁶ When Jesus told them, “I am he,” they backed away and fell to the ground” (John 18:4-6). Jesus had already proven to them that he had power over them without lifting a finger, or even if they Tied Up His Hands With No Evil.  It must have been frightening for them to know that even with Jesus’ hands bound, nothing could hold Jesus against his will.  We recognize they Bound Jesus

With No Real Restraint

Because we know who Jesus is, we realize how worthless it was to tie up his hands.  In a sense, when John records, “¹² Then the company of soldiers, their commander, and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus and bound him,” is a false or at the very least an incomplete statement. It may have seemed to those binding Jesus that they were gaining control over Jesus, but we know better.  We might better describe the situation like this: “Jesus allowed them to bind him.”  They would have No Real Restraint over Jesus unless Jesus consented.  Therefore you can well understand this statement, “Jesus really bound himself.”  Why?  Because from all eternity the Lord God has already bound our sins to his Son.  “⁴ He did this when he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy and blameless in his sight” (Eph 1:4).  We were handcuffed to our sins without any tools for freeing ourselves.  But, Jesus came from heaven With No Real Restraint to be “incarnate of the virgin Mary and became fully human.”  Miracle of miracles! Jesus unlocked the punishment for our sins that was handcuffed to our souls and bound himself to the cross for each of us.

This gives us a blessed reason why the binding of Jesus by company of soldiers was truly unnecessary. Jesus wasn’t going anywhere.  Jesus had already been chosen by God to suffer and die.  Jesus had already chosen to go to Jerusalem to “bears our sin on his body” (1 Pet 2:24).  Do you see?  The soldiers Bound Jesus’ hands, but Jesus was already bound to save the world from the curse of sin and death.

You can picture Jesus having his hands bound by soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane.  You probably have mixed feelings about it.  On the one hand you realize Jesus is allowing this to happen to him because of your sins.  This makes us sad.  But, on the other hand you also realize Jesus is allowing this to happen to himself because of your sins.  This makes you happy.  For you realize Jesus is doing this because of his great love for you.  He is allowing his hands to be bound, and even his life to be bound by death in order to free us from death ever being able to keep it’s hold on us.

This picture of Jesus having his hands bound by soldiers really is impressive.  It’s actually freeing for us all when we think about it.  Because Jesus allowed his gracious, forgiving hands to be bound, now we have been set free!  Set free to do what?  Hebrews puts it like this: “let us get rid of every burden and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patient endurance the race that is laid out for us” (Heb 12:1).  Even Jesus had his hands bound with no real restraint, so we have been set free to repent of our selfishness, lack of zeal and energy to share the Gospel with others and to love God and our neighbor with no real restraint.  It also means we are set free to live as his dear people.

They Bound Jesus.  But, with eyes of faith bind yourself to Jesus.  Bind yourself to Jesus who so loved you first to be willing bound for you so that you are free forever!  Amen!