“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will
at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions
of angels?” Matthew 26:53
It is the night on which Jesus is being betrayed, and He has been praying in the Garden of
Gethsemane. Judas arrives with a crowd armed with swords and clubs and kisses Jesus.
A number of events follows: some of the men with Judas step forward and arrest Jesus;
one of Jesus companion's steps forward, draws his sword and chops off the high priest’s
servant’s ear; and Jesus calls for calm. Each of these is doing what they think is right, but
only one is exhibiting meekness. The people with Judas are probably just doing the job
they have been given by the high priest, namely to seize Jesus and bring him to trial. The
companion of Jesus (in John's Gospel he is named as Peter) who draws his sword and
chops off the high priest’s servant’s ear probably thinks he is acting the way any friend
should towards another person who is being treated unjustly. Perhaps you can identify
with one of these responses.
And then there is the response of Jesus. In commenting on this verse, Wesley says of the
angels that Jesus could call on: “twelve legions of angels - The least of whom, it is
probable, could overturn the earth and destroy all the inhabitants of it.” A legion was a
regiment of the Roman army, the number of men composing which differed at different
times. It originally consisted of three thousand men, but in the time of Christ consisted of
six thousand, exclusive of horsemen, who were in number a tenth of the foot-men. That
is a vast amount of power to have at your disposal and the temptation to use it for His
own protection must have been great to Jesus the man. One marvels not only at His
restraint, but at the restraint and obedience of the angels. Imagine how much they wanted
to help Jesus, and imagine how they were just waiting to hear the command which would
set them off in His defense. No such request from Jesus or command from God was
forthcoming. Meekness balanced all the divine emotions and proved itself to be the real
power that day.
We all have great power at our disposal. Sometimes it is power bestowed upon us
because of our position or privilege in the workplace, in the home, or in society. As
born-again Christians, we all have the power of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon us as well.
Using the power we have to the glory of God and in obedience to Him, and resisting the
temptation to use the power we have as the world would have us use it requires
meekness. Pray for this meekness and then look for opportunities to be meek today.
The modest and meek The earth shall possess;
The kingdom who seek Of Jesus's grace,
The power of his Spirit Shall joyfully own,
And all things inherit In virtue of one. (483)
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John Wesley (1703 - 1791)
Was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to Whitefield's Calvinism, Wesley embraced the Arminian doctrines that were dominant in the 18th-century Church of England. Methodism in both forms became a highly successful evangelical movement in Britain, which encouraged people to experience Jesus Christ personally.Wesley helped to organise and form societies of Christians throughout Great Britain, North America and Ireland as small groups that developed intensive, personal accountability, discipleship and religious instruction among members. His great contribution was to appoint itinerant, unordained preachers who travelled widely to evangelise and care for people in the societies. Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including the prison reform and abolitionism movements.
John Wesley was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, with founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to George Whitefield's Calvinism (which later led to the forming of the Calvinistic Methodists), Wesley embraced Arminianism. Methodism in both forms was a highly successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom, which encouraged people to experience Christ personally.
Wesley believed that this doctrine should be constantly preached, especially among the people called Methodists. In fact, he contended that the purpose of the Methodist movement was to "spread scriptural holiness across England."
Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the Church of England and insisted that his movement was well within the bounds of the Anglican tradition. His maverick use of church policy put him at odds with many within the Church of England, though toward the end of his life he was widely respected.
John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist movement which grew from the 'Holy Club' of his Oxford friends into a great religious revival. An indefatigable traveller, preacher and writer, Wesley averaged 8,000 miles a year on horseback and gave 15 sermons a week. The reluctance of the Anglican clergy to lend him their pulpits led him to give some of his sermons in the open air, a decision which enabled him to reach those among the poorer sections of society who were not accustomed to going to church.