March 9 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

John 18:12–14

Devotional

What did the hands of Jesus do that ropes were so cruelly applied to them? They only did that which was good. These were clean hands that never reached for the forbidden fruit. These were blessed hands that cleansed lepers and opened the eyes of the blind. These were saving hands that rescued perishing lives out of miry places. What evil did these hands do? Not one sin, one mistake, or one error did these hands commit. What these hands did was touch the ear of Malchus, the man who came to bind His hands, and heal him.

It is no wonder that Peter drew his sword when he saw those ropes that were going to bind Jesus. To allow that to happen would have displayed the mentality of a Judas. But at the command of Jesus, Peter put his sword back in the sheath. Christ willingly gave Himself up to be bound. He allowed Himself to be taken captive as a helpless Person. He was not allowed to break these ropes. Otherwise He could not be the Surety.

Samson was not able to break the ropes that bound him after he wasted his strength in sin. Sin makes a person feeble. In his sin, Samson became weak and the Spirit departed from him. He desecrated his office and sold himself into the slavery of sin. For Samson these clean, benevolent, and saving hands had to be bound. Samson’s sins were laid on Christ. Jesus stood in the place of this deposed office-bearer. The Philistines came to bind Samson; hell came to bind Jesus. Sure, these clean hands were able to break chains. But if He broke free of His bondage, it would be a lost case for Samson. Jesus allowed Himself to be bound. He knew these hands would only be loosened to be nailed to the cross.

Jesus was capable of breaking the ties. He could ascend into heaven, He could destroy the Philistines, and He could send fire from heaven. His disciples looked forward to this. What does ability really mean? If the Lord did what He could, then His enemies would not know what to do! But His love for sinners did not allow Him to break the bonds. The bonds of Jesus made Him appear helpless. “He saved others; himself he cannot save” (Matt. 27:42). He was not helpless because of His own sin, but He made Himself helpless because of the sins of others. Your sins, people of God, bound Him in the garden. But He came to lay down His life as a ransom price for sin.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.