John 18:10-11
The Transgressor
When you think of a transgressor, would you be very
surprised that the word was associated with the name Jesus? When I think of Jesus my thoughts go to the
gospel of Luke 6:27-31, “But I say to you
who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who
curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek,
offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold
your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes
away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do
to you, do so to them.” Now
that does not sound like any transgressor, for a transgressor according to
Webster, is “a person who transgresses; offender; sin.”
Now if you have been paying attention while reading John
18:10-11, we have this account; “Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the
high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was
Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup
that the Father has given me?” Why did Simon Peter have a sword? Had he not listened when Jesus said love your
enemies, and do good to those who hate you or was he somewhere else when Jesus
taught about the guy who hits you on one side of the face to turn the other
side also? It sure does not pass the
test of consistency, could it be that something is missing some piece of
evidence that makes clear what seems to be a contradiction.
The great prophet Isaiah gives us some insight about Jesus
being numbered with the transgressors; “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he
shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes
intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12 ESV) All that had been prophesied about Jesus had
to be fulfilled and we find Jesus explaining this to the twelve disciples in
Luke’s gospel. “And he said to them, “When I sent you
out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” He said to
them,
“But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And
let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that
this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the
transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said
to them,
“It is enough.” (Luke 22:35-38 ESV)
My parents often said that you will be associated with the
people you are with, and that is often the case, many a young person has been
considered part of a crime because they were in the presence of others who did
the crime, they were numbered with the transgressors. So in the case of Jesus we only have Peter
pulling out the sword, and we do not know who had the other one, but all it
took was Peter to fulfill the Scripture in Isaiah 53:12. In my example of the youth that is number
with the transgressors, only because they are in the wrong place at the right
time, Jesus was associated with the act of Peter, but never forget Jesus was
without sin. “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also
practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order
to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.” (1 John 3:4-5 ESV)
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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