Who comes and immediately goes up to Jesus?
Judas (14:45)
How does Judas address Jesus?
“Rabbi!”
[“Title of respect, meaning
‘my great one,’ or ‘my superior one,’ used in Jesus’ day for Jewish religious
teachers. According to Matthew 23:7, ‘rabbi’ was evidently used as a common
title of address for the Jewish scribes and Pharisees; however, in the NT it is
most commonly used as a title of respectful address when others were speaking
to Jesus. It was used by Nathanael (Jn 1:49), by Peter and Andrew (Jn 1:38), by
Nicodemus (Jn 3:2), by the disciples as a group (Jn 9:2; 11:8), and by a crowd
generally (Jn 6:25). Mary Magdalene (Mk 10:51) and blind Bartimaeus (Jn 20:16)
both use the longer form, ‘rabboni,’ to address Jesus directly, thus indicating
even more profound respect than the use of the mere title, ‘rabbi.’ By the time
of the writing of John’s Gospel, the title ‘rabbi’ meant ‘teacher’; and this
John says explicitly in 1:38 and implicitly in 3:2).
Jesus condemns the scribes and the Pharisees for their
evident pride displayed in their love of being greeted in the marketplaces and
their insistence on having men call them ‘rabbi’ (Mt 23:7, 8). Jesus prohibited
the use of the title for his own disciples, saying, ‘You are not to be called
Rabbi.’ However, Jesus’ prohibition was more against seeking to be called this
and insisting on it than the mere legitimate possession of the title itself. In
fact, several people did use the title of Jesus in a reverent way and they were
not in any way rebuked” (Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, V 2, p. 1815).]
What does Jesus say concerning being called Rabbi in
Matthew 23:1-12
Matt. 23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to
His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes
and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all
that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for
they say things and do not do them. 4 “ They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but
they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden
their phylacteries and lengthen the
tassels of their garments. 6 “They love the place of honor at banquets and
the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful greetings in the market
places, and being called Rabbi by men. 8 “But do not be called Rabbi; for One
is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who
is in heaven. 10 “Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 “ But the greatest among you shall be
your servant. 12 “ Whoever exalts
himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
What had Judas given as a signal to the crowd with
swords and clubs?
“Now he who was betraying Him
had given them a signal, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and
lead Him away under guard’” (14:44).
What does Judas do after coming up to Jesus and
saying, “Rabbi!”?
“he kissed Him” (14:45).
You reign from on high in Your holy temple, exalted and enthroned in majesty and glory above the earth. You observe outward actions while discerning perfectly the inward motives of the heart. You are the God Who knows. Nothing can be hidden from Your penetrating gaze. No one can escape the scope of Your sovereign jurisdiction. Glory to You, Mighty King, and glory to Jesus, Son of God, Savior, King, Lord over all.
In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment