Lent Day 17: Friday after the Second Sunday in Lent— Jesus Led Away Captive.

Jesus Led Away Captive.

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Read St. John xviii. 12, 13.

[12] Then the band and the tribune, and the servants of the Jews, took Jesus, and bound him: [13] And they led him away to Annas first, for he was father in law to Caiphas, who was the high priest of that year.

1. The chief priests and Pharisees had brought with them a coil of rope with which they bound tightly the sacred hands of Jesus, and He was led away like a lamb going to the slaughter. This is the beginning of the apparent powerlessness of Jesus. He Who before bid defiance to His enemies, put them to the rout by word and work, now seems unable to resist them, feeble and helpless in their hands. Yet under this apparent weakness was hidden a divine force; nay, it was this very weakness which was the means of conquering the whole world.

2. The officers tied the hands of Jesus, so that He could no longer lay them upon the sick and the afflicted, to heal their diseases and their miseries. So we too tie the hands of Jesus by bands far more fatal, in hindering His power to heal the sickness of our soul. When we reject His graces and turn a deaf ear to His counsel, we render Him powerless to assist us; He cannot bestow upon us the blessings He delights to impart: our obstinacy has tied His hands so that He cannot help us as He would.

3. Often in our desire to work for others we find our hands tied. Something hinders our charitable designs; some hostile influence renders us apparently powerless. Our prayers seem to avail nothing; our kind acts are rejected; we seem to do the wrong thing when trying our best to do what is right. Yet we must not repine; we are only treading in our Master’s steps. The very suffering entailed in this is a sure means of earning the graces we desire.