Transcript
Verse 47 of Luke 22.
And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude, and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’ When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, ‘Lord, shall we strike with the sword?’ And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, ‘Permit even this.’ And He touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, ‘Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs? When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour and the power of darkness.’
Sheba was a mother with all of the protective instincts of a mother. She was black and brown. She was a mixture of Rottweiler, chow, and Labrador. And as you probably already guessed, Sheba is a dog.
This past January the 15th, Sheba gave birth to nine cute little squirming puppies who, of course, at birth were blind. Now Sheba’s owner is a man who lives in Florida. And shortly after the birth, the owner came out, and he dug a two-foot hole in the backyard. He put the nine little puppies in a paper sack. He put the paper sack in the hole in the ground and covered it with dirt.
Now Sheba was on a chain that day when he was burying her little puppies. But she observed what had happened. And the following day when she was released from her chain, she went directly to the spot where her little puppies had been buried, and she dug all nine of them up. A neighbor who observed what she was doing concluded that the puppies had been buried alive, and she reported the owner to the sheriff’s department.
The sheriff’s department sent out an officer and arrested the owner. Surprisingly, all nine of the puppies survived. And veterinarian Cindy Bosert made the statement that it was probably because there was an air pocket in the bag. The air outside was cool, and the metabolism of the little puppy dogs had been reduced. All nine of them were doing reasonably well, and six of them at least were very, very bright and alert.
Sergeant Shooter, who was the arresting officer, made this comment about the owner. She said he doesn’t believe in neutering or spaying, but he believes in burying his dogs alive and killing them. If the owner is charged and convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in prison and a potential fine of $10,000 for each count of animal abuse.
I think that Sergeant Schlutoter is speaking for the rest of us who hear this story when she said, “As far as I’m concerned, that dog is a real hero.” Well, I’ll buy that, won’t you? That’s a mother who cares for her pups. But will you not agree with me that there is something about this story that is very chilling and horrifying?
Something about the owner burying nine cute little puppy dogs seems almost inhuman, almost diabolical, almost satanic. And did you know this morning that if you are a born-again Christian, and of course by a born-again Christian I mean a person who has trusted the Lord Jesus Christ who died for their sins for the absolutely free gift of eternal life and who knows for certain that they are saved and on their way to heaven and will live with God forever.
If you’re that kind of a person, if you’ve trusted Christ for eternal life, I need to inform you that the devil would very much like to drop you into a deep, dark dungeon. He would like to bury you in the dark and leave you there. Or to put it another way, Satan would very much like to bring you under the power of darkness.
And because that is a real danger and because it is part of the Christian struggle, I would like to talk to you this morning for a few minutes about the following topic. The topic is walking on the dark side.
You know, when I was a little boy and my brother David was just a baby in his crib, my family visited my grandparents on my father’s side, whom I referred to customarily as Momo and Pawpo. And Momo and Pawpo lived in a very fascinating three-story house in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
I always loved that house because it was filled with all kinds of wonderful memories of Christmas and Thanksgiving and all of the joyous occasions that we had there. But at night that house struck me as just a little spooky, especially the third floor where nobody stayed anymore and it was dark up there. And as a little boy I imagined that there were probably monsters or goblins way up in the third story, waiting to jump out at anybody who happened to be foolish enough to venture up that high at night.
Well, on this particular occasion my brother and I were put to bed in a second-floor bedroom, which was just off the landing of the stairway that led downstairs. I was lying on the bed, and my brother was still in his crib, but he was standing up and walking back and forth in his crib holding on to the railing.
As I recall the scene, and believe me this is a very vivid memory of mine even though it was years ago, there was some light coming in from the outside of the room, and there was a light out that you could see through the window. And all of a sudden I saw on the wall of that room a huge monstrous shadow. And I got out a scream that probably shook the rafters on the third story.
And I ran out of the bedroom and stood at the head of the stairway crying, “Help! Help! Help!” And I can still remember my aunt Allie, followed a few steps below by my grandmother Momo, rushing up the stairs to find out what in the world was wrong with Zane.
Well, the general consensus was that the light from the door had probably cast an enlarged shadow of my brother on the wall so that I had actually been scared by the shadow of my little baby brother. I was not completely convinced of that. And the only reason I consented to go back into the room is because Momo, like all good grandmothers, volunteered to go in there with me and lie down in the bed with me until I fell asleep.
And I was sure that if a monster was still left in the room and jumped out at me, I would be perfectly safe by hanging on to Momo. Now the chances are very, very good that all of us have an experience like that somewhere in our childhood memories.
A point at which we were kind of scared by the darkness of a room or the darkness out on the street and where we imagined that there was a monster ready to jump out at us. And I wonder if you notice that something very much like that actually happened in the passage of Scripture that we read this morning.
For you see in this passage of Scripture there steps out of the shadows and out of the darkness one of the greatest monsters of human history, and his name was Judas. You see Jesus and His disciples had just recently left the upper room where they had observed the very first Lord’s Supper.
They had gone out into the garden of Gethsemane, and Jesus had gone a little further than the disciples who were closest to Him, and He had prayed an agonizing prayer to God submitting Himself to the will of God. And then He returned to His disciples only to find them sleeping, and He encourages them to wake up and to pray lest they should enter into temptation.
And the Bible tells us that while He was still speaking to them, while He was still speaking to them, a mob of people suddenly emerged from the shadows into that garden. And they are led by the man that we know as Judas, the son of a man called Simon Iscariot.
And Judas approaches the Lord Jesus Christ, and He plants on the cheek of Jesus the most tragic and treacherous kiss in all of human history. And I have to believe that as Judas approached the Savior and as He planted that kiss of betrayal on the Savior’s cheek that Jesus replied to him with a tone of sadness.
And He said to Judas, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” And I want you to stop right here because you see this scene which is beginning to unfold for us in this portion of God’s word is given a very special description.
It is given a very special title by Jesus at the end of the passage that we have read. For in speaking to the mob that had come with Him, the Lord says to them, “This is your hour and the power of darkness.” The power of darkness.
And this morning I would like to suggest to you that in the passage of Scripture that we have read together, we have a microcosm. We have a miniature representation of the way in which the power of darkness operates in the hearts and lives of men.
In a sense, the workings of darkness are here crystallized and concentrated in one of the greatest events of evil that has ever taken place in human history. And I know that no one in this audience will question the observation that on this occasion clearly Judas Iscariot is under the influence of Satan Himself.
In fact, in the Gospel of John we are told that when Jesus handed Judas the sop, that special morsel of food, that as soon as Judas had received the sop, Satan entered into him. And after receiving the sop, he went out. And John observes it was night.
And no human being ever walked out into a denser or darker spiritual night than Judas did on that particular occasion. For he was under the power of Satan headed toward the Jewish authorities, preparing to betray the Son of God, the Savior of men, his own teacher, and his own friend.
And may I suggest to you that one of the clearest signs, one of the clearest indications that the power of darkness is at work is the presence of treachery and betrayal. The presence of treachery and betrayal.
Now, please don’t think that treachery and betrayal are things that we only meet out in the unsaved world. We do meet them there. But treachery and betrayal can happen in the innermost circles of our lives. Treachery and betrayal can meet us in our very own families and they can meet us in our very own church.
Do I need to tell you that if a spouse is having an extramarital affair that they are betraying the person to whom they are married and they are violating the solemn oath that they gave in the presence of God and human witnesses at the moment of their marriage?
Do I need to tell you that when we turn our backs on those who have done much for us, whether their help was physical or material or spiritual, when we turn our backs on them, that we are engaged in acts of betrayal and treachery?
Can it be only a little over two years ago that we heard about the tragic betrayal of two little girls in suburban Chicago? Nine-year-old Nicole and her four-year-old sister Diana. At Christmas season they were at home.
Their parents had left a list posted for meal times and for bedtimes, but they had not left any list on what to do in and what to wear in very cold weather or where to leave cookies for Santa Claus or what to do if the fire alarm went off, which is exactly what happened.
Because the two little girls were bathing, they accidentally splashed some water into a smoke detector and they set off the fire alarm, and they were horrified by this and frightened out of their wits. And they ran out into the cold, snowy weather with just their pants on, and they were intercepted by a neighbor named Connie Stettleman.
And she said to the little girls, “Where are your parents?” And the little girls replied, “They’re in Mexico.” And yes, I’m telling you about that notorious case involving a couple named Schu who at Christmas time got on board an airplane to take a Christmas vacation in Acapulco in Mexico and they left their little girls at home alone to take care of themselves.
Isn’t it obvious that they had betrayed those little girls who had every right to look to them as parents for their protection and for their security? And isn’t it obvious, my friends, that we live in a culture and in a society where betrayal and treachery are everywhere to be found?
Husbands betraying wives and wives betraying husbands. Children betraying parents and parents betraying children. Friends betraying friends. And alas, all too often, Christians betraying other Christians.
And what I want you to do first of all this morning is to examine your life, to examine your personal commitments, to examine your relationships, and to ask yourself the question, am I behaving loyally and faithfully toward those who have a right to expect my loyalty, or am I dealing in treachery and betrayal?
And if that is true, then it is pretty evident that you are operating under the power of darkness. Or to put it another way, you are walking on the dark side.
But Judas is not the only person in this story who is under the power of darkness, is he? You see, as soon as the disciples saw what was happening, as soon as they saw what was going down, they turned to Jesus and they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”
And one of them, we know from the other gospels it was Peter. One of them did not wait for an answer. One of them rapidly drew his sword. He took a vicious swing at a servant of the high priest whose name we find out in John was Malchus.
I’m sure he was aiming for his head, but his aim was poor and he cut off his ear. Do you realize what a dangerous, dangerous act that was? Why Peter could have gotten himself arrested. He could have gotten himself perhaps killed or executed.
And if the rest of the disciples had followed his example, the same things might have happened to them. And who can doubt for a single minute that that is exactly what Satan would have wanted to happen?
Remember, Satan is right there. He has taken possession of Judas. And just as Satan on one occasion had put into Peter’s mind a statement to which Jesus replied, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” So also it is evident here that Peter is acting in a way that would serve the interests of the devil Himself.
And would you like to know yet another sign, yet another indication that the power of darkness is at work? Well, here it is. When without the guidance of the word of God we act rashly, foolishly, hastily, unwisely.
Do you have any idea how often that happens in ordinary human life? I mean, here’s a husband and wife who are arguing with each other, and instead of saying to each other, “Let’s cool this down and let’s pray about it and talk about it tomorrow,” one of them hops up and they say, “I’ve had it. I’m finished with this marriage. I’m going to see a lawyer in the morning.”
And they rush out the door and slam the door behind them, and they set in motion a train of events which may indeed lead to the breakup of the marriage. Or here’s a parent deeply disturbed over something that his son or daughter has done.
And instead of saying to them, “I’m very bothered by this, but before I say anything I’d better think about it and pray about it,” the parent says, “Get out of this house. You’re no son of mine. You’re no daughter of mine. Get out of here. I don’t want to see you anymore.” Don’t think for a minute it hasn’t happened.
And the child walks out the door and it may be years before the child comes back. And don’t you see, my friends, in the midst of crisis, in the midst of turmoil, how easily the devil can manipulate us to take some rash, precipitous, and foolish action which not only does not solve the problem but makes it worse?
In June of 1994, Billy Best was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is a very curable form of cancer. The doctors who were specialists in cancer at the Dana-Farber Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, recommended chemotherapy and radiation, and Billy started this, but it was a painful process.
There was hair loss. There was soreness in the joints and soreness in the jaw. And finally one day Billy Best did something very precipitous and rash. He sold a guitar amplifier that he owned. He picked up his skateboard. He climbed on board a bus and he ran away from home.
He wound up all the way from Massachusetts to Houston, Texas, where he fell in with some skateboard friends and lived in vacant buildings. Later a couple of families took him in. Meanwhile the media was broadcasting Billy Best’s story all over the country.
Eventually Billy made the decision to go back home. His parents took him to their physician, and when they came out they said to the media, “The exact treatment has not been determined, but it won’t be chemotherapy.”
And then when the media asked Mrs. Best what she had to learn from this experience, she said, “Probably to listen more closely to your children, especially when you’re talking about something like cancer.” On a television interview program called Point of View, Billy Best told the interviewer that he had put his faith in God.
He says, “If He heals me, it’s His will.” And then he added, “I’m not afraid to die.” Do I need to point out that the decision to put his trust in God for the outcome of his situation was infinitely superior to the rash decision to run away from his problem?
You know how we respond to our problems very frequently? We run away from them. Or alternatively, we charge them with drawn sword and we hack and slash and cut and try to cut them down to size in our own energy and in our own strength.
And we do not wait for the wisdom and counsel and provision of God. And may I suggest that when we act without the counsel of God’s word in a rash and foolish way, more often than we like to think, we are operating under the power of darkness. Or to put it another way, we are walking on the dark side.
But what about the rest of the people in the story? What about the mob that had followed Jesus into the garden? An unusual mob because it was made up of chief priests and elders and leaders.
And I want you to notice that when Jesus turns to this crowd of people, He doesn’t say what we might have expected Him to say. Normally a person in this situation might have said, “Why are you arresting me? What have I done? What right do you have to arrest me?” But Jesus doesn’t say anything like that.
Notice what Jesus does say. He says to the crowd, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs? I was with you every day in the temple and you did not lay hold of Me. For this is your hour and the power of darkness.”
You know what I think Jesus means? He is saying to them, I was in the temple, and of course everybody knew that He taught the word of God in the temple. You never bothered me there. You could have arrested me at any time.
But now you come out at nighttime. You come out with swords and clubs. You’re treating me as if I was a dangerous robber, as if I was a vicious criminal who cannot safely be arrested without weapons in your hands. What an insult to the Son of God.
What a put-down to the Lord of creation. Here is the only man who ever lived on the face of the earth who never did anybody any harm, who went about healing and blessing. And when they get ready to take Him, they treat Him as if He was nothing better than a highwayman or a thief or a robber.
And if it is true, my friends, that treachery is a work of darkness, if it is true that rash and foolish action is a work of darkness, it is equally true that the power of darkness is operating when we act in an insulting, degrading, and demeaning fashion toward other people.
You know what the name devil means, don’t you? It means a slanderer. And the Bible tells us that the devil accuses the brethren in the presence of God day and night. He has not one good thing to say about you or me.
He insults us as He did Job. He degrades us. He demeans us. And mark it well that when we act in a degrading and demeaning way toward other people, more often than we think we are operating under the power of darkness. Or to put it another way, we are walking on the dark side.
During the Second World War there was an American aircraft carrier that was on duty in the North Atlantic Ocean. One night six aviators took off from the aircraft carrier. Their mission was to search for enemy submarines.
While they were flying to carry out their mission, the admiral who commanded the aircraft carrier sounded an emergency, and immediately a button was pushed and every light on the aircraft carrier went out. When the aviators were finished with their mission and were returning to the carrier, they knew that the carrier was down there somewhere, but they couldn’t see it because there was no light.
So one of the aviators picked up his intercom and he radioed to the carrier and he said, “Give us light. We’re coming home.” And the radio operator on board the carrier said, “Order blackout. I can’t give you light.”
Another aviator picked up his intercom and he said, “Just give us some light and we’ll land safely.” And the operator on board the carrier replied, “Blackout, no light.” A third aviator picked up his intercom and he said, “Just give us one light and we’ll make it.”
The operator on board the carrier knew there was nothing more to do or say. So he reached out and he flicked a switch and he broke radio contact with the airplanes. That night six American aviators in the prime of their manhood plunged into the North Atlantic Sea, and they died in the waters of that dark, dark ocean. All because there was no light.
Now listen carefully. If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, if you’ve received the free gift of eternal life, there’s no danger that you will ever end in the blackness and darkness of hell.
But if you try to fly through life without the light and guidance of the word of God, let me tell you, you are headed for a crash. And you may be headed also for the end of your physical life.
And the wonderful thing about the Christian experience is this, that there is never a total blackout for the followers of Jesus Christ. For those who are seeking to obey Him, there is never total darkness.
And that is why we can sing with the songwriter, “When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory He sheds on our way. When we do His good will, He abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey.”
Trust and obey. There is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. And Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Shall we pray? Father, we live in a world that is extremely dark. And if we do not cling to Thee, we will walk in the darkness of this world. Father, for every Christian here, I pray that You will help them to follow the light of the world and to walk in the light that He alone can give to them. And we ask these things in Christ’s name. Amen.