Luke 22:39 On leaving, Yeshua went as usual to the Mount of Olives; and the talmidim followed him. 40 When he arrived, he said to them, “Pray that you won’t be put to the test.” 41 He went about a stone’s throw away from them, kneeled down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, let not my will but yours be done.” 43 There appeared to him an angel from heaven giving him strength, 44 and in great anguish he prayed more intensely, so that his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. 45 On rising from prayer and coming to the talmidim, he found them sleeping because of their grief. 46 He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you won’t be put to the test!”
47 While he was still speaking, a crowd of people arrived, with the man called Y’hudah (one of the Twelve!) leading them. He came up to Yeshua to kiss him, 48 but Yeshua said to him, “Y’hudah, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When his followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we use our swords?” 50 One of them struck at the slave of the cohen hagadol and cut off his right ear. 51 But Yeshua answered, “Just let me do this,” and, touching the man’s ear, he healed him.
52 Then Yeshua said to the head cohanim, the officers of the Temple guard and the elders who had come to seize him, “So you came out just as you would to the leader of a rebellion, with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was there with you in the Temple court, yet you didn’t arrest me. But this is your hour — the hour when darkness rules.”
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John 18:18 After Yeshua had said all this, he went out with his talmidim across the stream that flows in winter through the Vadi Kidron, to a spot where there was a grove of trees; and he and his talmidim went into it. 2 Now Y’hudah, who was betraying him, also knew the place; because Yeshua had often met there with his talmidim. 3 So Y’hudah went there, taking with him a detachment of Roman soldiers and some Temple guards provided by the head cohanim and the P’rushim; they carried weapons, lanterns and torches. 4 Yeshua, who knew everything that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Whom do you want?” 5 “Yeshua from Natzeret,” they answered. He said to them, “I AM.” Also standing with them was Y’hudah, the one who was betraying him. 6 When he said, “I AM,” they went backward from him and fell to the ground. 7 So he inquired of them once more, “Whom do you want?” and they said, “Yeshua from Natzeret.” 8 “I told you, ‘I AM,’” answered Yeshua, “so if I’m the one you want, let these others go.” 9 This happened so that what he had said might be fulfilled, “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”
10 Then Shim‘on Kefa, who had a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his right ear; the slave’s name was Melekh. 11 Yeshua said to Kefa, “Put your sword back in its scabbard! This is the cup the Father has given me; am I not to drink it?”
How many enemies do you currently have? Put another way, how many people are coming after you right now?
Stop right here and write down every person you deem your enemy. Do they have a right to come after you? According to your record keeping, probably not. But according to Abba’s record keeping, probably so.
How do you do praying for someone that is out to kill you?
Most of us would never even consider it because we are too busy trying to stay alive ourselves. What about healing them? We don’t really like that either because they need to pay for their crimes against us. It’s incredibly comfortable to keep people in this compromised state because we control all of the variables.
There is a simple leveling of blood that we demand from those that took from us. And this is somewhat Biblical. This is called the Blood Avenger.
Abba had 6 Cities of Refuge set up for those people that accidentally killed someone. The guilty party could flee to one of those cities and receive protection from a family member that is out to get justice. If you do not go to the city or you choose to leave, the Blood Avenger has the right to kill you. Sounds like good ol’ revenge and the Torah seems to condone it, right?
Well, not really.
We need to understand the relationship here between the guilty party and this person that is hunting you down. Contrary to what you may be thinking, the Blood Avenger is not someone that is out to get revenge. Instead, they are out to level the spilling of blood. You may think this is the same thing but it totally isn’t.
To better describe this dynamic, let’s go back to Egypt (we like doing that don’t we?). When Moses was born, Pharaoh had all of the baby boys thrown into the Nile:
Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born, throw in the river; but let all the girls live.”
Fast-forward 80 years and Abba reminds Israel what Pharaoh had done by turning the Nile into blood during one of the plagues. On the night of the Passover, death then came and leveled the blood that was spilled all those years ago. If you had voluntarily spilled the blood of a lamb and put it on the door frames of your house, then death would see that the leveling had already occurred. If not, then each home would surrender the blood of their firstborn to level the balance.
When we sin, death is introduced and, to keep the blood level balanced, it then has permission to take our blood. Unless we repent and bring an animal in our place. Doing that brings us level.
How is this death introduced when we sin?
Our sin brings a split in our covenant with Abba. We agreed to the terms of the covenant (Exodus 20-23) and when we violate those terms, we break the covenant.
Exodus 24:24 To Moshe [YHVH] said, “Come up to YHVH — you, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, and seventy of the leaders of Isra’el. Prostrate yourselves at a distance, 2 while Moshe alone approaches YHVH — the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him.” 3 Moshe came and told the people everything YHVH had said, including all the rulings. The people answered with one voice: “We will obey every word YHVH has spoken.”
4 Moshe wrote down all the words of YHVH. He rose early in the morning, built an altar at the base of the mountain and set upright twelve large stones to represent the twelve tribes of Isra’el. 5 He sent the young men of the people of Isra’el to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings of oxen to YHVH. 6 Moshe took half of the blood and put it in basins; the other half of the blood he splashed against the altar. 7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it aloud, so that the people could hear; and they responded, “Everything that YHVH has spoken, we will do and obey.” 8 Moshe took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which YHVH has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
A blood covenant was established so a violation of the terms of the covenant must be covered in blood. If this was indeed the terms of our marriage to Abba, we are effectively tearing the One Flesh that should have been established when you gave your life to Him. This tearing requires blood to be spilled in order to restore us (bring us level) with God.
An eye for an eye, but not in the context of revenge. This is giving an account for our crimes because there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood. And forgiveness is key for us because it restores us back into right standing with God.
Hebrews 9:11 But when the Messiah appeared as cohen gadol of the good things that are happening already, then, through the greater and more perfect Tent which is not man-made (that is, it is not of this created world), 12 he entered the Holiest Place once and for all.
And he entered not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus setting people free forever. 13 For if sprinkling ceremonially unclean persons with the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer restores their outward purity; 14 then how much more the blood of the Messiah, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself to God as a sacrifice without blemish, will purify our conscience from works that lead to death, so that we can serve the living God!
15 It is because of this death that he is mediator of a new covenant [or will]. Because a death has occurred which sets people free from the transgressions committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a will, there must necessarily be produced evidence of its maker’s death, 17 since a will goes into effect only upon death; it never has force while its maker is still alive.
18 This is why the first covenant too was inaugurated with blood. 19 After Moshe had proclaimed every command of the Torah to all the people, he took the blood of the calves with some water and used scarlet wool and hyssop to sprinkle both the scroll itself and all the people; 20 and he said, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has ordained for you.” 21 Likewise, he sprinkled with the blood both the Tent and all the things used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, according to the Torah, almost everything is purified with blood; indeed, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Yeshua spilling His blood leveled all of our accounts and this is how we receive forgiveness. We repent and apply His blood which puts us back in right standing with Abba -- forgiveness.
And if we go on sinning? Well…
We chose to give up following after our flesh the moment we said yes to Him. There is no excuse for you to sin right now. There is no such thing as just being “a fallible human being”. That person should have died long ago. You are a new creation and if you live by the Spirit (as you likely claim to be) then avoiding sin should not be an issue for you.
The only place you have permission to seek His blood again is when you have unintentional sin revealed to you. So you come with your offering and apply His blood AND STOP DOING THAT SIN!
This isn’t rocket science. This is putting your flesh down and taking every thought captive. Simple.
Otherwise, Death, the Blood Avenger, has full permission to hunt you down.
Let’s now have a look at Peter and his noble attempt at justice.
As they came to take Yeshua away, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant. This was in response to Judas’ kiss at which point Yeshua’s followers decided to get involved:
When his followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we use our swords?”
They saw the betrayal and the unlawful arrest that was about to come and decided to do what they had to do in order to protect their Master. But it wasn’t the servant’s blood that needed to be spilled, it was Yeshua’s. Even though they had no idea what was about to happen, they needed to trust Him.
But Yeshua answered, “Just let me do this,” and, touching the man’s ear, he healed him.
He didn’t need these guys to stop what had to take place. He didn’t need the blood to be leveled on His account because He was about to level it for absolutely everyone. What began with Adam was about to be set right for good. No more sacrificing animals on a regular basis in order to level the blood. There would be one sacrifice for good, and will keep Death from avenging the blood.
“Just let me do this”