Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. (John 18:12)

They Bound The Hands Of Jesus

It seems impossible to imagine the hands that created the world, and the expanse of the universe could be bound in chains as a common criminal. Jesus touched lepers and healed them. Putting His hands on the blind, sight was restored. The Lord took children and laid His tender hands upon them, blessing them. Often, the hands of Jesus were folded in prayer to His Father, sometimes all night. When Peter faltered in his faith on the sea, Jesus reached out His hand to save the sinking disciple. Jesus laid His hands on many people, and they were healed.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas brought a few hundred people to betray his Lord to the mob. John describes the fear of the crowd of Jesus when He announced who he was and how the mob fell backward to the ground. Identifying Himself, the soldiers arrested Jesus and bound Him. There was no warrant, and no charges were filed against Him. Jesus was betrayed and led away to endure a mockery trial of Roman malpractice and finally killed through the hatred of the Jews and the efficiency of the Romans. In death, the Romans nailed the hands of Jesus to a cross.

What was lost on those who arrested Jesus was the divine grace allowing them to place irons on the hands of the Son of God. These hands could raise the dead, heal the sick, and – if so desired – call the host of angelic powers to rescue Him by the wave of His hand. Jesus did not resist. He did not try to run away. As the mob left the city gates in the dead of night, the Lord could see the lanterns and torches coming to arrest Him. He could have sent His disciples away to safety and fled to some mountain. The hands of Jesus waited for the clapping of irons to encircle Him.

The hands of Jesus were bound because His heart was abounding with eternal love. Jesus knew what was coming. He understood the suffering He was about to endure at the hands of those He came to save. His heart was bursting with the love of His Father. There was sadness in His eyes as he saw how the heart of humanity had been crushed by sin. His hands were powerful, but His love was greater. It was on the cross that He opened His hands to accept the iron spikes that would severe His flesh with intense pain. For hours, He felt the agony of His hands holding the weight of His body as His flesh ground itself upon the rough wood.

Jesus knew He must be bound to set men free. His bondage was but for a moment. The hatred of men would last for a little while, but the redemption found at Golgotha would last for an eternity. Two thousand years removed the gift of God’s Son, allowing those in Gethsemane to bind Him resounds with the voices of the angels proclaiming the glory of a risen Savior. Thank God the Father allowed that misguided mob to place the hands of Jesus in irons. Fifty days afterward, three thousand souls were released from the chains of sin. Are you bound? Come to Jesus. He was bound to set you free.