In American Baseball, three strikes means you are out. You are finished with your turn at bat. You failed as a batter. You let down your team. The worst time to strike out happens when the bases are loaded. There are three runners just waiting for the opportunity to score. So when the batter gets three strikes, the disappointment is palatable. You can often hear the groans of disappointment from the fans in the stands.
Strikes at a factory can mean lost wages, a lost job, or even a lost industry. Strikes of transportation assets can mean a city comes to a halt. Striking a piece of precious porcelain or crystal can mean destruction. Striking the face in an argument can mean the beginning of the end of a marriage. But in Olympic boxing, striking the face gains points in your favor.
But there is something very different that happens when a leader is struck in such a way that they lose their position of authority. When an assassination takes place of a world leader, the consequences can be destabilizing. In the power vacuum, struggles for power can lead to blood baths and oppression.
Mark tells us that after Jesus had finished the meal He started the walk out of Jerusalem toward Bethany where He was lodging during the Passover feast. But along the way He was going to make a stop at Gethsemane. Jesus knew He would never make it back to His lodging. He would be betrayed prior to that moment.
Judas has already left the group. We learn this from the other accounts of this moment. But Jesus and His eleven disciples start their journey. Jesus continues to talk about their falling away. He recognizes that their scattering is predicted in Zechariah. The LORD in Zechariah’s time foretold one of the elements of the Judgment. That one element Jesus picks up here that applies to the coming hours is the striking of the shepherd, Jesus Himself, and the scattering of the sheep, the disciples.
I think the disciples still had the choice to stay true to Jesus, to not run away in the moment of decision. They could have stood with Jesus. They could have been on crosses numbered four through fourteen. But they turned and hid, not wanting to get caught up in the mess.
It is part of the LORD’s plan that the shepherd is struck. Notice it is the LORD who does the striking. We might want to blame the religious leaders or the Romans for Jesus’ death on the cross, but Jesus’ death is part of the LORD’s plan. It had to happen in order for the penalty for your sin and my sin to be paid. If Jesus didn’t die, there would be no hope for humanity.
And Jesus chose to go to the cross. He could have called angels to His rescue. He could have recanted His claims. He could have backed down and apologized and taken a plea deal. He could have agreed to stay silent. But He didn’t!
The Arnold Journey 