John 18:1-11 English Standard Version Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus 18 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” We are going to gain a little extra insight into some of what happened during the arrest and the trial by the Sanhedrin from John because it appears that he (probably by way of his family) was connected enough to the religious establishment to gain entry to the where the trial happened, whereas Simon Peter would have to wait outside in the courtyard area. We'll get to that tomorrow though. Today we're going to talk about something that has been hinted at for a long time--Judas's betrayal of Jesus. Of note here will be Jesus' answer to the guards and their reaction.
Jesus knowing the exact timing finishes both His teaching and His prayers just as the mob approaches to take Him into custody. Jesus actually knows exactly where they are at and He goes out to meet them. This seems like a place where Jesus frequented quite often, because Judas knew its location, but to this point, Jesus had not gone here because it wasn't the right time yet for Him to be at the spot where He knew the betrayal and arrest would happen. There is a mixture of Roman soldiers, temple guards, and other officials from the chief priests in the small army that comes to arrest Jesus with lanterns and torches (this happened at night when it was dark) and weapons. Jesus had the high ground here, so I'm sure could see all the line of torches coming up the side of the mountain (we assume this garden is somewhere on the Mount of Olives, because it is identified as such in the Gospel of Luke). John points out that Jesus knows everything that is going to happen to Him, so He goes to meet the mob He doesn't hide from them or run away from them, and Jesus actually engages them by speaking first. He is in control of the situation still. He simply asks "Whom do you seek?" While this is simple question, it is the kind of question that Jesus is known for asking by now--the somewhat obvious question that He wishes to make them say something out loud. We've seen this several times already when He's about to heal someone and asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" Everyone there knows they are there to get Jesus, but Jesus makes them identify their target. And by what name would they use to identify Him? Who did they believe that He was? This question is simple, yet it seems calculated. Do they say they are there to arrest Jesus, who is called "the Christ"? Do they say they are there to arrest the one who calls Himself "the Son of God," do they say they are there to arrest the "Son of Man"? No, they simply say they are there to arrest Jesus of Nazareth, because that's all that He is to them, and it shows that they don't believe the origins of Jesus that we know to be true from the beginning of the Gospels of Mather and Luke, but they especially don't believe the origins of Jesus that are told to us in the Gospel of John. To them Jesus' life began in Nazareth and that is all they need to know about Him because, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" was a common saying back then. Jesus' reply to them actually is another "I AM" statement, though we usually don't have it written that way in our Bibles. We often have the word "he" added, but notice that it's in italics if your Bible does such things to show that it was added by the translators for clarity, but in this case, I think it takes something away. Jesus corrects them while identifying Himself to them by simply saying "I AM." When Jesus says this, they draw back and fall to the ground, probably in fear--even the Gentile soldiers that are with them that probably don't understand completely what He said. Jesus once again asks them whom they seek and they once again answer, "Jesus of Nazareth" and Jesus says, "I told you that I am he. So, if you seek Me, let these men go." (referring to the Eleven that were with Him). Jesus again is in complete control here negotiating the terms of His arrest to make sure that none of the disciples are caught up in what is going on. John then points out that this was to fulfill the words of the prophecy that was spoken and said by Jesus during His prayer in the last few passages we've studied, “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” Peter then feels the need to defend Jesus and lashes out with a sword that he is carrying (incidentally, Jesus told them at the Last Supper to bring swords with them if they had them, so don't be too upset with Peter because he thinks he's doing exactly what he's supposed to do here). Peter's aim is pretty bad and he ends up cutting off the ear of the high priest's servant, named Malchus. Jesus will put Malchus's ear back in place in front of everyone and tell Peter to put his sword away. Jesus will also say in front of the whole crowd coming to arrest Him that if He wanted to, He could have called down twelve legions of angels to defend Himself and the Eleven faithful disciples who were by His side. John however chooses to focus on Jesus' submission when Jesus says to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” If we read other gospel accounts we will see that the cup Jesus references here is the thing that has kept Him up in prayer all night to this point as He has prayed several times for this cup to pass from Him, but "Not My will, but Your will be done." (See Luke 22:39-46, especially verse 42). Jesus has committed to see this through, even though this cup that He is about to drink down to the dregs was meant to be the cup of the wrath of God that was to be poured out in judgment on sinners. Jesus took that wrath upon sin when "He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God" (see 1 Corinthians 5:21). So, do not be afraid to sing hymns that talk about the wrath of God being satisfied at the cross, because that is exactly what happened. The wrath we deserved was poured out on Jesus so that mercy and grace that He deserved would be poured out on us. He did this willingly both in submission to the will of the Father and because of the great love that He has as the Good Shepherd for His sheep. "14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." (John 10:14-15) Comments are closed.
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Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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