Written ~ 04-29-2024
Read John Chapter Eighteen
John 18
When we looked at chapter 17 we talked about how it was possible that chapters 15-17 of John were spoken by Jesus while He and the disciples were walking to the grove of olive trees called Gethsemane, and when we look at John 18:1, that really is making a lot of sense!
John 18:1…
1 “After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with His disciples and entered a grove of olive trees.”
What John does not include in His gospel is the prayer Jesus prayed to His Father while at the Garden of Gethsemane. We can find those accounts in Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42 and Luke 22:39-46. This grove of olive trees was a favorite place for Jesus to go to pray and relax. This particular visit was going to be quite different. Jesus knew His time was drawing very near and He was calling out to the Father in anguish, He didn’t want to go through the suffering that had to take place, but He knew it was the will of the Father and He humbly conceded.
John 18:2…
2 “Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with His disciples.”
In Matthew’s gospel Jesus said in verses 26:45-46, “…Look – the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, My betrayer is here.”
The time had come for Jesus to be handed over to His enemies. The very nightmare the disciples were dreading was upon them.
John 18:3…
3 “The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.”
Think about this for a moment… It is very possible the Roman soldiers and the Temple guards that accompanied Judas had no idea who Jesus was, or what He looked like. If it weren’t Jesus’ time, He could have easily slipped away and the soldiers would have been non the wiser. But that’s not what happened.
John 18:4-7…
4 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to Him, so He stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” He asked.
5 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied.
“I AM He,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed Him, was standing with them.) 6 As Jesus said, “I AM He,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! 7 Once more He asked them, “Who are you looking for?”
And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
When I read these verses, I sense a calm, serene moment. Jesus is not alarmed, He doesn’t try to flee from His captors. He willingly steps forward and acknowledges that Yes, He is Jesus the Nazarene. This had to take the soldiers and guards by surprise, normally, I would assume, a person who is being sought after for arrest would put up a fight of some kind. But not Jesus… His time had come.
Looking at Matthew 26:48-50 it says…
“The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet Him with a kiss.” So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave Him a kiss. Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested Him.”
John 18:8-9…
8 “I told you that I AM He,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” 9 He did this to fulfill His own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those You have given Me.”
I’m sure at this point chaos must have erupted. Even though Jesus had told His disciples something like this would happen, it still took them by surprise. I’m sure each of them took to Jesus’ defense.
Each gospel account tells us what happened at this moment, so let’s look at each of them to give us a complete picture of this scene…
The references for each gospel are:
Matthew 26:52-54 ~ Mark 14:48-54 ~ Luke 22:49-51 ~ John 18:10-11
When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!”
Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Those who use the sword will die by the sword.” Then Jesus said, “No more of this.” And He touched the man’s ear and healed him.
Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given Me? Don’t you realize that I could ask My Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and He would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
Jesus asked them (the soldiers and temple guards), “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest Me? Why didn’t you arrest Me in the Temple? I was there among you teaching every day.”
Then all His disciples deserted Him and ran away. One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.
Mark 14:50 said, “Then all His disciples deserted Him and ran away…”
This fulfilled what Jesus had said prior to this moment…
Matthew 26:31…
31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,
‘God will strike the Shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’”
John 16:32…
32 “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving Me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with Me.”
The disciples were close, personal friends of Jesus, they had seen the things He had done. They believed in who He was. But in this hour of confusion and chaos, fear arose and they ran, each a different way.
Jesus was tied up and brought to Caiaphas, the high-priest. The rest of chapter 18 will show us Peter’s denial of even knowing Jesus. Jesus will be questioned over and over again and eventually brought to the Roman governor, Pilate.
How do we place ourselves in this scene as Jesus is arrested and hauled away? Have you ever been with a group of friends and get caught in some wrongdoing? Everyone takes off running and basically the slowest one is the one to get caught, right? Do we stand and fight? Or do we turn and run at the first sight of trouble? What about when you were a kid, maybe you and your siblings are doing something you know you’re not supposed to be doing, dad shows up and each of you point to the other. I don’t think any of us like to be put in harms way. So I believe the disciples had succumbed to the “flight” in this fight or flight scenario. You and I would probably do the very same thing.
Pause now for a moment… let’s focus on the face of Jesus. He has to look Judas in the eye and say, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Was there disappointment in His eyes? What about when He said to the Roman soldiers and the Temple guards, “Yes, I AM He.” Was there confidence or sorrow in His eyes? When He saw His beloved friends turn and run away, was there understanding and deep love or the feeling of abandonment behind His eyes? In the heartbeat of chaos, did you catch what Jesus was doing? He healed a man. He showed us His authority by telling us He could in fact call thousands of angels to help Him, but didn’t. All the while Jesus’ demeanor was calm, His hour had come. Look into the face of Jesus. Do you see love? Do you see peace? Do you see His majesty?
Look at Him in that moment. This is our Savior, this is the man who was preparing to die for you, for me. This is the Son of the Living God who will be raised from the dead to give us life! This is Jesus, betrayed and alone, but at the same time powerful, He is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. This is who we call Messiah, this is the Prince of Peace, the Lamb of God. This is who we turn to in time of need, this is who we put our full trust in, this is “I AM.” This is Yeshua.
In your hour of need, do you sometimes feel abandoned or misunderstood? You have a Savior who understands everything you go through. Call on Him and He will be there to see you through any trial or tribulation. He will not run away at the slightest sign of trouble. Call on the name of Jesus and you will be saved.
~AMEN~