John 18:1-3
After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. 2 Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. 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.
Jesus has just finished his prayer when they came to the place where the disciples would often bivouac, the garden of Gethsemane. John doesn’t give us the narrative of all that went on in the garden as other Gospels do, but it focuses instead on Jesus’ response and His control over the situation. All the disciples knew this place well, and they would spend time with Jesus away from the people there. Judas knew exactly where to go and to lead the group of over 600 soldiers who lit up the place. So many soldiers came as they were expecting large crowds to be with Jesus, as was often the case in public.
But even with a large crowd of enemies surrounding Jesus, let’s see who is really in charge!
John 18:4-6
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!
Remember all this was part of God’s plan to redeem mankind, Jesus realized what was going to happen He had prayed if there was any other way then completely submitted to the Father’s will. His crucifixion was needed to obliterate our sin. The innocent lamb needed to be sacrificed for the sin of all mankind and to break the covenant man formed with Satan in the garden of Eden. In one garden a covenant was made with the enemy and in another, the covenant is set in place with the Lord.
The difference between the power, authority, and holiness of Jesus and the fake power and authority of mankind, as well as the religious holiness versus what is real, are seen here. With Just three words over 600 men are knocked onto their backsides!
John 18:7-9
Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 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.”
Now if I had just gotten knocked down by just a few words and everyone with me as well, I would be a little more cautious in approaching Jesus. Once again, we see Jesus is in charge, 600 + soldiers surrounding Jesus and the disciples and he is telling them to let his disciples go.
No matter how large the enemy may seem in your life, putting Jesus first in all things will always knock him down. Satan and Jesus are not equals, Jesus is God and Satan is a rebellious created being totally under the authority of God. But we need to remember this is all playing out because of God’s great love for us and his adherence to His own law, “without the shedding of blood, there can not be the forgiveness of sin. (Exodus 29:12; 30:10; Leviticus 4:6, 17; 16:14-19; Num 19:4) The shedding of innocent blood breaks Satan’s power of all who accept it
John 18:10,11
Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”
Before the infilling of the Holy Spirit, Peter was often courageous when he should have been reserved and stumbling when he should have been courageous! The infilling of the Holy Spirit dramatically changes you. This is one of those instances for Peter.
The sword he had was mostly a short, broad sword meant for breaking through helmets. In his zeal he missed and just took off Malchus’ ear. Luke 21 tells us that Jesus healed his ear….wouldn’t you think between being knocked over then watching Jesus heal Malchus’ ear that the soldiers would have had different thoughts
People often say, “If I only saw an actual miracle, I would believe!” That is just not true; human nature needs to determine that something is true in their hearts before they can actually believe it. Miracles can have an impact, but we see thousands cheered Jesus on because of raising Lazarus from the dead. Then, just a few days later, they are yelling, “Crucify him!”
Jesus is telling Peter once again, this is God’s plan stop getting in the way of what God wants to do. Peter hung out with Jesus for three and one half years but when Jesus did something contrary to Peter’s desire he refused to believe it or accept it.
Jesus was not here to fight for his own life but instead to lay down His life for all of us!
There are things God will do in our lives that don’t line up with our will, or our desires, but are always for our good. He is always calling us, as we talked about in John 17 to allow our hearts, minds, and will to become one with Him. As we draw closer to Him, we can understand his way which is above our ways (Isaiah 55:8)
John 18: 12-14
So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. 13 First they took him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “It’s better that one man should die for the people.”
Jesus was tried six times over the course of the night. By Annas, Caiaphas, then the Sanhedrin. After these three Jewish trials, he was taken to be tried before Pilate, Herod and then by Pilate again. For our purposes, we will focus on the trials that John discusses.
Annas was the high priest until he came into disfavor with the Romans then they removed him from that position and placed his son-in-law Caiphas into the office. Levitical law states that a high priest is in office until death because it is after the high priest dies that all in the sanctuary cities are set free of their guilt.
The Jewish leadership broke the law here.
– never to have a trial at night
– never to bind someone until they have been tried and found guilty
– never to pronounce guilt or a sentence on a person until they have been tried (Caiaphas did that in his comments about one man dying for the people)
They will break the law many times before they are done.
John 18: 15,16
Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. 16 Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in
While all of the other disciples scattered, Peter and John followed Jesus to the trial. Once again, Peter has courage to stand with Jesus but courage is not the key to standing with Jesus, love is!
John knew Malchus, the name of the high priest’s servant and had some acquaintance with others so that Peter could come in….looking back on it Peter is probably wishing he hadn’t gotten in.
John 18:17,18
The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?”
“No,” he said, “I am not.”
18 Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.
I often wonder, if Peter would have been praying rather than sleeping if he would have denied the Lord! Jesus told him pray that you will not give in to temptation.
Temptation hits all of us. After all Jesus was tempted in every way. Temptation is not sin. We all know when we are being tempted; this lesson from Peter is when we feel weak, when we feel tempted, if we could stop ourselves in the middle of the temptation and pray for His strength to pour through us we would learn to overcome.
John 18:19-24
Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. 20 Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. 21 Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”
22 Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded.
23 Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”
24 Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.
Broken law again
The High priests does not ask questions, witnesses are brought to incriminate the accused then guilt is found based on witness testimony. He was following Roman judicial procedure rather than what the law dictates. He was trying to get Jesus to incriminate Himself so he could pronounce a guilty verdict Rather than having witnesses to the guilt.
Jesus is using the law against them yet they don’t care about the law except for their own self -righteousness.
John 18: 25-27
Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?”
He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.”
26 But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” 27 Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.
Notice while Jesus stands up to his accusers and denies nothing, Peter fails in his leadership and cowers in fear. All four Gospels carry Peter’s narrative of denial. Luke tells us that Jesus looked directly at Peter and Mark tells he cursed as he left. All four Gospel’s share this story so we can understand that anyone can fall but God can also redeem any failure if we allow Him (which we will see later)
The Rooster crows at precisely the right time and like Balaam’s talking donkey shows us that God has complete control over all of nature.
Despite the brokenness of Satan and the evil nature of mankind. Everything happens the way that God has planned.
Just as God has a plan for your life
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Romans 8:27,28
And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.