Worship - Sunday at 10:30AM
Bible Study - Wednesday at 6:30PM
2003-02-16 Sermon - Baldwin Christian Church
WHOM SEEK YE?
John 18:1-12
1. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
2. And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.
After Judas leaves the last supper, Jesus gives a sermon that runs through chapters 14, 15, and 16, and then He concludes it with the amazing prayer of chapter 17. Things start to happen real quickly at this point. The drumbeat of lies and injustice gets louder and faster, just as it will be right before His second coming. Everything Jesus said and did was for our benefit. Whether it be for eternal life, or as the example of how we should live this life, Jesus taught us everything we need to know.
The first lesson in this chapter comes from His leading of the disciples out of the city, and to a secluded place where He could be taken captive without a big ruckus. If the confrontation had taken place within the city walls, undoubtedly it would have drawn lots of attention, and the chance of bloodshed would have been far greater. He knew there were only hours remaining until He would be nailed to the cross, but He had the presence of mind and the grace to keep from involving other people in His troubles.
As they descended the temple mount that moonlit night, I wonder if Jesus thought about death as they passed by the huge tombs that are still there. Very soon the grave's power would be defeated through His suffering. At this moment of extreme sorrow, with all the pressure of the world's wickedness crushing Him, He seeks the Father in passionate prayer. He falls on His face, prostrate on the ground, and seeks to be within the will of His Father.
If there's any other way for Me to do what You want Me to do, so that We do not have to be separated, please let it happen, Father. Nevertheless, let Your will be done, not Mine.
Even though it's a night cold enough for a fire, this prayer is so intense that it causes Him to sweat, and not just a little. Luke, ever the physician, said Jesus sweat thick drops like clotted blood that fell to the ground. The word Gethsemane means 'wine press', and the pressure on His Spirit was greater than we can ever imagine. He was in agony when He entered the garden, but He surrenders completely to His Father's will, and peace comes over Him. Let's observe this lesson as we see the calm power in His words and actions immediately after yielding to the will of God.
3. Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.
The devil had entered into Judas, and now he's hunting down the Lord Jesus with at least two hundred well-armed Roman soldiers, maybe as many as a thousand, along with some Jewish officials and temple police. They all suspected Jesus would run or fight, as evidenced by the torches, weapons and their sheer numbers. The devil thought if he could kill the Son, it would foil the Father's plan, and the world would be his forever.
The priests thought if they could kill Jesus, it would remove a threat to their wealth and power. They had to approve every single sacrifice made in the temple, because by law the sacrifice had to be unblemished. When a pilgrim brought his offering to the temple, corrupt priests could simply find a subtle flaw with it, and the pilgrim would feel obliged to purchase an unblemished animal conveniently for sale in the temple. Greed in the house of God had become a hindrance to worship, and Jesus had openly shown contempt for this corruption.
As for what Judas might have been thinking, I can't say. The thought pattern of a man who fellowshipped with Jesus, witnessed His miracles, heard His teachings, and yet betrayed Him for a measly thirty pieces of silver, well it's beyond my feeble understanding. All I know is it was dark under those trees in the garden, and the plan was for Judas to walk up to his Master and greet Him with a kiss so the soldiers would know who to grab. Matthew's gospel says Jesus responded to the 'Judas kiss' by calling Judas "friend."
Judas had made himself an enemy of Jesus despicably under the guise of friendship, but ever true to His teaching, Jesus responded to the enemy with love. This should also convict us as to how much we are like Judas. I come to church and act like a friend of Jesus, but how much of my heart do I give Him? How often do I come to Him, only to give Him a greeting, but never fully embrace Him? How often do I betray Him by sinning presumptiously?
4. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?
5. They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.
Only moments before this, Jesus was in spiritual agony, but having prayed, knowing He was inside of His Father's will, He calmly and confidently goes forward to meet His would-be captors. He did not shrink from the cross. He went willingly. The soldiers could have left their weapons at the fort.
Judas should have stood with the group facing the point of the sword, but he shows us why we should be careful of the company we keep. Jesus' question "Whom seek ye?" should reverberate in the conscience of every believer.
6. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
The last thing this bunch of rabble expected was for the Man they hunted to be so forthcoming. They might have shuddered when He used those two powerful little words to introduce Himself, but what caused them to fall down? I think Jesus saw the ugliness and violence in their hearts, so He took complete control of the situation at that very moment. When He declared His name to them in exactly the same way God did to Moses via the burning bush, they rightly believed they were on holy ground. Maybe they stepped backward in fear, and fell forward on their faces before His deity. Instead of siezing the opportunity to escape, Jesus waits for them to regain their composure.
7. Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Again, His question ("Whom seek ye?") should ring in our ears as a guide to our conscience. For the Jewish officials and Gentile soldiers brushing the dirt off of themselves, this was Jesus giving their conscience one more chance.
8. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:
9. That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.
Jesus is not asking the soldiers to take Him and leave His disciples alone, even though it's obvious they need His protection at this moment. He's not offering Himself in exchange for their freedom, although that's what He was born to do. He's giving an imperative command here with the authority to back it up, and doing so seemingly against all odds, similar to Moses before Pharoah: "Let these go their way." What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
10. Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
11. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
While preparing for this study, at the point when I reached these two verses, I finally realized the flaw in my plan to always do an entire chapter in thirty minutes. Either one of these verses could spawn several different sermons all by itself.
Earlier, as they entered the garden, Jesus asked Peter to "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Peter just had a big meal, went for a little walk, just heard a wonderful sermon, and was emotionally spent, so the temptation to sleep was very great. Instead of learning the will of God by praying and watching as Jesus had commanded, he slept. When the confrontation came, he was groggy, saw a fight coming, and by lashing out in ignorance of God's will, he puts everyone in jeopardy. If it were not for the commanding presence of the Lord Jesus, Peter's rash act of bravery would surely have triggered a furious response from the surrounding mob. If it were not for the wolves being at the mercy of the Lamb, Peter would have been cut to pieces. What Peter did, he did without permission. The Lord's rebuke taught Peter and us that even our best intentions, if not completely founded in God's will, are sinful.
In addressing this sword-stroke in the dark that somehow miraculously removes only an ear, we must acknowledge God's divine providence as guiding the cut. Luke, ever the physician, tells us that in Jesus' last recorded miracle, He touches Malchus' ear and heals it, showing us that we're not only to love our enemy as He did by calling Judas "friend", but as hard as it is sometimes, we should go the extra mile for our enemy as a ministy of healing. For Malchus, being the high priest's servant and being at the forefront of this mob, up until this moment he probably had no love for Jesus in his heart, but for rest of his life, whenever he heard the song of a sparrow in springtime or children laughing, he was forever reminded of the Great Physician. For the surrounding Roman soldiers who were performing their duty, Christ's witness to them made a lasting impression. The story of calmly arresting a Man immediately after He had compelled a small army flat on the ground with only His words, and restored an amputated ear with only His touch, quickly made rounds throughout the barracks. Perhaps it was one of these very same soldiers who later this very same day witnessed Christ's death on a cross, and gave Him glory by saying, "Truly this was the Son of God."
12. Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,
In the first garden, the first Adam wilfully disobeyed God, and so began the curse. In this garden, the second Adam removed the curse with obedience. Whether He was bound with cords of rope or chains of iron, it makes no difference. Ultimately, Jesus was bound only by His love for you, and for me.