This week, we begin chapter 18. At this point, Jesus has finished encouraging his disciples, and challenging them, and warning them. He's also finished praying for them, asking his Father to take up the job of being a good shepherd to them. Now, it's time to leave the upper room. It's time for Jesus' hour to come.
John 18:1:
(1) After saying these things, Jesus went out with his disciples to the other side of the Kidron brook, where there was a garden, into which he entered-- he and his disciples.
(2) Now, he also knew-- Judas-- the one betraying/handing him over-- the place
because often Jesus gathered there with his disciples.
(3) Then, Judas, taking Roman soldiers
and from the high priests
and from the Pharisees police,
came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
If you are a wanted man, the best way to get caught, is to go to a familiar place. If you robbed a bank, and the police know who you are, they will watch the obvious places-- your house, your close friends, the restaurant or bar you hang out at.
Jesus likes this particular garden-- the Greek word apparently means something more like a botanical garden, or the Busch gardens-- and going there is a common thing for him. And that's what Jesus does. Judas, knowing where Jesus likes to hang out, understands that this is the perfect place to capture Jesus. So he leads soldiers-- both from Rome, and from the Judeans, to arrest him. And when we see this, we should understand that these soldiers represent a world united against Jesus. Jew, and Gentile, come in the darkness together to capture Jesus.
Now, when we read verse 3, we are maybe supposed to ask ourselves a question here: why does AJ describe two sources of light? Why does he tell us they came carrying lanterns and torches?
I think we are supposed to remember that Jesus is the Light of the world (John 1:9; 9:5). But he is only the Light, for people who see him for who he is, and who commit to him. Jesus is a like a light that shines only in certain wavelengths, that you need special glasses or equipment to see.
Let's read from John 11:9-10 (NRSV):
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.”
And then from John 12:35-36:
35 Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”
These police and soldiers, not having given allegiance to ("believing in") the light, have to bring lights to Jesus to find him. They are lost, in darkness, refusing to see Jesus for who he is.
Verse 4-5:
(4) Then, Jesus, knowing all the things coming upon him, went out,
and he says to them,
"Who are you seeking?"
Jesus here, knows exactly how all of this will play out. But he gives the soldiers and police an opportunity to come to him as disciples. "Who are you seeking?" Are they seeking Jesus as Savior, as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, as the King of the whole world, as the one who came from above, sent from the Father?
Verse 5:
(5) They answered him,
"Jesus the Nazarene."
The soldiers and the police are seeking "Jesus the Nazarene." They identify Jesus only in terms of his human origins (John 1:45, 46; 6:42). They are not seeking him, as potential disciples (contrast John 1:38, same verb).
Verse 6:
(6) He says to them,
"I am."
English Bibles here will say, "I am he." But "he" is missing in the Greek. What Jesus is doing here, for not the first time, is revealing who he really is to people. Jesus is "I am." He is God.
Now, Judas was also standing there-- the one handing over/betraying him-- with them.
(6) Then, when he said to them, 'I am,' they drew back,
and they fell to the ground.
The normal human response, when you find yourself face to face with God, is to fall on your knees. You collapse, before God's glory. It's too much (Revelation 1:17). Here, this is what happens to Judas, and all of the soldiers, and the police. Confronted with a revelation of who Jesus is, they become powerless. They draw back (Daniel 10:7), and collapse (Daniel 10:8-9). Jesus is not just a Nazarene. And if you see Jesus, for who he really is, you will fall on your knees.
Verse 7a:
(7) Then, again he asked them,
"Who are you seeking?"
Jesus here offers them a second chance. "Who are you seeking?" Are you open to hearing and seeing the truth about Jesus (John 1:46-47)?
Verse 7b:
Now, they said,
"Jesus the Nazarene."
The police and soldiers are closed-minded. Jesus is just "the Nazarene."
Verse 8-9:
(8) Jesus answered,
"I told you that I am."
(So) then, if, me, you are seeking, let these ones go away, "
in order that the word that he spoke to them would be fulfilled,
'The ones you gave to me, I haven't lost from them any.'
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He provides for his sheep. He protects them. He lays down his life for them. And here, in verse 8, we get a picture of that. Jesus protects you.
Verse 10:
(10) Then, Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it,
and he struck the slave of the high priest,
and he cut off his right ear.
Now, the name of the slave was Malchus.
(11) Then, Jesus said to Peter,
"Put your sword in its sheath.
The cup that the Father has given to me, shall I not drink it?"
Peter here does his best to mess everything up. He doesn't understand the protection Jesus offers. Even after 4 chapters of explanation, Peter doesn't understand that Jesus is on the way to the moment of his glorification-- to the cross. And that this cup, is one that Jesus is perfectly willing to drink.
Following Jesus doesn't mean picking up a sword. It doesn't mean defending Jesus, or his flock, through violence. Let's skip down, and read John 18:36:
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
Jesus' kingdom is not of this world. We are no threat to Rome, or Russia, or China, or Iran. We are no threat to the U.S. Our kingdom, is a different kind of kingdom. We don't have land/territory that we defend. We don't invade using guns. Our fight is fought against Satan, through testifying about Jesus (Eph. 6). We don't kill people who refuse to receive the Light.
Let's turn back to John 12:23-25 (NRSV):
23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Following Jesus means copying his example. It means choosing death. We bear fruit through faithful witness, up to death (Revelation 11:7 is describing us). Not through guns.
Verse 12:
(12) Then, the Roman soldiers and the commander and the police of the Judeans seized Jesus,
and they bound him,
(13) and they led him first to Annas.
For he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year.
(14) Now, Caiaphas was the one advising the Judeans,
that it was better that one man die on behalf of the people.
Let's pause here. When we view Jesus' arrest from a lower, earthly, human perspective, it looks like Jesus is doomed. Like he lost his fight, and like the world is in control. But at every point, Jesus has controlled the situation. He is deliberately laying down his life. He picked a spot he knew he'd be arrested at. He willingly let himself be bound, and arrested. He will die, on behalf of the people (verse 14). The truth is, the soldiers didn't need weapons, or rope, or anything. All of this is Jesus' choice.
Starting in verse 15, AJ (author of John) shifts our attention. What we are about to see, is two pictures. The first, is of Simon Peter. And the second, is of Jesus. And AJ is going to shift our attention, first from Peter, then to Jesus, and then back to Peter. When AJ does this, he forces us to compare Peter and Jesus. To view Peter's actions, and words, in light of Jesus' (H/T Gail O'Day). And without giving away everything, focus on how well each of them-- Peter, and Jesus-- testify to the truth about who Jesus is, and what Jesus came to do:
(15) Now, Simon Peter was following Jesus with another disciple.
Now, that disciple was known to the high priest,
and he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.
(16) Now, Peter had stood by the door outside.
Then, the other disciple went out-- the one known to the high priest--
and he spoke to the door/gate keeper,
and he brought in Peter.
(17) Then, she says to Peter-- the female slave of the doorkeeper--
"You aren't from the disciples of this man, right?"
That one says,
"I am not."
Peter here has an opportunity to openly confess that he belongs to Jesus-- that he does the cluster of verbs, that mark him off as part of Jesus' flock. But Peter refuses. He won't acknowledge Jesus. And when he does this, we find ourselves thinking about John 12:42-43 (NRSV):
42 Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.
Peter, at this point, is like many of us. He fears how people will respond to an open confession of Jesus. He loves the glory/honor that people give, more than the glory that comes from God. He chokes. He lets fear win.
In verse 18, AJ sets us up, using imperfect (flannelboard) verbs to make us anticipate that there is more to Peter's story:
(18) Now, the slaves and the servants/foot soldiers had stood there,
a charcoal fire having made,
because cold, it was,
and they were warming themselves.
Now, Peter was also with them,
standing there, and warming himself.
We aren't done with Peter. But now AJ turns our attention to Jesus. Verse 19:
(19) Then, the high priest asked Jesus concerning his disciples
and concerning his teaching.
(20) Jesus responded to/answered him,
"I openly/boldly have spoken to the world.
I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple,
where all the Judeans come together,
and in secret I said nothing.
(21) Why, me, are you asking? ["me" is focused in Greek]
Ask the ones hearing what I said to them.
LOOK! These ones know what I said. [LOOK! focuses the following statement]
Jesus is the total opposite of Peter. Jesus openly, boldly, testifies to the truth. Everyone around him knows who Jesus is, and what Jesus came to do. Everyone ("all"; verse 21) understands what they have to do, to come to Jesus. They all know the discipleship verbs. At this point, they can either come to the Light, or hide in the darkness. They can either choose the good shepherd, or stick with their rotten ones (John 9-10). But you can ask any of the people around Jesus, and they all know exactly who Jesus claims to be, and what he claims to do.
Verse 22:
(22) Now, when he said these things, one of the police standing there slapped Jesus, saying,
"In this way do you answer the high priest?"
(23) Jesus answered him,
"If wrongly I spoke, testify concerning the wrong.
Now, if rightly, why do you strike/mistreat me?"
(24) Then, Annas sent him bound toward Caiaphas the high priest.
Here, Jesus again calls people to make a decision about who he is. Are Jesus' words true, or false? If Jesus isn't who he says, he calls them to "testify" to the truth. Prove Jesus wrong. Prove him a liar. But if he is the way, and the truth, and the life, then why is he being mistreated? You have to make a choice, one way or the other, about Jesus.
But in all of this, see that Jesus is the perfect example of how to witness to the truth. He does everything boldly, publicly, openly. His obedience to his Father, is not a secret thing. Jesus is the total opposite of Peter.
In verse 25, AJ brings our attention back to Simon Peter (using an imperfect verb to pick his story back up):
(25) Now, Simon Peter was standing there and warming himself.
Then, they said to him,
"You aren't also from his disciples, right?"
That one denied,
and he said,
"I am not."
(26) She says-- one of the slaves of the high priest--
related being to the one whose ear Peter cut off,
"It was you I saw in the garden with him, right?"
(27) Then, again Peter denied,
and immediately a rooster crowed.
Two more times, Peter gives in to fear, and fails. Let's read John 13:36-38:
36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.
Earlier, Peter had talked big. He'd made it sound like he would sacrifice everything for Jesus. He would lay down his life for Jesus. But it's a lot harder to sacrifice your life, than to swing a sword. Openly confessing Jesus is maybe the hardest thing you will ever do. And Peter chokes, three times.
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For an application today, let's think about fear.
Most of us, would like to think that we are brave, and fearless. We will stand up for what's right. We will fight.
But my guess is that we will only do that, for some things. Maybe we will fearlessly speak the truth about boys competing in girls' sports, or about cancel culture, or critical race theory, or abortion, or homosexuality. Maybe we will testify about TV shows playing on Nickelodean, or Disney, or Netflix. Maybe we will fearlessly speak up on behalf of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, held without trial for who knows how many years.
There are things we will openly speak the truth about, even if it means getting blocked by Twitter, or banned from Facebook.
But what about Jesus?
What are you willing to suffer, to openly confess Jesus?
That's maybe where we fall apart. We want to call ourselves Jesus' disciples, but what we want, even more than that, is to hide our faith/allegiance from the people around us. Maybe they know we go to church. Maybe they don't. But we won't talk about Jesus, or act like Jesus is everything to us, because we aren't willing to suffer. We are scared. We don't want to lose a friend. We don't want to be excluded, and suffer socially. We don't want to lose our jobs. We choke. We are Peter. We will deny Jesus, as often as we have to, to stay safe.
We go through life, surrounded by needy people. They need Jesus' light. They need the abundant life Jesus offers. They need to know the Father, and the Son (John 17:3). But we close our eyes to that need, and harden our hearts to it, because we are scared.
And the kind of appalling thing about all of this, is that this fear doesn't ever seem to go away. Let's turn to Acts 4:29-31:
29 And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants[k] to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant[l] Jesus.” 31 When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.
Without really wanting to talk about myself, this is a prayer I pray almost every day. I ask God to give me boldness (same word as John 18:20) in proclaiming the good news about Jesus, and ask God to partner with me, in stretching out his hand for healings, and signs and wonders.
And this is a prayer that God answers. God puts people in front of me, on a regular basis, who need the life Jesus offers. I found myself praying this on a trail this past week, in the middle of nowhere, while only with my family. 10 seconds later, this guy turns the corner of the trail in front of me with two knee braces on. You have to smile, when stuff like this happens.
Now, you'd think, if you pray this prayer, and look for opportunities, that boldness always comes easily. But I have days where I'm a total coward. I pray this prayer, and God puts me in a perfect place to reveal the kingdom in word and power, and I choke. I panic, and harden my heart to their need, and I let that person go by. And what sometimes happens, is I never get a second chance with that person. Or it's super awkward, the second time, when it was much easier and more natural the first.
Statistically, it's only a tiny fraction of the church that publicly, boldly, testifies to the truth about Jesus. Maybe 5% of the church is like Jesus, openly confessing the truth everywhere. And the rest of us are Peter.
We maybe want to hide behind excuses. We tell ourselves, we don't know what to say. We don't have a clear understanding of what the good news about Jesus really is. We tell ourselves, that person is hopeless anyway, that the fields aren't ripe for the harvest. We tell ourselves, we aren't Judas. It's not like we are betraying Jesus, or abandoning him. We will just let someone more qualified, like our pastor, do our job.
But at the end of the day, if we cut through our excuses, what are we, really? We are a people conquered by fear.
And this fear, is something that never seems to go away. I wish I could promise you that it gets easier, if you start being bold and open in your testimony. If it does, I'm still waiting. Apparently, it will always be hard.
But part of being Jesus' disciple, is openly confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord to outsiders. Your job, is to testify about Jesus, and bring people toward Jesus. Fear is something that you have to conquer (or you get thrown into the lake of fire; Revelation 21:7-8). You can't be Peter. And if you are, this is a sin that you need to confess, and repent of. Do this, and God will forgive you, and restore you. But truly repent from this. Let us be a bold church, openly confessing who Jesus is, and what Jesus offers to the world. We may never be a people who have "no fear." But we will be a people who conquer fear. We will be a people like Jesus, and not Peter.
Translation:
(1) After saying these things, Jesus went out with his disciples to the other side of the Kidron brook, where there was a garden, into which he entered-- he and his disciples.
(2) Now, he also knew-- Judas-- the one betraying/handing him over-- the place
because often Jesus gathered there with his disciples.
(3) Then, Judas, taking Roman soldiers
and from the high priests
and from the Pharisees police,
came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
(4) Then, Jesus, knowing all the things coming upon him, went out,
and he says to them,
"Who are you seeking?"
(5) They answered him,
"Jesus the Nazarene."
(6) He says to them,
"I am."
Now, Judas was also standing there-- the one handing over/betraying him-- with them.
(6) Then, when he said to them, 'I am,' they drew back,
and they fell to the ground.
(7) Then, again he asked them,
"Who are you seeking?"
Now, they said,
"Jesus the Nazarene."
(8) Jesus answered,
"I told you that I am."
(So) then, if, me, you are seeking, let these ones go away, "
in order that the word that he spoke to them would be fulfilled,
'The ones you gave to me, I haven't lost from them any.'
(10) Then, Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it,
and he struck the slave of the high priest,
and he cut off his right ear.
Now, the name of the slave was Malchus.
(11) Then, Jesus said to Peter,
"Put your sword in its sheath.
The cup that the Father has given to me, shall I not drink it?"
(12) Then, the Roman soldiers and the commander and the police of the Judeans seized Jesus,
and they bound him,
(13) and they led him first to Annas.
For he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year.
(14) Now, Caiaphas was the one advising the Judeans,
that it was better that one man die on behalf of the people.
(15) Now, Simon Peter was following Jesus with another disciple.
Now, that disciple was known to the high priest,
and he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.
(16) Now, Peter had stood by the door outside.
Then, the other disciple went out-- the one known to the high priest--
and he spoke to the door/gate keeper,
and he brought in Peter.
(17) Then, she says to Peter-- the female slave of the doorkeeper--
"You aren't from the disciples of this man, right?"
That one says,
"I am not."
(18) Now, the slaves and the servants/foot soldiers had stood there,
a charcoal fire having made,
because cold, it was,
and they were warming themselves.
Now, Peter was also with them,
standing there, and warming himself.
(19) Then, the high priest asked Jesus concerning his disciples
and concerning his teaching.
(20) Jesus responded to/answered him,
"I openly/boldly have spoken to the world.
I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple,
where all the Judeans come together,
and in secret I said nothing.
(21) Why, me, are you asking?
Ask the ones hearing what I said to them.
LOOK! These ones know what I said.
(22) Now, when he said these things, one of the police standing there slapped Jesus, saying,
"In this way do you answer the high priest?"
(23) Jesus answered him,
"If wrongly I spoke, testify concerning the wrong.
Now, if rightly, why do you strike/mistreat me?"
(24) Then, Annas sent him bound toward Caiaphas the high priest.
(25) Now, Simon Peter was standing there and warming himself.
Then, they said to him,
"You aren't also from his disciples, right?"
That one denied,
and he said,
"I am not."
(26) She says-- one of the slaves of the high priest--
related being to the one whose ear Peter cut off,
"It was you I saw in the garden with him, right?"
(27) Then, again Peter denied,
and immediately a rooster crowed.
