BETRAYAL & ARREST OF JESUS (John 18:1-11) A. If you have ever been betrayed then you should be able to empathize with Jesus. 1. To betray means to give over; to give into the hands of another (Thayer). To disappoint, prove undependable; to abandon or forsake (Word Web). 2. There is nothing that hurts worse than being abandoned & forsaken by someone close to us. 3. In fact, some people would rather die than to live having been betrayed. As following Christ gives birth to & cherishes the most perfect love, so it calls forth the most bitter hatred. It calls forth a love which is above nature, because it makes men love their enemies. Contrariwise it calls forth a hatred which is unnatural, for it made, & yet makes, men hate & betray, and, if they can, destroy their own flesh & blood. (The Biblical Illustrator) Matt 10:21-23 Now brother will deliver up brother to death, & a father his child; & children will rise up against parents & cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. B. But our experiences with betrayal cannot fully compare to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. 1. That betrayal, led to an arrest on false charges, an unjust sentence, & the violent death of an innocent man, our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. [What does the betrayal & arrest of Jesus teach us?] 4. Forsaking the assembly is a type of betrayal (Heb 10:25), & indeed it is painful to put your trust in a brother or sister in Christ, only to have them abandon what could have been a beautiful & lasting relationship in the Lord, & in His work. I. GOD S FOREKNOWLEDGE & WISDOM 1
A. The betrayal of Jesus had been prophesied or forecasted in the OT (Psa 41:9; Zech 11:12-13; 13:6-7). 1. Even the specific amount of money that Judas would receive for his betrayal was noted. 2. And when the betrayal was about to be finalized, Jesus quoted the prophecy regarding it. John 13:18-19 I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me. 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. B. But not only did God forecast the betrayal of Jesus hundreds of years before it happened, but Jesus Himself knew all the particulars of that sad event. 1. He knew the culprit was from among His disciples, & He even knew his name. John 6:64, 70-71 But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, & who would betray Him. 70 Jesus answered them, Did I not choose you, the twelve, & one of you is a devil? 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve. 2. He even identified Judas as the betrayer, to his face, at their last Passover together. Matt 26:24-25 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered & said, Rabbi, is it I? He said to him, You have said it. C. And although the betrayal & subsequent arrest of Jesus was known by God beforehand, this did not relieve Judas of his culpability (guilt). 1. There is sometimes a misunderstanding about this matter, i.e., that God somehow controlled the actions of Judas & those who were involved in Jesus death concluding then that Judas was not responsible for his actions. 2
Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose & foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, & put to death; 2. God did not decree the betrayal & arrest of Jesus, but He did foresee that those events. II. MAN S DEGRADATION (LOW STATE) A. People sin during the day, but when the sun goes down that usually signals the time when the evil plans & wicked schemes are carried out. a. Yes, Satan entered Judas (Lk 22:3), but Satan can be resisted (Jas 4:7). 1. Paul said that while some are sleeping at night, others are getting drunk at night (1 Thess 5:7). b. Judas exercised his free-will when he determined to betray his friend, 1 Thess 5:8-9 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith & love, & as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, c. just as the Jews did when they demanded that the Romans put Jesus to death. 3. So knowing the hearts of men as He did, God applied their evil intentions to the very plan of redemption that could save them from sin. [The betrayal & arrest of Jesus demonstrate a 2 nd lesson.] a. Why does sin pick up at night? b. Because those who do evil are ashamed to be seen by anyone other than those do the same, or by those who would condone it. c. That same hesitancy, to want to be seen doing evil, applies to just about any sin. 3
2. Well Judas too carried out his evil betrayal at night (Matt 26:20). 4. He betrayed the Christ for a mere 30 pieces of silver (Matt 27:3-4). 3. Jesus told those who came to arrest Him, Judas included, this is your hour, & the power of darkness (Lk 22:53); and it just so happened that it was nighttime fitting wasn t it? a. The price of a slave (Exo 21:32). b. Zechariah sarcastically called it a princely price (Zech 11:13). B. How could Judas have done something so obviously wrong & reprehensible? 1. He was one of the twelve (Matt 26:14-16). 2. He was a familiar friend (Psa 41:9; Zech 13:6-7). c. That anyone would sell out the Lord for any price is shameful enough but for such a low price adds insult to injury! d. We despise traitors to our country but for someone to betray our nation for a few hundred dollars would be incomprehensible. 3. Jesus did all but call him on the carpet in front of the other disciples (Lk 22:21; 26:20-25; Jn 13:26-28), & yet he betrayed the Son of Man with a kiss (Lk 22:48) a gesture of friendship & love (Lk 7:44-45). C. In this 2 nd point, we see the degradation of man in three facts relating to the betrayal & arrest of Jesus. 1. That it was carried out at night. 4
2. That Judas did something so obviously wrong. 3. Thirdly, that they came to arrest Jesus as if He were a vile, dangerous criminal (Jn 18:3). a. Jesus confronted them with the irony of their actions. 1. A sacrifice entails giving something that one does not have to give, & giving that gift for the betterment of others. Eph 5:2 And walk in love, AS Christ also has loved us & given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. [And what did His sacrifice accomplish for us?] 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace Matt 26:55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords & clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, & you did not seize Me. 2. Jesus rebuked Peter for standing in the way of this act of sacrificial love (Matt 26:52). [Finally, the betrayal & arrest of Jesus demonstrates a 3 rd lesson.] 3. Jesus could have summoned 12 legions of angels to prevent the sacrifice (Matt 26:53). III. CHRIST S SACRIFICIAL LOVE 4. But Jesus never fought the hand that held the knife against His throat. A. Jesus allowed His betrayal & arrest to occur, when He could have put a stop to it at any time because that is what a sacrifice entails. Matt 26:63-64 Jesus kept silent [during the false witness testimony]. And the high priest answered & said to Him, I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God! 64 Jesus said to him, It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, & coming on the clouds of heaven. 5
5. So the sacrifice would go on as scheduled, & the defense of His claim would come in just three days, when He would be raised from the dead, AND also on that final Day of Judgment. CLOSING A. The betrayal & arrest of Jesus demonstrates: 1. The foreknowledge & wisdom of God. 6. But though Jesus life was in jeopardy though He knew that He was about to be sacrificed like a lamb upon the altar His greater concern was for the well-being of His disciples while He was giving up His life! 2. The degradation of our sins. 3. The sacrificial love of Jesus. B. God has proven that He can bring a good result out of an evil man, but He would rather bring good result out of good of a good man? John 18:7-9 Then He asked them again, Whom are you seeking? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. 8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way, 9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none (Jn 17:12). I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me a sinner condemned unclean. For me it was in the garden He prayed, Not my will, but Thine, He cried with tears in His sorrow, and sweat drops of blood for mine. He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own; He bore the burden to Calv ry, and suffered and died alone. When with the ransomed in glory His face I at last shall see, Twill be my joy through the ages to sing of His love for me. Oh how marvelous! Oh how wonderful! And my song shall ever be. Oh how marvelous! Oh how wonderful! Is my Savior s love for me. (Charles H. Gabriel, 1905) 6