Rev. Terry Breum St. Mark Lutheran Church, Lindenhurst, Illinois Fifth Sunday after Epiphany February 08, 2015 "Jesus Betrayal and Arrest" John 18:1-11 (ESV) [1] When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. [2] Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. [3] So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. [4] Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" [5] They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. [6] When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. [7] So he asked them again, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." [8] Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go." [9] This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one." [10] Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) [11] So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen. John dedicates nine chapters of his Gospel, almost half of his account of the life of Jesus, to the final week of Jesus life. We call it Passion Week or Holy Week. For John this is the part of Jesus life he wanted us to know the most about, and never, never, never forget. The greatest action that has ever occurred, the most important work that has ever been accomplished, the most significant fact in all of human history is Jesus death on the cross. For these next several weeks Jesus going to the cross, Jesus death on the cross, and Jesus resurrection from the dead will be our primary focus. We will take this journey deliberately and thoughtfully. It is time for our entire focus to be on Jesus and the event that meant death for him but life for us, eternal life. Even as farmers work the ground every year to raise new crops we as Christians plow the ground around the cross so God can raise up in us a stronger faith that is able to endure and not falter living in a world that becomes more hostile to Jesus every day. The cross is at the center of this church. I believe as Christians it is important for us to visit the cross of Christ every day and sometimes several times a day. Every day we struggle with sin and unbelief. Every day we are tempted to sin and do things that displease God. It is 1
right and healthy to turn away from your sin and run to the cross where Jesus died for our sin and won victory over sin, death, Satan, and hell. It is our safe place to run and experience the power of God. At the cross, we die with Jesus and are raised anew in Christ. Our sins are put to death. The blood of Jesus covers our sins. We are freed from sin at the cross and we walk away completely forgiven having been cleansed by the Lord Jesus and his finished work on the cross. The cross is the best place to run and receive grace upon grace for your life. Every blessing from God, every gift from God, every amount of grace from God was all paid for in full at the cross. I believe as you and I put Jesus and the cross at the center of our thinking daily we will experience anew every day the power that raised Jesus from the dead. By going to the cross we experience the benefits of all that Jesus did for us. It is time to plow the soil again around the cross and see what God raises up in our lives and in our church. In the previous chapter Jesus spoke these words about the 12 disciples. John 17:12, While I was with them, I kept them I your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. One of the points I wish for all of us to keep in mind in our study of this passage is the major concern of Jesus. In this final hour of Jesus life, his primary concern was never on himself. His primary concern was to do the will of the Father and protect the disciples very lives. Jesus knew he was about to be arrested and he did not want any of the disciples to experience the same treatment he was about to experience. The lives of the disciples were crucial to the future of the church. Jesus poured three years of himself into them so when the Holy Spirit empowered them they would be witnesses of Jesus to the ends of the earth. If things went wrong on this Maundy Thursday and Good Friday all the disciples might have been killed. But Jesus kept them all safe except Judas. Judas chose to flee the love and protection of Jesus and betray the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus loved Judas just as much as Jesus loved the other disciples. Judas chose to reject that love, to reject Christ even as people today make the choice not to believe in Jesus and reject his perfect love. Do they ever pay a high price! To live an eternity outside of the love of God is too awful to even ponder but that is the price for rejecting the Lord Jesus. Chapter 18 verse 1, When Jesus had spoken these words [the real Lord s Prayer], he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden. One thousand years earlier King David had been betrayed by his own son Absalom and was forced to leave Jerusalem crossing the Kidron Valley. The Kidron valley was actually what we call a wadi, a dry gulch or channel that only had water running through it during the two rainy seasons. During 2
those two times a year it would be too dangerous to cross but now more than likely the creek was quite dry. R Kent Hughes quotes the late James Boice A drain ran from the temple altar down to the Kidron ravine to drain away the blood of the sacrifices. At this time of year more than 200,000 lambs were slain. So when Jesus and his band crossed the Kidron, it was red with the blood of sacrifice (R Kent Hughes, John, pg 415). Jesus knew that within hours his blood would be flowing out of his veins and that blood flowing out of Jesus would wash away our every sin. It is the blood of Jesus, applied to our very souls that makes us clean to enter heaven. Without the blood of Jesus the Christ, a person is lost forever. Please keep that in mind the next time you come forward for Communion. This is the Blood of Christ. Jesus knows exactly what is going to happen. Nothing catches Jesus by surprise. The Father had revealed it all to him. Jesus is not a victim here being trapped by circumstances. Obediently Jesus moves directly toward what he came to do. It was for this very hour that he came and Jesus was in full control. No one could take his life. He would purposely lay it down for it was the Father s will to crush Jesus for our sins. Jesus was not some little patsy caught in a conspiracy set up by Judas. No the very will of God, the Sovereign will of God, was being carried out and Jesus was obedient every moment even into death. I am rereading a book titled the Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. God calls every Christian to holy living. Jerry Bridges writes, Because God is holy, He hates sin. Hate is such a strong word we dislike using it. We correct our children for saying that they hate someone. Yet when it comes to God s attitude toward sin, only a strong word such as hate conveys an adequate depth of meaning. Hatred is a legitimate emotion when it comes to sin. In fact, the more we ourselves grow in holiness, the more we hate sin. We often say hate the sin and love the sinner. But far too often today that has turned into love the sin and the sinner too. Any time we love sin we are directly opposing God. A word of warning is needed. The sin I hate the most is the sin in my own life. I have enough issues to deal with in my own life than to walk around looking for other people s sin. Jesus speaks bluntly on this when he tells us to get the log of sin out of our own eyes before we try to get a tiny little speck (sliver) out of someone else s eye. Having said that one of the reasons I love my wife so much is this. She will not let me get away with my sin. She wants me to live a holy life and for that I am most grateful. Marriage brings out our worst sin but when the marriage is sanctified by God it can be God s greatest tool for holy living. 3
What I see in our passage so clearly today is the absolute holiness of God. Every step Jesus took, every word he spoke, was holy, righteous, pure, and without sin. God in the flesh, Jesus came for this very hour. Across the Kidron Valley was the western slope of the Mount of Olives where there was a garden. John does not name it but Matthew and Mark call it Gethsemane. At this time the Mount of Olives was covered with ancient olive trees. Three decades later these trees were cut down for firewood when the Romans overtook Jerusalem. This was a cold night with a full moon. Dr MacArthur suggests this may have been a walled garden owned by a wealthy family of Jerusalem, a private place for Jesus and the disciples to retreat. It was here that Jesus often poured out his heart to the Father in private. More than likely they came to this place often as Judas, the betrayer, knew all too well. It is to this place that Jesus and the disciples entered. Judas was able to gather a group of Roman soldiers as well as temple officials and Pharisees. They wanted to arrest Jesus at night to avoid the crowds. Having raised Lazarus from the dead Jesus was a popular figure in Jerusalem. To arrest Jesus during the day would more than likely cause a riot or worse. In my studies there could have been as few as 200 soldiers and maybe as many as 700, all carrying torches and swords. To have that many persons marching together the sound of their approach would have been most frightening. Jesus had no fear at all. He knew who he was, what he came for, and where he was going. His trust in the Father brought peace and calmness produced after much anguish in prayer. You see in Jesus majestic calmness, absolute self-control, and supreme courage (MacArthur pg. 307). The army arrived and stopped in their tracks. Verse 4, Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him came forward. Jesus takes the lead and asks them the first question. Some think the army had torches on this full moon night because they expected Jesus to run for his life. It would be easy to hide amongst the trees in the shadows. Instead, Jesus greeted the soldiers and spoke first. Whom do you seek? Verse 5, They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered I am. Verse 6, When Jesus said to them, I am, they drew back and fell to the ground. What was God s name in the Old Testament. I am. In the Gospel of John Jesus calls himself over and over I am a full claim to Deity. When Jesus said, I am something occurred that is most difficult to explain. The troops fell backward to the ground. They came ready to overpower Jesus. The truth is Jesus overpowered them. His enemies became helpless. They did not grab him. He willingly went with them to carry out the purposes for which he came, his sacrificial death. It would not surprise me if Jesus did not reach down and help a few of them up. 4
I believe they fell to the ground because of the power of God s spoken word. If we were to audibly hear the voice of God in this church I believe most if not all of us would fall to our knees. God s voice, His spoken Word created the universe and all that there is. God s power is very real and his power was unleashed at that moment. I am His word to them was arresting. They fell and he stood. Who had more power, he or they? Of course the answer is he, Jesus. Jesus asked them again, Whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I told you I am he. So if you seek me, let these men go. This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken of those you gave me I lost not one. Jesus asked them twice so they would only take him and not the disciples. Jesus concern was for the lives of his disciples. God had great plans for them and now was not the time for their demise. Peter takes out a small sword and cuts off one of the ears of Malchus. Peter thought he was defending Jesus but could not have been more wrong. I believe at this point all the soldiers, back on their feet, drew out their spears. This was a critical moment. Jesus commanded Peter to put his sword away. He almost could have said, Get behind me Satan. Instead he says, Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me? Jesus came to die on the cross drinking the cup of divine judgment until empty. Peter had yet to understand. John does not mention this but at that instant Jesus walks over to the soldier who had lost his ear and healed him. Jesus never met a person he did not love including his enemies. With the ear healed, the disciples were safe and free to leave. This is where we will begin next week. As we till the soil around the cross please do your best to be at all of the services. God has ground breaking work he wishes to do in our lives. His word is most powerful even driving us to our knees as we honor the One who has done everything for us. Amen and Amen. 5