Caiaphas and the Cup

John 18:1-14

(v.1) Out to Gethsemene

They have been in the upper room since chapter 13

He finishes His farewell discourse

He finishes praying for His people

They even sing a hymn together

Matthew 26:30- And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Now they go out of the city

Across the book Kidron to the opposite side of the Kidron valley

To a garden on the Mount of Olives

Likely the garden of a wealthy individual who allowed Jesus and His disciples to use it when they wished

(vv.2-9) The Betrayal

Judas knew and went

This was a place which Jesus frequented with His disciples

Luke 22:39- And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.

Judas knew where Jesus would be there

He knew it would be a perfect place to betray Him since it was secluded from the crowds

He knew it was the perfect time to do it since it was night time and dark, so fewer people would see

Jesus knew what Judas would do

He knew all that would follow Judas’ betrayal and yet He went

Isaiah 50:5-7- The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.

A cohort and temple guards

The preists and Jewish guards are the arresting force

The Roman cohort was there to keep order

Passions would have been high since Jesus was such a popular and controversial figure

Lanterns torches and weapons

Whom do you seek?

Jesus of Nazareth

I am He

They drew back and fell down

Why?

There is much disagreement over this

Not matter the cause, I think John wants us to see the profound truth that He is God

A universal condemnation

John is subtly making an important point

The Jews are not the only ones guilty of this rebellion

The Romans are not the only ones responsible

There is a universality to the rebellion against God

And so it is with you and me

Were no more righteous than they

We are, by nature, equally as guilty of treason against the Most High

Our betrayal ought to be seen in the betrayal of Judas

We need grace and mercy from Him against whom we have rebelled

(v.10) Shall I not drink the cup?

Peter pulls out his sword

He strikes cuts off the ear of the High Priest’s servant

Jesus’ rebuke

He commands Peter to put his sword away

He must drink the cup

John 12:27- “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

The cup is from God

It is not from the soldiers or the Jewish leaders

It is from the Father Himself

The cup is of wrath

Revelation 14:9-10- And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

The cup is full and the cup is empty

It is full for all who are still in their sins

They will drink of the fury of the wrath of God forever

It is empty for all who have received Jesus by faith

For them, He drank the full cup of wrath that they deserved

Not because of their great merit or wisdom but because of His great grace

(vv.12-14) Caiaphas’ words come full circle

He spoke better than he knew

John 11:49-52- But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

Rebels used for redemption

They are the means by which He will accomplish His purpose of redemption

It is by this work that He shows His grace even to them

They bind him and take Him to Annas, and so the work begins

He is always doing something far greater than it seems

Even when it seems hopeless

When it is all falling apart

When you can’t imagine how anything good can come of it

It was here where God performed His greatest act of love through Christ

And He still works for your good of His people even when you have no idea how

He showed His great love by dying in your place

How much more will He work for your good now that you are His?

The question is: will you trust Him?

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Out to Gethsemene

A new chapter this morning, and with it comes an entire new section of truth to mine its riches! There is a clear shift in the text as chapter 18 comes. They have been in the upper room since chapter 13, and 3 of those 4 chapters have been given almost exclusively to Jesus speaking. There has not been any other recorded action. But that is about to change. He finishes His farewell discourse (chapters 14-16), He finishes praying for His people (chapter 17), and they even sing a hymn together according to Matthew: Matthew 26:30- And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And all of a sudden John tells us that Jesus is finished speaking these things, so they get up and they go out of the city. They cross the book Kidron to the opposite side of the Kidron valley and arrive at a garden on the Mount of Olives. Matthew tells us that the garden’s name was Gethsemane. It is likely that it was the garden of a wealthy individual who allowed Jesus and His disciples to use it for their own private use.

The Betrayal

This was a place which Jesus frequented with His disciples. John tells us that Jesus often met there with His disciples. Luke says the same thing in Luke 22:39- And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. It was so common to Jesus and His disciples that Luke could legitimately call it His custom. What makes a custom truly be a custom is if there is regularity to that particular thing. This may seem like a small detail, but I think there is something significant to be seen in it. I’ll

Judas knew where Jesus would be there. He has been with Jesus for the past 3 years, and to be sure, he was with Jesus and the other disciples in this garden many times on nights like this one. This is where Judas saw his opportunity. He knew it would be a perfect place to betray Him since it was secluded from the crowds. If the crowds saw this unfold it might lead to disorder and rioting. That is why they hadn’t arrested Jesus publically before in the book. But now He was in a private garden outside of the city limits. He also knew it was the perfect time to do it since it was night time and dark, so fewer people would see. This is made clear by the lanterns and torches that John points out in verse 3.

Have you ever watched a movie where the main character is headed somewhere or doing something, where from his point of there is no knowledge of anything wrong, but then the scene changes to a person or group who has a plan to hurt them or cause ill to them in some way? You as the viewer know what is coming but the poor character in the movie has no idea, and you just want to yell into the screen “don’t do it, it’s a trap!” Well, John seems to be aware that there will be a tendency to read this story that way, and he wants to make sure that we do not do it. He tells us in verse 4 that Jesus knew what Judas would do. He knew and yet He still stayed the course. In fact, He didn’t merely know that Judas was on his way. He knew that he was bringing a band of soldiers with him to arrest Him, and He knew all that would follow Judas’ betrayal. Isaiah foretold this 700 years before Jesus was born when he said, in Isaiah 50:5-7, The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He could have stayed in the upper room that night or gone to another part of the city to break their routine, but He didn’t. Rather, knowing that Judas would soon be on his way, He did what He always did: go to Gethsemene.

And then it happens. Judas arrives, bringing wit hhim a cohort of Roman soldiers and temple guards. The preists and Jewish guards are the arresting force. It is they who are insistent on Jesus’ arrest and it is they who paid Judas 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. The Roman cohort was there to keep order. This was a high day for the Jews and passions would have been high regarding Jesus, since He was such a popular and controversial Jewish figure. They come to the garden with lanterns and torches and weapons. Not only does this tell us that these evens are unfolding at night, but it also shows that the Romans are not here to play games. They mean business and if anyone gets out of line that there would be commotion, they were prepared to crush it quickly. The Romans did not show much leniency with rioting and disorder, becasue if Ceasar caught wind of it, it did not go well for those tasked with keeping the peace.

Ask they come close to Jesus He asks them a question to which He already knows the answer. He says “whom do you seek?” They respond, “Jesus of Nazareth.” now, Jesus’ response is profound. It sounds so ordinary to our ears, but in light of this entire Gospel account, it is breathtaking. He says “I am He.” That is what the Greek words mean, but to see the Greek is to see more than just that. Literally He says “ego eimi” which means “I am”. It is impossible to read this in this book and not see the truth behind these words. Jesus is God. When he answers thm, they draw back and fall down. Why? There is a lot of disagreement over this. Some think it is because they are surprised that He would admit who He is since it is dark and others think it is because Jesus shows His divine glory, but neither is clear. Not matter the cause, I think John wants us to see the profound truth that He is God.