John 18:1-8
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
[CONTEXT] He took on flesh and tabernacled among us.
John the Baptist identified Him as the Lamb of God who take away the sin of the world.
He became popular in His public ministry, but as His popularity rose so did the opposition of the Jewish religious leaders.
In response to the resurrection of Lazarus, they openly sought to capture and kill Him.
Some understood this—Mary anointed Him for burial; but some didn’t understand, so when He rode into Jerusalem a week before His death, they hailed Him as King; they didn’t understand that the King had come to Jerusalem to die.
He spend the week before His death teaching and preaching, challenging and being challenged by the religious leaders who trying to take His life.
But on the night before His death, He washed the feet of His disciples; He comforted their troubled hearts; He gave them a new commandment, that they love one another just as He had loved them; He promised them persecution but also the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
That night, Jesus prayed for Himself, for His original disciples, and for us—His disciples today.
And afterward, Judas came with the authorities to arrest Him…
[READING - John 18:1-8]
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples. 2 Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. 3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. 6 So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,”
[TS] Let’s think about THE GARDEN for just a moment…
Major Ideas
Major Ideas
#1: The Garden (John 18:1-2)
#1: The Garden (John 18:1-2)
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples. 2 Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.
[EXP] The name means “olive press,” and in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was certainly pressed. It was probably an out-of-the-way, walled garden that offered a measure of privacy for Jesus and His disciples.
It was in this garden that Jesus was pressed so that His sweat became like drops of blood; and it was in this garden that Jesus pressed in prayer, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will,” (Matt. 26:39).
Judas, who betrayed Jesus, knew the place, for he had often been in that place with Jesus as one of His disciples.
He likely had listened to the teaching of Jesus in that garden.
He likely had prayed with Jesus in that garden.
He likely sang psalms with Jesus in that garden.
He likely laughed, cried, and experienced all the fellowship of being a disciple of Jesus in that garden.
And then he betrayed Jesus in that garden.
With their swords and clubs in hand, Judas led the authorities to the garden
48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” 49 Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.
[TS] Let’s think a little more about Judas, THE BETRAYER…
#2: The Betrayer (John 18:2-3)
#2: The Betrayer (John 18:2-3)
2 Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. 3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
[EXP] His name means “Praise YHWH,” but Judas betrayed YHWH instead. He is always mentioned last in the list of the disciples because he betrayed Jesus. He is described as a thief in John 12:4-6…
4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.
During the Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus identified Judas as the one who would betray Him.
18 “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’
The Scripture that Jesus said was fulfilled by Judas’ betrayal of Him is Psalm 41:9…
9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.
Jesus focused in on Judas as His betrayer…
21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” 22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking.
26 Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
What shame Judas brought to his family!
How shame Judas brought to his father!
How terrible it should’ve been for this father to see his name ‘Simon Iscariot’ connected to the name ‘Judas,’ his son, the betrayer of the Messiah, the betrayer of YHWH.
1 Solomon’s proverbs: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.
And Judas is the biggest fool of all, one who traded his soul for 30 pieces of silver.
Jesus said of Judas…
24 “The Son of Man is to go, 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 And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself.”
Judas betrayed Jesus; he did not believe, and because he did not believe, he perished in his sins.
Occasionally, someone tries to come Judas’ defense, but you don’t directly steal from Jesus if you believe He is the I AM.
You don’t agree to sell Jesus for 30 pieces of silver if you believe that He is the Son of God.
You don’t agree to lead the authorities to arrest Jesus if you believe that He is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed Savior.
Judas didn’t believe any of this about Jesus, so he did all of that and more to Jesus.
Jesus said it would’ve been better had he never been born.
[TS] But enough about Judas; let’s think about THE SAVIOR…
#3: The Savior (John 18:4-8)
#3: The Savior (John 18:4-8)
4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. 6 So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,”
[EXP] Jesus knew all these things were coming upon Him; His betrayal, His arrest, the abuse He suffered, the cross, He knew about it all beforehand, and yet Jesus went forth to meet it all.
He wasn’t caught unaware; He wasn’t surprised; He expected this; He knew it was coming, and He went forth to meet it head on.
He didn’t try to run from this moment; He didn’t try to dodge the cross; they didn’t catch Him running out the backdoor.
He went forth willingly, courageously, obediently, sacrificially and faced what He knew was coming.
Jesus asked them, “Whom do you seek?” Notice their answer v. 5: “Jesus the Nazarene.” But these men didn’t know who standing before them. He was certainly Jesus the Nazarene, but He was no mere man.
When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and feel to the ground. Remember, the word ‘He’ in the phrase ‘I am He’ is a supply word; it doesn’t appear here in the original Greek, but it is supplied by translators so that it accords with English grammar.
So, when they said, “We’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene,” Jesus actually responded by saying, “I AM.”
“I AM” or YHWH is God’s personal name, and this name is the name that Jesus applied to Himself.
Proof of Jesus’ divinity is found John 18:6…
6 So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
When the prophet Ezekiel encountered presence of God, he said, “Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord… (that) …when I saw it, I fell on my face...” (Ezek. 1:28).
Later, when Ezekiel saw that the glory of God filled the house of the Lord, he fell on his face once again (Ezek. 44:4).
When Daniel encountered angels who had come to Him from God’s presence, he feel to his face (Dan. 8:18; 10:9).
When the risen Jesus appeared to Saul, who would soon be better known as Paul, on the road to Damascus, Paul fell to his face (Acts 9:4).
When John saw Jesus in Revelation 1:17, he fell to his face.
There are other examples, but all of these fell on their faces because the divine presence had come near to them.
These men in John 18 fell back because, if only for a moment, the I AM revealed Himself to them in Jesus of Nazareth.
They had come out to arrest a man but encountered instead the Living God.
[TS]…
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus had to ask them again who they were looking for, and when Jesus identified Himself to them again, Jesus also asked that they let His disciples go, but all His disciples abandoned Him.
The I AM was alone as He was taken into custody, hauled before unjust judges, severely abused, and then crucified.
But it was the will of God to crush Him; the chastisement that brought us peace was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.
He paid it all.
[PRAYER]