Whom Do You Seek?

Intro

We are no strangers to the different climates that we lives in today. The most volatile of which is the political climate. Everyone must pick a side, be extreme about that side, and assume the other side can only ever be wrong. We have the educational climate, where there are differing views about the best way to educate our children; public vs private, evolution vs creation, life skills vs test-taking skills, and on and on. We could go on and on really. We have different thoughts, feelings and understanding on many different things in the world. But where we most often run into issues is not where we understand things, but where we don’t understand things. We get ourselves into situations we aren’t prepared for, we make statements we can’t back up, and make strong opinions about things we have weak positions on. But even worse than having a lack of understanding something is when we misunderstand something. When we assume what something means, we risk ascribing something that is inaccurate to whatever we may be struggling to understand.

Ever have someone hear what you’re saying and assume it means something else? It isn’t a fun time. As someone that speaks often, I can say that I have. That’s why on occasion I will clarify what I am not saying so that assumptions cannot or should not be made about what I’m trying to communicate. When we misunderstand something, we may convince ourselves that we do understand and become comfortable or even confident, but in reality we don’t understand and may find ourselves in trouble.

Consider the words of Jesus when he talks about the kind of people he wants. When it comes to things of the faith, there are three different people - cold, hot, and lukewarm. Jesus says to the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3 that because they are neither hot nor cold, but instead are lukewarm, He will spit them out of His mouth. And there are a few ways for us to understand what it means to be lukewarm in our faith, but in every way it comes down to a misunderstanding. You’ve got people that find themselves confident of their salvation, but there faith is in nothing more than simply Jesus loving them and saving them. They do nothing about it. They misunderstand that faith in Christ calls the believer to new life. Then there are those that are passionate about their faith, but may be confident in something that isn’t true because of how they want to understand something’s meaning. This can happen often by just taking a verse here and there while stripping it of it’s context.

The moral of the story is this: we need a right understanding of what we believe, and even outside of our belief, we need to not assume what something means, but seek simply to understand. We may not agree, but at least we might know why we don’t agree instead of assuming why we shouldn’t agree.

As we continue into the gospel of John, which don’t worry, we will finish up over the next few weeks, we are going to see a lot of misunderstanding taking place. In these first 11 verses of chapter 18, there is not a single person that understands Jesus. In fact, they just don’t lack understanding, but they completely misunderstand who He is - even His own disciple. As we look at their misunderstandings, we will discuss a few of today’s common misunderstandings about Jesus, both outside and inside the church.

We’re going to split our passage into three parts and look at three misunderstandings of the person of Jesus. Let’s start with verses 1-3.

John 18:1–3 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. Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

Now, let’s for a moment consider all of Jesus’ ministry to this point. What have people seen Jesus do? He’s taught people. He’s healed the sick and injured. He’s fed the hungry. There was that one moment where he went around the temple with a whip and flipped some tables. But if you take the whole of Jesus’ ministry, what was known by the people, whether they understood or did not, was that Jesus was not a violent person. He was by no means a zealot, though He had zeal for God, but it was not zeal that would lead Him to violence. He did not encourage disobedience against the law or against the rule of Rome. He never raised up an army, but instead raised up hope in the kingdom of God come to earth.

Now consider what you understand about Jesus and consider what these people would understand about Jesus if they actually observed even remotely rightly what He was doing. And now compare that to how the people coming to arrest Him came prepared. Verse 3 says that they came with lanterns, torches and weapons. Why? Why in the world would they need weapons? It kinda seems like showing up to the pet store with a shotgun so you can adopt a hamster. Jesus had proven throughout His ministry to be gentle and kind, so why show up with the force of an army to arrest Him? What were they being told about Him and what were they misunderstanding?

But it goes further, because we can see in this verse that it wasn’t just the temple guard sent by the chief priests to arrest Him, but Judas even had some Roman soldiers with Him. Now, one clear habit that Rome had, and we see it play out a bit with Pilate and elsewhere in Scripture, is that they let the Jews deal with Jewish problems. Jesus wasn’t a Roman problem. Jesus wasn’t a threat to Rome. The one time that He could’ve come close, He told the people to pay their taxes to Caesar. Even if Rome might have been afraid of a new King arising amongst the Jewish people, there was no indication in their mind at this point that Jesus was going to be a problem. And ultimately, Pilate found Him innocent of the charges the Jews were bringing against Him, so they even confirmed that there was no issue.

So we are left to wonder - what in the world did Judas and these chief priests say to make their problem Rome’s problem? And let’s remember, Judas has spent the last three years with Jesus. He knew exactly what Jesus did. So why would he say or do anything to make others believe that the correct response to Jesus was to bring an army prepared for war? Judas knew the teaching and he followed the Teacher, but he clearly, completely misunderstood something.

Now consider the Jewish understanding of who the Messiah will be. They were expecting a man of war who would overthrow the oppressive Roman government, or whatever oppressor there might be when the Messiah came, and that He would lead the Jews in battle to victory. Yet Jesus was so clearly, for this time, a person of peace. So this army that the chief priests have gathered would’ve followed one messiah into war and here seeks to destroy the true Messiah. They were ready for violence, but instead of coming out alongside the Messiah they came out against Him.

Now let’s consider this about Judas - he never truly believed. There was always some doubt with him. Even when he pretended to be a faithful follower, he was still a thief that would take money from the ministry for himself. He saw an opportunity to follow fame, not to find salvation. So he already began with a misunderstanding of who Jesus was. Based on what he heard and saw, he came to his own conclusions of who Jesus was.

Consider the unbeliever today, but the unbeliever that has read the teachings of Jesus. Or maybe they’re someone that once seemed to believe, had an understanding of the content of Scripture, but had a misunderstanding of what Scripture is teaching. Judas here begins a pattern we see these type of people fit today - they use their limited understanding, or their severe misunderstanding, as ammo to attack the church rather than to build it up. Now, as we’ve discussed these last few weeks, we lift one another up and work to build up the church, and sometimes that comes with correction through and by the teachings of Scripture. But when the motivation behind the use of Scripture is to tear down the church, then there is a clear misunderstanding of the content of Scripture. They can memorize it and recite it and still misunderstand it.

And here’s what happens. “Oh, they don’t look like Jesus. They don’t treat people like Jesus did. Jesus never said that. Jesus didn’t condemn anyone. Just let people live how they want to live.” They come ready for war to tear something down rather than to build something up, all because their understanding is wrong. Jesus may have met people where they were, but He called them to new life, and if we don’t view the words and work of Jesus as calling people to new, righteous living, then we’ve misunderstood Him.

Here Judas heard everything Jesus taught, saw all the work that Jesus did, even teaching and performing miracles himself by the power of Christ, and he misunderstood it so badly that he led two groups of people into believing that Jesus needed to be responded to with a preparedness that assumed He would become violent.

So how did those who never believed respond? Let’s take a few verses, 4 through 9.

John 18:4–9 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.”

Jesus asks a pretty easy question, one He already knows the answer to. He knows why they are there, so He extends a grace to them by making it easy - “who are you looking for?” And they answer Him, and Jesus responds.

Now picture the scene. Jesus is in the garden praying. With him is only Peter, James and John, all struggling to stay awake. Judas comes down with an army ready for war to find these four men alone. Men of war, overpowering the opposition, victory assured no matter what happens, intimidating and unbeatable. And yet, when Jesus says, “I am He”, they drew back and fell to the ground. Why? Well, they already came prepared for war, so obviously they were expecting something big. And yet, three small words from Jesus were enough to put them into a place of fear. Why in the world would they be afraid?

Obviously, these men didn’t know much of anything about Jesus. What they did know, they probably only knew because of what they were told by Judas and the chief priests. Their lack of any understanding of who Jesus is was influenced completely by others that had a misunderstanding of who Jesus was.

There was a show in the late 90s and early 2000s called King of the Hill. In this show, the main character’s wife, Peggy, decided she would become a sort of influencer by writing tips that people can use in their homes. Stuff around cooking, cleaning, anything involving home care, and they would be articles printed in the local newspaper. One time, she gave people a great cleaning tip. A high powered cleaning solution to clean anything in your home - just mix bleach and ammonia. Now, anyone with a moderately accurate understanding of chemistry knows this is bad. Apparently the newspaper editor didn’t, because they published it. All of a sudden, this town in Texas was being told to make mustard gas to clean their houses. Because of Peggy’s misunderstanding, she was influencing people with no understanding to understand something that wasn’t accurate. Someone was going to die because of what she was doing, though unaware that she was doing it.

When someone misunderstands what they’ve taken in, and they influence those with no understanding at all, then what do you think those that don’t understand will begin to understand? There is a responsibility that those of us with an understanding of Scripture have to go out and share the good news with those who haven’t heard it. Because if they hear it from people that don’t understand, then they may see and know Jesus in a way that isn’t meant to be. In the case of these men, they were terrified. In the case of the world, they have no fear at all. In fact, they have no reverence. There’s no view of Jesus as God, as worthy of worship, as the coming judge who will divide between the righteous and the unrighteous. Jesus becomes this nice, squishy, passive guy that did something nice so you can do whatever you want and claim His love for you and assume by acknowledging His existence that you’ve done enough. But we know that’s not what Scripture teaches.

So when we are asked the question, “whom do you seek?”, what is our answer? Do we want a Jesus that is just a nice guy, or do we want the true Jesus who is Savior and Lord and calls us to a new life in Him? What Jesus do you want to tell the world about? The one who knows nothing needs to know something, and what they need to know needs to be true.

But it isn’t only those who should understand and those who don’t understand that need to know the gospel - it is also those that do understand. Let’s look at these last two verses, 10 and 11.

John 18:10–11 Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

Peter, Peter, Peter…a man of action, a man of boldness, a man of great faith, and a man of constant ability to make the wrong choice. Peter followed Jesus for three years. Peter threw himself into the sea to follow after Jesus. Peter declared Jesus to be the Lord. If there was someone who knew who Jesus was and was set in following Him with all that he had, it was Peter. And even Peter misunderstood Jesus.

When did Jesus ever tell His disciples to respond with violence? Didn’t He teach them to turn the other cheek? Didn’t He spend the last week especially telling them that He was about to be handed over to the enemy and that it must happen? Didn’t He exemplify a spirit of gentleness when He was being treated poorly? Wouldn’t Peter know all of this? Wasn’t he an exemplary student of Jesus? After all, Jesus did begin with Peter when He established His church.

I think the lesson here may be pretty simple - even those that know and trust the truth can misunderstand at times and get it wrong. There’s plenty of churches out there even where the message has begun to change because people that believe and trust in the Word of God and yet they misunderstand something and they begin to shift in another direction. Now, there’s no one out there that has figured out everything perfectly, and no one ever will, but there are the more serious things.

There are people of faith that don’t believe that Jesus is one with God, but believe Him to be less than. They study the Scripture and they misunderstand the deity of Christ.

There are people of faith that don’t hold to a biblical view on the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage. They study the Scripture and they misunderstand these viewpoints.

There are people of faith who view Jesus as merely a good person or a good moral teacher. They study the Scripture and they misunderstand the power and authority of Christ.

There are people of faith who view Jesus as only a prophet. They study the Scripture and they misunderstand Jesus’ all-knowing mind.

There are people of faith who view Jesus as a revolutionary figure, but not as the King for whom the revolution takes place.

We could probably go on and on. The important part is that we try to not get in our own interpretations, but that we seek to rightly understand the teachings of Scripture. Because if we misunderstand, then we end up in this situation like Peter is in where we find ourselves in sin when we try to do what we think is right. When we are coming to Scripture, who are we seeking? Are we seeking the One true God, or are we seeking our own interpretation of who we want Him to be?

Conclusion

Do you know who Jesus is, or do you only think you know? Do you know who Jesus is, or are you relying on someone else to tell you who Jesus is? Do you know who Jesus is, or do you lose sight of Him in frustrating moment? Whom do you seek?

Jesus is asking that question. Don’t misunderstand what you’re reading and seek someone or something else.

Do you want a Jesus who is kind, or Jesus who is just? Do you want a Jesus who saves lives, or Jesus who changes lives? Do you want a Jesus who carries you like an infant, or who helps you grow into maturity? Do you want a Jesus who speaks in color-coded letters, or the One who wrote the whole of Scripture? Do you want a Jesus who came in peace, or the One who will come back to judge and to right all wrongs?

The questions can keep going. And it’s interesting - you can actually answer yes to the first half of all those questions and anyone who believes in Jesus will agree with you because these things are true of Him. He is kind, He does save, He does carry us when we need it, the words of God made flesh are recorded in Scripture, and He did come in peace. And there are a lot of questions we can ask and answer in the first half and be in agreement. But if Jesus is only those things, if He is only kind, if He only saves, if you’re content to be immature, if you only consider the red letters, if He is only a Man of peace…if Jesus is only ever anything, then you will only ever misunderstand who He is. Whom do you seek?

In a moment, as we take the Lord’s supper together, we will recall to mind the work of Jesus Christ on the cross for the glory of God and the salvation of mankind. We will affirm that Jesus died and rose again, under His own power and authority over death. We will affirm that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. We will affirm that it is only by grace through faith that we are saved for all eternity. And we will affirm that we rest in the truth of His resurrection as we await the glory of His return as judge, conqueror and King.

Let’s seek the One, true, Jesus Christ.

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