82. "Jesus in Pilate's Court", John 19. 1-11

We finished last time with the pronouncement of Pilate's verdict concerning the accusations made against our Lord..."I find no fault in him!" Luke, in his Gospel account, 23.20-23, has recorded that..."Pilate addressed (the Jews) once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, 'Crucify, crucify him!' A third time he said to them, 'Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.'  But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that He should be crucified, and their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted." 

Pilate had been determined, but the Father had determined from eternity past, that the Son was to die...the sinless Lamb of God...not for His own sins, but for Adam's, and for mine and your's. And Pilate was powerless to either prevent, or pervert the eternal justice of the Great Almighty God!

We have referred-to Peter's commentary by Holy Spirit cumpulsion, in Acts 2.23 and 4.27-28, that these fateful events had been preordained by the "determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God". Jesus was to die for the sinners' sins...and the truth is, that The Truth is! So we read in John 19.1, that "Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him." And then in verses 2-3 we have recorded for us, the state of the very heart of sinful man, taking their sin one small step further at a time, toward their own eternal destiny. 

The prophet Jeremiah has described the dark state of the Christless heart, in chapt. 17.9, that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desparately wicked...". The apostle Paul has also recorded in his letter to the Romans, chapt. 8.7 that, "the carnal mind is enmity against God...". It's as though the Father had already forsaken the Son, in order that their Heavenly contract be fulfilled, and God's word is immutable, never to be forsaken!

These were to be Satan's finest hours...the fulfillment of the prophecy made back in Genesis 3, that he would bruise the very heel of the Son of Man! And sin had certainly entered-in...lawlessness, transgression, iniquity, rebellion, offence, defilement and disobedience ruling the heart of man for all this time, and now, the Lamb had to be slain. And as a part of the process, He had to be scourged and mocked and tormented...the sinless Lamb of God, treated like the criminal He wasn't! But He did-so by choice, out of obedience, because the Father had placed the unbearable weight of our sin on His very shoulder...and there was no other choice. Shame on the serpent, and shame on Adam, and shame on me!

So we read in vs. 4, that "...Pilate went forth...". You see, He knew the truth, even though he had just questioned the nature of it, and..."...could find no fault in him". He had fulfilled his responsibility to Rome, so far as he was concerned, and he had no problem telling those religionists so. 

So we read in 19.5,6 that Jesus was sent out, wearing the purple robe and the crown of thorns, with the judgment of Pilate in sharp contrast to the time and place and circumstances of the birth of our Lord, now echoing across the paving stones..."Behold the man!" Indeed. "See his suffering and his pain and his defilement and his shame...enough already! Out of all the criminals in Jerusalem, you bring the innocent before me!"

And again, the Jews, unimpressed by the objective wisdom of a Gentile, echoed back..."No...crucify, crucify!" By now, their frenzy could be satisfied by nothing less, and their thirst for blood, unquenchable, yet it would be Pilate who would, in the end, wash his hands! The Jews, by now, were focussing only with hatred upon their nemesis, but do you know what Jesus' final words would be? "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!" 

So Pilate replied with anger of his own, I'm sure..."Take him then, and crucify him yourselves, for I find no fault in him." And the Jews, excusing their ignorance of the very things of God, replied..."We have a law...". And we're told that at that point, Pilate began to experience a holy fear...the fear of a cornered animal...the fear of God. If at the first he was doubtful, now he was terrified at the prospect of an illicit execution. 

You know, Pilate had seen many malefactors in His day...not only treasonists, as Jesus was accused of, but the very dregs of Roman society...the innocent along with the guilty, but nothing to compare with this. It almost seems, that if he had taken the time, he might very well have become a disciple of Jesus. His wife certainly believed in His innocence, and we're told that she had tried to convince her husband not to have anything more to do with the whole affair. I can't begin to imagine the state of his mind as he pondered, like King Agrippa with the apostle Paul, in Acts 26..."Almost, thou persuadest me to be a Christian!" 

What a position in which to find yourself...almost persuaded! Instead, as recorded in vs. 9 we read..."From whence are you? Just who are you, anyway?" Pilate had been back and forth from the Jews to the Saviour a number of times by now, and this is at least, his sixth question of Jesus (see 18.33,35,37-39). And his last question, asked of the Jews to end this whole ordeal, "Shall I crucify your king?!" And we're told in vs. 16 that he then delivered Him to them. But back to the question at hand.

"From whence art thou?" Tell me anything you can that might enable me to spare your life. If you really are the Son of God, then tell me so; anything that might allow me to spare your life. But Jesus, like the Lamb He is, gave him the soft reply..."You would have no authority over Me, if it had not been given you by the Father...". He was not simply resigned to His fate...He was resolved; and He could be relied upon, and He was ready, and He remembered the purpose of His mission, and He would not repent of His commitment to the task, regardless of the terror which awaited Him. 

There was no place left to go, and they both knew it. Pilate had joined a pretty elite group that day...Pharoah, King Saul, King Ahab, Nebuchadnezzar...a whole string of pawns in the hand of God, for His own eternal purposes. As we read in vs.11, Jesus knew full well Who holds the power. And you know what? It's only by the mercy and grace of the Father that any one of us amounts to any more than a grease spot on eternity. But even if I am no more than a grease spot, let it be known that I'm a grease spot for the spotless Son of God...the Lord be praised!   

81. "Jesus and His Judge", Pt. 2

"Pilate said to them, 'Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.' To which the Jews answered, 'It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.' This was done to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death He was going to die."

Over in Acts 4, we read of the arrest of Peter and John by this same tribe, for boldly proclaiming the Name of their resurrected Lord, after which they had even more boldly defended themselves before the very same council as had Jesus, not so long before. Then upon returning safely to the gathered Believers, they proclaimed the following word of praise, as "...they lifted their voices together to God and said, 'Sovereign Lord, Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, Who through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said by the Holy Spirit', 'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Anointed.’ For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your plan had predestined to take place." 

The law-givers had no idea that, at the time of Jesus' indictment they were acting as they did, only because of the predetermined will of God! Their own hands were tied; the law-givers were at the mercy of their own law...the high rollers in Judaism, caught with their pants down...so-to-speak. The combined authority in Israel, forced to admit to their own powerlessness. And as we see from vs. 32, those Jews were not only powerless, but they had become the very fulfillers of prophecy concerning the God-Man Himself! And then Pilate gets back to the business-at-hand.

In verses 33 and 34 we read that he turned his back upon the Jews, and re-entered the Praetorium to speak with Jesus, putting the question to Him, as Roman law would have required..."Are you then, king of the Jews?" Now take notice that in this court, Jesus' accusers were not present, nor was He given the benefit of counsel...not that He needed it! We find Jesus' response in vss. 34 and 36, to be straightforward, and true once again, to His calling..."If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight to protect Me, but My Kingdom is not of this realm!" Jesus was not only more than capable of defending Himself, but He did-so with authority, and with scorn for both the religion of the Jews, as well as the rules and regulations of the Roman empire. 

Now we must realize that the Jews' accusation of Jesus' claiming to be King, was based only upon His rising popularity, while Pilate's concern was for the unrivalled authority of Caesar over the humbled nation of Israel. So Jesus showed a great deal of restraint here, in refusing a direct answer to Pilate's question. He was, in every sense, the "Lamb of God", and He spoke only at the will of God, as reflected throughout the entirety of the Gospels. "My Kingdom is not of this world...I did not come to fight, but to die...I did not come with a sword, but rather, with peace. I came with peace and with Truth, to be a Witness of the Truth!"

Now truth is pretty rare in the world today...perhaps even moreso than then, and because of that, it seems that the world is becoming darker and darker. So Jesus had created a fuss with both the Jews and the Romans...and because He is Truth, He stood practically alone in His dark world. You see, truth is authoritative, and it is convicting, and it is revealing, and it causes controversy...as the truth always does. It's no wonder that He was so loved and so hated at the same time...being full of grace and truth! And Pilate was struck dumb by His wisdom...only to blurt out, "What is truth, anyway?"

And you know, that's the question of the ages...pondered by philosophers and theologians and students of all other sciences, to no avail. Satan had asked it of Eve, you know, when he questioned the truthfulness of God, and twisted the truth of God, as has always been his practice. And truth has escaped the hearts of mankind since that day. 

The Greek philosophers of Athens were anxious to discuss truth with the apostle Paul, as recorded in Acts 17. They had what they considered to be truth, coming out their ears, and every one had his own special brand of it. So when Paul told them of the Truth with a capital "T", although most mocked, there were some who believed. So Jesus told Pilate, "This is My calling...to tell the truth; and everyone who is of the truth, hears Me". And, bye-the-bye , will someday be occupying a piece of golden pavement, on their faces, at the foot of the glorious throne of our great and glorious God...Truth indeed!

Then Pilate went out again to the Jews announcing, "I find no fault in him", and as they say, the rest is history..."...they all cried out...'Not this man, but Barabbas!'" Do you know the meaning of the name "Barabbas"? It means "son of the father"...truly a prophecy of the awful things to come...the unclean, redeemed by none other than the spotless Lamb of God...even me and you! Now that is truth.

80. "Jesus and His Judge", John 18.28-40

Well looking back to where we left Jesus last time, His appearance before Caiaphas was pretty much a non-event, according to John's Holy Spirit-inspired account. As we saw when taking a peek back at chapt. 18, Caiaphas had already condemned Jesus, without even hearing Him. And also, being a Roman appointee to the rotating office of High Priest, just as Herod seems to have been a Roman appointee as king (who is not even mentioned by John), his role was insignificant in any case. So we read in vs. 28 how they next led Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate, taking care not to enter the hall themselves (in order to avoid defilement!). 

Isn't it interesting that although Jesus' disciples could not watch with Him one hour, His tormentors harrassesd Him all night long! Think of our own day, when modern Believers will attend a sporting event and sit for hours, cheering, and laughing and fellowshipping without complaint, while they begin to get fidgety after only 40 minutes of preaching! How casually...nonchalantly, we take the One we profess to be the best Love of our lives, while His enemies would not rest until they saw Him crucified! 

Remember, that judgement hall was Gentile territory, and they had no intention of "defiling" themselves just on the very eve of Passover, even though they would soon have the blood of their Christ on their hands. What irony... anxious to have Jesus tried and convicted and put to death by the Romans, but hoping to avoid getting their own hands dirty in the whole revolting process. That's just how unsound religion is, without the blessing of a changed heart. 

Jesus knew them well, as it's recorded by Matthew that, at an earlier point in His ministry, He had laid charges of His own...“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Whited sepulchers, full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleaness. Instead of righteousnss, full of hypocrisy and iniquity!" And here they were, engaged in carrying out a murder, and concerned for the risk of defilement! Hard hearts and stiff necks; blind guides indeed, the rulers of religion!

You know, we still have our modern day religionists, less concerned for the teaching of Scripture-truth than about PA and projection systems; less about Godliness and holiness and a working love for others, than about the pride of self, and of worldly pursuits! Less about a daily walk in the shadow of Jesus than a daily workout at the gym. Some even "straining at a gnat", but easily and willingly, "swallowing a camel"! 

We can see that the Jews were hung-up on ritualism, and it was their ritualism that drove them to murder their Messiah. And our rituals can just as easily take priority in the lives of Believers today, if we're not fully aware of the signs. After all, people are more important than programs, and Bible teaching, than entertainment. And seeking God's approval than even the approval of the local church; and giving our first and last thought for the things of the Lord, rather than the things of this world, and of the flesh, and of the devil. 

And that's exactly why those Chief Priests gave the order to turn Jesus over to the Roman authority, on the doorstep rather than the inner sanctum, forcing Pilate to come outside, to them. Remember, there was a pretty large delegation of them...scribes, elders, priests and all the council, along with a Pharisee or two for good measure. So Pilate went out, and we read his words there, as John has recorded them, in vs. 29.

So Pilate set the wheels in motion to begin the process for a real, live Roman crucifiction. But the Jews were not in the least impressed...saucy, in fact. You see, like any modern court, Rome required an indictment, and the Jews had nothing to offer. In fact, there never was a proper charge against their King; He went to the cross solely as a substitute...for Barabbas, and for us! The indictment was against us, not Jesus; we were the guilty party, not the sinless Son of God!

But see the pride in these religionists; they had refused to give Pilate a proper answer to this most critical question... "Of what is this man accused?" And their reply? "If he were not an offender we would not have brought him to you!" Luke records that when pressed, they replied, "We found him misleading our nation, refusing to pay taxes to Caesar, and presenting himself as the Christ, a king!" Of course, they had found nothing from their enquiries...they were merely repeating the false testimonies of false witnesses. 

Well if the Jews weren't impressed by Pilate, neither was he impressed by them, as we'll see in vs. 39, "Take him then, and try him according-to your own law." He knew the reputation of their Sanhedrin, and how pharasaical the Pharisees were...a pack of rats, who couldn't even agree amongst themselves, and Pilate knew that too. That's exactly why the Roman occupation of their nation was largely, peaceful...because the religious leadership (being the governing body, traditionally) had simply given the land up, in order to negotiate a peaceful settlement with Rome, with themselves as the benefactors (see 11.48).

How easy it is to keep on passing the buck, when your own pride and your own position are on the line! So there has to be a lesson for us in here somewhere. The fact is, much of our time and talent is used toward ends that tend to shine a light on us. Often, we're blind, deaf and stiffnecked when it comes to discerning Truth, and when or if we eventually do, we're more likely to, like Adam, blame someone else and run for cover.

You may be thinking..."Now that's a pretty hard line to be drawing in my sand box!" But remember, Jesus was falsely accused, tried, convicted and crucified for standing on Truth. And His enemies were very real and very dangerous, and we must certainly know today that our calling is, as His! Keep a finger on your church's spiritual pulse (as well as your own!), and always remember that, regardless of the suffering that may come your way, as a Believer (if you are one), your responsibility is to our Great God...your Lord...your King, even if it leads to a cross, to bear.

79. "The Cup of God's Wrath", cont'd

You know, Believers in Christ sometimes forget that the Jewish religion was a national religion...one that ruled the nation, and it allowed no room for  any sort of a personal decision, concerning a personal Saviour. And that's why Jesus was to them, and to many, a threat today...because He demanded a decision. But as we see from John 18.21,22, Jesus was not in the least bit threatened. In fact, He turns the "whys" and the "wherefores" back upon His judges. Jesus always pierces our hearts with the truth..."What I have done is common knowledge, and you could have come to hear for yourself. Instead, you threw those who believed and received, out of their synagogues. Ask them about My doctrine!" 

You see, Jesus was not the founder of a counterfeit religion; He came to overturn counterfeit religion, yet in speaking the truth He received a slap in the face...violence toward the Lamb of God, for doing the will of God, and speaking of the ways of God. So "why", is a very good question. Why the blind eyes and the hard hearts of all of mankind? It indeed is, the legacy of Satan and his satanic work.

In Acts 23 we have a very similar experience regarding Paul, during his trial before the council of the Chief Priests, where we have this account..."Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, 'Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.' And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, 'God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck, contrary to the law?”

So, with Jesus' simple comment..."If I have done anything wrong, simply tell Me...", echoing through the Hall of Injustice, Annas sent Jesus off to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who as you recall, had already declared Him to be a dead man walking! But let's back up to Peter for just a moment...

Do we realize just how easy it is to "fall" into sin, and maybe even deny the very One Who saved us; or at least, deny that we are one of His disciples? It's only by the grace of God that we, as well, are kept from the snare of Satan. When we're being warmed by the comapny of the world and the worldly, our resolve could disappear pretty quickly! Peter might have fared better at Jesus' side, before the High Priest, but in that courtyard he had been "sifted like wheat", as Jesus had earlier prophesied. He hadn't even known he was being tested, until the test was over...just like that!

Just like Peter, in the wrong company we can be as weak as water, even having just fellowshiped with the Lord and His brother disciples. He had failed to prepare himself by praying for strength to overcome; and watching, in order to discern Satan and his dastardly deeds. And most and worst of all, he had allowed himself to back off from an opportunity to declare his faith in, and duty toward, his Saviour and his God! It's no wonder that he had to warm his cold heart by the fire! Think, if you dare, of the "do nots", "will nots" and "am nots" in your own life. We read in the Psalms, 81.12, the Lord's own prophecy..."I will give them over to the lusts of their own hearts, to walk in their own counsels"! 

But you know, Holy Spirit later filled Peter up to overflowing, with Himself, so that he came back a wiser and stronger witness that anyone other than Jesus, might have imagined. Really, quite an example for a weak-in-the-knees Believer like me! Peter's fall is not recorded for us in vain...not by a long-shot.

Peter and Jesus; Jesus and Him.

78. "The Cup of God's Wrath", John 18.11-27

Now I don't know whether or not you are familiar with the teaching in Scriptue, of the concept of the crucible, known as "the cup of the wrath of God", but what we have described in these last chapters of John's account of the Gospel record, is, as referred-to by Jesus in vs. 11 and following, are leading-up to His horrible crucifiction upon the cross of His sacrifice..."the crucible" of His suffering for your sins and mine! 

The prophesies concerning this last chapter of Jesus' earth-walk, can be found in the records of the Old Testament Prophets and the Psalms, as well as the Revelation. The most descriptive of these, and perhaps the most terriyfying, is found in Jeremiah 25, "For thus the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me, 'Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.' Then I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me, to drink it...".

So in vs. 12, we read of the first step in that appalling journey of our Lord to drink that cup, prepared for us...John's account of Jesus' arrest by that posse of unBelievers made-up of the Roman Guard, their captain, and the officers of the covenant people of Jehovah-God! We saw last time how Jesus, by both word and work, had demonstrated His magnificent healing power, as He had restored the severed ear of the High Priest's servant...yet the horde of His captors had remained unmoved. And still today, unBelievers mostly remain hard-of-heart, and will continue to be-so, until they face their Judge, and the crucible, or cup, of God's wrath upon the nations, on that terrible Day of their judgment. 

But true to form, Jesus did not resist. Now this is a powerful statement of the determination of our Lord, to the will of the Father, and He did not...not because He could not, but in order to save sinners from our sin. So then, why did they bind Jesus? Well, of course, in order to fulfill prophecy, but also, to heap shame upon Him; and to take Him as a sheep, to His slaughter...but best of all, to set us free! We are bound by our sin, as thusly was Jesus...and we ought to be willing to be bound again, but this time, in the yoke of harmonious obedience, to Him. 

Then, in verses 13,14 we read how He was led to be judged by His enemy...the figurehead of the Jewish Establishment, Annas..."the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the High Priest that year." The temple was still considered to be, even under Roman rule, the symbol and the authority of the Jewish legal system, from centuries past. So we can only imagine how, under Roman occupation, the confusuion of roles between Rome and the children of Promise, had overturned their traditions. It seems from what we read in chapt. 11, that the Romans had taken up the practice of appointing         "a puppet priest", just as they had appointed "a puppet king", from what appeared to be a "High Priest(ly)" family, all having some semblance of a shared authority at the same time. In any case, the prophecy of Caiaphas, from chapt. 11, was beginning to come true, that "it was expedient that one man die on behalf of all, that they not perish"; and that Man, was to be Jesus. 

But we're told in the next few verses that Simon Peter followed Him...afar off. This is a perfect example of how so many professing Believers today, tend to follow Jesus, gauging their behaviour according-to their circumstances, so often resulting-in a distant following of their Lord. Peter was, here, "in the flesh"...from loyalty to fear, from fear to anger, from anger to shame, and finally denial! But there was also another, mysterious disciple, who was known to the the High Priest and his servants, who arranged at least, for Peter to be allowed into the courtyard of the palace, where he was soon to be recognized as one of Jesus' followers. 

All the disciples, as did Jesus Himself, know that Peter was bent to disobedience and contradiction, and it's here that we see him at his worst, vs. 17..."Aren't you one of his followers?" Then, the first of three denials of his Lord..."I am not!" And verse 25..."Are you not one of his disciples?", followed by his second denial..."I am not!" And finally, "Did I not see you with him in the Garden?", to which Peter responded, as recorded by both Matthew and John, with cursing..."That was not me!!" He was keeping company here, with the ungodly of this world...the very ones he had railed against back in the Garden...and he had become one, with them! And the rooster crowed. But let's go back to the scene in the High Priests' palace.

Notice that in vs. 19, how we're told that Annas asked about His disciples...who are they? What do they have planned? and...how many are there? But he didn't send the posse back out to round them up; Jesus had assured their safety while still in the Garden. But then Annas asked of His doctrine...oh, not to be edified or enlightened, and most certainly not converted...rather, only for the purpose of drumming up acceptable charges to assure His conviction before the authorities of Rome. And we can see, even at this point, what Annas' intentions were...to accuse Jesus of insurrection, in order to satisfy the Roman requirement to determine the penalty; and the charge of blasphemy, to satisfy the Jewish code, as described in Luke 22.66-23.5. And Jesus' response? "I spoke openly...to the world...", making reference to the Jews and their religiosity. But what Jesus had said and done in the open, Annas intended to do in secret, there in his own private and personal hall of justice. 

We know today, from the very words and actions of our Lord here, that our faith, as well, must be worth dying for! The fact that Jesus had displayed near contempt for His enemies, did not at all negate his love and longing for their lost souls. Where, do you suppose, me and you might stand in a time such as this, as Himself and Peter were suffering? 

A stirring question, deservng of some soul-searching of my own.

77. "Arresting the Creator??", Pt. 2

I wonder how many times I have denied my Lord?! I cannot, nor would      I want to know. But Jesus! When He looked ahead through the mists of time, He must have seen me and you, all dressed up in fig leaves, and trying to hide from His searching gaze. But He, in the fullness of time, planted Himself and His disciples firmly in the Garden of His anguish, assuredly announcing to the enemy..."I Am He Whom you seek."            

From Moses and the burning bush, to the Christ and His cross...how time flies! But right there, in that very moment, time stood still, while the God/Man and His Father, with their angelic army at the ready, must have contemplated the why's and wherefore's of their creation. Can you imagine the deathly silence that fell upon that place, as the stunned guard lay flat on their backs, staring blankly into space? All mouths were struck dumb; all tongues were tied and not a muscle moved, awaiting the next word from the Lord of all lords and the King over all kings!

Now these men were without excuse, and their behaviour was inexcusable, yet every detail of these, and the events to follow had been predetermined by Divine decree. The groundless decrees of the High Priest and his fellow religionists were completely meaningless, except for the decree of Almighty God. Just imagine the burden of sin that those men would bear, on their judgment Day! I'm reminded of the 27th Psalm, that speaks so clearly of the burden that our Lord was bearing in that moment..."When evildoers came upon Me, My adversaries and enemies stumbled and fell..."; and... "Though a host encamp against Me, I will not fear..."; and ..."...My head will be lifted up above My enemies about Me..."; and..."Do not abandon nor forsake Me, O God of My salvation!"; and..."I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." But it was Jesus, Who finally broke the tension, asking again, "Whom do you seek?" And again they answered Him, "Jesus of Nazereth."

Now looking at verses 8 and 9, we find an interesting observation made there by the inspired John, that when Jesus requested of the guard that His disciples be allowed to go free, He did-so in order that prophecy be fulfilled...that "of those given to Him, none would be lost." As we've already seen, Jesus knew the horrible outcome of this night and day, and He intended to ensure that none would be taken, to suffer along with Him, knowing that injury would soon be added to insult. By that time, the entire creation would be groaning in pain together, over His lone, and lonely self-sacrifice, and so He discharged His followers from any further responsibility. From that point on, their relationship with Him would be on an altogether different level, resulting in misunderstanding, grief, and even disbelief, but the Father would resolve that for them, in due time as well. We read in chapt. 13.1 that "He loved then to the end", and so it was His very last responsibility, before the cross, to ensure the safety of the sheep.

Just imagine that He, a prisoner, demanded of His captors that His "partners in crime", as you might say, be completely exonerated...no negotiations, no plea bargaining, no running for their lives and no wanted posters...just a simple, "Let My people go!" Jesus had great plans for those men, but at that point they probly figured their lives to be not worth a plugged nickel! You see, as He had revealed to them back in chapt. 14.12, He had great...no, greater works in store for them than they could ever have imagined!

But then, didn't impetuous Peter draw his sword and cut off the right ear of the High Priest's servant (but still, not one of them was taken)! Where was his faith in the time of Jesus' trial and trouble? Where was his resolve to obey his Lord in the time of temptation, and his obedience to the command of Jesus earlier on, to "watch and pray", lest he be faced with this very situation? He had obviously not "watched", unless it was for the enemy lurking about in the shadows; nor had he prayed, except perhaps for the strength to fight to the end, in order to defend His Master! Do you suppose that would have been Jesus' intent for His loyal and most trusted followers...to worry, rather than watch? Or to prevail rather than pray? I wouldn't have thought so!

Jesus' intent for His sheep is not that we be prepared to fight to the death, but, if need be, to give our lives away as a testimony of our faith and our confidence in Him, the original Overcomer! Peter must have realized that he couldn't be any safer, than in Jesus' presence, just as Malchus was safe. The Father's plan for that night, was that only One should die, and that, for the sins of His people, except of course, Judas Iscariot, by his own hand, and out of both shame and regret, at that.

Do you realize the very last miracle that our Lord performed before laying down His life? Luke is the only Gospeleer to record it...the reattachment of His enemy's ear! Now that hadn't even been a life-threatening wound, but Jesus intended it as a work of grace, perhaps for Peter's benefit...one last thought-provoking and conscience-pricking act before being marched-off to suffer at the hands of the religionists and the Romans, and their puppet masters. 

Yes, Peter was wrong, and the religionists were wrong; acting contrary-to the words and will of the Father, is wrong for us, as well! Jesus rebukes us in that moment, to "Put up your sword!" It would have just been Satan's way, to have used that incident to instigate a massacre of Jesus, and of His disciples too. But that was not the providential will of God, and there was to be no loss...at that point, of not even an ear. 

Now you must carefully consider the words of Jesus in the last part of vs. 11, and drink them up and digest them. Can you imagine? Oh, I'm sure that you think you can, but really? Consider Jesus, referring-to Himself as the "I Am"; His enemies being completely disarmed and disabled in His presence; His disciples being freed to perhaps fight another day; the dismembered servant made whole; and yet, He still had that cup...and a terrible, painful and disgraceful cup it was, too, that He had been given to drink. But a cup overflowing with grace for all who would follow Him up that narrow, dusty road toward the cross. And a cup of judgment and of fury and of eternal suffering for those who do not. And once that cup had been emptied out, the die had been cast...no other way and no other means, except by the precious, shed blood of the Saviour, poured out for us.

Jesus, I just want to thank you!

76. "Arresting the Creator??", John 18.1-11

The entire study of the Gospel according-to-John has been leading up to the events that are recorded in the last few chapters, and the ground now having been prepared, Jesus leads His disciples to the Garden. 

Now this account is very vivid; in fact, it could be rated "R", for restricted...18 years plus. But it was these events which assured our eternity, and the sending of Holy Spirit, and of the building of His church, and His eventual return to rule the earth...all these being dependent upon the putting-to-death and resurrection of our Lord. But notice who it is that Holy Spirit brings to our attention...Judas, "the son of perdition"...not Peter, or James, or Andrew, or any other of His followersB. So just before the crisis, it's the betrayer who is in the spotlight. Nothing is told us by John, but we know from the other gospel accounts that the Lord had given James and John responsibility for "watching and waiting"; nothing is said about Jesus' painful season of prayer, such as Luke has described for us...not His bloody sweat, or His agony before the Father, or of the comforting angel. Rather, other details are brought to our attention.

Now remember, Jesus is the Lamb of God, prophesied in the Old Testamant account of the Passover, when the death angel passed over Egypt, killing off the first born males...except those of the families of the Jews. Remember the life-sustaining blood of the Passover lambs which had been applied to their doorposts, after the command of God? Well here we see the Lamb, provided for all mankind, so that when the death angel passes our way, we'll be found to be wearing that precious badge of salvation...the precious, shed, saving, sin-erasing blood of the Lamb of God! And so, Jesus, as recorded in Hebrews 13, "...went without the gate to pray, and to await His betrayal." And He retreated to a spot, well known by Judas; possibly a prearranged meeting place for Jesus to spend the night with His disciples following the Passover feast. And of course, it provided the perfect location for what was to be a very public arrest, which constituted the voluntary submission of His will, to what had to be. What an example for a time of crisis...a willingness to do what heaven expects of all Believers..to drink the cup of obedience to the Father!

Now in vs. 3, we have the only gospel record which identifies the make-up of the posse led by Judas, as being commissioned by the religionists of the day...officers of the chief priests and the Pharisees. The other gospels record them as being "a great multitude", or perhaps "a motley crew", or "a lynch mob", fully armed with torches and weapons of destruction. Just consider that it was these men too, for whom Jesus was sent to die!

But in vs. 4 we read that "Jesus knew all that was about to come upon Him". How often have we considered the omniscient, all-knowing God! You know, many Believers have always made up their own brand of truth, in the name of our Lord. And many others, as well, claim to know this, that, or the other thing, refusing to be moved when it comes to their own measley conceptions of the way things are, and the way things must be! But we're told that Jesus "knew all things that should come upon Him"! He knew that the Father had put all things into His hand, and that He would one day "put all things under His feet"! But at this point, "all things" would be taken from Him. 

In chapt. 13 He spoke of His glory; here, of His suffering. But He knew that it was all according-to the perfect will of God. And He knew that the Father had, by Holy Spirit, decreed His will for Him throughout the Old Testament scriptures; and He had agreed from eternity past, with the Father's plan for the provision of grace through His birth, life, death, burial, resurrection and return to glory, for all who would believe and receive. But, still, knowing all, went forward to meet the enemy! 

So He asked (knowing all things), "Whom seek ye?" Now that's a sure sign of Jesus' commitment to His task, Holy Spirit being His strength, His peace, and "the Lifter of His head"...more than at any other time in His life. He was more than willing to take His place upon the rude throne of the cross of His sacrifice and suffering and shame...not to get the glory, but to be made the glory, and to ensure the glory for you and for me; so He "went forth"!

You know, this is in pretty sharp contrast to the guilty parties who first practiced sin, back in that other garden. We're told that rather than going forth to face the penalty, they went back, and hid themselves in guilt and shame from their Creator. That's what sin has made us...guilty, shameful inhabitants of the dark side, trying to avoid the Truth-revealing Light of the World. But Jesus "went forth" for us, to meet His accusers, and to bear the penaly for that first, and for all sin. 

You know, those fooligans really had no idea as to Who they were dealing-with! If they had, they would have fallen on their faces and worshiped Him; instead of boldly replying, "Jesus of Nazereth", they should have cried out with tears..."the Christ, Son of the Living God!" But that was not to be. So our Lord, the Lamb-like Sacrifice chosen from eternity-past, simply... humbly replied, "I Am He." And as soon as He spoke it, those instruments of Satan backed-off and fell upon the ground, staring open-mouthed, toward the heavenlies. 

May we, fellow Believers, always remember our place before The King. He willingly, and humbly faced His captors, knowing full well that His fate hung not in the balance of justice, but on the side of justice; and not because of His own sin, but because of mine and your's. 

Again, O how He loved you and me!