... brought the authorities to the garden where Jesus had gone with the rest of his disciples, Jesus did not try to hide from them or avoid them in any way; instead, the text says that “Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward” (John 18:4). Jesus went forward to meet those who had come to arrest him. He went forward to meet suffering and death. When the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching, their roles soon became reversed as Jesus went on to challenge the high ...
... . We know where this is headed. Under the regular procedures of Roman occupation, executions were not delayed. There was not a higher court of appeal. Our Lord was headed toward suffering and inevitable death. Between Friday and Sunday morning, remember to read John 18-19. Take note of how events unfolded in a way similar to what happened on that sharp curve in the tracks approaching Santiago de Compostela. From Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane on Thursday evening to late Friday afternoon at the ...
... signs or miracles occurred around the traditional Jewish festival days, however Jesus fulfilled them in a greater manner. This resulted in hostility from the traditional Judean leaders, which escalated into Jesus’ eventual crucifixion in John 18. His death would be for the sins of humanity, so we may eternal life John 3:16 (RSV). In this case, the Passover event celebrated the nation of Israel being delivered from the Egyptians by escaping through the parting of the waters of the Red Sea, and then they ...
... an action. They brought Jesus to Pilate, therefore, hoping he would do their bidding. Pilate was not totally cooperative. When he did confront Jesus, he asked him a simple question. "Are you the King of the Jews?" (John 18:33b). Jesus finally answered him saying: "My kingship is not of this world ..." (John 18:36a). Pilate took that for a YES answer. "So you are a king," he said to Jesus. Pilate thought that the Jewish people would like to have their king released from his imprisonment. "Will you have me ...
... of Peter to be faithful was demonstrated a short time later in the Garden of Gethsemane: the soldiers came ... Peter whipped out his sword ... he began to slash ... he cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant ... he was ready to die for his Master (John 18:10). Then, just a little later, in the courtyard of Caiaphas, the high priest, a serving girl came up to him and inquired, "Look, you’re one of those Galileans, aren’t you?" With oaths and curses, Peter denied that he even knew who Jesus was ...
... who entered (recklessly) the palace of the high priest, and even dared to make it possible for Peter to get into the courtyard (John 18:15, 16). It was John (and apparently he was the only one of the twelve) who was at the very foot of the cross while the crucifixion was taking place (John 19:25-27). Under the circumstances, this took a lot of courage. John, as a Son of Thunder, had aggressiveness ... and ambition ... and audacity. All of which are good characteristics - when brought under the command of ...
... twelve into being the villain, until even today, we name the name of Judas instead of Caiaphas, the man who had masterminded the whole charade: "It was Caiaphas who had given counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people" (John 18:14). The ploy was that, if one of Jesus’ own disciples would betray him, it would appear that even his vanguard had lost faith in him. It was a bold stroke because they knew, as we know, that one tends to judge the authenticity and nature of ...
Growing Strong in the Season of Lent Luke 22: 31-34; 54-62 (Passion Sunday) or John 18:15-27 (Good Friday) It is very difficult to think of the events of Holy Week without ... in growth with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and three thousand souls were added to the church (Acts 2). His name pops up all through the book of Acts. Peter was with John when they prayed for the lame man at the gate called Beautiful in Acts 3. Peter was in the midst of the great Samaritan revival in Acts 8. Peter was the first ...
... afterward." [37] Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." [38] Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times. John 18:12-27 (NRSV) [12] So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. [13] First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. [14] Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews ...
... indicates that Jesus died on the Eve of the Passover because the bodies had to be removed from the cross “for the day of that Sabbath was a high day.” (John 19:31) John indicates that the Sanhedrin members who referred Jesus to Pilate had not yet eaten the Passover meal. (John 18:28) So it seems that the Last Supper was a Passover meal, even though it may not have been held at the same time as others in Jerusalem would have celebrated it that last week of Jesus’ life. Knowing that he would be dead ...
... t make a picture from Jesus' words. Instead of a vivid description of how Jesus acts as King, we get negatives and generalities: "As it is, my kingdom is not from this world ... You say that I am a king; for this I was born ... to testify to the truth" (John 18:37). But Jesus gives no details about "the truth." Is it any wonder that Pilate responds, "What is truth?" We might add, "What sort of kingship is this? What's truth got to do with it?" Truth and a kingdom not from this world aren't easy to visualize ...
... threateningly disrupted it. A lesser man would have abandoned the field post-haste. But at heart Peter was a bold man. His attempt to walk on the sea, and his drawing of a sword in the face of hostile soldiers threatening the Master, attest that. (Matthew 14:28-30; John 18:3-10) So he continued to do what he had been doing by way of lifting up the Lord. At the same time Peter was a sensitive man, especially where Jesus was concerned; and he did not hesitate to show it. (Matthew 16:22) Moreover, he was loyal ...
... asks, “when they crucified my Lord?” Yes. It turns out that I was. For by that death, I was saved, healed, forgiven, and reconciled. It was 2,000 years ago, but it is part of my personal history. An Alternative Application Isaiah 52:13—53:12; John 18:1—19:42. “We Esteemed Him Not.” For so many of us, the King James Version was the translation of scripture we first heard and where we learned some of the most familiar passages. In the case of Isaiah’s suffering servant passage, I remain tied ...
... asks, “when they crucified my Lord?” Yes. It turns out that I was. For by that death, I was saved, healed, forgiven, and reconciled. It was 2,000 years ago, but it is part of my personal history. An Alternative Application Isaiah 52:13—53:12; John 18:1—19:42. “We Esteemed Him Not.” For so many of us, the King James Version was the translation of scripture we first heard and where we learned some of the most familiar passages. In the case of Isaiah’s suffering servant passage, I remain tied ...
... by Judas in the Garden at Gethsemane. He is led away to the courtyard, and Simon Peter, who has sworn that he would never desert or deny Jesus, follows. But remember, Jesus said, “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.” The account begins at John 18:15: Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. The maid who kept the door to the court of the high priest said to Peter, “Are you not also one of this man’s disciples?” He said, “I am not. “Now the servants and officers ...
... capture in any way, Jesus clearly intended to follow through with his suffering and death just as he had predicted. He is more Suffering Servant than Superman as he says, "Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?" (John 18:11). After his arrest, Jesus was questioned by Annas and Caiaphas, two religious leaders who both served as high priests. Then early the next morning, Jesus appeared before Pilate as governor of Judea. Their exchange was brief -- Pilate asked Jesus just three questions ...
... role in the New Testament. There are only two charcoal fires mentioned in the whole New Testament but they are very significant fires. I. The Fire of Failure A. The first one was the fire of failure. This fire was built the night Jesus was arrested. In John 18 we read. [12] So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. [13] First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. [16] but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So ...
... . To do so might have jeopardized Judas’ safety. Certainly, Simon Peter, had he fully understood what Judas was about to do, would have drawn his sword like he did to the servant of the high priest in the garden when Jesus was betrayed (John 18:10). Throughout the whole experience, Jesus demonstrates grace and mercy. No surprise there--grace and mercy were what Christ was all about. After Judas had departed, the events leading up to Christ’s death fell into place very quickly. The long tension building ...
... hour was that time he was raised up on the cross to die for the sins of humanity. He knew this way back in John 2 during the Cana wedding feast, when they ran out of wine and Jesus told his mother, “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4 RSV). Throughout the gospel of John, Jesus had planned for his hour. This would result in him almost turning himself in to those who arrest him in John 18:5-6. Unlike the synoptic gospels, Jesus planned and prepared for his hour to come. He was then lifted up on the cross ...
... had to deal with bitter legal and embittered ex-spouse opposition. Jesus dealt with opposition which led to his death after he healed Lazarus. Jesus stayed on mission. His hour (John 2) had not arrived yet. In our lesson today, the bread and wine symbolize and represent the new life Jesus provided when his hour of crucifixion would arrive John 3:16; John 18-19 (RSV). His death would not be the final word, there was new life indeed. On this day, Jesus announced he was the Bread of Life. He invited listeners ...
... , and there are reactive rumblings deep inside. False? Who gets to decide who is false? Isn't it merely different? The trickling flow of relativism can become a flood very quickly. It is like Pilate sneering in the face of Jesus, asking, "What is truth?" (John 18:38), as though the question itself makes the statement that there is nothing, really, that's true. Let's not, after all, get too judgmental. So, there is no real truth: Hence, there could be nothing that is really false. Therefore, there can be no ...
... word for us even today. The bread Jesus wishes to offer is that which provides eternal life. Jesus was using bread a metaphor for his own body being offered up as on a cross in John 18-19. In John, Jesus’ crucifixion was his hour, for which he was willing to be the final Passover lamb for the sins of humanity. John’s gospel often uses the Jewish festivals as a literary tool to show how Jesus more than fulfilled the meaning of a particular festival such as Passover. His calling was to die for the sins ...
... the widow of Nain. In her son's funeral procession one moment, praising God for his resurrection the next. It was unnecessary for Jesus to say to her, as he would later say to a certain rich man, "What is impossible with man is possible with God (John 18:27)." She knew. But God can! What a marvelous thing to know and believe, especially since our present generation places such a premium on self-help and self-assertion. The emphasis is upon what "we" can do. We are told that we can determine our own security ...
... -hand matter; it was not to be simply what had been told by others, but what each soul learned and felt for himself or herself (v. 34). Remember Jesus’ question of Pilate: "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?" (John 18:34 RSV). This means that each of us must be touched individually by God and be able as a result to witness from his or her own heart. Each is constrained to do right, not because some Law requires it, but as the expression of one’s inner conviction ...
... truth. If there is no such thing as truth, Jesus was both a liar and a fool. For He said, "For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth." (Jn. 18:37) In this statement we are going to study in John 18, Jesus tells us the truth about truth. I. The Real Principle of Truth Jesus did not say "You shall know a truth," but "You shall know the truth." The Lord Jesus said there is truth that is absolute. Where is this truth found? Jesus also ...