John 18 begins Jesus’ journey to the cross. The climax of his earthly journey has arrived. He has fulfilled the work God gave Him to do on earth which will now end in the cross.
v. 4 Who is it you want? That is a great question. Jesus was asking those who came to take him captive, but it is a good question for us as well. Who do you want? Do you really want Jesus? If so, He will not become your captive. You must become his captive. And yet, He is not seeking for prisoners, he is seeking for servants who are captured by His love.
v. 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. The soldiers came with their weapons to arrest this peasant preacher. And yet, when He spoke and said, “I am he,” they fell to the ground. What actually happened? We do not know, but it seems there was a manifestation of God’s power and authority in a very tangible way that knocked these men to their feet. Jesus said, “I AM… he.” Remember He is the great I AM – this is the name God revealed to Moses many years before. This verse reminds us once again that Jesus was the one who was in charge. Even with their weapons, these men could not have taken Jesus by force. It was only his willing surrender to them that led to his arrest and crucifixion.
v. 11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” Jesus did not come to conquer by sword. He came to conquer the sin condition of the human heart. The only way to do this was through his sacrificial death. The phrase “drink the cup” is used several times in the Old Testament to refer to God’s judgment and wrath. Jesus was drinking the cup of God’s judgment for the sin of the world. He drank the cup of wrath so that we could be spared the wrath of God. We must in turn drink in the life of Christ for forgiveness. This gives new insight for me at communion. Jesus drank the cup of judgment and wrath for us. We now drink the cup representing his blood to acknowledge our forgiveness and freedom from the wrath of God. To “drink the cup” aslo is a reference to submission of God’s will. Jesus was willing to give himself in complete obedience to his Father for our sake.
v. 17 “You are not one of his disciples are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, “No I am not.” In this passage we see that betrayal to Jesus abounds. Obviously Judas fully betrayed Jesus to the point of handing him over to the guards. He completely turned on Jesus in rebellion. There are some who completely rebel against him. Peter’s rebellion was more subtle. He even continued following Jesus (v. 15) after his arrest, but when he was questioned, Peter denied his association with Jesus. He wasn’t against Jesus, but he wasn’t willing to stand with him and for him in this hour. How do we subtly deny our Savior throughout the course of our life and day? Are there times we should speak up for Him, and we don’t? Do we deny Jesus?
v. 28 By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to able to eat the Passover. There is so much irony here. The Jews had strict laws of cleanness and uncleanness. For them to enter the Roman palace would have caused them to become unclean (because of the Pagan nature of the Romans) and would have required a period of ceremonial cleansing. This would have caused them to miss out on Passover, the great Jewish festival celebrating their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. They are clinging to their laws and rules of uncleanness and yet handing over an innocent man to death becasue they are jealous. Jesus has threatened their religious ideology and they will not stand for it, so they are seeking to literally “railroad” him. They are less concerned with true justice, than dealing with this threat. They want to remain clean for Passover, and yet Jesus is the true Passover Lamb. Their celebration they are preparing to observe was a foreshadowing of Him who would give his life to rescue people from the slavery of sin.
v. 36 My kingdom is not of this world. The ways of Jesus will not always make sense to the worldly mind. Why should I forgive those who hurt me? Why should I give my hard earned money? Why should I put others first? Why should I die to self? Only the person who understands the nature of Jesus’ kingdom can begin to understand the ways of God.
v. 38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. This is the great and eternal question of human history. What it truth? Many people will have their own version of truth. Some will say that truth is subjective to each individual. Some will say that there is no ultimate truth. Jesus said he is truth, and that he will lead us into truth.
v. 40 Give us Barabbas! When Pilate asked the Jews who they wanted to be freed, they shouted Barabbas, a rebellious murderer. Barabbas was a hardened criminal, and unrepentant man. And yet the crowd chose Barabbas over Jesus. Let Jesus die, and let the criminal go free. Here again is a foreshadowing of the cross. Who is Barabbas really? I am Barabbas. You are Barabbas. We are the guilty ones who do not deserve to go free. We have sinned. And yet Jesus has died for us, and we have the chance to go free – forgiven by God. Thank you Jesus.
Thank you for putting your thoughts into these scriptures and sharing them with me; I enjoy reading them and gaining a greater understanding. Thank you as well for suggesting the fast. I have been truly changed. I see my sin more clearly and have become better at preventing it. Please pray for me and my family, we could use it now. Thank you brother.