Scripture: When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
John 18:1-11 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Jesus concludes his “High Priestly Prayer” with his intercession for future disciples who come to faith through the eleven’s proclamation of the word. Jesus specifically requests that the word foster a “perfect oneness” (i.e., united in every aspect of our being) with all believers to reveal his glory (as the sent Son of God) and the Father’s love for the world (as expressed through him). Jesus then acknowledges the Father has given not just the eleven but future generations to his care and thus asks his loving Father to ensure that they, too, will spend eternity with him in his heavenly realm—delighting in his glory. Lastly, Jesus offers a benediction to his righteous Father, whom he intimately knows—and his disciples now know by name. Lastly, he pledges to keep making much of his Father’s name so that the love of the Father will flow freely through him to all his disciples as his spirit resides in them.
Today’s reading marks the beginning of the Passion story with the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. Having interceded for the eleven and future disciples, Jesus leads them from the city walls across the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane. Meanwhile, Judas, reasoning Jesus would take the eleven to the Garden (a frequented retreat of Jesus and his disciples; see Luke 22:39), leads a band of temple soldiers and officers armed with weapons and torches (since it was late into the night). Still, fully aware of what would transpire, Jesus asks the entourage who they seek. Stating they seek Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus replies, “I am he,” invoking the sacred name Yahweh. Overwhelmed with the magnitude of the moment, Judas and the other Jews recoil and stumble to the ground.
But Jesus presses with the same question and receives a similar response. So he pointedly reminds them that he is the one they seek and to let his disciples go (fulfilling his earlier comment to the Father that he has not lost even one of whom his Father gave him; 17:12). At this point, Peter draws his sword and lobs off the right ear of a temple servant named Malchus. So Jesus tells Peter to put away his sword and rhetorically questions Peter, “shall I not drink the cup that the Father as given me?” (referring to his cup of suffering).
Takeaway: John has carefully crafted his Gospel to demonstrate that Jesus knew early on his destiny and thus submitted to Judas’ betrayal and the religious leaders’ arrest (see 6:64). But he remained in complete control of the timing, retreating (10:40; 11:54) and consenting (17:1) when necessary. And every detail mattered, from ensuring his disciples would have a means of escape to asserting his oneness with the Father by self-identifying as “I am he.” Indeed, these two particular details illustrate what theologians term the principle of “substitutionary atonement,” which in layman’s language means that our just God cannot wink away the sins of the world that warrant the death sentence, nor can he receive into his presence the sin-marred spirits of humankind, so he must receive an unblemished substitute whose blood covers the sin-tainted souls of his children. Its origin dates to 1,300 years earlier with the sacrifice of the unblemished Passover lamb (Exodus 12) and further developed with the annual Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). Jesus, however, would become the final and complete sacrifice to cover the sins of God’s people.
John alludes to this essential basis for salvation throughout his Gospel (see 1:29; 3:14-16; 10:11, 15-18; 12:32; 17:19) because Jesus is our only means to commune with our Triune God in eternity. And Peter will significantly benefit from taking this truth on board as he will no doubt later reflect on his ill-advised actions during Jesus’ arrest. In essence, Peter sought to change the course of his Master’s mission—leaning on his understanding of the right way forward based on his misguided loyalty that demonstrated good intentions but poor judgment. In contrast, from the beginning, Jesus, the Word, followed his Father’s will by waging war against the real enemy (sin and evil) with words that exposed wickedness, lighted the way for the lost, and fed weary and hungry souls.
Our takeaway? Like Peter, we must be careful not to impose on the Father and Son what we deem the right course of action without humbly submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit through humble and thoughtful prayer, the wise counsel of godly elders, and the meditation of Scripture. Indeed, Solomon, one of the wisest men to walk the earth, once wrote: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV). Still, we must be patient with the process. Peter would continue to stumble (denying his Lord three times and later denying the grace of Christ at Antioch (see Galatians 2:11-14). But as he matured in his faith, heeding to the correction of the Holy Spirit and fellow brothers in Christ like Paul, he would complete his mission and glorify his beloved Lord. And so will we as we humbly trust in our Lord and submit to the guidance of his Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who humbly submitted to your will throughout his life and mission to rescue us from the penalty of sin. And we thank you for your Holy Spirit, who continues to extricate us from the power of sin. Still, we confess it is our nature to resist his direction and lean on our understanding. So would you please help us to submit to the Holy Spirit when he convicts us of sin and leads us to straight paths no longer potholed by our transgressions? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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