AM John 18:1-11 The Courage, Power and Love of Jesus

Good morning for our Bible reading this morning. John chapter 18. It's on page 1090 in the Church Bible.

! We'll read from verses 1 to 11. 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?

Ending our reading there at verse 11. Letter 18 and verses 1 to 11, which will be our meditation for this morning. And you notice that this chapter begins with these words.

Which remind us of what has gone before. When Jesus had spoken these words. That points back to the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ in John chapter 17.

And I think this introduction to the events that now unfold. The events of his passion, his suffering and his death. This introduction is really saying to us.

Remember and don't forget what Jesus has said in his prayer to the Father. Because some of these words are going to be fulfilled sooner than you may think.

So keep them in mind. And you will notice from verse 9 of chapter 18. That that is exactly what we are told.

This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken. Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.

That is a reference back to the prayer of John 17. Where he says something like that to his heavenly Father.

In his prayer. Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one. So already the fulfillment of Jesus' words are coming to pass.

There is a deep and close connection between these two chapters. Next thing I want you to notice here are the words that come next in verse 1.

He went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley. Where there was a garden which he and his disciples entered. Now why are these words significant?

The answer to that question is found in the next verse. Because Judas who betrayed him also knew the place.

For Jesus often met there with his disciples. Judas also knew the place. So why would Jesus go to such a familiar and well known place.

When his life was in danger. Because of the plotting of his betrayer. He went out.

He is portrayed by John in his gospel. As the one who takes the initiative.

He went forth. He went out. As if to battle. As if to engage the enemy. As if to take on his foes.

He went out. He went forth. With his disciples to the very place. Where he knew his betrayer. Was even at that moment.

Leading a band of soldiers. And some officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. With lanterns. Torches. And weapons. To arrest him. So if Jesus.

Was a fearful victim. Surely he would have gone into hiding. He would have. Lain low. As we say. He would have kept out of sight.

He would not have acted. In such a predictable manner. As to visit once again. His favorite place of retreat.

The garden of Gethsemane. On the slopes of the Mount of Olives. But here he goes. With his disciples. In order.

To meet. The enemy. Face to face. And that shows us. That teaches us. That Jesus is not. A hapless victim.

His life. Will not. Be taken from him. No. He lays it down. Willingly. Voluntarily.

In loving obedience. To his father's purposes. And in loving commitment. To those. Whom the father. Has given. Into his hands. To save.

So. I want you to see. In this action. He. Went. Out. I want you to see.

In this action. The courage. And the resolve. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. He went out. With his disciples.

Across the Kidron Valley. Where there was a garden. Which he. And his disciples. Entered. I want you to see. The Lord Jesus.

As the divine warrior. Entering. The battle. With courage. And fortitude. Unafraid. And unperturbed.

To do. The will. Of God. Which is to accomplish. The salvation. Of his people. The courage.

Of Jesus. The resolve. The divine resolve. Of Jesus. He. Went. Out. To the place. Where there was a garden.

But we read on. In verse 3. So Judas. Having procured. A band of soldiers. And some officers. From the chief priests. And Pharisees. Went there. With lanterns.

And torches. And weapons. There could well have been. Upwards. Of. A thousand men. Armed.

To the teeth. And equipped. With lanterns. And torches too. For. Although. At Passover time. It was full moon. They had come.

To an olive grove. And were prepared. If necessary. To hunt. Out. Jesus. Among the darkness. Of the olive trees.

But Jesus. Hasn't retreated. Into the darkness. To hide himself. And to save his skin. Verse 4. Then. Jesus.

Knowing that. All that would. Happen to him. And. By the way. He had known. This. And had shared it. With disciples. On numerous occasions. Then.

Jesus. Knowing all that would. Happen to him. Came out. Came forth. Came forward. And said. To them. Whom. Do you seek?

Again. I want you to. Pause here. And to notice. The brave. And. Courageous. Jesus. Coming out.

Stepping forth. Coming forward. Into the light. To engage with those. Who had come. To arrest him. Whom do you seek?

He asks. They answered him. Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them. Literally. I am.

But to make. Better sense in English. I am. He. Judas. Who betrayed him. Was standing with them. Oh.

This. Despicable. Judas. This. Vile. Betrayer. Of his best friend. His loving. And gracious. Lord. And master. This is the second time.

In these few verses. That we are told. Of Judas. Who betrayed him. Who betrayed him. And what a contrast.

That is. In this gospel. To the disciple. Whom Jesus loved. Made me pause. To think. Of the epithets.

That could be. Placed. Against. Various names. As they appear. In scripture. But in this gospel. We have this. Division. This clear division.

These two camps. Represented by Judas. Who betrayed him. And the other camp.

The disciple. Whom Jesus loved. Which camp. Do you fall into? Do you fall into the camp of Judas?

With those. Soldiers. And officers. Of the chief priests. And Pharisees. Who had come. To. Unjustly. Arrest. The Lord Jesus.

Or do you stand. In the camp of those. Who know. Who have experienced. And who are. Always astonished. At the love.

That Jesus Christ. Has. For them. Sometimes. We read those words. The disciple. Whom Jesus loved. And we think. It's a bit of a boast. I'm the disciple.

Whom Jesus loved. But I think. It's more. A state. Of astonishment. A statement. Of astonishment. And amazement. The disciple.

Can you believe it? Whom. Jesus. Loved. This. Wicked. Man.

Who knows. His own heart. Who later wrote. If we say. We have no sin. We deceive ourselves. And the truth isn't in us. If we say. We have no sin.

We make him out. To be a liar. Never. He knew. His own heart. And he could never.

Get over this truth. That Jesus Christ. The son of God. Should love him. Should love him. Judas.

Who betrayed him. The disciple. The disciple. Whom Jesus loved. Notice what follows. When Jesus said to them. I am he.

They drew back. And fell to the ground. This. This. Cohort. Of. Of. Soldiers. And. Temple officers.

Perhaps numbering. Up to a thousand. Who knows. But when Jesus said. I am he. Standing forth. In the light.

I am he. We read. They drew back. And fell. To the ground. Here was a mysterious. Yet very real display.

Of the power. Of God. These men. Could and dare not. Stand. In the presence. Of the great. I am.

The almighty. The son of God. They drew back. Yes. These hardened. And toughened. Soldiers. Who were heavily armed.

Who had come. Prepared. For a fight. With their weapons. And their lanterns. And their torches. They drew back. They drew back. And fell.

To the ground. When Jesus. Opened his mouth. And spoke. These few words. There are many lessons.

For us to learn. From this truth. But suffice to say. Here we see. The power. Of the Lord Jesus.

Revealed. And that confirms. To us. His words. That. No one. Takes. His life. From him. But that he has.

Power. To lay it down. And that he has. Power. To take it up again. Do you see. How John's. Description. Of the arrest. Leading on.

To the. Trial. And sufferings. Of Jesus. Are framed. In such a way. As to show us. That he.

Is. The Lord. Who has come. To lay down his life. As a shepherd. For his sheep. He is the son of God.

And when something. Of his glory. Is revealed. Men. Cower. Before him. Think.

Of what will take place. When the Lord Jesus. Comes. In glory. To judge the world. The disciple. Whom Jesus.

Loved. Tells us. In the book of Revelation. That the great ones. Of the earth. The great leaders. The kings. Will call.

Upon the mountains. To fall upon them. And the rocks. To cover them. So that they can be hidden. If that was possible. From the wrath.

Of the lamb. Here. He merely speaks. Two words in Greek. Three. In our English translation.

And they draw back. And fall to the ground. This is the one. Who has come. To save us. The one who is.

Resolved. And courageous. In the fulfilling. Of God's. Will. Of taking the cup. And drinking it dry. And here is the one.

Who is. The almighty. The one who is mighty. To save. The one. Whom we can trust. With total confidence.

Then in verse 7. He asked them again. Whom do you seek? And they said. Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus answered. I told you.

That I am he. And then we have. These. Wonderful words. From the saviour's mouth. So.

If you seek me. Let. These. Men. Go. What name is on your arrest warrant?

Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth. Twice. They said. In answer to the Lord's question. Jesus. Of Nazareth. That's whom we seek.

That's. Whose name is on our arrest warrant. As it were. And Jesus says. So if you seek me. Let these men go.

You've got no authority. To arrest them. You've got no authority. To try them. Put them on trial. Punish them. If you seek me. Let. These. Men.

Go. Jesus. Knew. His disciples. Were not ready. To stand trial. And to suffer. At this stage.

For their loyalty. To him. He knew. What they could bear. And what they could. Not bear. And so he intervenes.

On their behalf. In order to set them free. If you seek me. Let these men go. And then John adds.

In verse 9. This was to fulfill. The word. That he had spoken. Of those. Whom you gave me. I have lost none. And that's a reference.

As I said before. To the previous chapter. In verse 12. Where in his prayer. To his father. Jesus says. While I was with them. I kept them.

In your name. Which you have given me. I have guarded them. And not. One of them. Has been lost.

Except. The son of destruction. That the scripture. Might be fulfilled. Jesus. Jesus. He guards. And keeps.

All those. Whom the father. Has given to him. Jesus. Loves them. Jesus. Protects them. Jesus.

Will save them. From all harm. And evil. And he will bring. Every one of them. Safely. To glory. In the end.

And so. These words. Spoken in the garden. When the soldiers. Led by the betrayer. Came to arrest Jesus. Point us. To the love.

And to the care. That the savior. Has for his own. For those. Whom the father. Gave to him. And for whom. He came.

Into the world. To save. The Lord Jesus. Loves. And deeply. Cares. For. All of them.

Indeed. These words. Go beyond. The actions. Of Jesus. In the garden. On the night. Of his betrayal. He not only. Delivered his disciples. From the hands. Of these soldiers.

And temple officers. That's true. But. In a greater sense. In a deeper sense. He delivers. All his people.

From death. From death. And destruction. If. You. Seek. Me. Let these men go.

My friends. There's a deep. Deep. Truth. To these words. Of our blessed Lord. They point us.

To him. Acting. As the substitute. Who stands. In our place. And who takes. Upon himself. Our sin. And our guilt.

And who stands. As a sinner. Before justice. And he says. To justice. If you seek me.

Let these men go. Augustus. Top lady. The 18th century. Church of England minister. Captured this truth.

So well. In one of his. Great. But lesser known hymns. If thou. Hast my discharge. Procured. And freely.

In my room. Endured. The whole. Of wrath. Divine. Payment. God cannot. Twice demand. First at my.

Bleeding. Surety's hand. And then. Again. At mine. Payment. God cannot. Twice demand.

First at my. Bleeding. Surety's hand. The one who. Stands in our place. And takes. All our. Obligations. Upon himself. He has paid the debt.

Through his. Bloody sacrifice. So God. Cannot. Twice demand. Payment. First at his hand. And then again at mine.

It's either one. Or the other. It cannot be both. If you. Seek. Me. Let these men go.

So in these verses we have. The courage and determination of Jesus to go forth. And to engage the enemy in battle. He goes to the garden.

In the full knowledge. That Judas. Is leading a cohort of soldiers to arrest him there. But he goes nonetheless. The courageous.

Resolute. Jesus. Jesus. We also see the power of Jesus. In his words. I am he.

At which the soldiers draw back. And fall to the ground. And that teaches us that here. Is no helpless. Hapless. Victim. Whose life.

Is taken from him. No. He. Is. The good shepherd. Who lays down his life for his sheep. And we see.

How much. He loves. And cares. For his sheep. For his disciples. Ensuring their protection and safety.

If you seek me. Let these. Men go. But before we. Leave this passage. We must briefly. Look at the reaction.

Of Peter. He sees. What happens. And he hears. The Lord's words. But.

As so often. In the gospels. He's guided. By a wrong. Sense. Of obligation. To his Lord. And he takes.

Out. His sword. And he attacks. Malchus. The servant. Of the high priest. Malchus. Perhaps. sees. The swipe. Coming.

And he takes. Evasive action. And rather than lose his head. He loses. Only. His right ear. Which. By the way. Dr. Luke.

Luke the doctor. The author. Of the third gospel. Is the only one. Who records. That Jesus. Miraculously. Heals. And restores. The right ear.

Of Malchus. Which I think. Is the last. Miracle. Jesus performs. Before the cross. And the Lord says to Peter.

Put your sword. Into its sheath. And he adds. Shall I not drink. The cup. That the father. Has given me. It's clear.

From this. Ending. Of this. Section. Of. Of. The story. That Peter. Still doesn't get. Two things. First.

He doesn't get. That Jesus. Must die. And secondly. He doesn't get. That Jesus.

Doesn't need. Help. From him. Shall I. Not drink. The cup. That the father. Has given me.

I. And I. Alone. Shall I. And I. Alone. Not. Drink. The cup. That the father.

Has given me. That cup. Speaks. Of the cup. Of God's wrath. And fury. And judgment. Upon sin.

To save us. The Lord Jesus. Cannot. Indeed. The Lord Jesus. Will not. Save himself.

He. Must. Die. The righteous one. For the unrighteous ones. That he might. Bring us. To God.

This. Is the only way. Sinners. Such as we. Can be saved. And he. And he.

He. He. He. He. He. Takes the cup. The cup. Containing. The curse. And he. Offers us. The cup. Of blessing.

In return. Peter. In many ways. Is. Every man. In our natural.

Sinful. State. And way of thinking. We. We. Refuse. To accept. That sin.

And. Human salvation. Required. The death. Of Jesus. We refuse. To accept. That Jesus.

Must die. Or if he. Did die. It wasn't. For sin. It was. To show us. To demonstrate. To us. The love of God.

In some kind of. Sentimental. And emotional way. We cannot accept. That our sins. To be forgiven.

Required. The blood. Of the sinless. Lamb of God. God. So in some ways. We're like Peter. We refuse.

To accept. That Jesus. Had to die. For our sins. To be forgiven. And we. Also.

Perhaps. Like Peter. Feel. To understand. That we. Cannot. Lend.

Jesus. A helping hand. In order. To fulfill. God's will. For our salvation. We think. That there's something. That we must do. That we must add.

To the life. And sufferings. And death. And resurrection. Of Jesus. In order to save us. Some little act. Of. Kindness.

Goodness. Righteousness. So it's. Jesus. Plus. The help. Of Peter. Or Jesus.

Plus. Some. Good. That we have done. I remember. As a young minister. Visiting the neighborhood. Of the village.

In which I. Served. Doing some door to door work. I knocked on one door. And this. Man. Came to the door. And I explained.

Who I was. Where I was from. That I was giving out. Gospel leaflets. Would he like to take one? And do you know what his reply was? It went something like this.

Now bear in mind. This was about. Forty. Years ago. So. Although I've got a. Head like a sieve. There are some things. That don't fall through the sieve.

And this is one of them. He said. Why should I need. Why should I need the gospel? I'm a loving husband.

I'm a good father. I work hard at my job. I don't skive. I've never done. Anybody. Anybody.

Any harm. What more. Could God ask. Of a person. He may accept.

Jesus. As a savior. But it's Jesus. Plus. His goodness. His good behavior. His good works.

Jesus. Plus. It's. The Peter syndrome. Jesus. Must die. And Jesus. Needs. No help.

From us. He saves. And he. Alone. Saves. May God.

Bless. This. Meditation. On. John. Chapter 18. Verses 1 to 11. In which we have seen. The courage. And resolution. Of the Lord Jesus. In going to his death.

In which we see. The power. Of the Lord Jesus. As these men. In response. To just. Two words. In the Greek. Three words.

In English. Fall back. Draw back. And fall down. And. As we see. The love. And care. That the Lord Jesus.

Has. For all his. Followers. If you seek me. Let. These men go. Let us pray. Thank you.