28.01.07 AM SERMON Jesus in John # 57 - John 18:1-11
Read p228-229 of “Just Give me Jesus”
1. Jesus is Saviour
Paul writes to the Christians in
Rome these words; “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)
You and I needed a Saviour. We were hopelessly drowning, our sin, our selfishness had brought us death.
We were at the brink of utter ruin. We needed to be rescued.
And God sends us his one and only Son, Jesus, to come and save us from our sin, our self-centredness, our pre-occupation with self.
He offers to drink the cup of judgment on sin instead of us.
Yet there are those who shrug off his sacrifice and say that it is not necessary.
“I can save myself by my own activity, or morality, or religiosity, or sincerity.” I don’t need a Saviour !
Jesus had been praying, earnestly, in that Garden at
Gethsemane.
He humbly submitted to his Father’s will, choosing voluntarily to go ahead with the rescue plan.
The next nine hours would be agony, six different trials, torture, rejection, crucifixion. … But first - betrayal.
It was the night before Passover.
The moon will have been full, and Jesus stepped through the garden; perhaps seeing the Brook Kidron trickling through the valley, seeing the silhouette of the city walls of
Jerusalem.
And then he saw the soldiers, a detachment – the Greek word used here is the word, ‘cohort’ – a tenth of a legion – this would normally comprise of six hundred men, though John is not likely to have been speaking of 600 men, but rather a smaller group sent out from the whole.
In the same way that we would say, the police came to arrest the man – we don’t mean the whole police force.
However many Romans would usually send an overwhelming number even for only one person.
They were coming for him. His time had come. He knew this was the end … or perhaps the beginning.
No doubt, he could have slipped away as he had done many times before.
But no – this was his Father’s plan. “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him …”
Jesus was not oblivious to the sacrifice that he was to make on our behalf. He knew the pain he was to endure.
He knew the separation from his Father that he was to suffer – becoming sin for us.
Jesus chose the hard option, in faith, because he knew it was the right thing to do, not the easy thing.
Jesus went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?”
It was as though he were the King greeting his subjects and demanding they state their business.
Instead of a cowering quivering criminal, these soldiers and officials came face to face with Jesus – the Christ.
“Jesus of Nazareth” was their reply.
What happened next has enthralled readers of these scriptures over the ages.
We read, that Jesus replied, “I am he,” and that when Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
2. Jesus is God
Here we are confronted with the fact that Jesus was making his claim to deity very clear.
He uses a phrase that only God himself is only rightfully able to use.
Know this – that one day, “… at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philip. 2:10-11)
We have the option – we either bend the knee voluntarily or we will be compelled to bow because we are confronted by the fullness of God in Jesus.
Many people in this life set themselves against Christ. You may know some – you may be one.
I remember my RE teacher at school would blaspheme God in our lessons.
It is a dangerous position to be in to set ourselves against God. Who can stand up against God ?
As Jesus boldly identifies himself by the Name that is reserved for God alone, he makes it crystal clear who he believes himself to be.
The accusation of blasphemy, that a mere man would claim to be God, has surely been upheld.
Who on earth can rightfully claim to be God ? Certainly not a lowly carpenter’s son.
And yet even in the revelation of his true self simply through speaking his name “I am he” he demonstrates that he has power. People fall down before him.
God in the Old Testament says this about himself :
Deut. 32:39 "See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no-one can deliver out of my hand.”
Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last.”
3. Jesus is in charge
Jesus was in charge – he was in command of events that evening.
Jesus’ death was no accident – it was deliberate … on his part!
Instead of capturing a quivering coward or a defiant rebel or a fiery revolutionary his enemies found themselves facedown before someone who caused them to grow so weak at the knees that they could no remain on their feet.
It was Muhammad Ali who said, “I am the greatest. Not only do I knock em out, I pick the round!”
Jesus is greater than M’d Ali – he floored his opponents, hundreds of them, simply by speaking his name.
And again he asks them "Who is it you want?"
Was he giving them a chance to rethink ? Do they really want to take part in this evil deed ?
I wonder if the Lord this morning is asking you the same question - “Who is it you want?”
Do you want the Lord and his ways, or your own ways?
Whether it was the sinful stubbornness of their hearts, or their professional pride, or their years of dutifully following commands, with bodies prostrate on the ground and faces buried in the dirt they muffled their answer, "Jesus of Nazareth."
They wanted Jesus, but not to worship him – to do away with him.
They have missed their chance to turn, to repent.
You know we only have so many chances, but one day it will be too late to repent.
It is better to turn now, because who knows what is round the corner, who knows if we will ever be truly sorry for the deliberate wrong that we do.
The soldiers ready themselves to arrest Jesus. And Jesus tells them again, "I told you that I am he,"
There is no mistaking who they are dealing with – there is no excuse when it comes to dealing with Jesus.
No one will be able to say – I didn’t realise. He had made it plain for all of us here – who he is !
4. Jesus is betrayed
At that very moment, Judas is recorded by the other gospel writers as stepping forwards and kissing Jesus.
A middle eastern custom – expressing friendship – but in this case betrayal.
Judas – one of Jesus’ closest friends. Hand-picked to be a disciple.
Trusted with the money. Witness of countless miracles. Hearer of profound teaching with authority.
He had been fed by the loaves and fish, he had been in the boat when Jesus told the storm to be still, he had seen Lazarus come out of his tomb.
He had only that evening had his feet lovingly washed by Jesus.
He had been singled out to receive a special honour when Jesus gave him the bread dipped in wine – only the honoured guest received this. (“sop”).
It was this disciple, this Judas, who betrayed his friend, his Lord, with a kiss.
In the Greek, John phrases verse two, “Now Judas, who was betraying him …”
He brings us as readers right into the present action – Judas in the midst of his act of betrayal.
It began a while ago, his agreeing to act along with Jesus’ enemies.
Although Jesus knew the betrayal was coming, it must have still cut to the heart.
Psalm 55:12-14 “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.”
If you have ever been betrayed, then you’ll know something of how Jesus felt.
The ones we love most can hurt us the most.
Jesus knows what it is like to invest time and energy into people who then turn against him.
He knows what it is like to feel the pain of rejection, of feeling used.
Well, Peter was having none of this - taking matters into his own hands, he went on the attack.
He “struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)”
It may seem commendable that Peter comes to his friend’s aid.
Here was a man who loved Jesus, he didn’t want to see Jesus hurt, he had only moments before said that he would die for Jesus.
Perhaps here was is chance to demonstrate his love – I’ll show Jesus what I can do for him !
Or perhaps it was un-thought-through immediate instinct of an impetuous and hot-headed fisherman
I’ll tell you why Peter took matters into his own hands … One word – Prayerlessness!
When he should have been in prayer – he was asleep. He was not prepared.
Just moments beforehand in that Garden on that fateful night, we read how Jesus “… returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 26:40-41)
We need to prepare through prayer
It is no good being a people who intend to pray, we need to be those who get on and do it.
We need be a people who prepare in prayer – otherwise we will not be ready when events come upon us – we will do rash things – things we will regret, things that can cause great harm.
What if that evening, as a consequence of Peter’s actions, the detachment of soldiers had responded by slaughtering Peter and his fellow disciples?
Did Peter want to take on the entire Roman army ?
Peter would take on the Romans, but not through violence, rather through following the example of his Lord.
Tradition has it that did die at the hands of the Romans, he was crucified, it is said, upside-down, in
Rome itself.
Are you preparing in prayer or are you acting under your own steam ?
We can act and make decisions based on simply what we see, and feel or we can alongside these things, pray in faith that God will work through us and in us.
Jesus sees what Peter has done, and in answer to his actions says, "No more of this!"
You see, Jesus may be saying to people here, in response to how we have been living “No more of this!”
Jesus can bring healing, restoration, forgiveness.
Jesus touched Malchus’ ear and healed him. (Luke 22:51)
Jesus literally heals his enemy – an anticipation of what is to come.
Can you imagine the crowd’s astonishment at this miraculous healing ?
Was this yet another chance to think again ?
But still refusing to repent, we go on to read that they bound Jesus and led him away.
What is our response to the One who reveals himself to be God, our only Saviour, who is in full control of events in this world?
Are we those who reject him, who neglect him, who betray him ?
Are we those who are prepared through prayed ?
Or are we trying to get through life on our own.
Jesus looks at our sin, our lack of prayerfulness and says, “No more of this!”
Are we prepared to bow our knee willingly, and submit to our humble King’s author
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