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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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GOSPEL OF JOHN Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert IV. SON OF GOD’S PURPOSE FOR
MINISTRY 18:1–20:31 [23 - (Jn 18:1-40)] A. The Son of God’s Arrest
and Trials 18:1–19:15 1. The
Purpose for which the Son of God Came a) The
gospel of John has taken us through the Son of God’s prologue (1:1‑18),
His public ministry (1:19‑12:50), His private ministry to His disciples
(13:1‑17:26). b) Now John brings us not only to the purpose
for which he wrote (20:31), but also to Jesus’ purpose for ministry. It could
be summed up in the phrase, “redemption for sinful man through Christ’s
death.” This was the purpose for which Christ came c) Christ came to “save” (Jn 12:47) the
world by atoning for its sin (Jn 1:29). Christ came so that the world would
not “perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16) and to give life more abundantly
(Jn 10:10). d) Man’s salvation would be accomplished on a
cross and Jesus would not be dissuaded from His mission (Jn 12:27; 18:11).
This section (18:1–20:31) describes Christ’s crucifixion and the aftermath. 2. The
Garden of Gethsemane (18:1) a) After
Jesus finished the Upper Room Discourse (Jn 13:31‑16:33) with His
disciples and after His high priestly prayer (Jn 17), John recorded that
Jesus crossed over the Kidron ravine to the Mount
of Olives to a garden. That garden would have been the “Garden of Gethsemane”
(Mt 26:36‑46; ; Mk 14:32‑42; Lk 22:40‑46). b) Why did John not fully record the garden
account? We can only speculate and say for John’s purpose (Jn 20:31), he
wanted his readers to focus on the prayer of Jn 17. It could also be stated
that having written his gospel some 33 years after Matthew’s gospel
(including Mark and Luke), the garden of Gethsemane was known by everyone. 3. The Son
of God’s Betrayal and Arrest (18:2‑12) a) Jesus did
not avoid His betrayal because His hour had come. Therefore, Judas was able
to lead the chief priests, elders and the Roman soldiers to Jesus. In fact,
an entire armed Roman cohort (speira ‑
tenth of 6000), probably from 300‑600 soldiers came out to arrest
Jesus. While that may appear to be a large number, the chief priests were
probably fearful of an insurrection from the multitudes that usually followed
Jesus. b) When they asked for “Jesus the Nazarene,”
Jesus replied, “I am He.” When He said this, the crowd fell to the
ground. In a sense, this could have been another “I AM” declaration by which
the power and authority of that name frightened and caused the crowd to fall
(6). Jesus again told them that He was the one they were looking for. In
addition, He asked that they let the disciples go unharmed (8). This
fulfilled Jesus’ earlier statement that He did not lose any of His true
disciples (6:39, 40, 44; 10:28; 17:12). c) Simon Peter, in Peter‑like fashion,
drew a sword (machaira ‑ short
sword or dagger for close combat) and cut off the high priest’s slave’s
right ear (10). Jesus immediately rebuked Peter. Though Peter’s actions may
have appeared courageous, Peter chose to strike an unarmed temple servant as
opposed to a Roman soldier. Jesus again declared to Peter that He must drink
this cup for it was the will of God. Luke the physician recorded that Jesus
“touched his ear and healed him” Lk 22:51). d) Jesus was then arrested without
resistance. 4. The Son
of God’s Trial Before Annas (18:13‑14, 19‑23) a) Annas,
though removed from the office of high priest by the Roman procurator Valerius Gratus in A.D. 14‑15,
was probably still held in high regard or as high priest by the other
priests. Annas may have been the president of the Sanhedrin before which
Peter and John were brought in Ac 4:6. b) Caiaphas, the son‑in‑law of
Annas, was recognized as high priest by the Roman government. No doubt a
politician, Caiaphas advised the Jews earlier (Jn 11:50) that it was
necessary for one man to die on behalf of the people. c) Annas examined Jesus concerning His
disciples and His teaching. Jesus’ remark that His teaching was not done in
secret was not filled with sarcasm but may have exposed the secret plot being
carried out by the Jews. At which time an officer struck Jesus for His
supposed disrespect toward the high priest. But Jesus defended His words,
because they were correct and He was sinless. 5. Peter’s
First Denial (18:15‑18) a) In vs.
15, when John recorded “that disciple was known to the high priest, and
entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest,” he was speaking of
himself. We do not know what connection he had, but he was able to enter the
court. b) Peter himself was brought in by John’s
persuasion. However, a slave girl confronted Peter’s association with Jesus
which prompted Peter’s his first denial. 6. The Son
of God’s Trial Before Caiaphas (18:24) a) Annas was
not making progress with Jesus so he sent Jesus to Caiaphas. b) Only Caiaphas, as the recognized reigning
high priest could send Jesus before Pilate for execution. 7. Peter’s
Second and Third Denials (18: 25‑27) a) The
people who were standing alongside Peter at the fire asked him a second time
if he was one of Jesus’ disciples. He denied it a second time. b) However, one of the relatives of the
temple servant who had his ear cut off by Peter recognized him. When he asked
Peter if he was in the garden with Jesus, Peter denied Christ a third time. c) Immediately a rooster crowed giving
credence to Jesus’ forewarning in Jn 13:38. 8. The Son
of God’s Trials Before Pilate (18:28‑40) a) Accompanied
with Caiaphas’ orders, Jesus was led into the Praetorium
(governor’s residence). John does not record all of the judicial trials of
Jesus because of John’s specific purpose in writing. However, along with the
other gospels, they were … (1) Jewish
trials: #1. Before Annas (Jn 18:12‑14); #2. Before
Caiaphas (Mt 26:57‑68; Mk 14:53‑65; Lk 22:54); #3. Before
Sanhedrin (Mt 27:1; Mk 15:1; Lk 22:66‑71), (2) Roman trials: #1. Before Pilate (Mt 22:2,
11‑14; Mk 15:1‑5; Lk 23:1‑5; Jn 18:28‑38);
#2. Before Herod Antipas (Lk 23:6‑12); #3. Before Pilate again (Mt
27:15‑26; Mk 15:6‑15; Lk 23:13‑25; Jn 18:39‑19:16). b) The time
was “early” and somewhere between 3:00A.M. to
6:00A.M. It was going to be the Passover at 6:00P.M. and
the Jews were bent on killing Jesus before then so as to not violate the Law. c) The Jews were so bent on killing Jesus
that they had not made a formal accusation against Jesus (29). The Jews had
no real accusations so they wanted Pilate to just trust them. As far as
Pilate was concerned, he thought Jesus should be tried by Jewish Law and not
Roman Law. This only revealed the true motives of the Jews who said, “We are
not permitted to put anyone to death” (31). d) Jewish Law would have ended in stoning,
but John informs us that by the sovereignty of God, His death would be served
by Roman Law and would be by crucifixion, thus fulfilling Jesus’ words (Jn
3:14; 8:28; 12:32, 33). e) Pilate examined Jesus a second time
concerning Jesus being the King of the Jews. This would have been a political
concern for Pilate and Jesus’ answer may have reflected that (Jn 18:34). It
was the Jews who brought this accusation against Him in a degrading way. In a
sense, Jesus assured Pilate that He was not an earthly king that might revolt
physically. His kingdom was a spiritual kingdom that will have future
ramifications for the world (36). His kingdom was a kingdom of truth that
testifies to truth (37). Pilate asked in a sarcastic way, “What is the
truth.” This proved that He did not know who was before him. f) Pilate ultimately found no fault in Jesus
from the standpoint of an insurrection against the Roman Law. However, he
accommodated the Jews by reminding them that between Jesus and Barabbas, one
of them could be released while the other would be crucified. The Jews had a
death‑wish for the Son of God and therefore delivered a robber and an
insurrectionist. 9. Applications:
The world’s worst travesty of justice and irony was the crucifixion of
Christ. a) The Jews
were the people of God but were responsible for crucifying God the Son. b) The Jews did not want to violate the Law
of God but could kill the Son of God. c) There were no true accusations against
Jesus, but He was destined to die anyway. d) Pilate found the Son of God to be
innocent, but the people of God found Him guilty. e) Everyone who was of the truth heard
Jesus’ words except Pilate and the Jews. f) Pilate wanted to know the truth even
though the “Truth” (Jn 14:6) and His “Words” (Jn 17:17) were before him. g) Though Pilate declared the Son of God to
be innocent, he handed Him over to a certain death by the will of the Jews,
making Pilate amply responsible. |
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