John 18:3
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane [Matt. 26:36].
In which He entered with His disciples [John 18:1]
Jesus and the disciples leave the upper room and travel the short distance to the Mount of Olives and then to the Garden of Gethsemane…last week we saw the importance of prayer as Jesus prayed that—not His will—but that God’s will would be done…that He would remain completely submissive to God’s will and in full agreement with it.
That is the KEY that unlocks how prayer works…in just two verses Jesus outlines how God views prayer:
But for this purpose, I came to this hour [John 12:27]
Not My will but Yours be done. [John 6:38]
God has a plan and a purpose for your life…one He designed specifically for you… a plan that was made before you were ever born…not according to what you want or your will…but what God created to complete His purpose for your life.
After being comforted and strengthened by an angel Jesus was ready to face what was already headed His way…Judas was heading down the path leading a mob.
Judas came there with lanterns, torches and weapons. [John 18:3]
Satan entered into Judas before he even went to see the chief priests…Satan possessed Judas…as a result his conscience was seared…Satan was using Judas to destroy Jesus and get Him out of the way.
Have you ever had someone with whom you shared your most intimate thoughts with …someone with whom you shared your deepest secrets with…break that trust…and even possibly use those against you?
You never forget that kind of pain. Unfortunately, it happens all too frequently.
Here’s Judas…one of Jesus’ chosen apostles…a friend in whom He trusted
…who had lived with Him for over three years
…who had seen His power revealed in countless miracles
…who had seen His love displayed in ministering to every human need
…who had heard His words of hope
…who had heard His teachings
…who had received an explanation of the truths which few others would ever hear
…who had seen innumerable miracles that confirmed His Messiahship.
Having seen and experienced all that…there could be no doubt that Jesus was ‘the Son of Man,’ ‘the Christ,’ ‘the Savior of the world.’ …if Judas had entertained any suspicions that Jesus was an impostor, he would have had some excuse for his treachery…but after having shared all that with Jesus…he had none.
At least Pilate had some excuse…he was an ignorant Heathen…but the sin of Judas was incomparably greater because of the superior knowledge He enjoyed… therefore the sin of Judas was exceedingly great.
So what was the motive for Judas to betray Jesus…certainly 30 pieces of silver was not much of a motivation…two possible theories:
…The first theory holds that Judas had become disillusioned with Jesus when he realized that Jesus had no intention of being the political-military messiah to lead Israel to overthrow the Romans…as a result…he lost confidence in Jesus’ mission.
…The second theory holds that by bringing in the Romans to arrest Jesus that would either force Jesus to start a revolution…or that his arrest would be the call for a Jewish uprising against the Romans…neither one became a reality.
Jesus not only knew what was going to happen but He knew exactly how it would happen…he knew exactly how Judas was going to give Him up…rather than Judas pointing and saying ‘here He is’…Judas would walk up to Jesus, look Him in the eye…embrace Him… and kiss Him on the cheek.
But notice…just a side note…it wasn’t Jesus who was on trial…even in this moment…during the most hideous act that human depravity could do…the love of Jesus still manifested itself…Jesus was giving Judas one last chance to repent.
Jesus even calls him friend…Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? [Matt. 26:50] …Jesus was still giving Judas one last opportunity to repent… is this what you really want to do? Are you really going to betray the Son of Man?
48 Then Jesus said to them “Have you come out with swords
and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber?
49 Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you
did not seize Me. [Mark 14:48-49]
They had come out against Him with weapons…WHY? …He had been with them daily in the Temple and they did nothing…if they wanted to arrest Him, they had plenty of chances…they could have arrested Him at any time.
Further proof that God is in control and everyone was working on God’s schedule.
They could have arrested Him on any of the occasions when He was walking through the city… but they didn’t…this shows that their claims against Jesus were unfounded…and they were only allowed to arrest Jesus when God permitted it.
Judas brings an entire cohort of Roman soldiers…that was about 600 men…seems a little excessive…along with the chief priest…elders…and the Pharisees to make an arrest that they could have made at any time with just a few people.
Jesus explains why it was happening then…and not before:
This has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures [Mark 14:49].
What occurs next is a matter of what some believe to be speculation…depending on if you believe Biblical historians…secular historians…or the Bible you get a wide array of explanations as to what happened to Jesus after His arrest.
It starts when the Jewish high priests accuse Jesus of blasphemy…a punishable death according to Jewish law but not according to Roman law so the decision to put Jesus to death needs to be approved by Rome…thus begins the mockery to attach a death sentence to a trumped-up charge.
Jesus is arrested about midnight in the Garden of Gethsemane…the Bible records six different trials Jesus was subjected to…three in a religious court and three before a Roman court.
1st Trial — before Annas [John 18:12]
2nd Trial — before Caiaphas [John 18:24]
3rd Trial — before Jewish Sanhedrin [Matt. 27:1]
4th Trial — before Pilate [John 18:29]
5th Trial — before Herod [Luke 23:6]
6th Trial — before Pilate again [John 18:33]
I’m not going to give you the play by play of all six of these trials…nor the controversy surrounding them…nor the at least eight reasons why they were illegal:
(1) No trial was to be held during feast time.
(2) Each member of the court was to vote individually but Jesus was convicted by acclamation.
(3) If the death penalty was given, a night must pass before the sentence was carried out.
(4) The Jews had no authority to execute anyone.
(5) No trial was to be held at night, but this trial was held before dawn.
(6) The accused was to be given counsel or representation, but Jesus had none.
(7) The accused was not to be asked self-incriminating questions, are you the Christ.
(8) The charges brought against Jesus were different from the charges in His religious trials.
It’s only after He’s taken before Pilate the second times…the 6th trial…that is He pronounced guilty.
Even though Pilate found Jesus innocent, he feared the crowds…and possible riots if Pilate declared Him innocent…so Pilate hands Jesus over to the Jews to let the Jewish populace decide His fate…stirred up by the Jewish chief priests, the crowds declared, “Crucify him!”
Too often unbelievers and uninformed Christians consider the Cross in one of two ways:
Why did Jesus have to die…from the first pages of Genesis it’s clear that the only means of forgiveness of sin is that something has to die and Jesus was the only person who satisfied that requirement…He’s the only sinless person to ever live.
Or they think about the Cross as the sad occasion when evil triumphed over good. As a result it caused God to have to quickly re-think about how He was going to sort out the mess left after Calvary.
How many trillions of years went by…waiting for this specific time in history …now it’s here…the precise hour…the exact time when the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah’s death would be fulfilled.
Jesus being delivered up into the hands of evil…lawless men…to be nailed to a cross and die, was all part of God’s divine plan…delivered up for us all. [Rom 8:32]
This is the climactic hour that God has pinpointed since the fall of Satan…when God… through Christ’s sacrifice…would defeat sin, death, Satan, and redeem His people for Himself… Jesus Himself says; “the hour has come”. [Jn 12:23]
The salvation plan of God who not only permitted Him to be put to death but purposed it ‘before time eternal’ πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων, [Titus 1:2]…the redemption that had been predetermined and preordained “before time began” was about to come to completion…Paul relates this very idea to those at Pentecost: [Acts 2]
22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man declared to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross and killed.
There are three important matters to be emphasized in this passage
First…the death of Jesus was not a mere accident
Second…Jesus’ death was the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God
Third…it was the vital component in the divine scheme of human redemption
This is all summed up in Galatians 4… when the fullness of time came…we might easily pass over this phrase which is a little abstract and difficult to grasp …but it’s important because it signifies that there were key events and preparation behind the exact timing of Jesus’ birth and death.
In the mysterious workings of his providence God used human instruments to facilitate the sacrifice of his Son…God didn’t cause Jesus to be killed.
God respects human free will…men are inclined to do evil…God knows that…all He has to do is present a situation and because people are inclined to do evil…He just allows them to do what comes naturally…to do evil.
WHY…to bring about the fulfillment of His own purpose (Isaiah 44:24-45:7; Jeremiah 25:8-14).
Before the Heavens and earth were created…God’s plan to reconcile humanity was already in place…the Bible chronicles the working of God’s hand as He sovereignly brings events into alignment with His will.
What happened to Jesus wasn’t the result of some mob action like what occurred at the Capitol…some spontaneous event that happened to occur…God in His sovereignty and omniscience orchestrates His plan perfectly, without any confusion. That’s how God works in everyone’s life.
God is doing and has done the same in your life…as you look back over your life can you trace His hand guiding, protecting, and providing for you?
Think about the events that led to your salvation…what situation did He use to open your eyes? …how He placed certain people in the right place at just the right time to help you understand how to be saved?
That’s why salvation isn’t automatic…you have to do something…and God puts people in your life to make that something happen…but…ultimately it’s free will …you have to make the decision to trust Jesus and accept Him as your Savior.
I’m amazed at those who say ‘well if Jesus would come today, things would be different’ …no they wouldn’t…if Jesus came today the results would be exactly the same…people say: ‘on no…we’re smarter…more enlightened…more open minded today’ …no we’re not…human nature hasn’t changed.
Only one thing caused Jesus to go to the cross…that was our sin…and that hasn’t changed…He came to become the final complete sacrifice for our sins…it is only through His death and resurrection that we could be saved.
We need to take note that without Good Friday…without the crucifixion of Jesus… there would be no Resurrection Sunday…Jesus’s death was not the result of the… Jews…Romans…or anyone else…if we say, “they” crucified Jesus we miss the whole significance of Passion week.
What the Passover crowd demanded…what Pilate confirmed…and what the Romans did when they nailed Jesus to the Cross…they did only because they were allowed to…nobody killed Jesus. [Matt. 26:53]
Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions (one legion is 24,000) of angels? (288,000).
Jesus voluntarily picked up the cross…willingly…sacrificially…and obedientlywent to the Cross… [John 10:18]
No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily.
It is not by chance or accident that Jesus was put on the Cross at 9AM and He died at 3PM…these times are given in Scripture because they specifically coincide with the twice daily sacrifices in the temple. (1 Chron. 16:40; 2 Chron. 2:4).
Everything that happened occurred exactly as outlined in the Old Testament…Jesus was sacrificed exactly according to Old Testament direction at the precise time so there would be no mistake about Jesus being the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
— At 9 AM (the 3rd hour) at the appointed time mandated by God in the O.T. Jesus is nailed to the cross (Mk 15:25), …at the exact time when the first lamb of the daily sacrifice is offered up on the altar in the Temple…just like that lamb…at 9AM Jesus is offered up on the Cross.
— At 3 PM (the 9th hour)the hour the sacrifice of the second daily lamb was laid on the altar…at precisely 3PM Jesus commanded His spirit to leave His body…thereby giving up His life on the cross (Mark 15:33-34).
All the events leading up to the betrayal…crucifixion…and His ultimate death were confusing and traumatic…after his arrest in the Garden the disciples scattered.
They watched Him being nailed to a cross in disbelief…some stood at the foot of the cross weeping…hoping for a miracle that didn’t happen…some looked on at a distance in hopes that somehow, He would get out of this! … BUT…He didn’t…
Now He’s dead…and it’s all over…no one comes back from the grave!
After His death they were so disheartened and confused they just walked away …they didn’t even stay around to claim His body…Judas went out in despair and committed suicide…the remaining Disciples gathered together in the upper room where they had eaten the Last Supper…in bewilderment and fear…not knowing what the future held, they hid themselves.
No one…not even those closest to Him, ever expected to see Jesus alive again…the disciples are scattered…after all…who wants to follow a loser? …Who wants to be identified with “the King of the Jews” who’s hanging like the worst of criminals on a cross?
In Jesus they found the hope of eternal life… their expectations were so real that some of them openly argued over who would sit at His right hand in glory…that’s how strong their belief was in the resurrections…but Good Friday had effectively wiped all that out…Jesus was now dead.
People today aren’t much different than the disciples in that respect… people may say they believe Jesus rose from the dead…but too often for some it’s a belief that is a mere idea and not a conviction that dwells in their hearts.
I doubt these guys remotely comprehended the eternal implication of no resurrection from the dead…without the resurrection of Jesus there would be no eternal life.
Even the Old Testament spoke about the resurrection from the dead…both Mary and Martha knew that their brother would rise on the last day…and now these guys are ready to disregard that hope…they’re ready to concede that all the things they hoped for in Jesus were just a frustrating memory.
This whole thing comes down to this…it’s what has been the stumbling block for over 2000 years:
…it’s one thing to say, “I believe”
…it’s quite another thing to say: “I believe in a Resurrected Christ”
…and it’s something vastly different to say: “I believe in a Resurrected Christ and I know Him.”