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BEHOLD THE LAMB:
Prophetic Revelations from the Gospel of John
Victoria Boyson
www.victoriaboyson.com
Taken from Behold the Lamb, by
Victoria Boyson, Chapter 18
The Gospel of John, Chapter Eighteen
John 18:1-12 Betrayal and Arrest In Gethsemane
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His
disciples over the Brook Kidron [Cedron], where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. 2And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples. 3Then Judas, having
received a detachment of troops [KJV says band], and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. 4Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward
and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" 5They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. 6Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew [went]
back [backward] and fell to the ground. 7Then He asked them again, "Whom are you seeking?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." 8Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their
way," 9that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none." 10Then 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. 11So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" 12Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews
arrested Jesus and bound Him.
Supporting Scripture:
Luke 21:37 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.
Luke 22:52-53 Then Jesus said
to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me, But
this is your hours, and the power of darkness."
John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in
the world, He loved them to the end.
Psalm 41:9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
(See also: Mk. 14:26, 32; 2 Sam. 15:23; Lk 22:39, 47-53; Jn.
6:39, 64; 13:1,3; 17:12; 19:28; Mt. 20:22; 21:11; 26:39, 51)
As the hour of the Lord's betrayal had come, Jesus moved Himself and His disciples to a place Judas was familiar with, as He had often retreated to it when
He was in Jerusalem. The garden of Gethsemane on Mount Olivet was a favorite place of His, located east of the Kidron or Cedron Brook, running between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.
Notably, the Kidron Brook was
a place where the righteous kings of Judah, having burned the idols they found there, had thrown the ashes into the brook. Also, David prophesied the Messiah would "...drink of the brook by the wayside; therefore He shall
lift up His head," Psalm 110:7. John briefly mentions this brook as further evidence that Jesus was the Christ. So, too, would Jesus pass over it to lay Himself open to those who sought to kill Him and, by His death, put an
end to idolatry at last (Revelation 17:14).
Our bold Defender took Himself to the field of battle and waited for His opponents to come to Him at Gethsemane. The office of a priest was to teach, pray and sacrifice
and, as Jesus is our High Priest, He had taught His disciples, prayed with them and now would lay Himself out as the final sacrifice for sin. It was in a garden that mankind was ensnared into the curse of sin (Genesis 3:7),
and here, in this garden, redemption would find its Champion. For the promised Seed (Genesis 3:15) would triumph for man as He fought with the serpent who had taken possession of Judas. Jesus did not hide from His betrayer.
It was His custom when in Jerusalem to leave the city at night and retire near the mount of Olives. Jesus did not change His habit of which Judas was familiar with, but went to it to make Himself accessible to
him.
After leaving eight of His disciples near the garden's entrance, He went farther on to a more private place. Taking with Him Peter, James and John, (Matthew 26:36-37) who had also been with Him at His
transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13), Jesus sought a place to pray. When alone, He prayed, if it were possible, that the cup the Father had given Him to drink might pass from Him (Matthew 26:39), and it was here that an
angel appeared to Jesus as He was in agony. As the angel strengthened Him, He prayed even more earnestly, "Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground," Luke 22:44.
This text is one of
the most difficult to study in Scripture, because it is here where the Lord's humanity is most deeply felt. When you think of Jesus, you don't think of Him being afraid, sorrowful or distressed even unto death and our heart
aches to hear of it. Our Lord asked repeatedly for the Father to remove this cup of bitter sorrow, for the weight of the world's sin was even then falling heavily on Him and hell was taking full advantage.
Was it
for fear of the cross that He prayed to be released? No. Jesus did not fear the cross, nor His own death. It was because of the sin of the world He grieved. He who knew no sin, and was terribly grieved by what sin had done
to mankind, struggled in the garden as the weight of the world's sin loomed before Him. Only a soul with absolute freedom from sin could feel such horror as Jesus did in taking the sin of the world on Himself. He, who had
only known purity, would feel the weight of the world's impurity. He, who had only known love in Himself, would feel wrath for the first time. It was this that caused such a grief that His humanity would dread as the Father
laid the world's sin on His shoulders.
His three companions could not keep awake. Their flesh was weak and the sorrow of the hour had fallen heavily on them. Again and again, He tried to make them mindful of what He
was suffering. Jesus warned them that their faith would be tested and advanced prayer was the remedy for sin's temptation, but the night air was heavy and sleep took hold of them as intense suffering fell on Jesus.
The Aramaic meaning of Gethsemane is oil press, and was a notable choice to host the most holy of moments in history as He was greatly pressed until His anointed blood was poured out for the restoration of the
world. Moreover, there is a prophetic importance that those He brought to pray with Him were Peter, James and John, whose names mean rock, supplanter and graced by God. For this was the epochal moment prophesied in Daniel
2:31-45, the moment in which the Rock, which is Christ cut from mountain of God, struck the false religion of Satan. "For the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be
left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever," Daniel 2:44.
This holy pressing of our Lord would bring about the Rock of Christ prophesied in Daniel,
supplanting the false religion of Babylon by God's grace. It was essential that these three men observe His sorrow as they would become witnesses of His sufferings and His patience under them, that they might, with the more
confidence and gratitude, speak of them to the world (Luke 24:28).
Those who are considering following Christ should study well His prayer at Gethsemane (John 17), in order to understand the agony He felt in the
garden. As the magnitude of the world's sin pressed in on Jesus, His surrender to His heavenly Father's will reveals with gravity the beauty of one who would give their life to Christ.
Beautifully He surrendered to
His Father as He looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You," (John 17:1). And He did glorify His Father and surrendered Himself to the cruelty of the
cross even though He could have stopped it at any moment. As He had told Peter after he struck the servant of the high priest. "...do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than
twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" Matthew 26:53-54.
He did it for our sake and, in return, we should hold His sacrifice as sacred, never allowing it
to be something lightly regarded or unnecessary. He died that we might have life abundantly (John 10:10), not weighed down by the burden of sin. Our acceptance should come with a grateful heart as we enjoy it, and, just as
He requested from His disciples, we should be ever vigilant in prayer, guarding the precious work of the gospel with our life!
Being an ambitious man, Judas approached Jesus in the garden while being surrounded by a
detachment of soldiers. Undoubtedly, he was puffed up with the aggrandizement of the moment, considering himself to be someone of great importance as the garrison followed him. It was for revenge He agreed to betray Christ
and how he must have reveled in the moment of his grandstanding against his Master. When following Christ, he came in at the rear of the eleven, yet now he stood before them all with hundreds of powerful men in his charge.
However, his importance would be only temporary.
Judas was given a band or detachment of soldiers, and, because of Hollywood's depictions, one may picture there being 10 to 12 men with him. However, Luke refers to
it as a multitude of men, soldiers and priests, and both Matthew and Mark refer to it as a great multitude. John referred to it as a band (KJV) or detachment (NKJV) of soldiers and, in the Roman army, a detachment was
one-tenth of a legion, which is 3,000 to 6,000. So, a band would be 300 or 600 soldiers. Add to this the officers sent from the Jewish priests, plus the Pharisees and their servants, and you could see plainly it was a very
great multitude. Lighting up the night's sky with their lanterns and filling the night with sounds of clanking weaponry, they quickly surrounded the Lord and His followers.
Understanding just how great a multitude
came to arrest Jesus, we can marvel at two things in particular about the event. One, that Jesus knocked them all down with the heavenly power that filled His voice as He spoke to them. The NKJV says the multitude drew back
and fell to the ground, but the KJV says they all went backwards, falling to the ground. The wording in the KJV shows clearly their fall was by the power of the Lord and was not done by their own ability. They did not step
back or draw back, but fell back as a result of the Lord's answering, "I am He," revealing plainly what Christ Jesus could have done to them all had He so chosen. For as large a gathering as they were, they were all sent
flying back and falling to the ground by the power in His spoken word. Indeed, Jesus could have struck down the whole multitude if He so chose, yet He obeyed His Father's request and offered Himself to them. He, who was
innocent, was treated as a criminal, so we, who are guilty, could be called innocent.
Christ's foreknowledge of His suffering was a matter He had resigned Himself to, so as the moment had turned in His favor, either
through accidental exposure to His power or if it was done on purpose to open the eyes of His would-be captures, Jesus did not take advantage of it. He could have run or fought them, but He stayed in His place. Refusing to
neglect His role as Shepherd, Jesus concerned Himself with the safety of His disciples. Asking in the form of a command, He said, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way," John 18:8,
indicating it was His disciples He referred to.
This gesture was a wonderful example of the Lord's generous and heroic love, that He would care for His own over Himself. It was also an example of His standing as
Mediator on behalf of man, for when He offered Himself to die on our behalf, it was to procure our freedom and make a way for our escape from sin. Moreover, in the disciples lay His hopes for sharing His gospel message with
the world and, as they had important work to do, He sent them away from Himself. For their protection, Jesus used His advantage to secure their escape and by it He confirmed the word He spoke as He prayed, "Those whom You
gave Me I have kept, and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled," John 17:12.
Now, there were two swords in the disciples' possession, Peter having one of
them rashly used it in defense of Christ. He struck at the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. However, Jesus quickly stepped in and healed the man and secured the flight of the eleven. Perhaps Peter was angered
at seeing Judas at the head of this mob and it is a wonder that he did not aim it at the betrayer's head. However, this moment gave the Lord another opportunity to reveal His deity to His captors.
Peter had opposed
his Master's suffering and was instinctively compelled to react in His defense. Yet while He seemed to fight for Christ, he foolishly exposed himself and his fellow disciples to the fury of this mob. If he had cut off
Malchus's head rather than his ear, they most likely would have responded much differently and unleashed their rage on them all. No doubt through the Lord's miraculous power, they were allowed to leave even though it seemed
unwise to let them. As Peter was rebuked and resheathed His sword, he was no doubt filled with frustration as his attempt at saving Jesus was so thwarted by Him. He and the others left in fear and frustration.
Yet,
though the power of God was evident in the falling of troops and the healing of the servant's ear, no one seemed to question that arresting Jesus was unwarranted. Indeed, they would not have been able to take Jesus captive
even with a million armed men, except that it was through willing consent He allowed Himself to be taken by them. Jesus Christ, the Miracle Worker, the Prince of peace, and Son of God was bound and taken away to the high
priest.
God incarnate, who had made Himself flesh, allowed Himself to be bound for our transgressions and taken in our place. He made Himself a sin-offering, and taking on our yoke, He submitted to the cross. Taken
for our sake, so we could experience the liberty He purchased for us. Death was our debt, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), yet He paid our debt in full (John 19:30), so we could be made free.
From garden
(Genesis 2:8) to garden (John 18:1), the Father remembered His promise to mankind. "He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel," Genesis 3:15. Through one man, Adam, sin became our inherited death sentence.
Yet, it is through Jesus we are now heirs to the promise of eternal life in Him. Indeed, from one garden we were cast out. Through another, we gained acceptance through Christ's suffering.
John 18:13-18
Appearance Before The High Priest
And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. 14Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that
one man should die for the people. 15And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 16But Peter stood
at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. 17Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also
one of this Man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." 18Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed
himself.
Supporting Scripture:
Matthew 26:57 And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58But Peter followed Him at a distance
to the high priest's courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.
John 11:49-50 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50nor do you consider
that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."
(See also: Mt. 26:3, 34, 58, 69-75; Lk. 3:2; 4:15; 22:54-62; Mk. 12:37; 14:49, 54, 66-72; Jn. 6:59;
11:49; 13:38; 20:2-5; Jer. 20:20)
Immediately after capturing Jesus, the mob took Him to the home of Annas who had been high priest previously and who was the father-in-law of the current high priest, Caiaphas. It
was now midnight, the hour when most men would have been asleep, yet Annas was awake as if awaiting the Lord's arrival. As the hour was late, they should have put Jesus in a cell until they had time to seek the mind of the
Lord concerning Him as this was their custom (Leviticus 24:12), but in the case of Christ, they took Him directly to Annas.
Annas was not the current high priest, so one wonders why they took the Lord to him first
and then to Caiaphas. Many scholars have reasoned that he may have paid for their services in arresting Jesus, or to gain his blessing for their corrupt action and some have thought it was because his house was along the
route to Caiaphas. It seems to me that, if he were an older man, he would not stay awake so late unless he anticipated the Lord's arrest and had something to do with it. Thereby, it makes the hypothesis of his being the
means of payment for the expedition the more reasonable of the three.
The Lord's capture took place during the night, because the chief priests feared an uprising among the people and so waited until late when
everyone would be asleep to enact their plans against Him. Caiaphas was afraid of a political revolt precipitating among the people because of Jesus and notoriously said to the effect that, Jesus' life should be sacrificed
to save the nation of Israel, (John 11:49-53).
Many have concluded that Jesus' trial was illegal and rightly so, because it was held at night and in secrecy. Not all the council members were called for, but only
those the high priest could count on to agree with his verdict. Instead of lasting 2-3 days as was the custom, the trial lasted only a few hours. It was held in the palace of the high priest, and not in the court chambers
of the Sanhedrin. At day break, more council members were brought in hastily for a brief period of time to concur with the preconceived verdict, perhaps to give the impression of legitimacy. What justice was their for
Christ before such a corrupt and prejudiced court, which had already found Him guilty?
Notably, the position of high priest was supposed to last for a priest's lifetime, yet we see it was passed frequently
from man to man. Which was more evidence of their drifting away from the law of Moses and toward the corruption of ambitious men. Although, in reality, the change may quite possibly have been God's doing. If God wanted to
trap Caiaphas in judgment due to his hard heart, it would make sense to place him in a position that gave him the opportunity to manipulate the death of Christ from the hands of the Sanhedrin. By this same line of
reasoning, we may uncover the purpose of their stopping first at the home of Annas, who was also trapped in condemnation due to his complicit agreement and sanctioning of the criminal capture of Christ and subsequent
illegal trial.
As Jesus was led away to the high priest, Simon Peter and John followed the crowd surrounding Christ there. Peter, the son of Jonah from Bethsaida, a fisherman by trade who later led 3,000 people to
Christ in a day (Acts 2:41), suffered a humiliating fall from grace before he was so mightily used by the Spirit of the Lord. Peter, who'd risked his life to save Jesus, yet was sorely rebuked and disillusioned by it, ran
away. However, he changed his mind and made his way to the courtyard of the palace of the high priest. He and John both arrived together, yet John, who seemed to be known there, was allowed in, but Peter stayed outside of
the courtyard of the high priest.
Once in, John kindly asked the door keeper if Peter could enter as well (John 18:16-18). However, it seems the kindness John showed Peter was no kindness at all. Peter did not have
the strength or courage to hold up under the scrutiny that caused him to fear those who recognized him. Although he wanted to be there for Jesus, his Galilean accent gave him away and he was understandably subjected to
questions.
With a crowd of this magnitude, you may think it would be considerably easy for Peter to blend in with it. However, it was an aggressively hostile crowd, and one in which even the servants were apt to be
mistrustful of those present who looked or acted differently than those driven by the murderous demonic horde that compelled them. Once inside the courtyard, Peter was easily suspected. Perhaps he looked suspicious because
of the fear he must have felt upon entering such a place.
Peter was foiled by the first assault against him, and lied to the maid who recognized him. She was, after all, only a servant, yet she was a servant
of a high priest and would have been influenced by her master's beliefs. The girl asked Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?" John 18:17. Without hesitating, he responded in fear and lied to her,
saying, "I am not." No doubt she did not believe him. Saying nothing more to Peter about his identity did not mean she stopped questioning it, and most likely went away to speak to others who may be able to confirm her
suspicions.
It would have been better for Peter not to attempt to stay by the Lord's side in the midst of such temptation of fear than to do the Lord harm at His most vulnerable moment. Yet, we see that his heart
was full of worry and grief for his friend and, although he did not have the strength to sustain Him, he had the integrity to try.
We would all like to think, as Peter did, that we would have the strength to stand
by the Lord, but the situation was terrifying and simply unfathomable. Truly, we cannot conceive of the intensity of the moment, nor can we know just how we would have reacted to it in Peter's place, and most likely would
have done exactly as he did.
John 18:19-27 Jesus Questioned by the High Priest
The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. 20Jesus answered him, "I spoke openly to the world. I
always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. 21Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said." 22And when
He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, "Do You answer the high priest like that?" 23Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil;
but if well, why do you strike Me?" 24Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He
denied it and said, "I am not!" 26One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" 27Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster
crowed.
Supporting Scripture:
Matthew 26:34 Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." 35Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with
You, I will not deny You!" And so said all the disciples.
Matthew 26:74-75 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. 75And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who
had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.
(See also: Mt. 26:3, 34, 58, 69-75; Lk. 3:2; 4:15; 22:54-62; Mk. 12:37; 14:49, 54, 66-72; Jn. 6:59; 11:49;
13:38; 20:2-5; Jer. 20:2)
As Christ's disciple fell into denial, the high priest attempted to draw Jesus out with a line of questioning designed to get Him to accuse Himself. And what subject did the high priest
aspire to use? He began his interrogation with inquiries about His disciples and His doctrine.
It was an astounding bit of villainous procedure to first arrest Jesus and then, having no charges to lay against Him,
attempt to manufacture evidence by drawing Him into conversation. At first, he questioned the Lord's doctrine in an attempt at finding proof of His teaching heresy and committing blasphemy. Unbelievably, without evidence or
any credible witnesses, they brought the Son of God in and attempted to make Him His own prosecutor.
Against all reason and justice, they tried to make Him testify against Himself, because Caiaphas had resolved that
Jesus must die for the sake of the Israelite nation (John 11:50), as they assumed Rome would destroy them all if Jesus were to be guilty of sedition. Ironically, they were destroyed in 70AD, as judgment from God. Against
their having crucified the His Son He gave their destruction into the hands of their enemies. Notably, the priesthood, which the priests were so apt to protect, was abolished.
The questions concerning the Lord's
disciples came up as Peter was first discovered to be among the crowd and perhaps brought to mind the line of interrogation. It was thought that the disciples were not being taught doctrine but were rather being trained
militarily so to attempt an overthrow of the Roman government. Indeed, it was a hope of the disciples that this was what Christ would eventually do and as Jesus was recognized as being the heir of King David's throne (John
12:13), it was not an unsubstantiated thought.
The High Priest hoped to represent Jesus to the Roman government as a dangerous criminal, guilty of sedition, or have Him charged under the penalty of an apostate. If
found guilty of either charge, He would be put to death. Mosaic law states anyone who attempts to seduce the people into committing idolatry shall be stoned to death, "but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first
against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. And you shall stone him with stones until he dies..." Deuteronomy 13:9-10. However, the Sanhedrin had no proof of false doctrine, but hoped to
extort something from Him that they could distort and use as evidence against Him.
Insidiously, they simply ignored all the miracles, signs and wonders Jesus had worked among them, which would have given ample proof
of who He was and that He was sent from God. Therefore, through their negligence and misdeeds, they were proven to be unjust judges, who closed their eyes to any evidence that would have found Him innocent.
As to the
questions of the Lord's disciples, Jesus said nothing because it was immaterial. Of course Jesus would have students as He was a Teacher. This is something all religious leaders had and was nothing uncommon. If the
questions were intended to ensnare the disciples into condemnation and arrest, Jesus would not want to say anything that would further the line of questioning.
He was quite aware that His disciples had to stay out
of trouble, because they were to be His hands and feet on the earth after He left it. And if the questions were an attempt to mock the Lord by bringing up the cowardice of His disciples, He could not defend them, because
they did not stand by Him in the hour He needed them. It is possible that the high priest had heard that John and Peter were present and wanted an opportunity to question them as well.
As of His doctrine, Jesus
stated His teachings were public knowledge and if they wished to know more of them they should seek out the listeners. Notably, from the time Jesus was twelve years old He spoke openly in the temple, sitting in the midst of
the teachers of the law and those learned men in attendance were astonished at His understanding of Scriptures and His answers to their questions (Luke 2:46-47). Jesus was the same person who was once celebrated by them,
yet now He brought needed conviction for their corruption and they hated Him for it.
Jesus did not only teach at the temple and in synagogues, but also in homes, fields, mountains and anywhere the crowds gathered
around Him. As Solomon said, "Wisdom calls aloud outside; she raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses [atop the city walls], at the openings of the gates in the city," Proverbs
1:20-21.
It was revealing that they should ask Jesus what His doctrine was when they had already arrested Him for heresy, and disclosed the fact that they had no evidence with which they could condemn Him. They
already knew what He had spoken publicly because they sent out spies to monitor Him wherever He went. And it was to this end that He tacitly accused them with carrying out illegal proceedings against Him. "Why do you ask
Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said," John 18:21.
In no way was Jesus disrespectful to the high priest. He merely asked commonsense questions in answer to questions
asked of Him, because He knew very well they were trying to ensnare Him. Perhaps it was that Jesus asked questions of them instead of answering the questions put to Him that the officer struck Him, but Jesus never pointed
out how blatantly illegal their court was. He simply hinted at the obvious: that they should have already been familiar with His doctrine, otherwise why arrest Him without evidence of heresy.
Their prejudice against
Him was already revealed in John 9:22, when they ruled that anyone who confessed that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. As to that ruling as well, they gave no real evidence, only slander and
conjecture.
So, when Jesus inquired of the guard asking for the reason He was struck, there was no real reason. Jesus could have accused them of much greater crimes, yet His reasoning was put to them through His
questions. Like any other man accused, He wanted to know the charges made against Him and, when they could not state clearly what they were, He then asked, "...why do you strike Me?" John 18:23. And yet, the prophet Micah
had prophesied, saying, "They will strike the judge of Israel [Jesus] with a rod on the cheek," Micah 5:1, and so this, too, was a fulfillment of Scripture.
At His trial there was an attempt to bring false witnesses
against Him who repeated His words about the destruction of the temple. Saying, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days,'" Matthew 26:61, but their testimonies concerning
this did not line up.
Throughout His trial, Jesus kept silent except when asked if He was the Christ. In which He answered, "It is as you say. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven," Matthew 26:64, and through this statement they condemned Him for blasphemy. So, it was Jesus voluntarily gave them the evidence they were seeking
by simply admitting to truth He knew they would not believe.
Although Jesus was innocent of all charges brought against Him, the priests did not believe the truth He spoke about His being the Son of God, and so
condemned Him for saying it. The Lord knew what it would take for them to condemn Him and He gave them the evidence they sought, because it was the hour in which darkness should reign over Him and it was for this hour that
He had come to Earth (John 12:27). Indeed, it was Jesus who would gain the victory through the instrument of His death. Ultimately destroying death, hell and the grave, as He said, "I am He who lives, and was dead, and
behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades [hell] and of Death," Revelation 1:18.
While the officer abused Jesus, Peter denied Him. Having lied once already about not knowing Him,
he twice more sinned by lying about his association with Him. It was unwise of Peter, having once been recognized and falling into temptation, to continue in the company that provoked him to fear. It was obvious that the
servant girl's question raised suspicion in those around him, yet, still he denied again what the servants felt certain of.
Perhaps hearing the high priest ask questions about the disciples brought to their minds
their suspicions that Peter was one. Perhaps even they wondered at his keeping company with them as his Master was accused. We wonder ourselves what it was that made him want to stay in this dangerous place? It could not
have been for the fire by which he so diligently warmed himself. If it were, there can be no warmth found at the devil's fire. Indeed, that fire leads only to getting burned.
"The fear of man brings a snare,"
Proverbs 29:25, and so, remaining with them, Peter repeated His lie again and again when approached by a relative of Malchus, one of the servants of the high priest whose ear he had just cut off (John 18:10). Their prior
accusations were mere suspicion, yet now they were identifying him with evidence of his own conduct while with Jesus and this no doubt increased the terror he felt. So, he vehemently denied knowing Jesus or having any
involvement with Him and, lacing his oath with profanity, he said, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!" Mark 14:71.
Through incremental increases of deceit, Peter's heart grew hardened as fear became master of
his mind and self-preservation banished his courage. Tempting him to give way to the slander fear conveys, he thereby relinquished the peace he had found in Jesus. When suddenly he was brought to his senses by the crowing
of a nearby rooster, which was to him the voice of Christ. For Jesus had previously told him he would deny Him three times (John 13:38) and so, as he finished with his third denial, the cock crowed and he was undone. He
left them and "went out and wept bitterly," Luke 22:62.
All four gospels have an account of Peter's denial of Jesus Christ and, no doubt, it is important for us to understand the message it conveys. Like Peter,
whatever failure we have in this life, God will never let go of us nor deny the purpose for which we were created. Whatever wrongs you have committed in your life do not run away from God, but to Him; He is the only one who
can remove the guilt of sin.
John 18:28-40 In Pilate's Court
Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they
should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. 29Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?" 30They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not
have delivered Him up to you." 31Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law." Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," 32that the saying of Jesus
might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. 33Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" 34Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking
for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?" 35Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?" 36Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not
of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." 37Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus
answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." 38Pilate said to
Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all. 39"But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you
therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" 40Then they all cried again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.
Supporting Scripture:
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Matthew 20:18-19 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will
be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again."
Acts 3:14-15 But
you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
(See also: Mt. 5:17; 20:28; 27:2, 11-14;
26:2; Mk. 15:1-12; Lk. 23:17-25; Jn. 8:28, 47; 10:27; 12:32-33; 14:6; 19:4, 6; Acts 10:28; 11:3; 1 Tim. 6:13; Dan. 2:44; 7:14; Is. 55:4)
After His trial in the night held before members of the Sanhedrin, Jesus was
rushed off to face Pilate, the governor of Judea at that time. It was very early in the morning, around five or six o'clock. Jesus was led to the Praetorium, which is the official residence of the governor as well as the
judgment hall, to have Him condemned in a Roman court and executed by Roman power.
The chief priests had tried Him themselves and condemned Him but wanted Rome to be in agreement with their ruling to strengthen
their ruling when it became known to the people. And also so they could point to the Roman government, who ruled over them, as being to blame for Christ's death, in an attempt at casting off blame from themselves. The
people feared the Romans and would be less likely to cause an uproar if Jesus were put to death by Roman hands. Even though the trial was illegal, the general population would not have known that and would more readily
believe that there actually was fault found in Jesus that was worthy of His death.
The chief priests refused to enter the Praetorium because it was a gentile residence and, upon entering it, they would have been seen
as unclean by Mosaic law and would not be able to eat the Passover meal. The fact that they followed this somewhat minor element of the law, yet saw nothing that would make them unclean after slandering and murdering
Christ, we lay at the feet of hypocrisy. Their hearts had become so callous toward God's law that they viewed only those aspects of it that the people would see as essential.
Moreover, if they could show that the
murder of Christ was a noble act, they would gain not only the pardon of the people but their commendation. To that end, the priests desired not only to kill Christ but to destroy His reputation. The means of death by
crucifixion the Romans used was more odious and fearsome and they reasoned that this would put an indelible mark upon Him, thereby destroying His reputation. Indeed, they probably envisioned His death being synonymous with
what they believed His life to be, and imagined He would be known as a brief blot in history as a criminal who died in infamy.
As deceived as they were, it is sure they could not have imagined a future in which
their names were synonymous with villainy and the cross transformed into a symbol of hope to the world. However, their guile in manipulating the Roman court became historically notorious and has followed them throughout
history; they have not fooled anyone but those who choose to be fooled.
Now, as the priests had Jesus in their hands at last, they were not going to waste too much time in trying Him. They had waited until midnight
to begin their scheme and held their trial in the darkness of early morning, around two or three. Naturally, they could not force the governor to wake up early to try Jesus, but reached the Praetorium at the very earliest
hour possible. This was meticulously planned at a time when the populace would be just rising, so they would not try to stop them or aid Jesus. They made certain, however, that their agents were awake at this hour, so it
would seem the whole of Jerusalem had turned against the Lord even though, just a week prior, the masses had filled the streets to welcome Jesus Christ with a triumphal entry into the city (Matthew 21:1-11; John
12:12-15).
Many things about the Lord's interrogation seem chaotic. The first was the timing, as it was very early in the morning. Supposing Pilate was an early riser, it seems he would have barely had time to
finish his breakfast before it was brought to his attention that the Sanhedrin demanded to see him outside. Added to this is their unsubstantiated, so-called proof and the pressure they put on him to make a quick verdict,
it seems they just wanted Pilate to take their word for it and execute Jesus for them. But even Roman law requires proof of guilt before condemnation, so the governor asked the priests, "What accusation do you bring against
this Man?" John 18:29.
Their answers were evasive at best, just as many today use wide sweeping statements without definitive testimony in order to slander a person's character. In Luke, it is recorded that they
accused Jesus of perverting the nation, forbidding the people to pay taxes to Caesar (which He did not do) and that He said He was a king (Luke 23:23:2).
In Matthew's gospel, its recorded that they accused Jesus of
saying He was the King of Israel. However, in John, they at first relied only on Pilate's taking their word for it that Jesus was an evildoer. They demanded that the governor judge Him by Roman law upon their general
surmise that he was a criminal, alleging without proof nothing in particular worthy of the death sentence.
Their agenda was that Pilate was to prove the Lord guilty upon their presumption of guilt but refused to
tell him what Jesus had done, because they did not want to accuse Him of something they could not prove. Instead of having an actual crime to lay against Him like murderer or thief, they only called Him an evildoer and
wanted Pilate to presume He was a malefactor and treat Him as one.
Ironically, they called Jesus an evildoer, yet He had gone about only doing good for hundreds of thousands of people. He had cured, delivered and
healed. He had taught, preached and prayed. Now, these proud priests, full of their own importance, insist Pilate take their opinion as his own, and there was a reason these priests believed they could pressure him.
Pilate was not a good man, nor a good leader. Being a notorious antisemitic, he had recently gotten in trouble with Tiberius for his crimes against the Jews and his career was hanging by a thread. The Jews, who had
previously reported Pilate for his misconduct, were now pressuring him to behave against his own judgment because they had him under their thumb.
However, Pilate understood that their accusations against Jesus were
motivated by jealousy and fear that the people would follow Him, so he was not willing to give in to their ploy of making him guilty of their crime. As he understood their design, Pilate threw their trouble back at them,
saying, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law," John 18:31. If they had gone so far as to find Jesus guilty of the death penalty, he reasoned they should keep the case in their court and punish Him to the extent
they were able. Yet, they wanted the judgment without the blame for His death.
Israel had become weak under the oppression of Rome, so Pilate upbraided them with his comment. He knew they wanted Jesus put to death
and only Rome had the power to sentence someone to death. Mosaic law allowed for death by stoning, but the power of capital punishment had been taken away from them by the Roman government. Moreover, they wanted Jesus
defamed and sought the Roman execution of crucifixion, which carried a weight of disdainful infamy with it. And although the Sanhedrin had begun this case by presiding as judges, they now wanted only to be seen as its
prosecutors.
However, the form of Christ's execution was predestined and it was by God's will that He die by crucifixion because it was known to carry a curse. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law,
having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree' (Deuteromny21:23), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of
the Spirit through faith," Galatians 3:13-14.
In Galatians 3:10, the apostle Paul said all men were under the curse of the law, because they could not keep the law in its entirety. "Cursed is every one who does not
continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them," Galatians 3:10. Without having knowledge of the law, gentile nations were damned, yet through Christ they could obtain forgiveness from the curse
through Christ Jesus. So, the way in which Jesus died was an act of God, and as brutal as it was, it changed the whole world, defeating the false religions holding the nations captive.
Jesus Himself prophesied the
way in which He would be put to death. Taking the twelve aside, He said, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to
death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify," Matthew 20:18-19. As the chief priests surrendered Jesus to crucifixion, they fulfilled Scripture that proved Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah,
the Anointed One.
However, Pilate was not ready to submit to their wishes and sought a way in which to release Jesus. He went back into the Praetorium again and asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" John 18:33.
As this was the only accusation made against Him that could potentially affect Rome, Pilate questioned Jesus further about it. However, it was with discernment that Jesus heard his question and turned it back on Pilate,
saying, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?" John 18:34.
Jesus understood what accusations would become a snare to Him if answered, and so refused to answer. In
frustration, Pilate responded with yet another question for Jesus, saying, "Am I a Jew?" John 18:35. Jesus posed no threat to Pilate personally, except that through His acquittal Pilate's actions would be reported to
Tiberius. So, it was with indignation that Pilate stated further to Jesus that it was His own nation that condemned Him, and demanded to know by what provocation they would make such allegations against Him.
As
priests were thought to be holy men it was ridiculous that Pilate, receiving no real hard evidence against Jesus from the chief priests, instead begins to question the accused as to what His real crimes were. Without
evidence, it was ludicrous to arrest Jesus and bring Him before the Roman governor and yet, that is what these learned men did and used strong-arm tactics to get the results they desired.
Proving emphatically that
Jesus gave His life voluntarily, bringing forth evidence against Himself, yet He would have it clarified in what type of kingdom He was King. He was not a king by force of conquest or of succession but, by the special
designation of the Divine Council of heaven. Jesus affirmed that He was a King, but of the world to come.
As the kingdoms of this earth arise from the sea and the earth (Daniel 7:3; Revelation 13:1), this kingdom of
the Lord's comes down to Earth from heaven (Revelation 22:2). And its nature is not of this fallen world of men in buildings or land boundaries but spiritually established in the hearts and minds of men. Its treasures are
not rubies or gold but is the spiritual obedience of those who choose to become the tabernacle of God. Its army utilizes weapons of warfare that are not the weapons of this carnal world. Indeed, the sword of this spiritual
kingdom is the Word of God; its helmet and shield are salvation and faith (Ephesians 6:10-17).
In Christ's kingdom, His soldiers do not "wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places," Ephesians 6:12. The spoils of our wars are not vast treasures of wealth, but people!
Heaven's reality is
true reality. It's the reality of Earth that is a lie, and the reality of wealth is not gold but mankind. Indeed, all of heaven rejoices when even one sinner repents and turns to Jesus (Luke 15:7), and gold is what they use
to pave their streets (Revelation 21:21). Yet, men of Earth fight wars for gold while killing the treasure of heaven. It must seem awful backward to heaven when they see us throw away true treasure for mere metal.
That's why Jesus told us: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," Matthew 6:19-21.
Earthly wealth is temporal and we can keep nothing of this life except what we
have given away, "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out," except the spiritual treasure, which can never be taken away. That is "righteousness, godliness, faith, love patience,
gentleness" given to us by the Spirit of Almighty God (1 Timothy 6:7, 11).
The kingdom of Christ did not oppose any earthly ruler-ship, yet it changed the whole world. It did not topple any earthly kingdom, it did
not free any slaves, nor raise itself up with pomp and circumstance. Yet, it conquered every world empire as the prophet Daniel said it would. "...it [the kingdom of God] shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand forever," Daniel 2:44. If the Lord's kingdom were of this world, His servants would have fought to keep Him alive. However, Jesus did not order His followers to fight, He ordered them to put
away their swords, because, through His death, He would conquer sin and shame, death and hell, who were the true enemies of all mankind.
When Peter attempted to fight the multitude who had come to arrest Jesus, He
told him to put away his sword. "Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"
Matthew 26:53-54. It was not with legions of angels that Christ brought down empires but with His blood that was shed to atone for our sin. As a lamb was sacrificed for the sin of its possessor, so Jesus sacrificed Himself
as the Lamb of God for mankind once and for all. For it was not earthly empires He desired, it was us, mankind, the most cherished treasure the earth possesses.
Pilate, wanting to clarify the Lord's response,
answered plainly, "Are You a king then?" John 18:37. Having opportunity to explain further, the Lord revealed that He came to bear witness to the truth of heaven. He, in these few simple words, announced His invasion plans,
bringing the superior kingdom of heaven into every open heart on Earth.
His was not a temporal kingdom but one that would have no end. "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His
Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" Revelation 11:15. For this end, He was born: to rule nations, conquer kings and take possession of empires. And, by His Word, He has made a ruin of the kingdom of the prince of
this world-system, and taken back what was always His (Psalm 24:1-2).
The Father gave His Son to us and sent Him as a babe to bear the weight of His heavenly government on His shoulders and the increase of His
government over the whole earth and its peace will never end (Isaiah 9:6-7).
The answer to Pilate's question was a resounding and unending, "Yes!" The foundation of Christ's kingdom is truth and as He declared I am
Truth, He said, in effect, I am King! In His majesty, He rides triumphantly, because truth defines Him. Through truth, humility and righteousness His arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies and the nations fall
before Him (Psalm 45:4-5). Everyone who recognizes the truth in Christ will follow Him. And, as in the Bible, all those who love truth will be drawn to Jesus.
As Jesus spoke of truth, Pilate cynically asks Him what
is truth, giving Jesus no time to answer. It seemed He was moved by the Lord's response, but his pessimism snuffed out the moment of hope he felt. Perhaps he had a sudden thought then of releasing Jesus through the
customary prisoner released at Passover and left to rejoin the Jews to whom He proclaimed Jesus innocent for the first time, saying, "I find no fault in Him at all," John 18:38.
This solemn declaration of Christ's
innocence was for the vindication and honor of the Lord Jesus, and by this we know that He never deserved death and was the pure, sinless Lamb so qualified to remove the stain of our sin. All can now have confidence that
His sacrifice was enough. His death was enough to remedy the debt of our sin to God, and through Him we can have eternal life.
As Pilate struggled with the matter of Jesus' guilt, his wife sent word to him, saying,
"Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him," Matthew 27:19. It would seem His wife had a receptive heart and God desired to warn her of the judgment that would
come upon anyone who was complicit in the murder of His Son. This was an unbiased testimony of the innocence of Christ as she called Him a "just man."
Even though the Lord had no one to defend Him, God caused
strangers to stand up for Him. The testimony of one dear to Pilate, who had nothing to gain by defending Jesus' innocence, undoubtedly weighed heavy on Pilate's conscience. However, the Jewish leaders worked tirelessly to
persuade the multitude to go against the Lord.
As Pilate offered Jesus to be released to the people as the custom of Passover, they all cried out, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas!" John 18:40. Barabbas was
a robber and seditious murderer who truly was an evildoer, and was all that they accused Jesus of being. Yet, it was this man they clamored after. A breaker of Mosaic law was given freedom, and the Anointed Christ was
condemned in the face of such tyranny.
How foolish and absurd. However, had it not been for this absurdity, we would not know salvation. All we can do is thank Jesus for what He suffered for us, and receive His gift
of salvation, loving Him for it.
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