The Gospel of John Week 23
Scripture: John 18.
Our story begins with Jesus in the Garden and soldiers, high priests, and Judas come to the garden carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus goes out to meet them asking, “Who is it you want?” Clearly showing who’s in charge. Something we will see Jesus repeat in the next hours.
Jesus is in charge and He’s always been in charge and that is a take home for us in our own lives as well. He’s in charge! He’s the Lord. Jesus knows all that is going to happen to Him. He’s shared that with His disciples, though they will not fully understand until Jesus’ resurrection. He is not blindsided by this group coming to the Garden. This is the reason He came, and this is the purpose for which He has come to carry out His work.
Then Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest, cutting off his right ear. Jesus tells Peter to put his sword away – and Jesus says, Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?” Jesus knows what’s coming and is willing to go through with it all because it is the Father’s desire and the Son always obeys the Father.
Pastor delves into the personality of Peter and how we will see him go from cutting off the ear of this man, to denying he knows Jesus, to going on to become a powerful evangelist. And yet Peter was flawed, we are all flawed individuals. The Lord still used Peter. He transformed Peter and He transforms us and this story is a reminder that Jesus uses us, too.
As we return to our story we know Jesus is in control but He willingly allows His hands to be bound. Jesus is willing to go all the way to the cross for us. He is then taken to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
Pastor shares some info on the recent discovery of an ossuary, bone box, belonging to Caiaphas and also some other archeological discoveries including a palatial mansion that may possibly be one of the locations where Jesus was tried. Pastor also reads some fascinating information from Eusebius’ History of the Church and puts together some interesting pieces of historical evidence to help bring light to all that John is telling us.
Now our story moves into Peter’s first denial of knowing Jesus. Followed by Peter’s second and third denial of knowing Jesus. And then we read that at that very moment the rooster crowed. And Peter suddenly remembers what he has done and what Jesus had said.
There is a contentious conversation, verses 19-24, “the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.” When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded. “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”
From Caiaphas Jesus was taken to the palace of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. It is now early morning. Pastor shares the logistics of getting Jesus there and the possible location of the praetorium, the governor’s house. Pastor shares on the map the possible locations of this home.
Jesus is brought before Pilate in verse 29 and Pilate asks what charges are being brought against Jesus, thus opening a court proceeding.
Pastor shares interesting historical information about Jewish executions (stoning to death) and Roman executions (crucifixion), and what they were like. He shares the history of how the Romans, in the early first century, took away from the Jewish high priests and from the Sanhedrin, the right to convict and punish in capital cases and how the Romans demanded that they be the ones to carry that out. So this is why Jesus was crucified, and not stoned.
Pilate then begins his questioning of Jesus and they have an in-depth conversation during which Jesus says, “The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Pilate replies, “What is truth?”
We live in a society where people are still asking that same question. And the answer is still the same. Jesus is Truth. The truth sets us free!
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⁃ The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels.
⁃ The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible. Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most “Gentile/Greek” of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before.
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