10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
13Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people. (John 18:1-14 –NIV)
Today’s passage is about Jesus’s arrest. But before I talk about today’s passage, I’m going to review some of the events that led up to this point. I’ve talked about them for the last couple of months. It’s probable that all the events that John recorded in chapters 13 through 18 (today’s chapter) leading up to Jesus’s arrest happened in just a few hours.
During this time, Jesus taught his disciple to serve rather than to expect to be served. He explained to them that he was going away. He made it very clear that he was going to be betrayed and put to death, but that they would not be abandoned. He explained to them that the Holy Spirit would be there to teach them. Then he prayed for himself and for the disciples and, finally, for all those who would believe in him through the message of the disciples.
During all this time, I think the disciples were in somewhat of a fog. They just didn’t want to accept what was happening. They wanted a worldly victory rather than a victory over sin and death.
At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him. John says that when they heard this, they were at a loss. They just stared at each other. Each one wondered if he might be the one to betray Jesus. Later, when Peter told Jesus that he would follow him even to the death, that he would lay down his life for him, Jesus said to Peter, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times?” Have you ever resolved that you would never disown Jesus, and then when it came down to it, you acted as though you had never heard of him? Have you ever wondered if you might be the one to betray Jesus? If so, you’re in good company. All of Jesus’s disciples have been there!
Jesus explained to his disciples the work of the Holy Spirit. He also made it clear that there was no life except through him. He commanded them to love each other. And when he prayed in chapter 17, he asked for all those who believe in Jesus through the message of the apostles –all of us –to have complete unity – with Jesus and with God and with each other. He declared that he would continue to make God known to us who believe in him through the message of the apostles so that the love our Father has for Jesus will be in us also!
We don’t know exactly where Jesus and the disciples were when he prayed his “High Priestly Prayer,” but they were somewhere between the upper room where they ate the last supper and the olive garden where Jesus was arrested. The first verse in today’s passage starts out by saying, “When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.”
Verse 2 tells us that while Jesus was in the olive grove with his disciples, Judas brought a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests to where Jesus was. But, if you look at the other gospels, you will see that something else happened before Judas arrived. Jesus prayed. He prayed, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Luke says that an angel from heaven appeared to give him strength; and that he was in anguish; and that he prayed more earnestly; and that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Have you ever prayed like that? Jesus was praying to be able to suffer and sacrifice himself to save us from eternal destruction! It was a battle with Satan the devil who hates God and who hates us because we are God’s creation! And Jesus won the victory! He utterly defeated sin and with it death! I believe that this is where the offspring of the woman crushed the serpents head. (Mel Gibson thinks so too. He showed it that way in the Passion movie.) Jesus was beaten. He was cut to the bone. He died on the cross. And he rose from the dead! And we will rise too!
You know, before Jesus prayed, he told his disciples, Peter James and John, to stay where they were and keep watch –the word means to be wide awake and alert – while he went about a stone’s throw away. He told them to pray not to fall into temptation. When he came back, he found them sound asleep from sorrow and exhaustion. Jesus rebuked them and asked them why they were sleeping: “Couldn’t you keep watch for just one hour?” He told them again to get up and pray not to fall into temptation. He told them, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Isn’t it like that with us too. All this is written down so that we can learn from it and be encouraged by it. We need to pray about everything and to pray not to fall into temptation.
Now look at verses 2 and 3 in today’s passage. Verses 2 and 3 say, “Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.” Judas knew where Jesus would go because the olive garden was the place Jesus usually went with his disciples. He knew that they could find them there.
The NIV says that Judas was guiding a detachment of soldiers to where Jesus was. I looked up the word that they translated detachment and it says that it refers to a Roman cohort, which is one-tenth of a legion or 300 to 600 soldiers! These would have been professional soldiers – 300 to 600 of them. The other gospel writers say that they were armed with swords and clubs. They sent 300 to 600 armed soldiers to arrest Jesus!
Now look at verse 4. Verse 4 says, “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, ‘Who is it you want?’” “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him …” Jesus knew exactly what was going on and everything that would happen. He knew he would be betrayed, and he was. He knew Peter would deny him three times. And he knew that he would die for our sins and would rise from the dead. God is sovereign over all things and, although six hundred soldiers plus some officers from the chief priests came out to arrest him, Jesus was in complete control of the situation. God demonstrated this fact through what immediately followed.
First Jesus asked them who they wanted. When they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus said, “I am he.” That the way it’s usually translated, anyway –that Jesus said I am he. But literally, John says that Jesus said, “I am!” not “I am he,” but simply, “I am.” Jesus said “I am” quite a few times. When the wind was strong and the water was rough and the disciples were not making much progress rowing across the Sea of Galilee… When Jesus came to them walking on the water, they were terrified! Jesus told them, “Don’t be afraid. I am.” Usually this is translated, according to the context, as It is I or I am he. But, according to John, Jesus said, “I am; don’t be afraid.”
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” “I am the light of the world.” “I am the resurrection and the life.” “I am the gate for the sheep.” “I am the good shepherd.” “I am the way and the truth and the life.” “I am the true vine.” But when Jesus told the Jewish leaders that Abraham had seen his day and rejoiced (John 8:57) and they replied, “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!” I AM is what God said his name was when he appeared to Moses in the burning bush! When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” they picked up stones to stone him.
Now look at verses 5 and 6 in today’s passage. When the people who came out to arrest Jesus said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus said, “I am,” they drew back and fell to the ground! Who do you think was in control of the situation?
And now let’s look at verses 7 through 9. Here’s what they say:
7Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”
And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
8 “I told you that I am he,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”
Jesus gave them an opportunity to pick themselves up off the ground and asked them again who they wanted. He told them again, “I am he.” Then he told them to let the disciples go. Do you wonder why these people would do that when the disciples would have been just as guilty as Jesus in their eyes? It was to fulfill what Jesus had said earlier was the will of God – that he would not lose any of those that God the Father had given him, but raise them up at the last day (John 6:39). These Jewish leaders and these several hundred Roman soldiers could no more arrest the disciple than a flea could have arrested them. Do you think Jesus was in control of the situation?
Now look at verse 10. John says, “Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)”
Before I say more about verse 10, let me give you some more details about what happened from Luke’s account. According to Luke, before Jesus had gone out to the Mount of Olives with the disciples, he had told them to equip themselves for traveling. He told them to take a purse and a bag and, if they didn’t have a sword, to sell their cloaks and buy swords. (Luke 22:36) They told him that they had two swords and he said that that would be enough.
When the people came from the chief priests to arrest Jesus, the disciple said to Jesus, “Lord, should we strike them with our swords?” That’s when Peter cut of the ear off the high priest’s servant.
Now you’ve got to picture this: There’s this band of eleven assorted fishermen, tax collectors and other non-military types facing this detachment of several hundred armed Roman soldiers and saying to Jesus, “Lord, should we strike them with our two swords?” I wonder what was going through their minds at the time. What would you have been thinking if you had been there with Jesus?
But I have another question. Why didn’t they arrest Peter when he attacked the high priest’s servant? –or more likely, kill him on the spot? It was because Jesus had total control of the situation and had told them to arrest him but let the other men go. It was because it was God’s will for him to not lose one of them. According to Luke’s account, Jesus touched the servant’s ear and healed him (Luke 22:51).
Anyway, in verse 11 in today’s passage, Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” According to Matthew Jesus also told Peter, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” Jesus had already won the victory over Satan and was going to the cross. If Jesus had called on his Father to save him, our father would still be the devil and we would be lost.
Now look at verse 13 and 14. Here’s what they say:
13Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.
They arrested Jesus. That’s exactly according to what Jesus had prayed when he said, “Not my will but yours be done.” And it’s also according to the prophecy that Caiaphas had made in his capacity as high priest. He had said, “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (John 11:50) What he meant was that it was better to kill Jesus, lest he lead a rebellion against the Roman government and they would come and destroy the nation of Israel. (They did do that eventually anyway. They destroyed the nation of Israel.) But regardless of what Caiaphas thought he meant, God had put the words in his mouth; and God meant that it was better for his one and only Son Jesus to die for our sin than for all of us to be condemned to hell. God had planned for this even before he had created anything. And all of us who believe in Jesus will never perish, but have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16, 17)
[Prayer]