WE WILL BE MOVING INTO ACTS FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER AND WILL BE STUDYING CHAPTERS 1, 2, AND 3.
By the way, the 3,200 visits we saw in the last 30 days has jumped to over 4,500. God is good and thanks to you all for helping to make that happen.
Grounds for Love |
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GREAT JOB ! WE HAVE COMPLETED THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
WE WILL BE MOVING INTO ACTS FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER AND WILL BE STUDYING CHAPTERS 1, 2, AND 3. By the way, the 3,200 visits we saw in the last 30 days has jumped to over 4,500. God is good and thanks to you all for helping to make that happen.
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In chapter 21, Jesus again appeared to the disciples. He chose to do this beside the sea of Galilee. It is written that Simon Peter, Thomas (the twin), Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee (James and John), and two other disciples were there.
The disciples had gone through so very much with Jesus. At first they doubted him. Then they witnessed many miracles and began to believe in Him as their King. Then they witnessed His murder and ran, they scattered and hid in fear. They saw Jesus resurrected and believed. What a taxing up and down cycle of events. They had to be confused, exhausted, and wondering what they were to do. In Matthew 28:7, while at the tomb, an angel told Mary to tell the disciples Jesus was going ahead of them to Galilee which explains why they were there. Jesus' choice to be with the disciples at the sea of Galilee was important in my opinion. This is where it all started for many of them. They were fishermen going about their own tasks when Jesus came along and called them to follow Him. This area was home, the place of their family businesses and the place they might just feel most comfortable and safe. Waiting at the Sea of Galilee, for some of them, may have brought back the memories of how they first met Jesus. It may have given them a reason to remember and relive all that happened between then and now. They could now see that everything Jesus taught and promised had come true. I would think they had no more reason to doubt anything about Jesus. While waiting, Simon Peter decided to go fishing and the others joined him. Does that sound familiar? (Matthew 4:18-22 (NLT) “One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers - Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew - throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come follow Me and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed Him. A little farther up the shore He saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And He called to them to come, too. They immediately followed Him, leaving the boat and their father behind.”) They fished all night but caught nothing. At dawn, Jesus was standing on the beach but the disciples could not see who it was, most likely due to some early morning fog because a couple of verses later we are told they were only about a 100 yards away. Jesus called out to them asking if they had caught any fish. To which they replied "no." Then Jesus said they should throw the net on the right side of the boat and they would get some. They did and their net was so full of fish they could not haul it into the boat. At that point, the disciple Jesus loved told Peter it was the Lord. Peter dressed and jumped into the water and headed for shore. The others stayed in the boat and hauled the fish back to shore. (Can you just feel the excitement running through Peter? Remember, he was the first to rush into the empty tomb. Can you feel the rush of the other disciples wanting to get to shore as fast as possible?) When they got to shore They found breakfast waiting for them. The breakfast was fish cooking over a charcoal fire and some bread. Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Peter went back to the boat and dragged the net to shore. It was filled with 153 large fish but even with that many fish the net did not break. The tradition back then was that when a group of men went fishing, they would haul the catch to shore and divide the fish. This time they brought the catch in and left them undivided. Jesus invited them to come and have breakfast. Jesus served them fish and bread. This was the third time Jesus appeared to them since He arose from the dead. In Acts 10, Peter briefly described encounters with Jesus after His resurrection. In this part of Acts, Peter is talking with Cornelius a Roman army officer. Cornelius told Peter that while he was praying a man in dazzling clothes appeared to him. The man told Cornelius that God heard his prayers and noticed his acts of kindness to the poor. He was told to send for Simon Peter and he did. In Peter’s sharing of the good news of Jesus and His resurrection, Peter mentioned the encounter at the Sea of Galilee. In verses 39- 41, “And we apostles are witnesses of all He did throughout Judea and Jerusalem. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross but God raised Him to life on the third day. Then God allowed Him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be His witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.” Get a picture of this in your mind. There is a charcoal fire burning. The smell of food in the air for they had just eaten. They were full, content, and with the Lord. To me, it kind of paints a similar setting as the last supper they had together at Passover. Following breakfast, they were “sitting around a charcoal fire." After Jesus was taken and they entered the courtyard of the priest, we read back in John 18:18, “Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.” This charcoal fire was now in the center of what was about to happen. Peter finds himself, once again, face to face with a charcoal fire. I had to wonder, if sitting there, his mind drifted to that day in the courtyard when he denied Jesus. You know how it is when you sit around a fire. You focus on the flames and your mind takes you all kinds of places. On the other hand Peter may have simply been there enjoying the time with Jesus and his close friends. Regardless, Jesus was about to do something about Peter’s denials. Jesus began. “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” We don’t know for sure what is meant by “more than these” but we might consider He meant the other disciples. Peter answered, “Yes, Lord. You know I love you.” Jesus then said, “Then feed my lambs.” Again Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Again Peter said, “Yes, Lord. You know I love you.” Jesus responded, “Then take care of my sheep.” A third time, Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” This time we are told Peter was hurt by Jesus asking him a third time and he said, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.” Jesus answered, “Then feed my sheep.” I cannot help but think, considering Peter’s passion for Jesus and his bold proclamations about never deserting Jesus, that his denial never left his mind. I think Peter relived those moments over and over again. Psychologists talk of there being a trigger that is formed during a traumatic event. Long after such an event, anytime that trigger is felt, a person goes back to the event. Considering that, it is my opinion, Peter’s trigger may have been afire. As the disciples traveled, camped, and ate, fires were a part of daily life. I would think Peter was haunted by the fires. However, I don't think Peter knew where Jesus was going with His questioning. I see that Jesus continually taught He was the Good Shepherd. The Father sent Him into the world to do His will and that was to be a shepherd to His people. Jesus told the disciples that as the Father had sent Him, He was now sending them. He was sending them into the world to continue His work, to be the shepherd for the people in Jesus' absence. As a shepherd cares for the flock, there were things to be done. First, consider the young ones. They were less able to care for themselves. They were less able to defend themselves. Jesus' first instruction after Peter answered that he loved Jesus was for him to, “feed my lambs.” Take care of those young in the faith, feed them, nourish them, and grow them into adult believers. Perhaps we can say feeding them would give them all the right things they needed to grow into mature creatures, the sheep. The second time Peter told Jesus he loved Him, Peter was instructed to “take care of my sheep.” Next on the list of a shepherd’s care of the flock was to look after the sheep. He was to care for the more mature of the flock. Make sure they had all they needed. Perhaps let them know their shepherd was close at hand and available to them. He was to guide them and lead them to pastures and water. Also, as the lambs grew into sheep, a shepherd's work with them changed and now instead of just feeding them, he was to lead and care for them and provide direction for them. The third time Peter told Jesus he loved him, Jesus instructed him to feed His sheep. Now, the lambs had been cared for and grown into sheep. They had been cared for along the way and guided and protected. Now, it was time to feed the sheep. Feeding the sheep would be to give them what they needed to grow into all they could be. Nourish them, give them strength and stamina. Help them to grow into full and healthy adults. Some say this is a picture of discipling others and I agree. Peter and the men who sat at the fire were discipled by Jesus and now He was telling them to disciple others. How can I say that? Jesus' instruction to them in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations...” As I mentioned, I am not sure Peter knew what Jesus was up to with the questions about loving Him. But the third time is when I believe it hit home with Peter and it hurt him. I think when Jesus asked the third time, Peter realized he was being taken back to the three denials. Peter must have understood how his third denial hurt Jesus because he felt hurt himself. Jesus showed Peter complete mercy regarding those denials and doing so at the fire may have changed what fires trigger in his mind. Now, when Peter would be seated at a fire, he would think not of his own failure but of Jesus' mercy, grace, and complete forgiveness. No matter where Peter would be the rest of his life, a simple fire wold remind him of the goodness of Christ. It would be that message he would carry to the world, not a message of condemnation or guilt. He would share the news of a merciful Savior come to set all free through faith in Him. Jesus then told Peter how he would die. He told him he used to dress himself and go where he wanted but the time was coming when others would determine where he would go. He told him they would stretch out his hands and dress him and take him where he didn't want to go. Jesus wanted him to know how this death, his death would glorify God. Then Jesus told him to, “Follow Me.” Peter did follow Jesus. He carried on with Jesus' message and teaching. He took the good news to many places. Eventually he followed Jesus into death by having his hands and arms stretched out as he was crucified for his faith in Jesus. His undying faith and belief in Jesus unto death brought great glory to God. When Jesus told Peter to follow Him, Peter looked at “the disciple Jesus loved” and asked what his fate might be. Jesus said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” Some took what Jesus said incorrectly. They thought He told Peter the other disciple would never die. That was not what Jesus said, He just said if that was what He wanted what was that to him. At the end of chapter 21, the disciple who wrote the book testified that all these things were true. He close with this, “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.” So ends the Gospel of John. First, I would like to take a moment to thank all of you who follow and visit this site. I am blessed and overwhelmed by your interest and support. It comes to me now and then that you come from all over the country and, to me, that is a miracle. This past 30 days we have seen over 3,200 visits to our site, and again, are blessed and humbled. We do no marketing. We sell nothing and in no way promote ourselves. We are simply doing what we believe the Lord has asked us to do. Thank you so much. May God richly bless you all. God is good, all the time and all the time, God is good! While we see gospels written by four different men, we also see they each stressed different parts of what they knew in their writings. John 20 is no different. We see that John comments less about what happened while Jesus was on the cross and His death but greatly detailed Pilate’s interactions with the Jewish leaders. As we saw last week, John shows us how determined Pilate was to set Jesus free compared to other Gospels. Chapter 20 leads us into the details of Jesus' resurrection and appearances to the disciples. Mary Magdalene was also known as Mary of Magdala. Magdala was a small fishing village along the shores of Galilee. Mary Magdalene was spoken of a dozen times in the four Gospels. She is mentioned more than even any of the disciples. She is the second most important woman in the New Testament right behind Mary, Jesus' mother. We see Mary Magdalene appearing over and over again. When Jesus met mary, He had compassion for her and set her free from the grip Satan had on her. Her freedom at Jesus' hand endowed her to Him and she exhibited never ending devotion to and faith in Jesus. Mary went to the tomb early that morning and found the stone used to seal the tomb had been moved away. This stone had been put in place by Pilate’s men and sealed by his authority. She ran to tell Peter and “the disciple Jesus loved." It is commonly believed John is the disciple Jesus loved yet no where is Scripture is that validated. There are some that even believe the Gospel of John is mis-titled and there is no clear proof the writer is John. We are told to not add to or take away from Scripture by Scripture itself. My answer to the question "who is “the disciple Jesus loved?” is just that, “the disciple Jesus loved." We have a desire at times to answer all questions and tie everything up in neat packages but in this case there is nothing to prove who this disciple is so, for me, it is best to leave it be rather than be incorrect. Mary told them the tomb was empty and someone had taken Jesus' body and they have no idea where He is. Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb. The other disciple got there first, looked in, and saw the burial linens but did not enter. Peter got there and went right in. To me it is no surprise Peter did not hesitate but ran directly into the tomb. Peter also noticed the burial linens lying there but the cloth that had covered Jesus head was folded up and placed apart from the rest of the linens. Here again is some debate. Some translations say the face cloth was folded and apart from the other linens. Some says it was rolled up and apart from the other linens. These two thoughts come from how the translations are taken. There is nice symbolism to the idea of the folded face cloth but nothing supports it Scripturally. What we can accept is that Jesus' body linens were in a pile a little apart from His face cloth. It could be that the cloth lay in proper perspective to a body going out from them without disturbing them so they would appear to be in the same place they would be if His body was still in them. Again, nothing to back that up. It seems most scholars agree that if His body had been stolen, the linens would not have been positioned as there were. My own thought is that if His body had been stolen, why would any robber take the time to unwrap the body and carry it away uncovered? Kind of like if a person robbed your home and saw a brand new 60” TV in a box, why would they take the time to take it out of the packaging to run off with it? All interesting thoughts but what we see in Scripture is the linens were in the tomb and Jesus wasn’t. After Peter had gone in, the other disciple then went in and saw the same things. When he saw those things he believed. Until that moment in the tomb when they saw Jesus' empty burial cloths, they had not understood what Jesus meant when He said He must rise from the dead. Now they understood and believed and returned home. Mary remained outside the tomb crying and the disciples left the tomb, passed Mary, and went home. John doesn’t tell us that they spoke at all to Mary and left her crying. As she wept, she looked into the tomb and saw two angels. One was sitting at the head of where Jesus' body was and the other at the foot. The angels asked her why she was crying. Her answer leads us to believe the disciples did not tell her Jesus had risen from the dead. Mary replied that someone had taken Jesus' body away and she didn’t know where they had put Him. That may have been horrible for Mary. She was so devoted to Jesus and had followed Him everywhere He went. Imagine how devastated she must have been that she was now completely disconnected from Him and fearing that connection would be lost forever because she may never know where His body had gone. Carrying all those emotions, she turned and saw someone standing nearby. She did not recognize the person but it was Jesus. He too, asked her why she was crying and who she was looking for. Thinking He was the gardener, she asked him to please tell her where Jesus' body was if he had taken it away so she could go and get Him. Jesus simply said, “Mary” and she turned and cried out, “Rabboni” which is teacher in Hebrew. She may have run to hug Him for Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me. For I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go and find my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” One may consider His body was not in a state that could be clung to. Scholars say it may have been a statement that said what one would see at that time was not who He would become for those who believe. Once He fully ascended He would be among us not bodily but by the presence of His spirit whom He would send. Once His ascension was complete the Holy Spirit would be among us. So the instruction was not to hang onto what has been, Jesus in bodily form on earth, indicating they should be excited for the Spirit that was to come. One thing that we might note is how Mary was blessed in all this compared even to the disciples. She saw angels, she saw Jesus risen, she was the first to see Him alive and she was actually the person to begin proclaiming Jesus had risen from the dead. If we think about the spreading of the “Good News," it was Mary who began the entire thing. What a blessing for her. Jesus had taken her from all the guilt and rejection of being a miserable sinner, to the person who was the first to declare Jesus had risen from the dead and was now alive. She not only proclaimed it, she knew it because she had seen it all with her own eyes. This says to me, that He can take anyone, cleanse them, and make them people who can cry out the truth of who He is and what He offers. Mary set the example for all of us who have Christ in our life as Savior. We too have been cleansed from a life of sin and we too must proclaim to a fallen world that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. We too must proclaim He is risen from the grave and is alive. That same Sunday evening, the disciples, except for Thomas (nicknamed Didymus which means, “the twin." There is no evidence of who his twin might be if that is what they meant by using that term.) were meeting in a locked room. They were afraid the Jewish leaders would hunt them down. Jesus suddenly appeared in the room with them. He said, “Peace be with you.” He showed them the wounds in His hands and side. Seeing Him, they were filled with joy. Jesus again spoke to them saying, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Jesus then breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Luke said at first they were frightened by Jesus' appearance and He even addressed it in Luke by asking them why they were afraid. Jesus gave them His Spirit and sent them out to continue the work Jesus had begun with His life, death, and resurrection. They were to go into all the world and spread the Good News. The Father sent Jesus to bring the world to Him and now Jesus was likewise sending them to continue to bring man back to God. Jesus made it possible for the sins of man to be forgiven. Jesus gave the disciples the authority to teach and preach of that gift and how one can receive forgiveness through Jesus. However, if one rejects Jesus Christ, his/her sins will not be forgiven. The disciples told Thomas of Jesus' visit by saying, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas responded by saying he would not believe unless he saw the nail holes in Jesus' hands and put his fingers in them and put his hand into His side. Eight days later, the disciples were again gathered behind locked doors and Thomas was with them. In the same way as before, Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst. Jesus said, “Peace be with you. He then looked to Thomas and said, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” Apparently Thomas did and believed for he proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” Here we see that even doubters come to faith in Jesus once they are confronted with the truth of Jesus' resurrection. Jesus then commented that they believed because they had seen Him, then He offers a blessing upon all those who believe and have not seen what they had seen. We are the recipients of the blessing Jesus offered that very day. For the followers in generations past that time have believed in Him without ever seeing him. The writer then tells us the disciples saw Jesus do many more miraculous signs above and beyond what is recorded in the Gospel of John. He tells us what is written is so that we can believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him we will have life through the power of His name. Throughout this ordeal, Pilate attempted to avoid drastic measures regarding Jesus. Following that same thought process, he had Jesus flogged with whips with metal tips. This was not a light beating for it often killed the recipient of the whipping. He may have hoped seeing Jesus beaten would have appeased the Jewish crowd.
The soldiers also pressed a crown of thorns on His head cutting His brow deeply. These thorns were not small short thorns as we might see on a rose. They were long slender thorns that could cause much damage. They also placed a purple robe on Jesus, slapped Him across the face and mocked Him by crying “hail King of the Jews." I imagine the Roman soldier would mock anything having to do with the Jews for they most likely saw the Jews as a nuisance. The situation with Jesus gave them the opportunity to really mock the Jews. Having done that, Pilate went back outside to the religious leaders and Pharisees telling them he could not find Jesus guilty of any crime. Bloodied and beaten, Jesus stood before them and the Jewish leaders cried for Him to be crucified.That was just what Pilate was attempting to avoid. He told the crowd to crucify Him themselves and reiterated that he found Jesus not guilty. This was the third time Pilate told the crowd he found Jesus not guilty of any crime. The Jewish leaders persisted and told Pilate by their Law He had to die because He declared Himself to be the Son of God.Scripture tells us Pilate was more frightened than ever at hearing this and seeing their determination. The Romans lived with the idea of pagan human-like gods coming to judge man so he may have believed Jesus was one such god. Jesus had the poise of a god. He refused to answer questions not to mention Pilate’s wife and her dreams about Jesus warning Pilate to release Him as written in Matthew 27. Pilate took Jesus back inside and tried to get Him to answer questions. Jesus remained silent until Pilate asked Jesus if He realized he had the power to kill Him or release Him. To that Jesus did reply. He spoke to Pilate saying, (vs 11) “You would have no power over me unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” Jesus declared any authority Pilate had was allowed by God above. He also told Pilate that while he was guilty of punishing Jesus, the one who handed Him over to Pilate was guilty of more sin. Jesus could have been referring to Satan for starting this whole thing, Judas for betraying Jesus, the Priests, Jewish leaders and people, or maybe Caiaphas who actually sent Jesus to Pilate. Scholars seem to mostly agree that He was speaking of Caiaphas because it was Caiaphas who literally handed Jesus over to Pilate. Pilate was convinced he needed to set Jesus free and tried again to release Him. The Jewish leaders were not about to let this happen. Now they took a different approach. They took the Roman political route. They said Jesus declared Himself to be a king and therefore by doing so is a rebel against Caesar. This had been going on for a long time now and Pilate had tried every way he could to set Jesus free but with this new argument Pilate could not make any decision that would compromise his loyalty to Caesar. So Pilate took his place on his seat of judgment. Everyone knew that Pilate’s decision coming from the seat of judgment would be his official determination. He tried one more time by saying, “Look, here is your king!” The people screamed back “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate responded, “What? Crucify your king?” The leading priests shouted back, “We have no king but Caesar!” Early on, the religious leaders had no answer about what charges they had against Jesus but as time went on, they changed their story over and over until they found one that backed Pilate into a corner. It seems to me they would do and say anything to get rid of Jesus. To me they even turned their back on God Himself at the end. Did they not always see God as their King? Yet now, in an effort to kill Jesus, they declared they had no king but Caesar. I imagine they didn’t really understand what they said nor really believed it but saying what they said was so very wrong, perhaps even blasphemy. Pilate gave up and turned Jesus over to be crucified. Jesus was nailed to the cross and two other criminals were crucified, one on His left and one on His right. They were crucified at Golgotha which was near to the city and many passersby would see the execution. Pilate had a sign made and written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek so all could read it. The sign was nailed to Jesus' cross and read, “The King of the Jews." I wonder if Pilate believed what he had written on the sign. I think he may have actually believed it for when the religious leaders objected to the sign wanting Pilate to change the sign to read, “He said, I am the King of the Jews," Pilate refused saying, “What I have written, I have written.” The soldiers divided Jesus' clothes and rolled dice for His robe thus fulfilling what was written in the Scriptures. Jesus saw the three Marys standing with "The disciple He loved" and told His mother, Mary that this disciple would now be her son and told that disciple Mary would now be his mother. From then on that disciple took Jesus' mother, Mary into his home and cared for her. Jesus knew He had completed what He had come to do and told the guards He was thirsty. They soaked a sponge in sour wine and gave tit to Him. Jesus cried, “It is finished!” and He died. It was now the day of preparation for the Sabbath and of Passover so they wanted the bodies taken down. They asked that the legs of the three crucified be broken to speed up their death so they could be removed. They broke the legs of the two criminals but when they got to Jesus, He was already dead and did not break His legs. A soldier did push a spear into Jesus' side and blood mixed with water came out telling Him Jesus was dead. I have read something interesting about Jesus' blood and water mixture that expresses something wonderful. I can’t remember where I read it but the writer said that when sacrifices were made in the Temple, there were grooves in the table and around the altar that led to a trough leading out of the Temple and into the streets and sewer system. When the sacrificing was over they would wash the blood off the altar and out of the temple by pouring water all over it. This water would become mixed with blood and would be carried out of the temple and into the streets through the sewer system. When this was being done, passersby could see the blood mixed with water and know the sacrificing had ended and there would be no more need of sacrifice at that time. The writer likened Jesus being speared and the water mixed with blood as a similar sign to the people. The difference was that this time, there would never again be a need for another sacrifice because Jesus was the sacrifice that covered all sin forever. He was the final sacrifice. John validates the writing of this Gospel and declares it speaks the truth so that others may read it and believe. He writes that all these things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of His bones will be broken” and “They will look upon the one they pierced.” (Exodus 12, Numbers 9, Psalm 34, Zechariah 12 and Revelation 1) Joseph or Arimathea who was a secret disciple of Jesus got permission from Pilate to bury Jesus. Joseph took down Jesus' body and along with Nicodemus anointed Jesus' body for burial and wrapped Him in long sheets of linen. (In my comments on Mark, I mentioned that Mary had anointed Jesus in preparation for His death and burial when she poured oil over Him. In Mark it was not mentioned that Joseph and Nicodemus used all the spices and oils as is mentioned here. Based on what was written in Mark, it could be thought that she actually did anoint Jesus early for His burial or that her anointing was additional to the one here.) The place where Jesus was crucified was near a garden where there was a tomb that had never been used and they laid Jesus in that tomb. After Jesus taught about love and unity between believers, the relationship available in God and His prayer to the Father, He and His disciples went to the olive grove they often went to.
The leading priests and Pharisees gave Judas a band of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to go with Him to betray and capture Jesus. This group of soldiers was estimated to be 600 men. Remember this was all being done under the cover of night (while most people were sleeping) so they came bearing torches, lanterns, and weapons. They came to the olive grove because Judas knew He would be there. Jesus knew what was happening and that the time for Him to be arrested had come so He asked them who they were looking for. They said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth. To which Jesus told them, “I Am He." Judas and the soldiers may have been expecting a fight and were shocked by Jesus' admission. He proclaimed, “I Am He,” declaring His deity and may have terrified those who understood that proclamation as being God. Such a proclamation would cast fear into some hearts realizing the power of God. This caused them all to draw back and fall to the ground. Jesus stood in front of them while they were on the ground, to me, a perfect picture of how it ought to be. They fell before Jesus, the Son of God. They didn’t do it out of reverence but perhaps fear. Jesus asked again, and again He claimed to be the one they had come for. He instructed them they could take Him but were to leave those with Him alone. This He did to fulfill what He said earlier that none of those the Father had given Him would be lost. In a burst of emotion, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. Peter may have been ready to fight all the more but Jesus told him to put his sword away. Then He asked Peter this question, “Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” Jesus was reminding Peter He had come to do the will and work of the Father. That work included the suffering He was soon to endure for the salvation of mankind. He was asking Peter if He should ignore what He was sent to do for the sake His own well being. This was a great lesson for Peter and his future decisions, as well as for all of us. The soldiers then arrested Jesus, tied Him and led Him away to Annas, who was the father in law of Caiaphas the high priest. Remember, Caiaphas was the one who said in chapter 11:50 “You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than the whole nation to be destroyed.” Peter and an unnamed disciple followed them as they led Jesus away. The unnamed disciple is thought of as being John, one of the sons of Zebedee. The unnamed disciple was allowed into the courtyard but Peter was not. The other disciple was familiar to the high priest and spoke to the woman guarding the gate and she allowed Peter in. As he entered she asked Peter if he was one of Jesus' disciples. He answered, He was not. Peter made his first denial, seemingly unaware he had done so. It was a cold evening and there was a fire burning. Peter joined a group at the fire to warm himself. Inside, Jesus was being questioned by the high priest regarding what He had been teaching. Jesus answered the question by telling the priest that His teachings were done in the open, in the temple and heard by everyone there. He told the priest He had not taught in secret and he could ask any of those who heard Him teach what He taught about. In typical power fashion a guard slapped Jesus, accusing Him of insulting the high priest by His answer. Here is where several things become apparent. His questioning was actually illegal according to their own law. They were trying to get Jesus to incriminate Himself and it was illegal to strike any person who was not yet convicted. Jesus came back at them and the soldier who struck Him. They knew the law and Jesus pointed it out to them by saying, “If I said anything wrong you must prove it. But I am speaking the truth, why are you beating me?” If He was lying, they had to show where He was wrong but they didn’t nor could they, for Jesus was speaking truth. In that situation, they had no right to strike Him and were, in fact, violating their own laws. They were willing to do anything and everything to destroy Jesus even if they had to break the same laws they were attempting to use to convict Him. These men were given over to evil and would break even the law they claimed to live by to get rid of Jesus. They wanted Him gone and would do whatever it took to make that happen. One might think Jesus' comments took Annas by surprise or left him speechless, causing Annas to bind Jesus and send Him to Caiaphas. While that was happening, Peter was still at the fire. One of those standing at the fire asked Peter if he was one of Jesus' followers. Peter again denied being a disciple of Jesus. That was his second denial. Then a man who was a relative of Malchus whose ear Peter had cut off and was also a slave of the high priest spoke up. He said, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” Peter again denied being with Jesus and immediately a rooster crowed fulfilling Jesus' prediction that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. John doesn’t mention much of the trial before Caiaphas other than it ended in early morning. This tells us that all the unlawful things the high priests did to destroy Jesus was done during the night. Understanding this, we might be able to see that any people who loved Jesus would not be aware any of this was happening. Most people may not even know how involved the religious leaders were in what happened to Jesus. Now in the early morning, the religious leaders had finished and were presenting Jesus to Pilate. To those awakening, one might think Jesus' trial was all at the hand of the Romans. Jesus was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor, Pilate. Those who took Him from Caiaphas to Pilate would not enter Pilate’s headquarters because it would defile them and they would not be able to celebrate Passover. This entire concept just makes me crazy. It was a clear picture of the religious leaders doing things on the outside that appeared to keep them clean, such as not entering Pilate’s place yet they broke their own laws, lied, and conspired to kill Jesus without a proper trial and with no real proof of any laws being broken. What they did more than defiled them but they saw themselves as clean for not being on Roman ground. This immediately took me back to Jesus' comments in Matthew 23:25-28; “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish but inside you are filthy-full of greed and self indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean too. What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs - beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like religious people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” They would look undefiled by not entering Pilate’s palace but were full of guilt, treachery and schemes on the inside. All filled with plans to kill a man innocent of any crime. The crowd not coming into Pilate forced him to come out to them. He came out and asked them “What is your charge against Him?” They answered, “We wouldn’t have handed Him over to you if He weren’t a criminal.” Did you notice they didn’t answer his question? Actually they could not give Pilate a description of Jesus crime because He hadn't committed any. In a way their answer was not an answer but a “duh?” maybe intending to make Pilate look stupid if he pressed them for a crime. Pilate instructed them to go away and judge Jesus by their own law. Of course, that was pointless because they had already tried that. So, the religious leaders might have given Pilate the impression they had already judged Jesus and found Him guilty and needing to be put to death. They accomplished that by saying that only the Romans were permitted to execute someone. This also fulfilled the prediction as to how Jesus would die. Pilate went back into his headquarters and asked for Jesus. He asked Jesus several questions. Jesus responded by telling Pilate His Kingdom was not of this world. If it were, His followers would never have let Him be taken by the religious leaders. Jesus told him, He came into the world to speak the truth and all who love truth know what He was saying was true. Pilate went out to the people and told them he found Jesus to not be guilty of any crime. Pilate may have thought he could diffuse this entire thing by using his tradition of releasing a prisoner at Passover. He asked the leaders if they would like him to release Jesus but they said no and asked for Barabbas, the revolutionary and murderer instead. FOR AUGUST, WE WILL FINISH THE GOSPEL OF JOHN BY STUDYING CHAPTERS 19, 20 AND 21. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. |
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