Jesus Arrested

Good morning. There's so much in these verses that we are considering that what I say this morning is only going to touch, is only going to scratch the surface.

These last few weeks have been sad for us as we have lost a friend to a battle with cancer.

We knew what was coming and it pained us to hear of the details of that fight.

The daily updates that we would get as the situation was worsening and as we prayed for a different outcome, it was hard to hear.

At the funeral, some of our children gave short accounts of the memories that they had with their mother growing up.

And more recently in the days as they watched life slip away, the peace that she had in her life and the challenge that that was to them.

They said that in that situation that it has drawn them closer to the Lord and it has made them stronger in their faith.

There's one or two friends here that were at that funeral today.

And they would have heard this, that our friend had a peace that passes normal human understanding.

She had a peace because it was given to her by God.

It was a direct consequence of her relationship with God.

That God is in complete control and that the hope that she had, that when she left this earth, she would go to be with him forever.

However, this is real life.

Where we have great sorrow and pain.

And yet as Christians, we often talk about peace and comfort and joy.

The joy that it is to know that the one that we love, who we have lost, has gone to be with Jesus forever.

You see, in our passage today, we're in the middle of a historical episode that sometimes we just gloss over without letting the reality of the situation hit us.

We say things like, Friday's here, but Sunday's coming.

And even though that is true, it somehow allows us just to skip over the part of suffering and horror of what happened to Jesus.

We've named it Good Friday.

And like Christmas, I think that we often see Easter through a rose-tinted view.

There's birds in the air.

There's lambs in the field.

There's fluffy yellow chicks.

Maybe you're thinking of Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs.

Or flowers growing in the garden.

And Rachel and I have been watching out the back window as the squirrels have been building a nest.

And the birds and the snowdrops and the crocus and the daffodils.

And all of these things have been coming to life.

We've been watching these birds making a nest, waiting to welcome new life into this world.

And Rachel and I, as others in this audience are, well, for us at Easter time, God willing, we will welcome new life into this world.

The nights are lighter.

And we've anchored Easter at a time where there is just a little bit of joy.

The Easter story is a story of joy for many of us.

Because it's a story that leads to life.

Our series is called Life in His Name.

Life in Jesus' Name.

Jesus said that I am come that you might have life and that you might have it abundantly.

But Easter is also a story of difficulty.

A lot of pain.

A lot of anguish.

A lot of things that we maybe don't fully understand.

The account of what happened to the Lord leading up to His death.

On one hand, brings us joy.

But on the other hand, it might make us just feel a little bit of sorrow.

The eternal Son of God was offered up for you and for I.

That eternal Son of God was mistreated by those whom He had created.

That eternal Son of God was rejected by the nation that He had chosen.

There's a verse in Psalm 30, verse 5.

Psalms 30:5

It says this, that weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

And it's easy for us to say that after an event.

It's easy for us to say that after, you know, in hindsight, it's easy for us to say that when the raw pain has subdued after death.

Now for a few minutes this morning, I want us to dial in on these hours that we have read about in John chapter 18.

John 18 · chapter mention

I have a simple ABCD this morning that I want to look at.

Hopefully it's a simple structure that will help you remember what we have thought about this morning.

Let's start with this A and B.

The arrest and betrayal.

I've deliberately missed out C there because I don't know whether to put in there capture or challenge that this is to us.

Or control or a list of other C's that came to mind as I put this up.

But then we have the denial at the end there.

So we'll fill in that blank as we get through our message.

This sequence is a dramatic story that we've read about in the progression of the Lord entering into Jerusalem.

And up until that point of dying on the cross.

Our scene here in chapter 18 is set during the night before that awful day.

And even though on that following day there will be a period of darkness, the scene that we have is a very dark scene.

This is the night of the Passover.

Earlier in the evening, Jesus and his disciples, like the thousands of Jews who were crammed into Jerusalem at that time,

were eating the Passover meal together.

They would have recited stories passed down from generation to generation.

They would have talked about the lamb, the Passover lamb, from the time of their forefathers escaping from Egypt.

They would have prepared the bitter herbs and the unleavened bread.

And as they ate that together, they would have talked about this lamb that was taken and sacrificed and eaten.

And they would have reminded themselves of the significance of the meal and how the blood of the lamb was preserved and delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

And how the lamb would have been food for their journey.

And yet they were totally unaware that in 12 hours time, the man that they had been following for the last three hours would be slain like a lamb.

And be sacrificed for their deliverance and for to bring about peace with God.

In our chapter here in verse 1, we read that the Lord Jesus goes out with his disciples to a place that they often went to.

He crosses over the valley and up the side of the hill to the olive garden, a place that we know as Gethsemane.

It's a place that the Lord Jesus often went with his disciples.

We go there to spend time with them for rest.

They would pray there.

They would meditate.

They would commune together.

It's not the first time that God has communed with people in a garden.

It's very similar to a story that God communed with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

And in that garden, it's in similar fashion.

Adam and Eve betray God.

Just as Judas is about to betray God.

Unlike the scene in the Garden of Eden where Satan comes in subtly, in this scene that we have, a band of soldiers and the temple guards, they came in loudly.

As I've been looking through and studying for this passage, the scholars would say that there's maybe up to 600 people, 600 soldiers would have been involved there.

That's what a cohort of the soldiers would have looked like.

Plus the temple guards and the police and some of the Sanhedrin and the mob that would have come to collect him.

A big, angry band of soldiers came that night to take the Lord Jesus.

Not subtly, but by force and aggression.

You know, Jesus was in that familiar place with his disciples.

And if we had read in Matthew or Mark, we might have seen a little bit more details than what we see in John's Gospel.

But in that familiar place, Judas betrays the Lord Jesus.

And I wonder that if in our familiar places we betray the Lord Jesus.

Maybe not in the same way that Judas betrayed him.

But I wonder if we betray him in another way.

A man who had personally spent three years with the Lord Jesus, witnessing incredible miracles.

Often in that place in Gethsemane with the rest of the disciples, praying and spending time with the Lord Jesus.

And yet it just shows how very little he knows about the Lord Jesus as we see unfolding in John chapter 18.

John 18 · chapter mention

I wonder if that's the same as us today.

I wonder if, even though we might have been on the Christian pathway for quite some time,

just how much do we know about the Lord Jesus?

I think as we read through John 18,

maybe it just shines, or it just puts a mirror in front of us,

just to look into there and ask ourselves the questions,

do we see ourselves in this passage?

You know, I suggest that Judas was worried that Jesus would somehow escape.

As he hatched that plan with the temple guard,

the temple priests and the guards,

that he would come and give that secret signal of a kiss

in order, I don't know what he thought,

not to give the game away.

They came in force.

And as I mentioned earlier,

the people that have researched this

would give the indication that it was a big band of soldiers

that came to take the Lord Jesus

with torches and lanterns

as they came to light up that hillside

as they hunted for him.

But he did not realise that Jesus

was the Lamb of God

who would meekly submit.

There was no need for battle.

Jesus shocked Judas and the arresting officers

by boldly presenting himself.

He had nothing,

the Lord Jesus had nothing to fear

and nothing to hide.

He would willingly lay down his life

for the sheep.

And furthermore,

by surrendering to the officers,

Jesus helped to protect his own disciples.

It's what we read here.

He kept them safe,

not only spiritually,

but physically,

that none of them would be hard,

that the scriptures would be fulfilled,

that none of them would be harmed,

none of them would be lost.

You might ask yourself the question,

why did the soldiers fall back

when they came to ask the Lord Jesus,

when the Lord Jesus asked them,

who have you come to seek?

And he answered,

I am he.

You might wonder why they fell back.

This is a title,

we've thought about different I am's

in Brunsfield before.

This is a title,

I am.

It's one that the Jews would recognise

as a statement

that would mean that he is the son of God,

that he is God.

But I think in the Lord Jesus

has been bold

in the way that he declared

that I am he.

It would strike them

that he was in total control.

You know,

this wasn't a physically

charred situation.

We don't really know

what Judas said

to the priests

and the Sanhedrin

as they hatched this plan

to come and to capture

the Lord Jesus.

What he said

that would prepare them

for this confrontation.

We remember that the Jewish leaders

before would have tried

to capture the Lord Jesus.

They tried to take hold of him.

They tried to arrest him.

And always without success.

And I wonder

as this band of people came,

whether they came for conflict.

And yet they were met

with surrender

and calm

and peace.

And I think they were confused.

Lord Jesus asked them again,

who is it that you want?

And that kiss that Judas gave,

which was repeatedly given to the Lord,

was one of these acts of,

was probably one of the worst acts

of betrayal

that we've ever seen

in history.

Now I'm going to move on

to denial

before we come back

to what our C is.

But Peter also

betrays the Lord Jesus

in John 18.

I think

if we betray the Lord Jesus,

it's probably more like

how Peter betrayed

the Lord Jesus.

I think if we betray

the Lord Jesus,

it's in our words

and in our actions.

The man who came to suffer

for his disciples

is the man who came to suffer

for you and for me.

To give up his life,

to be judged

for our wickedness,

and yet,

like Peter,

we can often

deny the Lord Jesus

when we're asked.

Graham has mentioned this

over the last few weeks.

On Monday morning,

when you get into the office

or the staff room

or university

and you're asked

what did you get up to

at the weekend,

what is your answer?

This servant girl,

she asked Peter,

are you not one of

this man's disciples?

And Peter denied it.

So tomorrow,

I wonder what my answer

will be.

Will my answer be

that I have spent time,

we have spent time

with each other,

that we've spent time

in Brunsfield,

that we've spent time

thinking about the Lord Jesus

and reminding ourselves

of the one who loved us

and gave himself for us.

Or I wonder if we'll be

quiet like Peter

and choose not to say anything

and deny that we have

anything to do

with the Lord Jesus.

If you're like me,

then that will be true

of many Monday mornings

when I've been asked

what did I get up to

at the weekend.

And many times,

I've failed

because I stayed silent

and I denied

taking a stand

with the Lord Jesus.

It was easier for me

to align myself

with what the world thinks

should happen

at the weekend

rather than what

I actually did.

Our series is this,

Life in His Name.

And Jesus came

that we might have life,

abundant life,

life in His name,

and yet somehow

we can be embarrassed

by that.

Peter gets a lot of stick

in our,

and sometimes the way

that we describe

this scene

as He's standing

by that fire.

We've got to remember

that this is in the middle

of the night.

It's in a cold part

of the day.

And, you know,

Peter is standing there

to get a heat

and he denies the fact

that he is one

of the Lord's disciples

or that he knows

the Lord Jesus.

Bear in mind

that the people

who lit the fire

are the soldiers.

The same soldiers

that came to Gethsemane

to capture the Lord Jesus

and witness Peter

cutting off the ear

of the high priest's,

the servant's ear.

Peter is standing

right beside them.

I think we give Peter

a lot of stick

because we think,

Peter, you should have

took a stand for the Lord

and you didn't.

And yet in that situation,

Peter is fearful

for his life

and he's fearful

what people think about him

or what people

will do to him.

You know,

Peter was embarrassed by it.

He understood

that his physical life

might be in danger

if he identifies himself

with the Lord Jesus.

If he said,

yes,

I'm one of his followers

and one of his disciples

and one of the people

who believe

that this man

is who he says he is,

the Son of God,

that he is God,

that he is the Lamb of God

who comes to take away

the sin of the world.

You know,

Peter feared

for his life

and he denied

the Lord Jesus.

And next week,

we'll come to see,

I don't see Archie here today,

but Archie is speaking

next week

and next week,

we'll come to see

that Peter not only

denies him once,

but he denies him again

and again.

And I'll leave

that cliffhanger there

because that is

where our passage stops,

right in the middle

of Peter's denial.

This brings me

to my last point.

And it is this,

control.

What was taking place

in this scene

that we've thought about,

even down to this

minor detail

of a cock

crowing

twice

in the middle

of the night,

significant enough

to be heard

and to be counted.

This is because

the Lord is in control

and Peter

knew that.

Not only was

the Lord in control,

but the Lord

knew all things.

He knew what was

going to befall him.

And that is something

that I think

we should cling to today.

Jesus' testimony

throughout his whole life

is that he is in control.

He was in control

then

and he's in control

now.

When we think

about the scene

that is chaotic,

that has drama,

as I've said,

you know,

think about this,

you know,

possibly hundreds

of soldiers

marching through

the streets

of Jerusalem.

Down over that river,

up the other side

of the hill,

into the Garden

of Gethsemane

with torches

and lanterns

and weapons

in the middle

of the night.

It's just such

a commotion.

Probably,

there's a lot of things

that are going on

in Jerusalem

at this time,

but probably

they've gathered people

as they've pushed

through the streets

of Jerusalem,

waking people up

and wondering

what it is.

You know,

if we see any kind

of activity

outside at two o'clock

in the morning,

then we are naturally

curious.

Maybe a mob

has gathered

behind this band

of soldiers

and it just seems

to be

that nobody knows

what's happening

and there's nobody

in control,

but God's in control

and Jesus knows

that this is the time,

this is his time

that has come.

Remember in John 17

he said this,

the hour has come.

You know,

many times in his ministry

people would come

to take the Lord Jesus

and yet he would slip away.

They would come

to kill him

or to seize him

and yet he would not

allow it,

he would pass through

because the appointed time

had not come.

But the time has come,

a time of his choosing,

a time that was chosen

before the creation

of the world.

You see,

the Lord Jesus

is in complete control.

arrest,

betrayal,

denial,

but right in the middle

of all of this chaos

we see that Jesus

is in control.

Now you might think

that A, B, C, D

is fairly elementary.

It's too simple

for you to remember

but we should remember this

if you remember nothing else,

that Jesus

is in control

and we know

and we experience this

in our lives

when we surrender to him.

I don't want to steal the message

for the next few weeks

but this might be

the last message

that you,

this might be the last

Christian message

that you hear.

It might be the last time

that you've got an invitation

to come

and meet this Jesus.

Jesus knew

and he foretold

what would come.

The Lord Jesus said to Peter,

you will deny me three times

before the cock rose twice.

He said that because he knew

that it would happen.

He knew that he would

go to the cross,

he knew that he would

give up his life

he knew that men

would rip the beard

from his face

or tear strips of flesh

out his back

with that scourge.

He knew all of these things

and yet he faces them

with peace.

He surrenders himself

to those that come

to take him captive.

In fact,

even though men

came to take him captive,

we remember these words

that he said,

no one takes my life,

I give it.

He willingly

becomes the Lamb of God

which takes away

the sin of the world.

I hope next week

that you do hear

what the message is

because you'll hear

that there is a time

in the scene

where Peter

has an opportunity

to repent.

Peter has the opportunity

to realise

who the Lord Jesus

really is.

That he has come,

that we might have life

and that we might have

abundant life,

we might have eternal life.

He's come

that our sins

can be forgiven.

He's come

that we can be restored,

that we can be reconciled.

You know,

Jesus goes to the cross

in order that we might be

forgiven

and that it might produce

righteousness

and repentance

in our lives.

And we have an opportunity

today

to repent.

Now,

there are many Christians

in the room

that have given their life

to the Lord Jesus.

those that know

their sins are forgiven.

And yet,

it may be that

in some way

we identify with Peter

this morning

and that we are living

akin to Peter's denial

by our words

and our actions,

by the way that we live.

We deny the Lord Jesus.

Well,

this is an opportunity

for us

to repent,

to come to God.

But it's also

an opportunity

if you've never

come to know

God's grace

in your life,

if you've never

come face to face

with the reality

that there is one

who gave up

his life for you,

who suffered

and died

and bore

the judgment

for your sin,

if there's never

been a time

in your life

where you've known

God's forgiveness

and the peace

that Jesus

offers us,

well,

there's an invitation

today for you

to come.

I want to take you

back to that funeral

on Friday.

The continuing theme

that came through

loud and clear

was that our friend

had peace with God.

A nurse came in

recently and asked her

if there's anything

that she could do

for her,

anything that she

was worried about

and she said this,

she said,

no,

I'm going to be

with my saviour.

She had a peace

in her soul

and there was no

enmity between

her and God.

that relationship

was restored.

It was reconciled.

I hope you have

that peace too.

Lastly,

Jesus has this peace.

This is what gives

me joy this morning.

Jesus has this peace

as he faces

what's to come.

His relationship

with the Father

was never broken.

Even though he must

go through this

devastating experience,

even though we see

the agony

in the garden,

praying to God,

if it be possible,

let this cup

pass from me.

Sweating as it were,

great drops of blood,

just showing us

his full humanity.

But in such turmoil

and agony,

we read these words

and we've read them

today in John 18.

Shall I not drink

the cup

the Father

has given to me?

This was his lot.

This was his portion.

This was his plan.

This is why he came.

So let us fully realize,

let us fully appreciate

the zoomed in details,

all that Jesus

has gone through,

knowing what was to come,

knowing that he is

in complete control.

I want to leave you

a verse

in John chapter 20.

John 20 · chapter mention

It's a verse

that we often quote

when we preach

from John

and it says this,

these things are written

that you might believe

that Jesus is the Messiah,

the Son of God,

and that believing

you might have life

in his name.

Thank you.