The Garden and the Courtyard

Spring has finally arrived.

Have you been taking advantage of the better weather?

Most people will enjoy the arrival of spring

more daylight and warmer and less dark.

But for many, spring brings on hay fever and runny nose.

The arrival of a certain time can be good news for some

and bad news for a few.

We have come to a similar time in our study

of the Gospel of John.

There are four Gospels in the Bible.

They are like a biography that accounts for Jesus' life

and works to save God's people from ultimate destruction.

John's Gospel highlights Jesus' power as a son of God,

his divine nature, and at the same time

we feel his human nature.

Jesus is fully human and fully God,

and he made that claim about himself,

which no one in the entire human history

had ever dared to say the same.

John uses time markers,

especially annual Jewish festival,

in his Gospel to highlight Jesus' teaching

and what he had come to do.

It also served as a tool to understand

the length of time between the chapters in his Gospel.

Jesus started his public teaching at 8th Passover

back in chapter 2,

and Jewish people gather at Passover

to be reminded of what God did to save them

from slavery under a human king in Egypt.

It's a time of annual sacrifice

for the forgiveness of their sins.

By cleaning out the temple at this particular time,

Jesus displayed his seal for God's house

and laid judgment on the Jewish leaders

who had allowed worship to deteriorate into comers.

Jesus' words in chapter 2, verse 19,

said,

Destroy this temple,

and will raise it again in three days.

Jesus,

when answering the Jews' question about his authority,

prophetically foreshadowed his crucifixion and resurrection.

A year passed between John chapter 2 to 6

John 2 · chapter mention

when Jesus fed 5,000 people

as the next Passover approach.

It was at this time

that Jesus' verse of seven I Am statements

in John's Gospel was recorded.

Jesus uses this I Am statement

to allude to the same self-identification

that God uses in Exodus 3

to claim his deity.

Jesus told us during this time

that he will give up his life

for the life of the world.

The only way to eternal life

is by believing in him.

In chapter 6, verse 40, he said,

For my Father's will is that everyone

who looks to the Son

and believes in him

shall have eternal life.

And Jesus shall lose

none of those the Father has given to him.

It's also at this Passover

that we are first introduced

to the person

who betrayed Jesus

at the next Passover,

Judas,

Simon's,

and Scarish's sons.

And now,

we come to the third Passover

in John's Gospel

from chapter 11,

which is also the last Passover

of Jesus' human life.

This time is the hour

that he became

the one and for all sacrifice

that fulfilled God's requirement

to allow God's creation

to be reconciled

with the Creator.

Today and the following few weeks,

in the next three chapters

of the last four chapters

of John's Gospel,

time traveled

at a much slower pace,

while John tells us

of the arrest,

trial,

death,

and resurrection of Jesus

to secure our place

in heaven,

our eternal life.

We read about

Jesus' arrest

in the garden

and the beginning

of his trial

in the high priest's courtyard

in today's passage

in John 18,

1 to 27.

So please keep your Bible

open at that chapter.

In both the garden

and the courtyard,

we will look at

what Jesus did

and refer to one

of his disciples.

We see Jesus and Judas

in the garden,

and we see Jesus

and Peter

in the courtyard,

and I hope you will see

Jesus and yourself

at the end of my talk.

After many references

to my time

has not yet come

in the first 12 chapters,

John told us

in chapter 3,

verse 1,

it was just before

the Passover festival,

Jesus knew that

the hour had come

for him to leave

this world

and go to the Father.

And then,

in our chapter today

in verse 4,

Jesus knew all that

was going to happen

to him,

went out

and faced those

who came to arrest him.

Three times,

between verse 5 to 8,

Jesus used the phrase,

I am he,

to connote

he is God.

Jesus' life's purpose

is to make sure

God's word,

which including

his words,

is fulfilled

so that God

is glorified.

John tells us

that Jesus lived

to fulfill

his own words

and the Old Testament

and any contemporary

prophecy

in verse 9,

11, and 14

of our passage today.

In verse 9,

Jesus said,

I have not lost

one of those

you have gave me,

is Jesus repeating

words from chapter 6

that I have highlighted

earlier.

He knew

who would betray

him all along

and he said

in chapter 17,

verse 12,

none has been lost

except the one

doomed to destruction

so that scripture

will be fulfilled.

The cup

that Jesus referred

to in verse 11

is alluded

to Isaiah 51,

Isaiah 51:22

verse 22.

This is what

the sovereign Lord

says,

your God

who defends

his people.

See,

I have taken

out of your hand

the cup

that make you stagger.

From that cup,

the gobbler

of my wrath,

you will never

drink again.

What Jesus

is about to fulfill

on the cross

will remove

the cup

of God's wrath

from the hands

of his believers.

Jesus knew

there's no other

way to achieve

that.

And then

in verse 12

to 14

says the people

took Jesus

to Caiaphas.

Caiaphas

made his prophecy

back in John

11,

49 to 52.

He did not

say this

on his own

but as high

priest that year

he prophesied

that Jesus

would die

for the Jewish

nation

and not only

for that nation

but also

for the scattered

children of God

to bring them

together

to make them

one.

Jesus

substituted

our broken

tainted

record

with his

perfect record

in his

obedience

towards God.

By our

own merit

humans can

never be

forgiven

and reach

God

but Jesus

made the

impossible

possible.

At no point

did Jesus

draw back

because he

knew in

order to

save us

sinners

he had to

offer up

his life

in God's

hand.

Even though

he knows

God is

trustworthy

and will not

live in

the death

he still

needs to

learn

to trust

that God

will resurrect

him after

the cross.

Jesus

faced the

cross

knowing he

had to

go through

death

for all

his followers

to be

saved

and have

a life

and not

just end

life

but abundant

life.

Every one

of his

followers

except one

who have

already been

introduced to

Judas

the one

who betrayed

Jesus.

He led

the arresting

party to

the garden.

The Bible

tells us

Judas

betrayed

Jesus

for the

love of

money

because he

loved money

more than

God.

He loved

the things

of this

world

and his

love of

money.

Back in

chapter 12

six days

before Jesus

last Passover

Mary

took a

pint of

pure

nut

and

poured

on

Jesus.

Other

gospels

highlight

that she

broke

the jar

which would

mean no

holding back

nothing can

be saved

to sell

later.

Mary's

action

brought

indignation

and disgust

to the

people at

that event.

The writers

of other

gospels

did not

provide any

names of

those people

that were

so upset

but John

did in

his

gospel.

He named

Judas

and told

us the

reason

behind

the

objection.

In

John 12

John 12:46

verse 46

but one

of his

disciples

Judas

Iscariot

who was

later to

betray him

objected.

Why

wasn't

this

perfume

sold

and money

given to

the

poor?

It was

worth a

year's

wages.

He did

not say

this

because he

cared about

the poor

but because

he is a

thief.

He

as keeper

of the

money

bag

he used

to help

himself

to what

was put

into it.

And then

fast forward

seven days

in chapter

13

John says

again that

Judas

had charge

of the

money

when Jesus

predicted

his betrayal.

Jesus took

the bread

and gave it

to Judas

and in

verse 26

of chapter

13

as soon as

Judas

took the

bread

Satan

entered

into him.

So

Jesus

told him

what

you're

about

to

do

quickly.

Jesus

is fully

and always

in control

of the

whole

situation.

And with

my background

in business

and management

it seems

odd

that

Jesus

who is

God

with

God's

all-knowing

characteristic

would allow

Judas

to be

the keeper

of the

money

bag.

Especially

when Jesus

knew that

Judas

would betray

him

and for

his love

of money

and things

of this

world

would sell

him out

for 30

silver

coins.

That is

one of

the why

questions

that I

don't have

an answer

to.

Maybe

Judas

was the

only one

that put

up his

hand

to do

the job.

Maybe

he's a

better choice

compared to

a tax collector

and a bunch

of fishermen.

There can

be many

speculation

and questions

but the

healthier

approach

is not

to do

what some

modern

scholar

try to

do

when they

face

part of

God's

word

that

have

questions

about.

A lot

of people

take the

liberal

approach

to read

back

into the

Bible

what they

think

should be

the most

appropriate

modern

view

of different

issues.

But when

you do

that

you're not

listening to

God

or following

his words.

One thing

we are sure

of though

is that

Jesus

loved

Judas

as much

as anyone

who came

to follow

him.

we cannot

find in

the whole

Bible

any

reference

that

Jesus

treated

Judas

differently

because

of what

he knew

of

Judas.

As we

follow

Jesus

a lot

of things

can confuse

us

cause us

pain

and leave

us searching

for answers.

Sometimes

life hurts

so much

that it

shakes

our confidence

in the

character

of God.

We are

deeply

hurt

by the

realization

that

for reasons

we cannot

understand

our

all-powerful

God

has chosen

not to

step in

and fix

the things

the way

we have

begged him

to do.

Our

imagination

at times

of suffering

especially

if it's

self-inflicted

can take

us down

a dark

path.

We can

find

ourselves

agitated

at God

and walking

away from

him.

We are

told in

other

gospel

that

Judas

did

that

after he

realized

what he

had done.

he

disconnected

himself

from

God

and

other

believers

and

stayed

in

isolation

and

end

in

despair.

Hold on

to what

you do

know

about

God

in

times

of

painful

circumstance.

In the

coming

weeks

you will

see

Jesus

took

a

savage

beating

and

nailed

to a

cross

for

you.

Jesus

never

abandoned

you

but

supplied

the

grace

you need

to see

you

through.

The

cross

proves

Jesus

is

deeply

committed

to

you

every

sinner

of

this

world.

Jesus'

interaction

with

those

who

question

him

in

the

high

priest

courtyard

in

verse

19

to

23

exhibited

again

Jesus

is

fully

in

control

when

faced

with

the

most

excursion

punishment

known to

the

human

world.

John

put

this

interaction

between

Peter's

interaction

with

those

asking

him

about

his

relationship

to

Jesus

it

provides

such

a

contrast.

Where

Jesus

declared

three

times

at the

beginning

of the

chapter

about

his

deity

by

saying

I

am

we

see

Peter

deny

any

association

with

Jesus

by

answering

I

am

not

three

times.

This

is

after

Jesus

has

predicted

he

would

deny

him

three

times

before

the

rooster

crow

only a

few

hours

ago

in

chapter

three

during

the

Passover

meal.

How

Peter

answered

those

who

question

him

makes

Jesus

answer

to

the

high

priest

in

verse

21

all

the

more

challenging.

When

questioned

about

his

disciples

and

his

teaching

Jesus

replied

was

why

question

me?

Ask

those

who

heard

me.

Surely

they

know

what

I

said.

Many

at

Jesus'

time

have

heard

Jesus'

teaching

even

seen

signs

that

show

he

has

the

power

of

the

son

of

God.

And

some

even

have

close

daily

interaction

with

him

and

they

all

left

Jesus

at

his

arrest.

One

chose

to

deny

and

disown

him.

Another

chose

to

betray

him.

The

same

can

be

said

of

today's

follower

of

Jesus.

If

you

call

yourself

a

Christian,

you

have

heard

Jesus'

teaching.

Do

you

know

what

Jesus

says?

What

kind

of

defense

will

you

provide

for

your

faith

in

him?

John

tells

us

that

many

Jesus'

disciples

realize

Jesus'

teaching

with

the

help

of

the

Holy

Spirit

after

his

resurrection.

The

resurrection

has

already

happened.

You

already

have

God's

spirit

in

you.

What

is

holding

you

back

from

speaking

up

for

Jesus?

What

is

holding

you

back

from

telling

others

of the

good

news

of

Jesus

or

live

out

a

life

what

will

it

take

for

you

to

realize

what

Jesus

has

done?

His

death

on

the

cross,

his

resurrection

were

all

done

for

you.

His

substitution

for

the

punishment

of

your

sins

is

to

free

you

from

living

for

yourself

or

Satan,

but

for

him,

your

Lord

Jesus.

Our

passage

today

has

many

characters

who

treated

Jesus

differently.

Are

you

going

to be

like

Judas?

Or

Peter?

Or

the

soldiers

and

officials?

Or

the

high

priests

and

the

Pharisee?

Or

the

other

disciples

that

was

known

to

the

high

priests?

Where

are

you

standing

in

your

life

now?

Are

you

standing

with

those

who

want

nothing

to

do

with

Jesus?

Are

you

standing

with

your

Lord,

facing

a

child

and

suffering,

bringing

glory

to

the

Father?

Judas,

stand

with

the

soldiers

or

official,

from

the

Pharisee.

He

stands

with

those

who

slapped

Jesus

in the

face,

arresting

him

unlawfully,

accusing

him of

wrongs

that he

did not

do.

Peter

stands

outside

of the

door of

the

courtyard

where

he

denied

his

disciples

for the

first

time,

then

later

stood

around

a

fire

made

by

the

servant

and

official

of

the

high

priest,

warming

himself

in

the

cold

of the

night,

he

denied

second

and

third

times

of

being

one

of

Jesus'

disciples.

The

other

disciples

that

was

known

to

the

high

priest

that

mentioned

in

this

passage

stood

with

Jesus

throughout

the

trial

and

the

crucifixion.

Where

are you

standing

with

Jesus

in your

life

now?

I

hope

you

asked

yourself

the two

repeated

questions

from

this

passage.

I

believe

they

are

repeated

for

our

attention.

One

is

asked

of

Peter

by

people

standing

around

him

in

verse

17

and

25.

How

would

you

answer

the

question?

You

aren't

one

of

his

disciples

too,

are

you?

If

your

answer

is

affirmed,

yes,

I

am,

may

Jesus'

word

in

first

night

and

other

parts

of

the

Bible

be

your

encouragement.

Once

Jesus

finds

you,

you

will

never

be

lost

again.

Your

security

comes

from

the

promise

and

prayer

between

our

Heavenly

Father

and

his

Son.

I

have

not

lost

one

of

those

you

gave

me.

Jesus

gave

his

word

in

chapter

6

verse

40.

For

my

Father's

will

is

that

everyone

who

looks

to

the

Son

and

believes

in

him

shall

have

eternal

life

and

I

will

raise

them

up

at

the

security

in

Jesus

word

not

in

yourself

and

stay

connected

with

other

believers.

That

was

what

Peter

did

after

his

big

failure

of

answering

I

am

not

three

times

and

Jesus

restored

him

at

the

end

of

John's

Gospel.

But

Jesus

asked

another

more

important

question

to

those

who

come

to

him

in

verse

4

and

7.

Who

is

it

you

want?

If

you

are

seeking

and

searching

about

who

Jesus

is

or

finding

out

what

Christianity

or

coming

to

church

is

all

about

the

who

question

is

more

important

than

the

what

question.

Focus

on

who

Jesus

is.

My

hope

and

prayer

are

you

find

Jesus

as

your

savior

and

willingly

submit

yourself

to

him.

Not

like

those

came

with

Judas

who

drew

back

and

fell

to

the

ground

on

seeing

the

power

and

authority

of

Jesus

because

they

were

looking

for

Jesus

for

the

wrong

reason.

If

you

are

a

Christian

a

follower

of

Jesus

do

you

really

want

Jesus

as

your

lord

and

savior?

How

active

are

you

in

asking

for

help

from

the

Holy

Spirit

to

guide

you

into

all

truth

and

help

you

to

testify

about

Jesus

in

all

of

your

life.

If

you

are

happy

being

indifferent

seeing

no

need

for

a

savior

because

you

think

you

are

both

moral

and

religious.

My

prayer

is

that

the

Holy

Spirit

will

work

in

your

heart

through

the

gospel

message

to

create

a

faith

you

need

to

believe

in

Christ.

Everyone's

growth

in

your

worship

of

God

is

directly

related

to

your

understanding

of

the

gospel

in

all

its

fullness

including

the

understanding

that

the

faith

in

which

you

believe

was

a

gift

from

God.

We

have

faith

in

God

because

it's

a

gift

from

God.

God's

will

is

that

everyone

who

looks

to

the

Son

and

believes

in

him

shall

have

eternal

life

and

Jesus

will

raise

them

up

at

the

last

day.

Now

is

the

time

to

look

to

Jesus

and

believe

in

him.

Taking

hold

of

God's

gospel

and

this

faith.

Please

speak

with

me

or

any

staff

about

how

to

know

Jesus.

Don't

let

this

time

pass

you.

Let

this

time

be

time

of

good

news

for

you.

Let

go.