Jesus in Control (John 18:1-14)

We're gonna be in John chapter 18.

John 18 · chapter mention

We're gonna be covering verses 1 through 14 today.

And last week we finished a large section of John that we were in for a long time, chapters 13 through 17.

And that was a section where Jesus we saw that he was encouraging his disciples with words of comfort and preparation, encouraging them to peace in him, to have his peace and his joy.

And now we're heading into much more of a narrative section of the Gospel of John.

So we're gonna be biting off a little bit bigger chunk here this morning, but it's much more narrative than what we've been going through, so I think we'll be okay.

And I'll try and keep it short too, because I can smell the food just as much as you can.

I'm already getting hungry.

But we are in chapter 18, starting in verse 1.

If you're able, would you please stand for the reading of God's word?

After Jesus had said these things, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples.

So Judas took a company of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

Then Jesus, knowing everything that was about to happen to him, went out and said to them, Who is it that you're seeking?

Jesus of Nazareth, they answered.

When Jesus told them, I am he, they stepped back and fell to the ground.

Then he asked them again, Who is it that you're seeking?

Jesus of Nazareth, they said, I told you I am he, Jesus replied.

So if you're looking for me, let these men go.

This was to fulfill the words he had said, I have not lost one of those you have given me.

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear.

The servant's name was Malchus.

At that Jesus said to Peter, Put your sword away.

Am I not to drink the cup the father has given me?

Then the company of soldiers, the commander and the Jewish officials, arrested Jesus and tied him up.

First they led him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.

Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be better for one man to die for the people.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for the book of John.

We thank you for how far you've brought us to this point.

Lord, as we get into the trial, the crucifixion, the resurrection of Jesus, Lord, I pray that if this is a story we've heard 40, 100 times in our life, Lord, that we would see it with fresh eyes.

Just recognizing the sacrifice that Jesus made for each and every one of us.

With a new appreciation of your love for us, appreciation of the salvation that you offer to each one of us, Lord, and that peace and that joy that you have been encouraging your disciples in in these last four chapters.

Let us know that for ourselves as well, we pray.

Lord, so have your way in our hearts here this morning.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

You may be seated.

So this passage this morning is setting things up for Jesus' arrest and his sham kangaroo court trial that they're really bringing them into.

And John is throwing in some reminders that you probably saw that as we're reading through, just of a couple things that have already happened.

So we're going to be looking back a little bit today to kind of help us catch up to speed on a few things from the last three years in Jesus' ministry.

Because the last four chapters that we were in, those take place in a matter of hours.

The previous 12, 1 through 12 that we'd gone through, that took place over the course of three years.

And then the last four that we were in, 13 through 17, they're largely not found in the other gospels.

They're very um, I shouldn't say, they're unique.

I should say, my father-in-law told me I should never say very unique.

So that just hit me right there.

They are unique to the gospels.

So they're they're very different in that way, those last four chapters.

But the next four chapters largely uh are found in the other four gospels as well.

So we're gonna be pulling from some of those other three gospels, I should say.

There's four total.

Those other three gospels to kind of fill in some gaps here this morning.

And with that, I want to do a quick refresher uh for all of us on Jewish history.

If you haven't been with us very long, I want to make sure that you understand why we have four different unique gospel accounts.

In this Jewish culture at the time, uh, when they were teaching history or when they were recalling it and teaching it verbally, they would do so by telling one single story multiple times.

And each time through that story, they would fill in different details along the way.

Case in point, we have four gospel accounts of Jesus, and they all cover Jesus' ministry, but they all fill in different details, even when they are telling the exact same story.

You know, in the historical books that we look at in the Old Testament, we'll see stories of David covered in three different places sometimes.

You know, the prophets all covered some very similar material, but it was repetitious.

You know, John is telling us in this gospel what the Holy Spirit inspired him to write for the purposes of this gospel here, but in light of the other three gospels as well.

So we'll use the other gospels to fill in some blanks, as I was saying, as we enter into this account, as we enter into the last few days of Jesus' uh death, his burial, and his resurrection.

So look at chapter 18, verse 1, and we'll jump in here.

After Jesus had said these things, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley.

Your translation may say over the brook Kidron, where there was a garden.

And he and his disciples went into it.

So I want to show us a picture here.

This is a rendering of uh of what it may have looked like during Jesus' time.

So this is the Temple Mount over here, the temple up here, the wall that goes around Jerusalem.

This is south, that's north, and this is the Mount of Olives over here, and then the Garden of Gethsemane was kind of up in this area right here.

And this is the Kidron Valley.

This is the brook Kidron that runs through right here.

And I want us to kind of keep that, well, we'll keep that map up for a little bit, but it's interesting that John points out crossing the Kidron Valley here and didn't just say Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane.

And this is just for fun, this point right here.

This is something just for us that's interesting to think about.

Because if Jesus exited Jerusalem on the south side of the temple, which many speculate he did, he would have had to cross the brook Kidron on the southern part of the temple.

Now, Kidron in Hebrew, that name means dark.

So this is the dark brook, literally, the dark brook that eventually would end up flowing into the Dead Sea.

So, why did they call it the Dark Brook?

Well, the temple is just above that brook, and the temple had a drain that was built into it for the blood of the sacrificial animals to flow through, and it flowed into the dark brook, the blood-stained brook of Kidron.

So it's estimated that when Solomon dedicated the first temple, that well over a hundred thousand gallons of blood flowed into the brook Kidron during the dedication.

That is a lot of blood, isn't it?

So think of the staining of the banks and the rocks.

Think of the color of the water.

And then, especially around Passover and the feast of unleavened bread that's taking place right now.

So, what John is telling us is Jesus crossed the dark brook that at this time was probably running with blood and water through it at this time of year.

You know, I have to imagine that it would be this continual reminder of the blood and water that would soon flow from his side.

As he became the ultimate sacrifice for mankind.

Maybe that's not at all what John intended.

I don't know.

But he does mention it specifically that Jesus was crossing this dark brook.

And as Jesus was on his way to Gethsemane, the Gospel of Luke tells us that during this week, Jesus would spend the days teaching in the temple, and his evenings he stayed on the Mount of Olives, specifically in the Garden of Gethsemane.

So he crossed this brook twice each day, Sunday through Thursday.

You know, and I can't imagine what Jesus was going through in this time.

Knowing what he was about to go through.

He knew full well what he was walking into.

Yet we see him keeping his eyes on the Father and keeping his eyes on his disciples in preparation for what was to come.

And I mention this because Jesus had human emotions.

And I just think about the loneliness that he must have felt during this week while being surrounded by his disciples.

Jesus had perfect oneness with the Father.

But even still, in only hours, he would cry out, My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Jesus was in and heading to the loneliest place I think that any human has ever experienced.

In order to have a compassionate high priest, that we can have a compassionate high priest, to have Jesus, our compassionate high priest, that can relate to our struggles, that has experienced loneliness for the for himself to the fullest extent.

You know, he experienced abandonment, denial, and betrayal from his own disciples.

And they're not understanding what he's going through right now.

They're not understanding what he's telling them.

You know, the whole week leading to this cross, you know, they're just confused.

John doesn't mention it here, but before verse 2, the other gospels mention that Jesus took Peter, James, and John to pray with him in Gethsemane.

And Jesus told them in Matthew 26, 38 through 39, he said, I am deeply grieved to the point of death.

Remain here and stay awake with me.

Going a little farther, he fell face down and prayed, My Father, if this is possible, let this cup pass from me.

Yet not as I will, but as you will.

And in this state of being grieved to the point of death, his disciples, his best friends here on earth, fell asleep.

And I can't imagine what Jesus is going through right now.

Yet, even with all that, he was still willing to die for them.

You know, he just told them, No one has greater love than this to lay down his life for his friends.

And he proved that to the most severe degree.

John goes on, look at verse 2.

Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples, including every day that week so far.

Verse 3.

So Judas took a company of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees and came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

So I really want all of us to place ourselves in this scene here of what's going on in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Just kind of pretend maybe you're like behind an olive tree, just kind of watching what's going on as all of this goes down.

You know, they're probably just under the light of the stars and the moon.

The moon would be full at this time because it's Passover.

Maybe they had a campfire, we don't know.

Jesus and his disciples could have had some oil lamps as well for extra light.

But even the torches and the lanterns that these soldiers and officials had wouldn't have given off a ton of light.

You know, if you've ever been around a campfire, you know, it's hard to make out facial features.

Um, and these lanterns and torches were, you know, less light than a campfire itself.

So it's probably one of these things where they're having to get their light pretty close to people's faces to try and tell them apart.

And if you think about Jesus and his disciples, these Nazarene boys, their coloring's probably the same, their hair is probably similar color, probably similar beards, probably similar clothes as well.

So Jesus is not standing out at this point.

And this group shows up, large group, um, like they're ready to arrest this violent criminal.

Now, a company of soldiers, how many is that?

So, this word here, it's not exactly clear how many soldiers it is, but it could have been at minimum 200, and it could have been more than 600 as well.

Along with the officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees.

You know, and I have to ask, how on earth did the Jewish leaders get that many Roman soldiers to go along with them?

Have you ever thought about that?

Well, we're gonna get to that, and specifically Annas' ties to the Romans and their government.

But first, let's go to verse 4.

Then Jesus, knowing everything that was about to happen to him, went out and said to them, Who is it that you're seeking?

Jesus of Nazareth, they answered him.

I am he, Jesus told them.

Judas who betrayed him was also standing with them.

So again, probably hard to see facial features, but in Matthew and Mark's account, we see that Judas actually gives Jesus a kiss, a kiss of greeting, actually a kiss of betrayal, to help this delegation know exactly who they were coming to arrest.

Judas isn't fooling anyone, though.

I mean, Jesus just told him, probably only a couple hours before this, what you're doing, do quickly.

Jesus knows everything that is going to happen, and even by coming out to this delegation and asking them this question, he's showing that he's in control of this whole situation.

And now my favorite part, look at verse 6.

When Jesus told them, I am he, they stepped back and fell to the ground.

If you have any doubt if Jesus was forced to the cross rather than going willingly, this is as much proof as you need.

He says, I am he.

Bowling pens.

You know, it's just and the he here actually isn't here in the Greek.

It was added by the translators for clarity.

Your Bible might even have the he in italics, which means it was not in the original text.

So Jesus responded, I am the name of God that was given to Moses when Moses asked, God said, I am who I am, tell them I am has sent you.

You know, Jesus has been making these I am statements.

Remember through the Gospel of John?

I am the bread of life.

I am the light of the world.

I am the door for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd.

I am the resurrection and the life.

I am the way, the truth, the life.

I am the true vine.

We just saw in chapter 17 Jesus say, Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me.

Jesus says, I am.

He's really saying, I am God, and they are knocked, they're stepped back and they fall over.

Could it be that Jesus is proving all the I am statements to be true here?

And that he does have the name of God as his own, as he's been telling his disciples.

He says, I am.

And they step back and fall over.

Don't forget what they're holding.

They have torches, lanterns, swords, weapons.

There could be some major injuries going on here.

You know, some bleeding, maybe, some oil spilling on clothing, people on fire.

You know, this could be a lot more chaotic than we might imagine at first reading.

And you guys should be so happy that I'm not God.

I would have spent the whole way to Annis' house just saying, I am.

And then just watching everybody, you know, falling over ten more steps.

I am, you know.

And maybe, you know, I shouldn't make light of it because this is the power of the name of God being displayed as God willingly goes to the cross for us.

There was no doubt, I think, a soberness and a fear to this.

And these guys are probably quaking at this point, as they should.

You know, this was just a glimmer of Jesus' power on display.

I mean, can you imagine?

Can you imagine what it's going to be like when we get to see the fullness of his glory in heaven, which he said he can't wait to reveal to us?

Or when he returns, and at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

This is just a glimmer of Jesus' power, just a glimmer of what's to come.

Look at verse 7.

Then he asked them again, Who is it that you're seeking?

You know, I'd pay money to see the difference in tone from the first time they answered to the second time they answered.

Because I could just see them being like, Jesus of Nazareth, you know, just like, what's gonna come after after this one?

Um so they said, Jesus of Nazareth, verse 8, I told you I am he, Jesus replied.

So if you're looking for me, let these men go.

This was to fulfill the words he had said.

I have not lost one of those you have given me.

Even when being arrested, he's caring about their protection, as we also saw him pray in chapter 17.

He keeps bringing the attention back to himself, reminding this delegation of who they came for.

Hey, you want me, not my disciples.

He keeps bringing it back to himself.

He's still in control here.

He's really what he's doing is he's telling them what to do.

Look at verse 10.

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear.

The servant's name was Malchus.

You know, we see in the other gospel accounts that Jesus healed his ear miraculously.

He miraculously healed this guy's ear.

We don't get that in John.

But I think this must have caused such a conflict, not only for Malchus, whose ear just got healed, but the guys that are witnessing everything that's taking place.

I mean, think of what they're thinking.

You know, we arrested a guy because he claims to be God, and he has the power to heal an ear when it's cut off, and the power to knock us over with his words.

I think there's a lot of, you know, tumultuous emotions probably going through this whole delegation at this point, including Malchus.

You know, and you would think that they would at least, you know, Jesus says, hey, let these guys go take me.

You would think that they would at least want to arrest Peter too, right?

For acting out in violence.

But this would be a really hard thing to prosecute Peter for, wouldn't it?

I just picture them before a judge and then they're like, this guy cut this guy's ear off.

And the judge is being like, This guy?

Like the one with two perfectly good ears.

Like, you want us to arrest him because, you know, what are the work?

So anyway, that's where my head goes.

Interestingly, though, John mentions the name of this servant right here being Malchus, uh, which the other gospels don't.

You know, this probably points to John knowing the high priest and being familiar with the high priest's attendance, uh, which we'll see here.

Next week.

But hopefully, John knows this guy's name because he became a believer after Jesus healed his ear.

It'd be hard to, you know, to deny the power of Jesus after that point, but we don't know.

But here Jesus responds to Peter's outbursts in verse 11.

At that, Jesus said to Peter, put your sword away.

Am I not to drink the cup the Father has given me?

Again, we see Jesus talk about this cup.

He just asked for the cup to be taken from him to the Father if it was possible.

But we see him talking about it again.

I am not to drink, am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?

And this is the cup of God's wrath.

The cup of his anger against sin.

The cup that is meant for us, but Jesus is taking on for us in our place.

Revelation 14, 9 through 10 talks about this regarding those in the tribulation that are worshiping the beast.

It says, If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink the wine of God's wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger.

He will be tormented with fire and sulphur in the sight of the holy angels and in sight of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever.

Jesus drank that cup for any that place their faith in him.

And he offers that salvation from having to take that cup for ourselves.

If we will just simply receive the gift of salvation, the gift of the sacrifice that he has made for us.

He already drank the cup so that we wouldn't have to.

But if we don't receive Jesus, we drink that cup.

God loves the sinner, but he hates the sin.

For God so loved the world, he gave his only son.

For Jesus so loved the world, he willfully went to the cross.

He willfully took on the cup of God's wrath in our place.

It was sin that brought on death and destruction and the curse on the earth.

The earth that God had created perfectly.

On his creation that he had created perfectly.

And it became a debt that we owe that we cannot pay.

The only way for us to be with the loving God that created us forever and ever was for God to intervene on our behalf and pay the debt of death that we could not pay.

And to do that in our place.

That is the love of God for us, willing to do that for us.

I'm so glad Peter did not succeed.

So Jesus basically tells Peter, stand down, Peter.

Like, I know what I'm doing.

Believe it or not, Peter.

You know, as we've seen from the beginning in John, God's plan was very, very different from the disciples' plan.

And I think Peter was like, okay, this is the beginning of the revolution.

It starts now.

We've got soldiers involved.

I've got a sword.

You know, I'm going to draw first blood here, and we're going to get this revolution going.

He's still thinking in terms of Jesus ruling an earthly kingdom that would be one with an earthly war that was waged with swords and a physical throne that Jesus would sit on in Jerusalem.

That's the second coming, not the first.

In Matthew, Jesus actually tells Peter in this moment.

So Jesus telling Peter as he stands down, or do you think that I cannot call on my father?

And he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels.

That's like 72,000-ish angels that Jesus could have called on and God would have provided.

Peter doesn't realize that Jesus is in perfect control of the situation at this point in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Look at verse 12.

Then the company of soldiers, the commander, and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus and tied him up.

As if ropes could contain the guy that just knocked them over with his words and healed the guy's ear that was just cut off.

But Jesus allows it.

He allows everything that is about to happen to him, everything that is to come.

He accepted the cup.

He's still in control.

Even as he heads into this phony trial, look at verse 13.

First, they led him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.

I think it's safe to say that Annas was not only corrupt, but also the guy in the background that was really pulling all the strings for the religious leaders at this time.

He was the actual high priest from AD 6 through 15.

But get this, he was appointed as high priest by a Roman governor.

There's nothing fishy about that, is there?

When government appoints religious leaders, right?

Also, at least four of his sons filled the position of high priest.

Some argue that maybe five of them had filled that as well.

And we see here that his son-in-law, Caiaphas, was the high priest right now at this time.

But you get the idea that Annas never really stopped running the show.

Like he was constantly working behind the scenes with these religious leaders.

That was now threatening their position and their authority.

Some extra biblical history points to him and his sons being the ones behind the money changers and the market in the temple that Jesus went in and turned the tables on.

We also see Annas and Caiaphas at the trial of Peter and John in Acts 4, persecuting the early church.

So there's a lot of corruption that was going on within this family.

And Annas seems to be kind of the head of that family and behind all that's that's going on, even though he's not the high priest at the time.

And it shows you something that the first place that they took Jesus was not to the current high priest, it was to Annas first.

At night, trials at night were illegal according to Jewish law.

So a lot of not okay things are going on already, and it's just beginning.

Now, John throws this little reminder here about Caiaphas in verse 14.

Look at that with me.

Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be better for one man to die for the people.

The verdict of Jesus' trial was already decided, wasn't it?

Way back when Caiaphas said this, um, this was not a true and fair trial that Jesus was walking into.

They decided long ago they just wanted to kill him, get him off the scene.

It was unlawful from the get-go.

They didn't really want justice.

They just wanted Jesus gone.

And they wanted the people of Israel to think that they were actually still in control of things.

But I want to go back and read where Caiaphas first said this in John 11, 49 through 53.

And I want to read that to you.

It says, one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, You know nothing at all.

You're not considering that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.

He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to unite the scattered children of God.

So from that day on, they plotted to kill him.

So way back then, they're already plotting to kill him.

The verdict was already decided before the trial started.

But God is so in control of the situation that he can even use an enemy of himself to accomplish his perfect will and to carry out his divine purposes.

And in this case, to even prophesy, as an enemy of God, prophesying correctly.

You know, and I personally just find this so comforting, especially when we see people posing as religious leaders and actually being an enemy of God, or posing as a religious leader to profit off of God's people.

Or when we see people in political leadership that outright hate God and live in corruption, it brings me comfort that God is still in control and not only can, but will use these people when he desires for his own purposes.

Even when Jesus' disciples thought that God's enemies were winning, when they thought that his enemies were literally killing God against his own will, they couldn't see that God's enemies were actually assisting in God's greater plan that was laid out all the way back, we see in Genesis, before the foundations of the world.

And I'm not saying everything God's enemies are doing is right and that God's this puppet master that's always, you know, having them do what he wants, not at all.

What I am saying is God can do whatever he wants, and sometimes he uses his enemies' anger and outrage and greed for his own purposes.

Even when his disciples think that the world is ending, I just find such great comfort in that.

Because you look around the world right now and it looks like chaos, and it looks just like, oh my gosh, can things get any worse?

But we need to remember as his disciples that he's always in control.

When we look at what corrupt Caiaphas was able to prophesy correctly, and God using this enemy, he said that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.

This is incredible.

Because even though he thought killing Jesus would save him and his cronies, and when he was so concerned and thought that killing Jesus was going to save his position and his authority and his nation, he had no clue that he was prophesying about eternal life, about the spiritual, about souls being saved and not perishing through Jesus' death.

2 Peter 3:9 says that the Lord doesn't want anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

And Caiaphas was prophesying about this and didn't even know it.

You know, to go back a little bit, at this time Israel was in a really dark place when Jesus physically came on the scene.

Corruption was rampant among the religious leaders, temple worship had been corrupted.

Um, God hadn't spoken to the nation through a prophet in 400 years.

The Romans had overthrown and occupied the land.

They ruled with an iron fist with really heavy, uh, incessant taxes.

Things were dark for Israel at this point in history.

A nation was perishing, both physically and spiritually.

And what did the vast majority of this nation seem to care about the most?

The physical, didn't they?

They didn't want the physical to perish.

The religious leaders and his own disciples alike.

The disciples can't get off the physical.

They're still on it to this very hour.

Because it's so easy to get that flipped, you know, in our own minds.

The physical tends to affect us more immediately and more tangibly, doesn't it?

But Jesus never let that priority get flipped for himself.

He, you know, he never downplayed Israel's current circumstances.

He never told them that they shouldn't care about what was going on and the injustices that the Romans were inflicting upon them.

But he never lost focus.

He got his prior, he never got his priorities mixed up.

He always kept the salvation of mankind and the kingdom of God as his number one priority.

Because he desires that none should perish eternally.

Jesus told him in Matthew 10, 28, don't fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.

And Jesus was the epitome of that verse.

And he calls us, his disciples, to do the same, to keep our priorities, you know, fixed on the eternal and on the kingdom of God and on the salvation of mankind.

You know, there's so much here today, but this is what I hope we can walk away with, you know, from this.

A few things from this passion, from this passage.

One, I hope we can walk away with a renewed appreciation that God is always in control.

No matter what's going on, and that God can even use his enemies to accomplish his will when he desires to.

The second thing is I hope we have a renewed appreciation of the power of God.

That this delegation got a glimpse of, just a glimpse of, and they fell over.

And number three, a renewed appreciation for the cup of God's wrath that Jesus drank for us.

So that we don't have to.

It's what we deserve, but He took on that cup for us.

You know, and what a better way to remember that of Jesus' death in our own place than communion, which we're gonna take here just in a moment.

But first, would you please pray with me?

Lord, I I thank you for the gift of Jesus.

Lord, as we look just in these 14 verses of um of this story of this arrest and and what's going on with Jesus, we thank you that he was always in control, that he willfully went to the cross for us.

Because you love us that much.

He loves us that much that he was willing to go through that for us.

Help us to never grow callous of that.

Lord, give us a renewed appreciation of Jesus and all that he's done for us.

Lord, have your perfect will and way in us, we pray.

And if you're here this morning and you haven't made that commitment to Jesus, you haven't said, Jesus, be the Lord of my life.

Jesus, forgive me and cleanse me of my sins.

If you haven't made that commitment, this is a wonderful time to do it.

We're about to take communion here in a minute.

Um, and what better first act to do as a follower of Jesus Christ than to partake in the symbols of the bread, which is a symbol of the body of Christ, and the juice, which is a symbol of the blood of Christ, that was spilled as he took that cup of God's wrath toward sin for us.

So if that's you, just in the quietness of your own heart, just say, Jesus, I surrender.

And that's simply all you need to do.

And if that is you, please come talk to us afterwards.

We would love to to to pray with you to talk to you more uh about that.

Um but today's the day Jesus did all of this because he loves each and every one of us that much.

Amen.