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Calvary Community Church

Sermon

Jesus’ Arresting Arrest

Speaker
David Capoccia
Scripture
John 18:1-12

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

We are brought to John 18:1-12 and the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. This passage teaches us that Jesus was no helpless victim — He was the glorious Son of God in complete control, displaying His divine power and love even in the moment of His betrayal and capture.

Key Lessons:

  1. Jesus *allowed* Judas’s ambush to proceed — He could have escaped but chose not to, because He was not a man on the run but a man on a mission to accomplish salvation.
  2. Jesus’ declaration of “I am” caused an armed cohort of hundreds to fall to the ground, revealing His divine identity as the eternal Yahweh and His sovereign authority over all enemies.
  3. Jesus deliberately protected His disciples from arrest, demonstrating that He faithfully guards His own — spiritually and physically — from any trial too great for them to bear.
  4. Jesus rebuked Peter’s sword, refusing to let anything prevent Him from drinking the cup of God’s wrath on behalf of sinners — the very purpose for which He came.

Application: We are called to trust in Jesus as the all-knowing, all-powerful Savior who is in full control of every circumstance. Those who have not yet believed are urged to repent and trust in Christ now, so the cup of God’s wrath passes from them. Those who do believe are called to obey boldly, love one another sacrificially, and bring the light of the gospel to those still in darkness.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How does Jesus’ willingness to walk into His own arrest — fully knowing what was coming — change the way you think about His death on the cross?
  2. In what areas of your life are you tempted to “swing the sword” like Peter, trying to take control rather than trusting God’s plan?
  3. What does it mean practically to pray “your will be done” when you are facing something you desperately want God to change?

Scripture Focus: John 18:1-12 is the central passage, showing Jesus’ glory in His arrest. Supporting passages include John 17:12 (Jesus’ promise to lose none given to Him), Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 43:10 (the divine “I am”), John 6:39 and 10:27-28 (Jesus’ promise to preserve His own), and 1 Corinthians 10:13 (God’s faithfulness to not allow trials beyond what we can bear).

Outline

Introduction

All right. Let’s pray before we hear from God’s word.

Heavenly Father, we have sung praise to you and you are worthy to be praised. But we need to hear from you. We need to know your will and we need to see even as our brother Joe mentioned earlier.

We need to see Jesus Christ. We need to see God. Lord, transform us by your word where salvation does not yet exist. Bring it.

Let there be repentance and faith in response to this message. And where salvation does exist, sanctify it. Cause us to walk more worthy of you in Jesus name. Amen.

The Word ‘Arrest’

As some of you may know by now, I am a bit of a word nerd. I not only like to learn new words, but I like to learn about words and their histories.

One of the words that has caught my attention lately is one that probably doesn’t surprise you if you’ve looked at the bulletin. It is the word arrest.

When we think of this word, we probably think of its most common meaning and usage today, which is the act of using legal authority to deprive a person of his freedom of movement or, more colloquially, to take someone into police custody. This is the sense of arrest you hear on the news or you see in movies, right? You’re under arrest, or police have not yet taken anybody into custody in connection with the incident. They’ve not yet arrested anyone.

But this is not the only meaning of the word arrest. Our English word arrest comes from the Latin word arrestare, itself a combination of two other words: ad, which is a preposition meaning “to,” and restare, which is a verb meaning “to stop” or “remain”—which is like our English word rest. When you rest, you stop.

So arrest most literally means to go to someone or something and make it stop. This more basic sense of arrest still survives in the English language.

Something might cause cardiac arrest, meaning it makes the heart stop. A person might arrest the development of something, meaning to halt further activity or growth. And something significant might suddenly arrest your attention, meaning forcing you to stop and consider.

“We ourselves will be arrested because Jesus’ arrest plays out in an unexpected and even wondrous way.”

Overview: Jesus’ Arresting Arrest

As we return to the Gospel of John today, we are going to encounter arrest in two different senses. On the one hand, we will see Jesus arrested by the authorities. The Romans and Jews will stop Jesus and take him into custody to stand trial.

On the other hand, we ourselves will be arrested because Jesus’s arrest plays out in an unexpected and even wondrous way.

It is indeed the apostle John’s intention that we behold the glory of Jesus even at his arrest, even in his arrest by sinners. And this is so that we will not be put off by the shame of the cross. But instead we will believe wholeheartedly in Jesus.

“John’s intention is that we behold the glory of Jesus even at his arrest, so that we will believe wholeheartedly.”

Please grab your Bibles. Let’s turn to where we’ll see this: John 18.

We will examine Jesus’s arrest.

John 18:1-12 is our exact text today, which you can find in the Bibles that we’ve provided on page 1,082.

Background: The Gospel of John

Allow me to briefly recap where we’ve been in the Gospel of John according to John 20:31. This is an evangelistic gospel.

The apostle John writes so that religious people in his day and in our own will not perish in their religion but will instead believe in Jesus.

They will go all the way to Jesus, believing in him as Son of God and Messiah, and thus they will obtain eternal life. They will be saved.

John’s evangelistic strategy in this gospel is simply to show us Jesus. In the first section of John’s gospel, John 1:12, John shows us Jesus’ public ministry of preaching and miracles, sometimes called the book of signs.

Then in the second section, John 13:20, we see by John’s record Jesus’ private ministry to his disciples and his passion, his going to the cross and his being resurrected. This is sometimes called the book of glory.

Now we are in that second section, and we just finished up Jesus’ farewell discourse in John 13-17.

Among the many precious truths of those last words of instruction and comfort from Jesus to his disciples, Jesus made clear the following: Jesus knows all things and is firmly in control. All proceeds according to the Father’s perfect salvation plan.

Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to empower his disciples for their commission. Jesus will see his disciples again and will bring them to heaven.

Jesus’ special hour of suffering is also his special hour of glorification.

“Jesus’ special hour of suffering is also his special hour of glorification.”

Jesus most recently prayed his farewell prayer in John 17, and there he made two fundamental requests. He prays for the glorification of the Father through the glorification of the Son, and he prays for the preservation, the joy, and the unity of his disciples.

Now Jesus spoke all these words in the upper room during and after his last Passover supper in Jerusalem. Though it is possible the conversation continued past the upper room as they journeyed toward the Mount of Olives, he was still speaking with his disciples the words of John 13-17 as they made their way through the streets of Jerusalem in the middle of the night.

The Text: John 18:1-12

That brings us to our new text. We pick up the narrative in John 18:1-12. Follow along as I read.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the ravine of the kind, where there was a garden in which he entered with his disciples. Now Judas also, who was betraying him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with his disciples.

Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am he.” And Judas also, who was betraying him, was standing with them.

So when he said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Therefore, he again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you seek me, let these go their way. To fulfill the word which he spoke of those whom you have given me, I lost not one.”

Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his right ear. And the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath. The cup which the father has given me, shall I not drink it?”

So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.

Something you may notice about this account of Jesus’s arrest is how different it is from the one we read earlier in the service in Matthew 26 and also the parallel accounts in Mark and Luke.

However, the differences between this account and those are not true contradictions. John’s account is complementary.

Probably having knowledge of the other gospels by the time he writes, our author John doesn’t feel the need to mention details like Jesus’s agonized prayer in the garden or the disciples falling asleep or Judas betraying with a kiss.

Instead, John focuses his narrative on other aspects of the garden encounter to highlight how Jesus displayed his divine glory in his unjust arrest.

In terms of organizing this section, there’s a certain grammatical structure that appears three times in these verses. In each instance, we get a person’s name, the Greek word for therefore, a participial phrase, and then a new action from that mentioned person.

What are you talking about, Pastor Dave? Well, I’ll just show you.

Verse 3, we have Judas, therefore, having received, came there. And then verse 4, Jesus, therefore, knowing all things, went forth. And then verse 10, Peter, therefore, having a sword, drew it.

Three Ways Jesus Displayed His Glory

I’m paraphrasing a little bit from our translation, but do you see the pattern? We have this set of grammatical features reappearing three times in the text. I therefore see this passage divided up in three parts according to the actions of three different persons, yet all related to showing Jesus’ glory and his arrest.

Here is my guiding proposition for this passage. John records three ways that Jesus displayed his divine glory during his garden arrest so that you will believe.

“John records three ways that Jesus displayed his divine glory during his garden arrest so that you will believe.”

Three ways Jesus displayed his glory during his garden arrest so that you will believe.

Point 1: Jesus Allows Judas’s Ambush

Let’s look at each of these ways. The first way focuses on Judas’s action in verses 1 to 3. The sermon point is number one: Jesus allows Judas’s ambush. Look at verse one again.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the ravine of the Kidron where there was a garden in which he entered with his disciples.

Now, what are the words that begin verse one?

Well, that’s what came previously, right in the previous chapters—Jesus’s whole farewell discourse.

Having finished that discourse, Jesus finally goes out of the upper room with his disciples, or perhaps finally goes out of the city of Jerusalem to his ultimate destination, which is across the ravine of the Kidron.

This ravine, it’s called the Brook Kidron in the Old Testament, is what is known as a wadi or seasonal river.

This geographical feature in the rainy season flows with water like a brook, but in the dry season it’s just a dry ravine. This lies east of Jerusalem just before the Mount of Olives. Going forth from the upper room, going forth from Jerusalem, the disciples cross the Kidron and head towards the mount.

Now verse one tells us that specifically they enter a garden. Matthew and Mark clarify that this garden is the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane is an Aramaic term that means oil press. So we’re talking about a grove of olive trees.

That’s what this garden is. Olive trees produce olives, and olives can be pressed to make valuable olive oil. That’s where they’re headed—into this kind of garden. Because Jesus and his disciples are said to enter this garden and then later go forth from this garden, those terms probably indicate that this was a walled enclosure. Don’t just think of it as open on all sides, but probably walled with the grove of trees in the middle and maybe an olive press.

Now, is it any accident that Jesus and his disciples go to this particular garden, this particular olive grove? Not at all. As verse two clarifies, Judas also, who was betraying him, knew the place. For Jesus had often met there with his disciples.

Here again appears Judas Iscariot, the betrayer whom we haven’t seen since he slipped away from the upper room in the middle of John 13.

Though Judas has agreed early in the week to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, Judas hasn’t found the right opportunity to hand Jesus over until now. After all, the Jewish authorities can’t seize Jesus in the middle of Jerusalem, in the middle of the day, because Jesus is too popular. An arrest like that would probably provoke a riot.

But what about in the middle of the night outside Jerusalem at the place Jesus often met with his disciples? A place to which Judas himself has been before. That’s the perfect arresting spot.

“In the middle of the night, outside Jerusalem, at the place Jesus often met with his disciples — that’s the perfect arresting spot.”

You see the phrase “often met there” in verse two describing Jesus going to this garden. Luke clarifies in Luke 21:37 that Jesus has been spending the night on the Mount of Olives each night during the week leading up to Passover. Luke 22:39 further clarifies that this was Jesus’s custom.

Likely then Jesus hasn’t just been praying or meeting up with his disciples frequently in the Garden of Gethsemane. This garden is where they have all been sleeping. It’s where they’ve been literally spending the night.

After all, with so many Jewish pilgrims in Jerusalem for Passover, it was common for many of those pilgrims to sleep outside, even on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. That seems strange to us, but we’re not in the same kind of climate, nor the same kind of culture.

The owner of the Gethsemane grove was probably a friend and supporter of Jesus. He said, “Yeah, sure. You want to use this place? Go ahead.” So Jesus made it his custom during the Passover feast to spend the night there.

Now, most people wouldn’t know this information. They wouldn’t be like, “Oh, where’s Jesus sleeping?” “Oh, yeah, just over there.” Most people wouldn’t know.

Jesus’s enemy certainly wouldn’t know, but an insider would know. One of Jesus’s closest disciples would know, and he could even guide them to the spot to hand over Jesus.

And what do we see? This is exactly what we see Judas do in verse three.

Judas Leads the Arresting Force

Judas then having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

Consider this group that Judas leads to apprehending Jesus. We have on the one hand the cohort. Your Bible might say band or detachment, but the most literal translation of the Greek term is cohort, which is a special military term from that time. Cohort refers to the Roman military division of one-tenth of a legion.

Now, maybe you’ve heard the term legion before. A legion was Rome’s largest military unit within an army. A legion back then was supposed to have 6,000 men. So one-tenth of a legion, a cohort, was supposed to have 600 men.

In practice, the numbers varied. Not every legion actually had 6,000 men. So not every cohort had 600 men. This particular cohort that’s being brought out, mustered out, might be less than 600.

Also, the cohort may not refer to the entire cohort. Maybe just a section of it—it’s still the cohort, a representative portion, but maybe only 200 men. Still, that’s a decent amount of men.

Notice also that the text refers to the cohort. At least if you’re looking at the New American Standard 95 translation, and this reflects the original Greek, there’s a definite article there. It’s not just a cohort, a band. It’s the cohort. This was the cohort of Roman soldiers in Palestine.

Normally, they were stationed northwest on the coast of Caesarea, a primarily gentile city. But at a feast like Passover, this cohort would come down to Jerusalem to make sure all these gathering Jews getting hyped up about their God and about their country don’t cause any trouble for Rome.

This is the cohort that’s going to make sure there’s peace during Passover. Now, probably these cohort troops are not Roman soldiers. That is, they are not Italian citizens of Rome. They are instead auxiliary troops, non-citizen soldiers drawn from throughout the empire.

Nevertheless, they would have been armed and trained just like regular Roman legionaries. This is a tough force. This is a disciplined force.

Now, for this group to appear here going to the garden, they must have responded to an anxious request of the Sanhedrin to help track down some dangerous criminal in the middle of the night.

Speaking of the Sanhedrin, notice the other part of the group that we see in verse three. We’ve got the cohort and we’ve got the officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees. Now, the chief priests and the Pharisees are the two primary groups that make up the Sanhedrin, or what was the governing assembly of the Jews at that time.

The chief priests were the religious leaders, the official religious leaders in the temple. While the Pharisees were the popular religious leaders primarily based in the synagogues. They along with the elders made up the Sanhedrin.

Now remember that these two groups, the chief priests and the Pharisees, they hated each other. They were considered enemies of one another. But they unite against a greater enemy which they see to be Jesus.

These groups send their officers, or more literally their attendants, to go with the cohort. Now what exactly does attendant mean? It could be any kind of representative helper from the Jews, but likely it included some household slaves and a portion at least of the temple police.

Now notice at the end of verse three what the members of these groups, these two different groups, are carrying. They are carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.

Why these items? Well, this is just in case equipment. The weapons are just in case Jesus and his disciples resist.

“The Roman soldiers, the Sanhedrin, Judas himself — they all want to make absolutely sure that tonight is the night they get Jesus.”

And the lights—though Passover always takes place on a full moon, so you might be like, why do you need lanterns for? Probably it was a clear night that night. The lanterns and torches are just in case Jesus and his disciples try to hide among the rocks and trees of the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Chooses the Garden Deliberately

So we’ve got at least a few hundred Jews and Gentiles armed with torches and lanterns led by Judas coming to ambush and arrest Jesus.

If this seems like overkill to you, it’s because it is. The Roman soldiers, the Sanhedrin, Judas himself—they all want to make absolutely sure that nothing can go wrong. Tonight is the night that they get Jesus.

If only Jesus weren’t so naive, going back to his customary spot when Judas is on the loose. Didn’t he know that Judas would bring them there? Jesus could have escaped this ambush if he just went somewhere else.

But escape is not Jesus’ plan.

We’re about to see in verse four that Jesus knows everything that is going on, as he always does. Moreover, Jesus knows that Judas knows where to find him to betray him. And that’s why Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane.

If Jesus wanted to elude Judas, he could totally do that. We’ve seen him elude his enemies multiple times in this gospel, but he’s not going to do it this time.

This is because, as one preacher said, “Jesus here is not a man on the run. He’s a man on a mission. His mission is to obey the Father and to accomplish salvation for all who believe in him.”

So we must not see Jesus as a weak victim somehow outwitted by the scheme brought by a united front of enemies. No, John wants us to see Jesus as the glorious Son of God and Messiah who allows Judas’ ambush to proceed.

Jesus is the one in control.

“Jesus is not a man on the run. He is a man on a mission to obey the Father and accomplish salvation for all who believe.”

Point 2: Jesus Protects His Disciples

The second way that Jesus displays his divine glory during his arrest appears in verses 4 to 9. The character whose action is the focus here is Jesus himself.

Number two, Jesus protects his disciples.

Let’s read again first, just verses 4 to 6.

So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am he.” And Judas also, who was betraying him, was standing with them. So when he said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Behold the power and confidence of our Lord here.

Notice how verse 4 begins by making explicit what we should otherwise assume: that Jesus knows everything that is going on and exactly what is coming.

How does Jesus know? Is he just that savvy of a person? No. It’s because he’s God and God always knows all things.

Jesus’ divine knowledge causes him to do something wholly unexpected in verse 4. He goes out from the garden enclosure to confront his ambushers.

This is not what criminals do. This is not what people afraid for their lives do. When they see overwhelming enemies coming, people normally run, hide, cower.

But not Jesus.

Notice Jesus doesn’t just go out to confront his enemies, but he is the one who initiates and controls the conversation.

“Jesus’ divine knowledge causes him to go out from the garden enclosure to confront his ambushers. This is not what criminals do.”

What does he ask them? Whom is it that they seek? It’s not like Jesus doesn’t know, but he’s forcing them to give an official answer.

Probably taken aback by this sudden question, his enemies reply matter-of-factly, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

At that point, the soldiers in attendance probably expect no further reply from Jesus. Maybe they would just hear the rustling of leaves and the snapping of twigs as Jesus tries to dash away. Or maybe if Jesus is truly brash, they might hear the taunt, “You’ll never take me alive,” as he slips into the darkness.

But that’s not what happens.

Again, wholly unexpectedly, Jesus immediately owns up to his identity. Yet the way he does so is significant.

“I am he” is the response that you see translated in verse 5.

“I am he” is a proper translation of what Jesus says, even though the word “he” technically does not appear in the original Greek of Jesus’ statement.

That’s why some of your Bibles may have the word “he” in italics. The sense is there even though the word is not literally there. Literally, Jesus’ reply is “I am.” And there’s actually a special emphasis on the pronoun. So we might translate it as “I myself am.”

The Meaning of ‘I Am’

Now what’s special about Jesus identifying himself with this phrase “I am”?

Again, the phrase could be innocuous, but Jesus has used this phrase before in a way that mirrors how God sometimes used it in the Old Testament.

Exodus 3:14. God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I am’ has sent me to you.”

Isaiah 43:10. God says this: “You are my witnesses, declares the Lord, that is Yahweh, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.”

Now compare Jesus’s usage in earlier places in this gospel. John 8:24: “Unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” John 8:58: “Before Abraham was born, I am.”

In John 13:19: “I am telling you before it comes to pass so that when it does occur you may believe that I am he.”

That’s the same phrasing and in a similar context as God’s use of “I am” and “I am he” in the Old Testament.

In short, “I am” is a self-identification that, depending on the context, could carry overtones of deity. It could be a self-identification of someone as the eternal Yahweh God.

“I am” is a self-identification that, depending on context, carries overtones of deity — the eternal Yahweh God.

Could that be Jesus’s sense here? Are there overtones of that here?

Well, let’s just read on. Whether Judas has already kissed Jesus by this point, we don’t know. But in verse 5, we’re told that Judas is standing with Jesus’s enemies when Jesus gives his reply of “I am.” This clearly shows which side Judas is on now. He’s not standing with Jesus. He’s standing with his enemies.

The Cohort Falls to the Ground

But what happens? What happens to Judas and the rest of the 200 plus armed men when Jesus says, “I am”? The text says, “They drew back and fell to the ground.” Or more literally, they went away to the places behind and fell to the ground.

Did you get that? In response to “I am,” the professionally trained Roman cohort and armed Jewish helpers literally fall over themselves trying to back away from Jesus.

What just happened? I’m sure these soldiers were asking themselves that exact question. What happened? Why did we all fall down?

Some have suggested that Jesus’ sudden words and emergence from the dark spooked some of the soldiers in front who fell backwards and then caused a domino effect. Jesus basically jump scared them into falling over like bowling pins.

This is a silly suggestion. Since Jesus has already emerged by the time he says “I am,” he’s already begun speaking to the people. So they shouldn’t be scared at this point.

Others have suggested that the soldiers merely became unnerved at Jesus’ bold and authoritative way of speaking and thus momentarily backed off from him.

Compare the temple police, who are actually probably part of this group and who previously failed to apprehend Jesus and explain their failure. Thus John 7:46: “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.”

This explanation is more plausible, but would this really explain a disciplined cohort’s retreat from one man? Besides, the soldiers we see don’t just back off—they fall down to the ground.

So the best explanation of what’s happening here is that Jesus is putting his divine authority on display. When identifying himself with “I am,” a phrase that could communicate deity, Jesus gives everyone, including his disciples, a glimpse of what that title and identification really means for Jesus.

He is not just the one they’re looking for. He is the eternal God. He is the great I Am. He is the God who, if he wishes, can make it impossible for you to even stand up in his presence.

“He is the great I Am — the God who, if he wishes, can make it impossible for you to even stand up in his presence.”

Did Jesus’ enemies understand this about Jesus at that moment? No. But we can. We see the whole record. We have come to know who Jesus is. So we see what’s really going on here.

And therefore we are to believe clearly again: Jesus is no weak victim. He is the powerful, divine Savior who is in total control even in his arrest.

“Jesus is the powerful, divine Savior who is in total control even in his arrest.”

Jesus Negotiates for His Disciples’ Safety

But there’s more because Jesus is not merely flexing his divinity here but accomplishing something critical in doing so. Look now at verses 7 and 8.

Therefore he again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you seek me, let these go their way to fulfill the word which he spoke of those whom you have given me. I lost not one.”

Curiously we see in verse 7 that Jesus and his ambushers repeat their previous exchange. Who are you seeking? Jesus of Nazareth. Notice Jesus doesn’t draw attention to the fact that he just made them all fall down with a word. And neither do his enemies admit this or question Jesus about it. Jesus merely asks them all again for whom they’ve come and they again affirm that it’s only Jesus.

Now what is Jesus doing with this conversation? Verse 8 gives us the answer. He is protecting his disciples potentially in arresting Jesus. Jesus’ enemies might have found excuse to arrest Jesus’ disciples too, even to have them tried and executed along with Jesus.

But Jesus won’t let this happen. He forces his arrestors twice to state their exact mission and then suddenly shows his arresters what kind of power he has should they not honor their words.

In a way, Jesus is negotiating with his enemies for his disciples’ promised safety.

And look how one-sided this negotiation is. Even though you think the several hundred strong group would be the one dictating terms to Jesus, it’s the opposite. Jesus tells them what the terms will be and then he makes sure that they abide by it.

Who is this man? Who is this man Jesus to display such strength even when totally outnumbered? He’s no mere man. He is the God-man. He is the Lord. He’s the Messiah. He’s the only savior for sinners.

Notice now verse 9. Why is Jesus so intent on protecting his disciples?

It is a matter of faithfulness to his word on behalf of those who are beloved to him. On behalf of his own disciples.

You may notice the phrasing at the beginning of verse 9. It sounds like Jesus is about to fulfill scripture because we see the phrase “this was done to fulfill the word.” And then we just keep going on in the verse and we read that it’s not an Old Testament word that Jesus seeks to fulfill here but his own word. Even one word that was spoken quite recently, just the previous chapter in John 17:12.

John 17:12 says, “Jesus prayed to his father, ‘While I was with them, I was keeping them—that is, the disciples—in your name which you have given me and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the scripture would be fulfilled.’”

Jesus similarly promised to preserve his own eternally in John 6:39 and John 10:28.

Therefore, Jesus must protect his own before the cross to prove his own testimony true and to vindicate his own word.

“Jesus must protect his own before the cross to prove his own testimony true and to vindicate his own word.”

And so this is exactly what Jesus does.

Now to this someone might ask, “But weren’t Jesus’ previous words about protecting his own actually about spiritual protection?” I mean, come on.

All the disciples eventually will be persecuted, beaten, arrested, martyred—except John. Yeah, Jesus, we wouldn’t say that he’s failing to protect them then. So why is Jesus so intent on physical protection for his disciples here before the cross?

The reply to this thoughtful question is twofold.

First, Jesus apparently sees his physical protection of his disciples while Jesus is still with them on earth to be emblematic of his spiritual and eternal protection. This is to say, if Jesus really is the Messiah, King, and the good shepherd like he claims to be, he ought to be able to protect the disciples who are with him from physical danger. I mean, isn’t that what a shepherd does? Isn’t that what a king does? And he has been doing this throughout his ministry.

You remember that one word that Jesus gave before where they were afraid to go back to Judea and he said, “While the light’s with you, you don’t have to be afraid. You’re not walking in the dark. When the light goes away, then things will be a little bit different. While I’m with you, you don’t have to fear your physical harm.”

If Jesus cannot do this lesser thing, why should we expect him to be able to do the greater thing of preserving us spiritually and eternally, bringing us safely into God’s kingdom forever?

So that’s the first part of the answer.

God Protects Us from Trials Too Great

The second part though is that Jesus likely recognizes that in this instance the disciples’ physical protection is necessary for their spiritual protection.

Consider all that is going wrong in the disciples’ minds when it comes to Jesus’ messianic mission and their expectations as to what he’s supposed to do. The disciples, on top of that, facing arrest, trial, and execution would probably be too much for them.

Their faith would fail and they might even become eternally lost.

You might say, “But doesn’t saving faith never fail though stumbling, doesn’t true faith always persevere to the end?” Well, yes, but with the caveat that God protects a person’s faith from trials and temptations that are too great for that person at that time.

Isn’t this the comforting part of the famous promise given in 1 Corinthians 10:13?

No temptation has overtaken you, but such as is common to man. And God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Brethren, if God didn’t hold back certain trials, temptations, and spiritual attacks on our lives now, we in our weak faith would be finished. But God does hold back what we are not yet ready to handle.

As with Job, God keeps Satan on a leash, his minions on a leash, only to go so far and no further with his saints.

“As the sovereign Lord who directs all things, God only sends difficulties our way that are for our good, not for our ruin.”

Therefore, in this instance with the disciples in the garden, Jesus likely saw that he had to demonstrate his love and protect his buckling disciples from the trial of arrest lest they fall away.

Of course, they will still scatter from Jesus as a result of his being arrested. They will even deny him temporarily, some of them, at least one of them, but they won’t apostasize. Jesus won’t let that happen.

Therefore, speaking about application for a second, for all of you here who believe in Jesus, take comfort this morning in your Lord’s power, love, and wisdom exercised on your behalf.

He not only prays for your perseverance, he not only grants the prayers that you pray according to his will. He not only sends you his Holy Spirit to empower your obedience to him, but he also sovereignly works to protect you from any danger that is too great for you, too great for your spirit.

Why does he do this? Because he loves you and because he is faithful.

Just to remind you of those other two promises that Jesus gives along these lines. John 6:39.

This is the will of him who sent me that of all that he has given me, I lose nothing but raise it up on the last day.

And John 10:27-28.

My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Praise God for a Lord who is both strong and kind.

“Praise God for a Lord who is both strong and kind.”

It’s like the children saying to us not too long ago, right? Children in the Easter choir. Here in the garden, we see the glory of the Lord’s strength and the Lord’s love on display.

Point 3: Jesus Refuses Peter’s Protection

A third and final way that Jesus displays his glory during his arrest is in the last verses, verses 10 to 12.

Number three, Jesus refuses Peter’s protection.

Peter’s the one taking action in this last verse, but Jesus is glorified and Jesus refuses Peter’s protection. Let’s review these last verses together.

Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath. The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?” So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.

How many times have we seen a scene like this in a movie or read about it in a book? You have some noble person prepared to sacrifice himself on behalf of others that he loves, and then one of those who’s being protected by that sacrifice won’t allow it and tries to stop the whole thing.

Well, this is just our imitating life. Rather than allow Jesus to protect Peter, Peter insists on protecting Jesus.

Peter Attacks Malchus

Now, John doesn’t explain specifically what’s motivating Peter’s actions here. He only tells us that Peter draws his short sword and charges forward.

No doubt Peter is aiming to inflict a killing blow on someone. But being untrained in war and waving his blade around in the low light, Peter only manages to cut off the ear of Malchus, a certain slave of the high priest.

Now, why are we given Malchus’ name in verse 10? The other gospel writers don’t do that. We don’t know. Perhaps Malchus was a prominent person in Jesus’ day, considering he’s the servant of the high priest. Or perhaps the mention is only to provide a basis for the question that Peter will receive later in the chapter from Malchus’ relative. Peter is inclined to deny Jesus because a relative of someone whose ear he cut off in the garden says “I see you.”

Either way, this specific detail, this name-dropping, reminds us once again that John is an eyewitness of what he writes about.

A more important question though is why does Peter attack such a large horde of enemies? Why so foolhardy?

Actually, Luke 22:49 says that all the disciples were prepared to fight once they realized Jesus was going to be arrested. It says they shout, “Lord, shall we strike with a sword?”

“The disciples love their Lord. They believe in him. They are loyal to him. They know that this army acts unjustly.”

Peter doesn’t wait for the answer.

Why this willingness to fight? Well, the disciples love their Lord. They believe in him. They are loyal to him. And they know that this army sent to address Jesus does so unjustly. They fear for their Lord’s life.

Not to mention that all their messianic expectations depend on Jesus being a living Lord, not a dead one. They don’t fully understand, but that’s the way they’re thinking.

So despite everything Jesus has told them about his imminent death and his seeing them again soon after, the disciples are prepared to go down in blazing glory to protect Jesus. They will die for his sake.

Yet, if we think about it, this misguided love for Jesus allied to the disciples’ own wrong ideas about Jesus’ messiahship has the potential to ruin everything that Jesus is trying to accomplish.

I mean, Jesus has just by his own divine power secured the disciples’ protection. Now Peter by attacking Malchus puts all the disciples in jeopardy once again. A full-blown battle might now break out in which the disciples are likely to die. And if by some miracle they survive, if some of them survive and don’t get captured, well, they’ll be branded as murderers and rebels and Rome will track them down.

How will the disciples then serve the way that Jesus has called them to? How will they be his special witnesses to the world? How will they lay the foundation of the church if they’ve now become brigands or they’ve all died?

“Peter’s misguided love for Jesus, allied to wrong ideas about Jesus’ messiahship, has the potential to ruin everything Jesus is trying to accomplish.”

Ironically, an even worse outcome would be if the disciples successfully defend Jesus and escape with him. Because then we would see the result.

The Cup of God’s Wrath

That is what Jesus asks rhetorically in verse 11 to Peter.

“The cup which the father has given me, shall I not drink it?”

By the way, the knot of this statement from Jesus is emphatic. It’s a double negative in Greek, which means it’s extra negative. It’s extra emphasis. It’s like Jesus is saying to Peter, “Peter, should I definitely not drink the cup given me by the father because that is what your unchecked swashbuckling is going to bring about?”

No arrest means no trial. No trial means no cross. And no cross means the cup of judgment—the bitter cup of God’s holy wrath against sin. It remains undrunk by the Son.

Which then means what? That the horrific cup must be passed to be drunk by all sinners, even those who believe in Jesus, even Peter and the other ten disciples.

But no one can successfully drink this cup but Jesus. Not the disciples, not us today.

This cup is hell itself. It is unending torment. It is unending angry wrath from God.

“No arrest means no trial. No trial means no cross. And no cross means the cup of judgment remains undrunk by the Son.”

It’s due all sinners. It’s even due us. But we cannot handle it.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Religious people included, we also have not perfectly done what God has commanded us, nor have we perfectly abstained from what God has forbidden us.

Yet perfection is what God requires from anyone to be in his kingdom. Jesus says in Matthew 5:48, “Therefore, you are to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.” Even if we seem good on the outside, even if we feel like we do more good than bad, God looks for righteousness in the heart.

And there, the Bible tells us, is selfishness, pride, and idolatry that taints everything that we do. We naturally have corrupted hearts. We do not do good because we are not good.

No amount of good works, no ritual can make up for this innate badness.

Now, God is a forgiving God. That’s one of the earliest revelations of the Bible. He forgives transgression, sin, and iniquity. He is eager to forgive the sins of those who turn to him.

But God is also a just God. He says that he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.

So for God to actually extend forgiveness as he desires and for us to actually receive forgiveness as we desperately need, someone must drink the cup of God’s eternal wrath that our sins deserve. Someone must drink the cup on our behalf.

And this is what Jesus precisely came to do.

He as God, as the infinite eternal God, is able to suffer the infinite eternal penalty. He can drink the cup. He can drain it once and for all—yes, even God’s infinite wrath. He can drain it once and for all for those who believe and then grant instead the cup of eternal life in God.

“I’ll drink this cup. You take this one.”

Jesus Must Drink the Cup

This is what Jesus came to do. Yet this is precisely what Peter in ignorance is in danger of spoiling.

In love, Jesus strongly reproves Peter.

Throw that sword back into its sheath.

Luke 22:51 records that Jesus literally undoes the damage that Peter caused by healing Malchus’s ear.

Therefore, there’s no reason to come after Peter as a brigand or as a criminal anymore.

You see, Jesus is too glorious a savior to let his disciples protect him and remove from him the Father’s cup. Jesus must glorify the Father. He must accomplish his mission. He must save his people.

So he will courageously walk the necessary path of suffering alone. He will receive the cup of sin’s hellish penalty, not earned by him, but accounted to him. And he will drink it to the last drop for those who believe.

“Jesus will courageously walk the necessary path of suffering alone, and drain the cup of sin’s hellish penalty for those who believe.”

For you if you believe.

What a wonderful savior that we serve.

His glory is again on display even in his arrest.

Verse 12 concludes the section. The Roman commander, the cohort, and the Jewish deputies accomplish what they set out to do. They arrest Jesus.

They even bind him, which seems doubly unnecessary.

First of all, he gave himself up. So why do you need to bind him? And second of all, he knocked you all down with a word. So what good are ropes going to do?

Yet Jesus, the Son of God, the eternal I AM, he submits to this arrest. He even submits to be bound.

They lead him away. While true to Jesus’ command, they let Jesus’ disciples flee.

Meanwhile, Judas disappears from the gospel at this point. We do not see him again. Having decisively sided with the hostile world against Jesus, Judas, as it were, slips into the darkness to his own eternal destruction.

Call to Repentance and Faith

But what about us? What about you listening today, having heard this account of Jesus’ arrest? Have you been arrested? Have you been arrested by the glory of the Lord?

Do you, as John intended all along, see the glory of the Son of God in his special hour of suffering?

If you have, but you have not yet given yourself over to Christ, then the time now is for you to repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ.

Because otherwise, that cup, that cup which Jesus came to drink, still remains for you. You must drink it, but you will never be able. Though God put you into that place, that frightening place, that unspeakably horrible place, hell, for all eternity, for you to drink the cup of his wrath, you will never be able to finish drinking it. Though you gag and you gulp, it will never run dry.

For God’s holiness is so great and his wrath is so terrible, it has no end.

But if you believe in Jesus, if you trust in Jesus as your savior and lord, if you do as Jesus commands all people to do, you can escape that cup. You can be spared that cup. He says in the beginning of the book of Mark, the kingdom of God is at hand.

Therefore, repent and believe in the gospel. Repent means to turn. Turn from your sins. Turn from the lordship of your own life, saying, “I’m going to do. I’m going to live the way I want to do.” Turn from that.

You’re not to be the Lord of your own life. The Lord is to be the Lord of your life. God is to be the Lord of your life as the creator and as the savior. Turn from your sin. Turn from your own lordship. Turn from all your vain attempts to earn God’s favor or salvation by the good things that you do. You can’t do anything good.

Jesus has to rescue you. Turn from all that and believe the gospel, the good news, the things that I’ve been talking about in this message. Jesus is the savior who came and lived a perfect life that you were supposed to live but didn’t. He lived it so that if you believe in him, that life will be applied to you. That record will be your record.

He takes what was your record, your record of sin. He takes who you are, your being as a sinner, and he says, “Account that to me. Treat me as the sinner. Put those sins on my account.” And then through this hour of suffering through his going to the cross, he suffers it once and for all so that you never will.

He lived the perfect life. He died the substitutionary death. And then he rose again from the dead. He rose again victoriously from the dead. Why’d he do that? To prove that a sacrifice was accepted and to prove that those who believe in him will rise the same way they have. They not only will have, they currently have eternal life. That is yours today if you will believe.

God entreats you by this word, by my speaking to you today, by your being here in this church. Repent, believe, and be saved. The cup of wrath passes from you. It was instead given to my son and he drained it all. Would you do that? Why would you wait to do that?

“He lived the perfect life. He died the substitutionary death. He rose again victoriously. That is yours today if you will believe.”

Well, none of us are guaranteed another hour.

If you haven’t yet believed, you need to today. But if you have believed, then hear this wonderful word of revelation and love your Lord even more. All these things that I’m saying, they are now true for you. He did drain the cup.

Even in the garden, he was displaying his power, his supernatural knowledge. He saw everything that was going to happen. And yet, he allowed it because he was going to accomplish his mission. And even then, he was showing himself faithful to protect his disciples, which he’s still doing for you.

And he did not shy away from the cup, though he knew the agony of it. And in worship, he prayed to the Lord about it in the garden, saying, “If it’s your will, take it from me. I love you so much, Father. I don’t want anything to get in the way of us. Is there another way?” There was no other way.

So he says, “Your will be done. I will drink this cup.” Peter, don’t get in the way. I will drink this cup and I will accomplish salvation once and for all for my people. The Lord did that for you. That’s his love on display. So will you now obey him?

Remember what he said in his farewell discourse. My fundamental charge to you is love one another with the love that I loved you. This is his love on display.

Now, let’s do that for one another. And let’s do that for those who have not yet been brought into the Lord’s church. The sheep who have not yet been brought into his flock are perishing in the dark without the Lord. They need the light brought to them. They need the love of the Lord shown to them. They need you and me to speak to them.

Will you do that? Will you do that based on this wonderful revelation that we’ve looked at together today?

This is the Lord’s calling. This is the Lord’s intention. Do not fear. Do not fear your obedience to the Lord. You say, “Oh, I want to be obedient, but I don’t know how things are going to go.” Look, he’s already shown you. He’s going to protect you.

Any suffering, any difficulty that comes into your life, it’s ultimately for your good, never too much. If it were too much, he wouldn’t let it happen. He’s going to bring you safely just as he did the Apostle Paul.

He’s going to bring you safely into his heavenly kingdom. Therefore, don’t be afraid to obey. Don’t be afraid to speak on his behalf. He will be with you. He will bless you.

Amen.

Exhortation to Obedience and Trust

Let me give you one more exhortation.

Remember to let God do in your life what he knows is best rather than what you think is best. Look at Peter. Look at the disciples. Look at Jesus. He said, “I won’t let you take the cup. You’re going to spoil everything.”

I think we do the same thing with God sometimes. We say, “God, I won’t let this happen. Please don’t let this happen.” We’re praying, praying, praying, “Don’t let this happen.”

But God says, “Let me be God. Yes, I hear your desires, and I really love you. I’m going to take care of you, but you don’t see the full picture. Stop trying to ruin things by insisting on your own will.”

Pray what my son prayed. Here’s my desire. But your will be done.

Let’s do that. Let’s not spoil the very good things that God intends for us.

“Pray what Jesus prayed: ‘Here is my desire — but your will be done.’ Let’s not spoil the very good things God intends for us.”

Now, Jesus’s arrest is only the first part of the Son’s special hour of glorification and suffering. Next time we’re back in John, we’ll look at the next part: Jesus’s trials before the Jewish leaders and the Roman governor. Let’s close in prayer.

Lord Jesus, you are a glorious Lord. We’ve only looked at one small section of this gospel, and yet so much for us to praise you for, to meditate on, to react to in obedience.

Thank you for Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, for not resisting your arrest. You did it for us.

Thank you, Jesus, for displaying such power in your arrest. You showed us you’re no victim. You’re in control.

And thank you, Jesus, for the love that you demonstrated towards your people in your arrest, because that saved love is poured on us even now. Oh Lord, help us to walk worthy of such a great salvation.

And again, for those that don’t know you yet, who are curious, who are here because someone invited them, or who are thinking about becoming a Christian, I pray that they would cross over all the way. Don’t be like the Jews to whom John was originally writing, who seemed safe in this ancient religion that had gone astray. They need to go all the way.

Just as those original Jews need to go all the way, so we today need to go all the way to you, Lord God. I pray that you would do that by your Spirit even this morning for those who hear this message.

And Lord, I pray that we will now walk faithfully as a result of this word. Let this not just be a holy hour and a half on the first day of the week, but God, let the rest of our week now be given over to you for your will, your glory. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

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