"Who is Jesus to You"(John 18:1-14)

 

John 18:1-14

 The book of John is written in a story form. The disciple whom Jesus loves narrates the life of Jesus for us so we can have a better idea of who Jesus is. After reading John, we can know who Jesus is; however, we have to ask ourselves this question, "Who is Jesus to me?"  It is one thing to know who someone is, but it is another thing to know someone at a personal level. 

 In the beginning of John 18, we read about how Jesus is betrayed by Judas and eventually arrested. In fact, Judas brings many Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus. The number of Roman soldiers could have been a few dozen up to 800 soldiers. These soldiers meant business. Their weapons were ready for violence.

 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

John 18:3 ESV

 Jesus is divine; He is God. Jesus knew what was coming and did not run as other criminals or people in fear would have done. Jesus did something that He does with all of us. He asks a question.

 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”

John 18:4 ESV

 Jesus can only tell the truth and answers them in a more profound way than they expected. These men were looking for a man named Jesus from Nazareth, but they encountered God.

 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

John 18:5-6 ESV

 Here we have an event which is called Mysterium tremendum. It is a mystery that repels a person, and it cannot be explained. We read about this kind of mystery elsewhere in the Bible such as in Ezekiel, Daniel 10:9 and Acts 9:3-4. Jesus is the self-revelation of God and every knee will bow at His name.

 We read before in John 17:12 that Jesus prayed none of His disciples would be lost. Jesus makes an appeal to the soldiers to let his disciples go, so they would live. This is the desire of Jesus that all will be saved if they follow Jesus. He was willing to sacrifice himself for His disciples at that moment and later again for all of us. Jesus does not leave anyone behind because He is trustworthy.

 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.”  This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.”

John 18:7-9 ESV

 Peter is zealous for Jesus and often did things which were meant to show his devotion to Jesus, but often did not really satisfy Jesus. Peter cutting off the servant's ear with a sword is one of those instances. In the book of Matthew, the author records the event as Jesus rebuking Peter and focuses on the angelic heavenly forces at work. Luke records the event as Jesus healing the servant and focuses on the physical healing on Jesus whereas John focuses on the focus of Jesus' mission to do God's will.

 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

John 18:10-11 ESV

 To do God's will is not an easy task. Even Jesus struggled with this. What Matthew records shows that struggle better than how John records.

 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26:39 ESV

 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Matthew 26:42 ESV

 To summarise John 18:1-11, we can list the following.

 

1.       Jesus is God and all fell at His name.

2.       Jesus was a sacrifice.

3.       Jesus is the self-revelation of God.

4.       Jesus is trustworthy.

 In other words, Jesus who revealed himself as a trustworthy God willingly gave his life in obedience to the father.

 John 18 also gives us these three truths.

1.       Jesus is God.

2.       Jesus is trustworthy.

3.       Jesus is obedient to the father.

 We then have to ask these questions.

• Are these statements true to you?
• How are these statements reflected in your life?
• How much of our old life are we clinging to and how much of our new life in Christ are you clinging to now?

 At the beginning of the sermon, the question was asked, "Who is Jesus to you?" Paul probably gives the best answer as who Jesus is to him in Philippians.

 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,  being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:6-11 ESV

  Let us remember Jesus as a trustworthy God who sacrificed everything so that we may have life. Let us worship Jesus wholly while we live our lives in His service.