Upwards Church

THE TOMB IS EMPTY -Mary did not meet the risen Christ until she had discovered the empty tomb. She responded with joy and obedience by going to tell the disciples. We cannot meet Christ until we discover that he is indeed alive, that his tomb is empty. Are you filled with joy by this good news? How can you share it with others?

 Jesus Rises from the Dead / 20:1-10

 The truth of Christianity rests heavily on the Resurrection. If Jesus rose from the grave, who saw him? How trustworthy were the witnesses? Those who claimed to have seen the risen Jesus went on to turn the world upside down. Most of them also died for being followers of Christ. People rarely die for halfhearted belief. Chapter 20 of John’s Gospel contains the record of Jesus’ resurrection, the first appearances to his followers, and John’s personal discovery of the empty tomb.

20:1-2 Mary Magdalene was one of several women who had followed Jesus to the cross, watched his crucifixion (19:25), and then remained to see where he was buried (Matthew 27:61). She, along with other women, was an early follower of Jesus who traveled with him and helped provide for the financial needs of the group (Luke 8:1-3). Mary was obviously grateful to Jesus for freeing her from the torment of demon possession. She was from Magdala, a town near Capernaum in Galilee.

Because of the short interim between Jesus’ death and the coming of the Sabbath on Friday evening, the women who had stood by the cross had not had time to anoint Jesus. When the Sabbath arrived with the sunset on Friday, they had to go to their homes and rest. But after sundown on Saturday, the end of the Sabbath, they probably purchased and/or prepared the spices, then early Sunday morning Mary Magdalene came to anoint the body of Jesus with certain spices. According to the other Gospel accounts, she was joined by Mary the mother of James, Salome (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1), and perhaps other women as well.

Mark records that as the women were on their way to the tomb, they were discussing how they would remove the stone that had been rolled across the entrance (Mark 16:3). But this would not be a problem, because as they approached they found that the stone had been rolled away. The other Gospel accounts record that angels spoke to the women.

Mary Magdalene, and the other women, ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved (probably John).They had been in the tomb, the body was gone, and they assumed that someone had taken the Lord’s body.\

*LIFE APPLICATION – WHAT CAN YOU DO?

These women had followed Joseph to the tomb, and so they knew exactly where to find Jesus’ body when they returned after the Sabbath with their spices and ointments. These women could not do some things for Jesus—they were not permitted to stand up before the Jewish council or the Roman governor and testify on his behalf—but they did what they could. They stayed at the cross when most of the disciples had fled, and they got ready to anoint their Lord’s body. Because of their devotion, they were the first to know about the Resurrection. As believers, we may feel we can’t do much for Jesus. But we are called to take advantage of the opportunities given us, doing what we can do and not worrying about what we cannot do.

20:3-5 Though John’s youthful legs carried him more swiftly to the grave, once he was there he stooped and looked in, but he waited for Peter’s arrival before entering the cave. Resurrection would not have been their first thought. None of the possible natural explanations for the missing body were of any comfort. If Jesus’ body had been stolen or moved by the religious leaders, the disciples would have reason to worry about their own fate.

*LIFE APPLICATION-ANGELS

The conception, birth, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are supernatural events beyond human logic or reasoning. Because of this, God sent angels to help certain people understand the significance of what was happening (see Matthew 2:13, 19; Luke 1:11, 26; 2:9; 24:4-7).

Angels are spiritual beings created by God who help carry out his work on earth. They bring God’s messages to people (Luke 1:26ff.; 24:4-7), protect God’s people (Daniel 6:22), offer encouragement (Genesis 16:7ff.), give guidance (Exodus 14:19), carry out punishment (2 Samuel 24:16), patrol the earth (Zechariah 1:9-14), and fight the forces of evil (2 Kings 6:16-18; Revelation 20:1-2). There are both good and bad angels (Revelation 12:7), but because bad angels are allied with the devil, or Satan, they have considerably less power and authority than good angels. Eventually the main role of angels will be to offer continuous praise to God (Revelation 7:11-12).

20:6-7 Close examination revealed that the linen wrappings had been left—perhaps as if Jesus had passed right through them. The cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was rolled up separately from the other wrappings that had enveloped Jesus’ body. A grave robber couldn’t possibly have made off with Jesus’ body and left the linens as if they were still shaped around it. The neatness and order indicated that there was not a hasty removal of Jesus’ body. Rather, Jesus arose and left the wrappings lying there, empty.

20:8-9 When John saw the empty tomb and the empty graveclothes, he instantly believed that Jesus must have risen from the dead. The text stresses the importance here of John “seeing and believing” to affirm the eyewitness account of an apostle. Most believers would not have this opportunity; they would have to base their faith on what these witnesses reported. John explains that until then they hadn’t realized that the Scriptures said he would rise from the dead. Though Jesus had told them, it took the experience for them to understand. Some of the Scriptures that foretold this included Psalm 16:10 and Isaiah 53:11.

John’s account also demonstrates that the disciples couldn’t have “invented” the Resurrection in order to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies because they did not immediately see any Old Testament connection. The fact of the Resurrection opened the disciples’ minds to see that God had foretold his plan through the prophets.

20:10 Perplexed, John and Peter left and went home. They “believed” in something miraculous; that is, they did not fear that Jesus’ body had been stolen, as Mary had, but they did not know for sure what they believed or what they should do next. So they just went home. Later, they joined with the other disciples behind locked doors (see 20:19).

*LIFE APPLICATION: THE KEY

Why is Jesus’ resurrection the key to the Christian faith?

•  Jesus rose from the dead, just as he said. We can be confident, therefore, that Jesus will accomplish all he has promised.
• Jesus’ bodily resurrection shows us that the living Christ, not a false prophet or impostor, is ruler of God’s eternal kingdom.
• Because Jesus was resurrected, we can be certain of our own resurrection. Death is not the end—there is future life.
• The divine power that brought Jesus back to life is now available to us to bring our spiritually dead selves back to life.

The Resurrection is the basis for the church’s witness to the world.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene / 20:11-18

We see Jesus’ humility in his resurrection, as well as in his crucifixion. Jesus did not rise and then march into the Temple to confront the religious leaders or Caiaphas; he did not dash to the Praetorium to say to Pilate, “I told you so!”; he did not go stand in the center of Jerusalem to impress the crowd. Instead, Jesus revealed himself only to believers. The first person to see him was a woman who had been healed and forgiven and who tearfully stayed at the cross and followed his body to the tomb. As Jesus demonstrated throughout his life, he responded to those who waited attentively and faithfully. Jesus dissolved the perplexities of the disciples. He dried their tears. He dispelled their doubts. Jesus knows how similar we are to his original disciples, and he does not overpower us either. Even though our faithfulness wavers, Jesus faithfully stays with us.

20:11-12 Mary apparently followed Peter and John back to the tomb. When the two disciples left, she was there alone, still crying, still hoping that somehow she could discover where Jesus’ body had been taken, but fearing the worst. Then she saw two white-robed angels. The angels actually looked like humans—not beings with halos and wings. The angels had appeared to the women and then sent them to spread the good news that Jesus was alive (Matthew 28:1-7; Mark 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-12), but apparently they were not in the tomb when Peter and John arrived. Yet they are here again to speak to Mary.

20:13 The angels asked Mary, “Why are you crying?” Under normal circumstances this would seem to be an odd question. People might be expected to be crying beside the tomb of a loved one. However, the angels knew why the tomb was empty. They also knew that if these people had listened to Jesus’ words about his resurrection while he was alive, they would not be sad and confused; instead, they would be leaping for joy. So the angels’ question was not odd, but obvious. It was not meant as a rebuke, but as a reminder of heaven’s perspective. Mary simply answered the angels’ question with her fears, “Because they have taken away my Lord and I don’t know where they have put him.”

20:14-15 Something caused Mary to look over her shoulder, probably a feeling that a person was standing behind her. And indeed, next to the tomb stood Jesus, but Mary didn’t recognize him. Perhaps this was the same kind of blindness that afflicted the two who walked with the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus (see Luke 24:15-16). Or perhaps Mary’s eyes were so full of tears and her grief so intense that she literally could not see who was standing there. Jesus repeated the angels’ question and added an additional question, asking Mary to specify her request. “Who are you looking for?”

Mary was trying to grasp what might have happened to Jesus’ body, so thinking Jesus was the gardener, she asked if he knew anything. If only she could find him, she herself would go get him.

20:16-17 Mary had been looking for the body of her dead Lord; suddenly, to her amazement, she stood face to face with her living Lord. Jesus spoke her name, and immediately she recognized him. Imagine the love that flooded Mary’s heart when she heard her Savior saying her name!

Mary’s immediate response was to touch Jesus and cling to him. But Jesus stopped her. Perhaps Mary wanted to hold Jesus and not lose him again. She had not yet understood the Resurrection. Perhaps she thought this was his promised Second Coming (14:3). But Jesus was not to remain on this earth in physical form. If he did not ascend to heaven, the Holy Spirit could not come. Both he and Mary had important work to do.

Prior to his death, Jesus had called the disciples his “friends” (15:15). But here, because of the Resurrection, Jesus’ disciples had become his brothers. Christ’s resurrection creates this new level of relationship because it provides for the regeneration of every believer (see 1 Peter 1:3). After Jesus ascended to his Father, he would come to his disciples and give them this new life and relationship by breathing into them the Holy Spirit. Thus, for the first time in the Gospel, it is made clear that Jesus’ Father is our Father, that Jesus’ God is our God. The death and resurrection of Jesus ushered in a new relationship between believers and God.

*LIFE APPLICATION: JESUS KNOWS YOUR NAME

Your heart may be filled with grief and despair, but Jesus knows your name. Suffering does not mean that you have been forgotten! Jesus knows every tear and every trial you face. In sorrow, he seeks you out by his comforting Holy Spirit, to minister to you.

20:18 Mary was the first person to see the risen Christ. She obeyed Jesus and found the disciples, telling them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them Jesus’ message. Jesus’ words should have been a great comfort to the disciples. Despite their deserting him in the Garden, he was calling them his “brothers” and explaining that his Father was theirs, his God was theirs. But this report was no more believed by the disciples than the women’s report of the angels’ words (see Mark 16:10-11; Luke 24:10-11). The disciples were still hiding behind locked doors, for fear of the Jews.

*LIFE APPLICATION: THE TOMB IS EMPTY

Mary did not meet the risen Christ until she had discovered the empty tomb. She responded with joy and obedience by going to tell the disciples. We cannot meet Christ until we discover that he is indeed alive, that his tomb is empty. Are you filled with joy by this good news? How can you share it with others?

Jesus Appears to His Disciples / 20:19-23

Mary’s announcement (20:18) must have stunned the disciples. Later the news that the Lord was alive came from two travelers who had unknowingly spent the day walking to Emmaus with Jesus (Luke 24:15-16). Confused, elated, doubtful, and fearful, the disciples stayed close together, hoping to endure the waiting in one place. They were huddled behind locked doors when Jesus appeared to all of them.

20:19 The disciples were still perplexed and apparently had gotten together that night behind locked doors. They probably were discussing the women’s reported sighting of angels, what Peter and John saw at the tomb, and Mary’s astounding claim that she had seen Jesus. At some point during the day, Jesus had appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34), and the women had reported the angel’s words that the disciples were to go to Galilee and meet Jesus there (Matthew 28:7). But for some reason, they did not go; instead they stayed in Jerusalem, afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them. Jesus could do this because his resurrection and subsequent glorification had altered his bodily form. In this new spiritual form, he was able to transcend all physical barriers. He gave the standard Hebrew greeting, “Peace be with you,” but here it was filled with deeper meaning (see 14:27; 16:33). Jesus would repeat these words in verse 21.

*LIFE APPLICATION: HE AROSE!

People who hear about the Resurrection for the first time may need time before they can comprehend this amazing story. Like Mary and the disciples, they may pass through four stages of belief. (1) At first, they may think the story is a fabrication, impossible to believe (20:2). (2) Next, like Peter, they may check out the facts and still be puzzled about what happened (20:6). (3) Only when they encounter Jesus personally will they be able to accept the fact of the Resurrection (20:16). (4) Then, as they commit themselves to the risen Lord and devote their lives to serving him, they begin to understand fully the reality of his presence with them (20:28).

20:20 Due to Jesus’ sudden, miraculous appearance among them, the disciples at first thought he was a ghost (Luke 24:37). Jesus needed to convince them that he, including his touchable physical body, was present with them, so he held out his hands and showed them his side. When they realized who he was, they rejoiced. Jesus had said, “Your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy when you see me again” (16:20). Indeed, they were filled with joy.

*LIFE APPLICATION: DON’T HIDE . . . SEEK!

Though the Resurrection had occurred, the disciples were hiding out! The happy news had not driven their doubts away. But we are like them when we lock ourselves behind closed doors:

• Doors of isolation—If we never make friends with non-Christians or interact with the world, we deny God’s power to change lives. Hiding in church, or refusing to make contact with anyone suspected to be a nonbeliever, limits Christ’s work. The truth does not have to hide or isolate itself.
• Doors of anonymity—If we relate to those around us but never tell them that we are Christians, we deprive them of discovering what God has done in our lives.
• Doors of superficiality—If we only talk of sports and weather and keep to safe subjects with people around us, we cooperate with the world’s intention to ignore God and any subject that might lead someone to seriously consider God’s perspective.

Christ can make his presence known behind closed doors, but he will not unlock them for us. Unless we step out of our hiding places, we will never see all that Christ can do through us.

20:21-23 Jesus gave his peace to them and then commissioned them to be his representatives, even as he had been the Father’s (see 17:18). Jesus again identified himself with his Father. He told the disciples by whose authority he did his work. Then he gave the task to his disciples of spreading the gospel message around the world. They were sent with authority from God to preach, teach, and do miracles (see Matthew 28:16-20; Luke 24:47-49)—in essence, to continue across the world what Jesus had begun in Palestine. Whatever God has asked you to do, remember: (1) Your authority comes from God, and (2) Jesus has demonstrated by words and actions how to accomplish the job he has given you. As the Father sent his Son, Jesus sends his followers . . . and you. Your response is to determine from day to day those to whom the Father has sent you.

Before the disciples could carry out this commission, however, they needed the power of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus gave them this power by breathing into them the Holy Spirit. This act reminds us of what God did to make the first man come alive—he breathed into him and he became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). There is life in the breath of God. Man was created but did not come alive until God had breathed into him the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). God’s first breath made man different from all other forms of creation. Here, through the breath of Jesus, God imparted eternal, spiritual life. With this breathing came the power to do God’s will on earth.

Jesus gave the disciples their Spirit-powered and Spirit-guided mission—to preach the Good News about him so that people’s sins might be forgiven. The disciples did not have the power to forgive sins (only God can forgive sins), but Jesus gave them the privilege of telling new believers that their sins have been forgiven because they have accepted Jesus’ message. All believers have this same privilege. We can announce the forgiveness of sin with certainty when we ourselves repent and believe. Those who don’t believe will not experience the forgiveness of sins; their sins will be retained (i.e., not forgiven).

 Jesus Appears to Thomas / 20:24-31

Thomas was not with the other disciples for Jesus’ first visit in 20:21-23. Consistent with his character elsewhere in the Gospel (see 14:5), Thomas was skeptical toward his friends’ report about seeing Jesus. He epitomized hardheaded realism by insisting that seeing and touching Jesus for himself would be the only proof that would satisfy him. When Jesus did appear to him, Thomas realized the inappropriateness of his demand.

Jesus made it clear that our faith must be based on the testimony of those who were with him. Insisting on seeing and touching Christ ourselves would indicate a reluctance to believe. We have no right to require God to prove himself; but he has every right as our Creator to expect our belief and obedience. The fact that God blesses those who believe is simply an added gift of his grace.

20:24-25 When the disciples told Thomas that Jesus had appeared to them, he did not believe. Thomas insisted that he see the Jesus who had been crucified. He wanted bodily proof—to see and touch the nail scars in Jesus’ hands and to place his hand into the wound in Jesus’ side. Sometimes people overemphasize the doubtful part of Thomas’s character. John 11:16 reveals Thomas as tough-minded and committed, even if he tended to be pessimistic. And Matthew points out (Matthew 28:17) that all the disciples shared Thomas’s skepticism. It was part of his character to put the group’s feeling into words. Most of the other disciples (with the exception of John—20:8) did not believe until they saw Christ face-to-face.

*LIFE APPLICATION: YOU CAN TOUCH JESUS

Have you ever wished you could actually see Jesus, touch him, and hear his words? Are there times you want to sit down with him and get his advice? Thomas wanted Jesus’ physical presence. But God’s plan is wiser. He has not limited himself to one physical body; he wants to be present with you at all times. Even now he is with you in the form of the Holy Spirit. You can talk to him, and you can find his words to you in the pages of the Bible. He can be as real to you as he was to Thomas.

20:26-28 After eight days, Thomas got his chance. This time he was present when Jesus appeared. The disciples were still behind locked doors when Jesus appeared among them as he had before and gave the same greeting, “Peace be with you!” But this time he spoke directly to Thomas, supernaturally knowing of Thomas’s doubt and what he needed in order to be convinced. Jesus told him to touch and see his hands and side. Jesus’ resurrected body was unique. It was no longer subject to the same laws of nature as before his death. He could appear in a locked room; yet he was not a ghost or apparition because he could be touched and his wounds were still visible.

When he saw Jesus, “doubting” Thomas became believing Thomas. His response rings through the ages as the response of many doubters who finally see the truth, “My Lord and my God!” This clear affirmation of Jesus’ deity provides a good conclusion to John’s Gospel, which continually affirms Jesus’ deity (see 1:1, 18; 8:58; 10:30).

20:29 Though Thomas proclaimed Jesus to be his Lord and God, Jesus reproved Thomas because he had to see before he could believe. The blessed ones are they who haven’t seen and yet believe. Some people think they would believe in Jesus if they could see a definite sign or miracle. But Jesus says we are blessed if we can believe without seeing. We have all the proof we need in the words of the Bible and the testimony of believers.

20:30-31 In the last two verses of the chapter, John explains why he wrote this Gospel: to encourage belief in Jesus as the Christ and as the Son of God. All the miraculous signs in this Gospel point to Jesus as being the Christ and God’s Son, who came to give life to all those who believe. Most likely, John wrote this Gospel to encourage those who already believed to continue in their faith. We who believe are encouraged to read and reread John in order to continue in our belief. And this Gospel has also been used far beyond that as a powerful tool for evangelism, bringing people to faith in Christ.

To understand the life and mission of Jesus more fully, all we need to do is study the Gospels. John tells us that his Gospel records only a few of the many events in Jesus’ life on earth. But the Gospels include everything we need to know to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, through whom we receive eternal life.

*LIFE APPLICATION: DOUBTING DOS AND DON’TS

Jesus wasn’t hard on Thomas for his doubts. Despite his skepticism, Thomas was still loyal to the believers and to Jesus himself. Some people need to doubt before they believe. If doubt leads to questions, questions lead to answers, and the answers are accepted, then doubt has done good work. It is when doubt becomes stubbornness and stubbornness becomes a life-style that doubt harms faith. When you doubt, don’t stop there. Let your doubt deepen your faith as you continue to search for the answer.

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Sources:

— Life Application Bible Commentary

— Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

The crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus; the truths I read here never cease to move me; I pray they have the same effect on you.

“Out of the greatest evil people could commit, God brought immeasurable good. No matter how bleak our outlook may be or how terrible our circumstances, we must remember the results of our Lord’s suffering. He suffered beyond anything we could ever endure, yet triumphed through it. His courage should motivate us and his power enable us to persevere.”

These and other *Life Applications are found in today’s reading.

Pilate Hands Jesus over to Be Crucified / 19:1–19:16a

 19:1 Pilate handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be flogged. This was another attempt by Pilate to set Jesus free. Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent of any crime, and he desperately wanted Jesus freed to quiet his own conscience. So Pilate thought the flogging would appease the Jews. This was ruthless but not intended to kill him. Nevertheless, it was not uncommon for prisoners to die of floggings. Some of the whips used for flogging were designed to inflict terrible damage to the human body. The leather thongs that formed the striking surfaces were lead-tipped so that victims were both bruised and cut severely. Punishment was applied to the bared upper body of a bound prisoner. Apparently, Pilate thought this flogging was a humane alternative to crucifixion. He was avoiding condemning Jesus to death.

“No believer should ever forget that the source of their joy was the pain and suffering of their Lord.”  M. G. Gutzke

19:2-3 The Roman soldiers jammed a crown of long, sharp thorns onto Jesus’ head and obtained a purple robe (purple was the color of royalty) in order to mock Jesus’ supposed kingship. The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus further by bowing before him and striking him. This had been prophesied in Isaiah 50:6 (see also 52:14–53:6).

19:4-7 After Jesus’ beating and the display of mockery, Pilate, for the second time (see 18:38), declared Jesus not guilty—that is, not guilty of a crime warranting death. Pilate hoped the sight of this beaten, bloody person would elicit pity and make the crowd realize that there could be no possible threat from this poor fellow. The tone of these words implies ridicule, as if he said, “How can you possibly believe this pitiful man’s claim to be a king?”

But the bloodthirsty chief priests and officials responded: “Crucify! Crucify!” That they demanded crucifixion reveals their intense hatred of Jesus. Crucifixion was a shameful death reserved for criminals, slaves, and rebels. Jesus was none of these, and Pilate knew it. But the Jewish enemies of Christ wanted not only to kill him but also to discredit and humiliate him thoroughly.

Pilate dared the Jewish leaders to usurp the exclusive Roman authority of capital punishment by crucifying their “King” themselves. The leaders responded that Jesus ought to die because he called himself the Son of God. The law they were referring to is Leviticus 24:16. For anyone to claim to be God (as Jesus did) was a clear case of blasphemy and thus required that the person be put to death. The irony here is that Jesus was not violating the law, for what he had said was true! The Jews just didn’t believe it.

*LIFE APPLICATION: GOLDEN MOMENT

Pilate let his golden moment slip away. Three times he pronounced Jesus “not guilty” (18:38; 19:4; 19:6). He even tried to set Jesus free (19:12). But Pilate would not stand for truth or justice in the face of opposition. Instead, he tried to preserve his position at the expense of doing what was right.

Under pressure, we too may feel our power or security threatened. But unlike Pilate, we must stand for what is right even if the consequences mean personal loss. If we don’t, we will lose something even more valuable—our integrity. When we face tough choices, we can take the easy way out or with God’s help speak out for what is right. When we know what is right yet do not act on it, we sin (James 4:17).

19:8 Pilate’s fear may have had its origin in a combination of three factors:

1. Romans were inclined to believe in human deities; so Pilate may have sensed that the man in his presence was a god.

2. According to Matthew 27:19, Pilate’s wife may have influenced his thoughts about Jesus, for she had had a troublesome dream, and had sent word to Pilate to leave Jesus alone.

3. Pilate may well have been concerned that a riot was about to break out among the Jews. Hatred for Romans and the extremely crowded conditions in Jerusalem created a powder keg of unrest that needed only a good spark to become explosive.

19:9-11 Pilate asked Jesus about his origin: “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. Some commentators see Jesus’ silence as fulfilling Isaiah 53:7. Pilate, astounded by Jesus’ silence, reminded Jesus: “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or to crucify you?”

Pilate’s power did not intimidate Jesus because God’s authority overrules all human authority. Instead, the one who had brought Jesus to Pilate had the greater sin. Jesus referred to Caiaphas, the high priest, who handed Jesus over to the Romans, not to Judas, who had betrayed him to the Jews. For a Jewish high priest to deliver the Jews’ King and Messiah over to the Romans for execution was an even more heinous sin than for the Roman governor to sentence him to death. Pilate was merely a pawn in a very elaborate game, but the high priest would be more severely judged because he should have known better. Caiaphas turned from the “light” in order to side with the darkness and made excuses for disobeying God’s law. However, Jesus was at the same time clearly charging Pilate with sin. Pilate was responsible for his choices.

19:12 By this time Pilate was apparently convinced that Jesus was some kind of extra-special, supernatural person, so he tried still another time to release him. But the Jewish leaders were not about to let Jesus escape. In a final desperate ploy, they played their trump card: “If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar.” Since the Jews despised Roman rule, this was blatant hypocrisy. But these Jews hated Jesus so much that to get rid of him they were claiming their allegiance to Rome and to Caesar! Their strategy worked—very likely Pilate was afraid that he would be reported to Caesar as having released a man who had been charged with claiming to be a king. Historical records indicate that the Jews had already threatened to lodge a formal complaint against Pilate for his stubborn flouting of their traditions. Most likely such a complaint would have led to being recalled by Rome, losing his job, or even losing his life. The Roman government could not afford to put large numbers of troops in all the regions under its control, so one of Pilate’s main duties was to do whatever was necessary to maintain peace.

*LIFE APPLICATION: THE TRAP CLOSES

Pilate tried to avoid or disarm the conflict over Jesus, but he waited too long to take decisive action. A mob mentality was beginning to form, and Pilate knew that events were almost beyond his control. Because Pilate had not really tried to beat the Jewish leaders, he found himself forced to join them. When we continually compromise with sin, we risk falling so deeply under its control that we cannot extricate ourselves. Pilate’s actions also demonstrate that we must never conclude that we have fallen so far that going along with sin is better than repentance.

19:13-14 Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat. Although the text does not explicitly state that Pilate passed judgment on Jesus, the fact that Pilate seated himself on the judgment seat indicates that the judgment originated from him; thus, he was responsible. But the judgment was very indirect. Perhaps Pilate was too guilt-ridden to summarily condemn Jesus, and he was angry at having his hand forced against his better judgment. So his words ring with anger and mockery at these Jews by saying to them: “Here is your king!”

19:15-16a But the Jews continued with their shouting: “Away with him—crucify him!” Again Pilate retorted, “What? Crucify your king?” His repetition of Jesus as “your king” angered the leaders all the more, to the point where they made a ludicrously hypocritical statement: “We have no king but Caesar.” Nothing could be farther from the truth than this pronouncement of loyalty to Caesar from the Jewish leading priests. These religious men, in the heat of the moment and in their blindness, had forgotten their faith—the Jews were God’s people. God was their King (Judges 8:23; 1 Samuel 8:7). But perhaps the words rang with truth, for in their murderous plans against Jesus, God’s Son, they showed that God was no longer their king. And if that was the case, they, the Jewish leaders, were committing blasphemy. Pilate gave Jesus to them to be crucified, but Roman soldiers actually carried out the crucifixion.

*LIFE APPLICATION: NO KING BUT CAESAR

In rejecting Christ’s rightful control over their lives, the religious leaders claimed Caesar as king. They acknowledged a human power that they thought would guarantee their own status. Instead, that power destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and killed 500,000 Jews. The next generation paid dearly for the sins of their leaders.

Today people still refuse to let God have any control or influence over their decisions. They make choices based on short-term goals. They grasp present “benefits” without regard for the long-term costs. We must not give allegiance or cooperation to leaders and systems that have no regard for God’s authority. Who or what holds the position of king in your life?

 Jesus Is Led Away to Be Crucified / 19:16b-17

We must never forget the reason Christ died. Unless we recognize the eternal tragedy that would have occurred to the human race without the Cross, we will not be able to see the Cross as our victory. At great personal cost, Jesus won eternal life for us. He paid the price for our sin with his own life. That he offers us life as a free gift ought to give us deep joy. We must be touched by Christ’s death, for he died in our place!

19:16b-17 Jesus was led away, forced to carry his cross by himself. But he became weak because of the flogging, and Simon was commanded to take over (see Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26). Jesus was taken to Skull Hill. This hill may have been called this because of its stony top or because it was shaped like a skull. Golgotha is the Hebrew word for “skull.” The familiar name “Calvary” is derived from the Latin calvaria (also meaning “skull”).

As the drama of the cross unfolds, John’s writing captures the simple ironies of the tragedy. The soldiers who escorted Jesus to Calvary didn’t know who he was; they were just doing their duty. Pilate knew that Jesus wasn’t guilty of death, but he still didn’t understand who Jesus was. The people, roused to a fever pitch by the religious leaders, didn’t take the time to care about who Jesus was (even though they had hailed him as their king a few days earlier. Obviously, they were disappointed by the mocking display of him as a pitiful king). The chief priests perhaps were the most blind of all, for they had totally lost sight of everything they stood for, seeking Jesus’ death only to hold onto their precious positions and to stop the teachings that were threatening their status quo.

 Jesus Is Placed on the Cross / 19:18-27

Jesus knew his destiny (see 18:37), and he approached death boldly and courageously. Jesus endured the shame of crucifixion, the ridicule of the crowd, and the insults of those who cast lots for his clothing as he died. Though he was in agony, his thoughts included the care of his aged mother, whose care he entrusted to the disciple he loved. The Jews and the Romans were not taking Jesus’ life from him; he was laying it down of his own accord.

19:18-22 The others were criminals (see Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32). This again fulfilled prophecy (see Isaiah 53:12). Luke records that one of the criminals insulted Jesus, while the other turned to Jesus and asked to be saved (Luke 23:42). To which Jesus replied, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Pilate had a sign prepared and fastened to the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Pilate wrote this notice in three languages so that anyone passing into or out of the city would be able to read it: Hebrew (or, Aramaic—the language of the Jews), Latin (the Roman language, the official language), and Greek (the lingua franca, the common tongue).

Probably bitter over his political defeat at the hands of the Jewish leaders, Pilate posted a sign over Jesus that was meant to be ironic. The sight of a humiliated king, stripped of authority, fastened naked to a cross in public execution could only lead to the conclusion of complete defeat. But the irony that Pilate hoped would not be lost on the Jews pales before the irony that God wanted to communicate to the world. The dying King was actually taking control of his Kingdom. His death and resurrection would strike the death blow to Satan’s rule and would establish Jesus’ eternal authority over the earth. Few people reading the sign that bleak afternoon understood its real meaning, but the sign was absolutely true. Jesus was King of the Jews as well as the Gentiles, the universe, and you. This sign became a universal proclamation, an unconscious prophecy, that Jesus is the royal Messiah.

The leading priests wanted Jesus’ crime posted as a false claim to kingship, but no persuasion from the chief priests could induce Pilate to change his mind. He dismissed them by saying, “What I have written, I have written.”

 *LIFE APPLICATION: CRUCIFIXION

Both the Greeks and the Romans used crucifixion to execute victims and criminals. Alexander the Great crucified 2,000 prisoners of war at one time. For the Romans, it was a slave’s punishment; it was not used against freeborn citizens. It was a death for the worst criminals and terrorists. Before the crucifixion, the prisoner was flogged; the blood loss hastened the death. The prisoner was then nailed to the crosspiece by the wrists and to the stake by the ankles. He died completely naked to complete the humiliation. The death was slow and painful; the person died of shock or suffocation when the lungs collapsed.

For Jesus to die this way was hideous; Deuteronomy 21:23 says that anyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. But Jesus’ crucifixion was the path to his exaltation; he was “lifted up on the cross” and then exalted into glory for his ultimate act of sacrifice on our behalf.

19:23-24 Contrary to the paintings depicting the Crucifixion, Jesus died naked, another horrible part of his humiliation. The Roman soldiers who performed the Crucifixion divided the victim’s clothes among themselves. Clothing was not a cheap commodity in those days as it is today. Thus this was part of the “pay” the executioners received for performing their gruesome duties. But his robe was not divided because it was seamless. So they threw dice to see who would get it. In so doing they fulfilled the Scripture: “They divided my clothes among themselves and threw dice for my robe” (quoted from Psalm 22:18).

*LIFE APPLICATION: TRAGIC FATE OR GOD’S PLAN

A miscarriage of justice, a jaded political figure, and now soldiers gambling over his torn clothing. On the surface it appeared that Jesus’ life was as wasted as a treasure lost in a game of chance. Little did the Jews or Romans know that God’s divine plan was being worked out. In this dark and terrible humiliating moment, God was completely in control. Out of the greatest evil people could commit, God brought immeasurable good. No matter how bleak our outlook may be or how terrible our circumstances, we must remember the results of our Lord’s suffering. He suffered beyond anything we could ever endure, yet triumphed through it. His courage should motivate us and his power enable us to persevere.

19:25 The four women, in contrast to the four soldiers, are the faithful; they stayed with Jesus until the end. Even more so, in contrast to the disciples who had fled after Jesus was arrested, these women followed Jesus to the cross and became eyewitnesses of his crucifixion. The first woman mentioned is Jesus’ mother (see 2:1ff.). Imagine her incredible grief, helplessly watching her son suffer and die unjustly. Indeed the prophet Simeon, who had spoken to her in the Temple just after Jesus’ birth, had been correct when he had told her, “A sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35). Surely Mary was feeling that “sword” at that very moment.

The other women mentioned here have not appeared earlier in John’s Gospel. Mary’s sister could have been Salome (see Matthew 27:55ff.; Mark 15:40ff.), the mother of John (the Gospel writer) and James. If this is true, Jesus, John, and James were cousins. Mary (the wife of Clopas) was the mother of James the younger. Mary Magdalene is mentioned here for the first time in this Gospel. She will be a prominent figure in the next chapter—for Jesus appears first to her after his resurrection.

19:26-27 Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved (John, the Gospel writer), Jesus directed his disciple John to take care of Mary, his mother, in his absence. Mary had apparently been widowed and was being cared for by Jesus himself. Even while suffering in agony, Jesus demonstrated his care for his mother.

 Jesus Dies on the Cross / 19:28-37

As he had stated in 17:4, Jesus knew he had carried out the mission his Father had given him. His success was complete at the moment of his death. He was about to surrender his life to his Father who would carry out the crowning touch of the plan by raising the Son from the grave.

19:28-30 Some scholars believe this fulfilled Scripture is Psalm 69:21, “They offer me sour wine to satisfy my thirst.” Thus, Jesus said, “I thirst.” This emphasizes Jesus’ humiliation. Others point to Psalm 42:2, “I thirst for God, the living God.” This affirms Jesus’ submission to the Father. In either case, Scripture was fulfilled.

This sour wine was not the same as the drugged wine offered to Jesus earlier (Mark 15:23). Jesus did not take the wine earlier because he wanted to be fully conscious through the entire process. Jesus tasted it, and then said, “It is finished!” According to the Greek, the one word, tetelestai, means “it is accomplished,” “it is fulfilled,” or even, “it is paid in full.” Jesus’ death accomplished redemption—“paid in full”; and his death fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies. It was time for Jesus to die (see 4:34; 17:4).

Up to this point, sin could be atoned through a complicated system of sacrifices. Sin separates people from God, and only through the sacrifice of an animal, a substitute, and faith in God’s promise could people be forgiven and become clean before God. But people sin continually, so frequent sacrifices were required. Jesus, however, was the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin. With his death, the complex sacrificial system ended because Jesus took all sin upon himself. Now we can freely approach God because of what Jesus did for us. Those who believe in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection can live eternally with God and escape the penalty that comes from sin.

Then Jesus bowed his head and gave up his spirit. The language describes Jesus voluntarily yielding his spirit to God. Luke records Jesus’ last words from the cross: “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands” (Luke 23:46, echoing Psalm 31:5). Jesus’ life was not taken from him; he gave his life of his own free will (see 10:11, 15, 17-18; 15:13). This shows Jesus’ sovereignty over all—he was even in control of his death!

19:31-34 The Jewish leaders were concerned that the dead bodies would remain on the crosses during the Sabbath. The Sabbath began on Friday evening—and this was a very special Sabbath because it coincided with the Passover festival. The Jews did not want to desecrate their Sabbath (Deuteronomy 21:22-23) by allowing the bodies of three crucified Jews to remain hanging on crosses overnight. Thus, they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. A person being crucified could use his legs to lift up his body in an attempt to take more oxygen into his collapsing lungs. To break the legs of one being crucified would, therefore, speed up the death. Pilate agreed with the request.

However, when the soldiers came to Jesus, they saw that he was dead already, so they didn’t break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water flowed out. This piercing would make sure that Jesus was really dead. Medical experts have tried to determine what was punctured to create a flow of blood and water. Some think the pericardial sac was ruptured. John’s testimony of this occurrence was important to affirm a major argument in this Gospel against the Docetists who were denying Jesus’ humanity. Jesus was indeed a man composed of blood and water. He actually experienced death as a human being (see 1 John 5:6-7). The mention of the blood and water also answers the argument by some that Jesus did not really die but fell into some type of coma from which he later awakened in the tomb. But the eyewitness account of the blood and water refutes that. The piercing itself would have killed Jesus, but he was already dead as the separation of blood and water reveal. Jesus did indeed die a human death. In addition, the Roman soldiers, who had participated in numerous crucifixions, reported to Pilate that Jesus was dead (Mark 15:44-45).

19:35 The eyewitness who saw the Crucifixion and witnessed the issue of blood and water is John the apostle (see 20:30-31 and 21:24-25). Luke’s prologue (Luke 1:1-4) and John’s words demonstrate that the Gospel writers were writing reliable history, not just a subjective description of what they felt (see also 2 Peter 1:16-18).

*LIFE APPLICATION

JESUS AND THE EXODUS EXPERIENCE

John shows the parallels between events in Exodus and the life of Jesus. God filled the wilderness experience of his people with illustrations of his eternal plan to save the world. The rescue of a people from captivity itself became a prophetic clue that God would offer a way of escape to the world through Jesus Christ. John indicated:

• As God temporarily took up residence in a tent among the people, Jesus is the living tabernacle of God. (John 1)
• As Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness, Jesus is the perfect bronze serpent. (John 3)
• As God provided bread from heaven to feed the people, Jesus is the real manna. (John 6)
•  As God provided water from the rock, Jesus is both source and substance of living water from the rock. (John 7)
• As God’s presence was seen in the column of fire in the wilderness, Jesus is the Light of the World. (John 8)
• As God instituted the memorial of the sacrificed lamb and the blood of Passover, Jesus is the perfect Passover Lamb. (John 1:29; 18:28; 19:14, 36)

19:36-37 Without knowing it, the soldiers fulfilled two biblical prophecies when they lanced Jesus instead of breaking his bones: (1) Not one of his bones will be broken. Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12 speak of the bones of the Passover lamb that are not to be broken. Because Jesus was the final sacrifice, these verses apply to him; and (2) They will look on him whom they pierced. This is from Zechariah 12:10; see also Revelation 1:7. The risen Christ bore this mark in his side (20:19ff.).

 Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb / 19:38-42

Two secret disciples of Jesus came forward to take care of Jesus’ burial. They both had feared persecution from the Jewish religious leaders, so they had not openly declared their faith in Jesus as the Messiah (see 12:42).

19:38-39 Joseph was from Arimathea, a town not exactly pinpointed today but generally considered to have been about twenty miles northwest of Jerusalem. He was a secret disciple. Matthew’s Gospel says Joseph was a rich man (Matthew 27:57); Mark describes him as “an honored member of the high council” (Mark 15:43); and Luke adds further that he was “a good and righteous man,” who had “not agreed” with the council regarding Jesus (Luke 23:50-51).

Joseph would not have been able to stop the council’s planned murder of Jesus, but he did what he could afterwards by boldly going to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body so he could give it a proper burial. He had to ask for permission because the Romans usually left the bodies exposed without burial, both as a lesson to anyone passing by, and as a final humiliation for those executed. So Joseph went to ask Pilate, and Pilate agreed to let him take and bury the body.

Jesus had talked at length with Nicodemus about being born again (3:1ff.), and Nicodemus had stood up for Jesus among the leading priests and Pharisees (7:50-52). Nicodemus joined Joseph in embalming and wrapping Jesus’ body in regal style. The seventy-five pounds of embalming ointment was an extraordinarily large amount and must have been extremely expensive.

Perhaps the action of Joseph and Nicodemus points to a lesson in teamwork. Both men were naturally cautious. Perhaps they had been chastised repeatedly for not openly rejecting Jesus. But when the moment for boldness came, they worked together. When we join with other believers we can often accomplish what we would not dare to try alone. Though Joseph and Nicodemus were probably each very much afraid, they nevertheless acted courageously. Obedience will often require us to act in spite of our fears.

*LIFE APPLICATION: STANDING UP

Joseph and Nicodemus were secret believers, but after seeing the horrible treatment of Jesus, they decided that it had gone far enough and they were going to stand up, show their loyalty, and take care of Jesus’ body for burial. Today, many treat the Bible and Jesus with similar horrible treatment. Now is the time for believers to step forward. Now is the time to come forward and testify to what God has done for you. Now is the time to join “that courageous and faithful band who are not afraid to stand up and be counted!”

19:40-42 The Jewish custom of burial did not include mummifying or embalming; instead, they washed the body, then wrapped it in a cloth soaked with aromatic oils and spices. According to Matthew 27:60, this new tomb was Joseph’s own that he gave up for Jesus (see also Luke 23:53). Such rock-hewn tombs were expensive. Even in burial, Jesus fulfilled prophecy (see Isaiah 53:9). It was fortuitous that Joseph had a tomb nearby and that he wanted to put Jesus’ body there; the burial had to happen quickly because it was the day of preparation, prior to the coming of the Sabbath. So they laid Jesus there.

*LIFE APPLICATION: CHANGES

The death of Jesus made a dramatic change in the lives of four people. The criminal, dying on the cross beside Jesus, asked Jesus to include him in his kingdom (Luke 23:39-43). The Roman centurion proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God (Mark 15:39). Joseph and Nicodemus, members of the Jewish council and secret followers of Jesus (John 7:50-51), came out of hiding. Each of these men were changed more by Jesus’ death than by his life. As a result of realizing who Jesus was, they believed and put their faith into words and actions. When confronted with Jesus and his death we should also be changed—to believe, proclaim, and act.

www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

— Life Application Bible Commentary

— Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

We are sinners and criminals who have broken God’s holy law. Like Barabbas, we deserve to die. But Jesus died in our place, for our sins, and we have been set free. We don’t have to be “very important people” to accept our freedom in Christ. In fact, thanks to Jesus, God adopts us all as his own sons and daughters and gives us the right to call him Abba or “daddy”

This and other *Life Applications are in today’s reading.

Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested / 18:1-11

After arriving in Gethsemane, Jesus sat his disciples down and told them to wait for him while he went and prayed. Then he took Peter, James, and John aside, expressed his great distress to them, and asked them to stay awake with him. How touching that Jesus, in this great hour of distress, sought human companionship from his closest friends—just someone to stay awake and be with him.

18:1 To get to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus and the disciples had to cross the Kidron Valley, a ravine that starts north of Jerusalem and goes between the hill where the Temple is built and the Mount of Olives, then moving on to the Dead Sea. During the rainy season, the valley filled with water torrents, but at this time it was dry.

18:2 Though Judas had left the group while they were still in the upper room (13:26-31), he calculated that Jesus would go to Gethsemane with his disciples because that seemed to be a favorite place for Jesus and the disciples to get away from the crowds when they were in Jerusalem (see Luke 21:37).

18:3-4 Judas acted as a guide to two groups: (1) a battalion of Roman soldiers (about 600 men), and (2) Temple guards who were Jewish Temple police. The Jews were given authority by the religious leaders to make arrests for minor infractions. The soldiers probably did not participate in the arrest but accompanied the Temple guard to make sure matters didn’t get out of control. The leading priests and Pharisees may have asked the Romans for help in arresting Jesus because their ultimate intention was to obtain assistance in executing Jesus. The police and the guards were prepared to meet violent resistance, for they carried blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons. It was still night—Judas’s departure into the night to go and betray Jesus had occurred only hours earlier (13:30). John did not record Judas’s kiss of greeting (Matthew 26:49; Mark 14:45; Luke 22:47-48), but the kiss marked a turning point for the disciples. They ran away (Matthew 26:56).

Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion transpired according to the prearranged, divine plan—he fully realized what was happening. The betrayer, Judas Iscariot, had been selected by Jesus. He knew from the beginning that Judas was a devil and would be his betrayer (see 6:64, 70). The time of his arrest was predetermined; it would happen during Passover, not before or after. The method of execution (crucifixion) was predetermined, so Jesus knew that he would be lifted up on the cross (see 12:32-33).

18:5-6 Jesus’ response is literally only “I am.” With these words, he declared his deity (as in 8:58; see Exodus 3:14). The reaction this utterance produced in those who were there to arrest him (including Judas) indicates that Jesus’ words startled this mass of armed men, for they all fell backward to the ground. Because some Temple guards were among the Roman soldiers, quite possibly they understood the significance of Jesus’ claim. Or perhaps they were overcome by his obvious power and authority. Among them may have been some of those who earlier (7:46) had concluded that, “We have never heard anyone talk like this!” The response of the guards shows that Jesus could have exercised his power to thwart his arrest, but chose not to.

18:7-9 Jesus was willing to turn himself over to the soldiers, but he asked them to let these others go, referring to the eleven disciples who were with him. By this action, he fulfilled his own statement, “I have not lost a single one of those you gave me.” Jesus was referring to words recorded in 6:39 and 17:12. Jesus was the Good Shepherd who would lay down his life for the sheep (10:11).

18:10-11 Peter had promised to die for Jesus (Matthew 26:33-35), and he wasn’t going to let Jesus be taken without a fight. Peter’s sword was probably a dagger. Luke mentions that the disciples had two swords among them (Luke 22:38). Peter slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant. Luke added that Jesus then healed the servant’s ear (Luke 22:50-51).

Jesus was determined to do his Father’s will. (This is the only mention of the cup of suffering in John’s Gospel. See Mark 14:36.) In the Old Testament, the “cup” often referred to the outpouring of God’s wrath (see Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15; Ezekiel 23:31-34). For Jesus, the cup meant the suffering, isolation, and death that he would have to endure in order to atone for the sins of the world. Peter may have shown great loyalty, but he missed the point. All that was happening was part of God’s plan.

Immediately after the same reference to the cup of suffering, both Matthew and Mark mention that all the disciples deserted Jesus and fled (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50).

*LIFE APPLICATION: IT MAY BE BETTER NOT TO GET OUR WAY

Trying to protect Jesus, Peter pulled a sword and wounded the high priest’s servant. But Jesus told Peter to put away his sword and allow God’s plan to unfold. At times it is tempting to take matters into our own hands, to force the issue, or at least try to dictate the direction. Most often such moves lead to sin. Instead we must trust God to work out his plan. Think of it—if Peter had had his way, Jesus would not have gone to the cross, and we still would be dead in our sins.

Annas Questions Jesus / 18:12-24

Once the religious leaders had Jesus in their power, the events began to move with planned precision. Since the point of the effort was to kill Jesus, determining his guilt or innocence was a mere formality. To the leaders, the issue of timing the death was more important than asking whether Jesus deserved to die.

18:12-13 The Jews and the Romans arrested Jesus and tied him up like a common prisoner. Jesus was immediately taken to the high priest’s residence even though it was the middle of the night. The religious leaders were in a hurry—they wanted to complete the execution before the Sabbath and get on with the Passover celebration. First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Both Annas and Caiaphas had been high priests. According to Jewish law, the office of high priest was held for life. But the Romans didn’t like such concentration of power under one person, so they frequently changed the high priest. However, many Jews still considered Annas to be the high priest and still called him by that title. But although Annas retained much authority among the Jews, Caiaphas made the final decisions.

18:14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for all (see 11:49-52). Caiaphas said this because he feared the Romans. The Jews had limited religious freedom so long as they kept the peace. The Jewish leaders feared that Jesus’ miracles and large following would cause Rome to react and clamp down on them. So better that Jesus die than that many be endangered by an uprising.

*LIFE APPLICATION: AMBITION

Both Caiaphas and Annas cared more about their political ambitions than about their responsibility to lead the people to God. Though religious leaders, they had become evil. As the nation’s spiritual leaders, they should have been sensitive to God’s revelation. They should have known that Jesus was the Messiah about whom the Scriptures spoke, and they should have pointed the people to him. But when deceitful men and women pursue evil, they want to eliminate all opposition. Instead of honestly evaluating Jesus’ claims based on their knowledge of Scripture, these religious leaders sought to further their own selfish ambitions and were even willing to kill God’s Son, if that’s what it took, to do it.

18:15-18 Although all the disciples had fled when the soldiers arrived, two of them returned and decided to follow Jesus. So these two disciples followed Jesus to Annas’s house. This house was more like a compound surrounded by walls with a guarded gate. Only one disciple was identified: Peter; the other was apparently a disciple who was an acquaintance of the high priest. This other disciple only entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.

Some scholars think the other disciple was John because of similar references to himself in 20:2 and 21:20, 24. But many scholars argue that John, the son of Zebedee from Galilee, would not have been known by Annas. Whoever this disciple was, he secured permission for Peter to enter the courtyard.

Immediately Peter was put on the defensive. Just as he entered, the woman who was watching the gate (actually a servant) asked Peter, “Aren’t you one of Jesus’ disciples?” In striking contrast to Peter’s earlier declaration that he would lay down his life for his Lord (13:37), Peter denied it: “I am not.”

It was a spring evening, and the city of Jerusalem sits 2,500 feet above sea level. The charcoal fire kept the cold at bay. Peter’s story continues at 18:25.

18:19 Meanwhile the high priest wanted to know what Jesus had been teaching his followers. If a rebellion was feared by the authorities, Annas may have wanted to know how many disciples Jesus had gathered so as to estimate the force of their retaliation. Or Annas may have wanted to question the disciples about what Jesus had taught them. Jesus said nothing about his disciples, so as to protect them (as in 18:8), but was willing to talk about his teaching.

*LIFE APPLICATION: THE FAILURE

This would not be Peter’s only denial, for there in the courtyard he would deny even knowing Jesus two more times (18:25-27), just as Jesus had predicted (13:37-38; see also Matthew 26:33-35; Mark 14:29-31). Peter’s three denials were not merely instant responses to an immediate threat, but were intentional lies spoken at different times. We can learn from Peter’s experience:

1. Moments of peace allow us to recover from past troubles and prepare for the next. Peter and the other disciples had slept in the Garden of Gethsemane when they should have been praying (as Jesus had asked them to do). Instead of being prepared with the armor of God (see Ephesians 6:10-18), they were left with nothing but a short, human sword.

2. Moments of confusion and pressure require that we imitate Jesus. The disciples were out of sync with Christ—attacking when they should have been still; then running when they should have stood their ground. Claiming God’s protection means little until the time of trial comes. Depending on our own resources means that we have turned away from God’s help.

3. Moments of doubt and challenge should be met with honest estimates of our own strength. Instead of seeking Jesus’ help when told he would deny his master, Peter impulsively claimed more courage than he possessed. When we don’t admit our weaknesses and fears, we keep ourselves from recognizing God’s strength.

 18:20-23 Jesus was not the leader of a cult or secret organization. He was not planning a religious coup. Instead, Jesus noted that everything he taught had been taught in public. Even the quiet and private talks with his disciples included no secret or subversive teachings. Everything he said to the disciples was told to the crowds, but they refused to understand. If Annas wanted to know the substance of Jesus’ teachings, he could ask anyone who had heard Jesus speak on several occasions. Interrogating the disciples would not be necessary. So Jesus turned the questioning back to Annas: “Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”

This incited anger. One of the Temple guards, seeing Jesus’ answer as a sign of contempt for the high priest, struck Jesus on the face (probably a good hard slap). Jesus defended himself, for he had been slapped unjustly. This incident is similar to that recorded in Acts 23:2-5, where Paul was struck for not answering the high priest “correctly.” Jesus denied that he said anything wrong.

18:24 After being interrogated by Annas, Jesus was sent on to Caiaphas, the ruling high priest. Mark records that this questioning before Caiaphas included the entire Jewish council (Mark 14:53-65). The religious leaders knew they had no grounds for charging Jesus, so they tried to build evidence against him by using false witnesses.

*LIFE APPLICATION: HAVE YOU DENIED HIM?

We can easily get angry at the Jewish council for their injustice in condemning Jesus, but we must remember that Peter and the rest of the disciples also contributed to Jesus’ pain by deserting and disowning him (Matthew 26:56, 75). While most people are not like the religious leaders, we are all like the disciples, for all of us have been guilty of denying that Christ is Lord in vital areas of our lives or of keeping secret our identity as believers in times of pressure. Don’t excuse yourself by pointing at others whose sins seem worse than yours. Instead, come to Jesus for forgiveness and healing.

Peter Denies Knowing Jesus / 18:25-27

While Jesus was countering the questions of Annas (see 18:19-24), who was trying to gather information against the disciples, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. Jesus displayed his great moral character by not disowning his disciples, even though they had denied him. John captured the pathos of the moment by merely reporting that Peter’s final denial was made with the rooster crowing in the background.

18:25 These verses are a continuation of verses 15-18. Peter was still in the courtyard of Annas’s house and was standing beside a fire with several other people. Again Peter was asked: “Aren’t you one of his disciples?” Peter denied it saying, “I am not.” The vehemence of Peter’s denial may have caught the attention of several others who were gathered around the fire. To at least one of them, Peter looked very familiar.

*LIFE APPLICATION: ON TRIAL

What situations might cause you to deny knowing Jesus? Strength and help are only sought when we recognize our weaknesses. What would be your response to:

•  Intimidation from being alone and surrounded by hostile unbelievers?
• l Possible rebukes, punishment, or death for standing up for Christ?
• l Embarrassing circumstances when exposed as one who loves and follows Jesus?
• l Entanglements from habits or relationships that tie you too closely to the enemies of Christ?

Most of us will probably never face as intense a trial as Peter did. But moments of truth occur almost every day. We know the feeling of being paralyzed by surprise, fear, or possible shame. We must pray for God’s instant help so that when the ambushes come, we rely on his strength and Word for our response.

18:26-27 This, the third denial, happened exactly as Jesus had predicted (see 13:38; Mark 14:30). The other three Gospels say that Peter’s three denials happened near a fire in the courtyard outside Caiaphas’s palace. John places the three denials outside Annas’s home. This was very likely the same courtyard. The high priest’s residence was large, and Annas and Caiaphas undoubtedly lived near each other. This time a household servant who happened to be a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” But for the third time, Peter denied it. A crowing rooster and the piercing look of Jesus (Luke 22:61-62) made Peter realize how quickly he had abandoned his Lord.

*LIFE APPLICATION: GREAT SIN

Imagine standing outside while Jesus, your Lord and Master, is questioned. Imagine watching this man, whom you have come to believe is the long-awaited Messiah, being abused and beaten. Naturally Peter was confused and afraid. It is a serious sin to disown Christ, but Jesus forgave Peter (21:15-19). No sin is too great for Jesus to forgive if you are truly repentant. He will forgive even your worst sin if you turn from it and ask his pardon.

Jesus Stands Trial before Pilate / 18:28-37

The same rooster that announced the third denial of Peter also welcomed the day that Jesus was to be crucified. John gives us none of the details of Jesus’ further questioning before Caiaphas, since the two parts of the preliminary “trial” were perfunctory and repetitious. The faces changed, but the false accusations remained the same. Early morning found Jesus and his accusers at Pilate’s gate demanding an audience. Pilate quickly concluded that the charges against Jesus were groundless. But he was also clearly puzzled that Jesus refused to defend himself. The imperial representative of Rome found himself uncomfortably pressed between a rock and a hard place.

18:28-29 By now it was the early hours of Friday morning. This headquarters was also called the Praetorium, where the Roman governor resided when he was in Jerusalem. By Jewish law, entering the house of a Gentile would cause a Jewish person to be ceremonially defiled. As a result, a Jew could not take part in worship at the Temple or celebrate the feasts until he or she was restored to a state of “cleanness.” Afraid of being defiled, Jesus’ accusers stayed outside the house where they had taken Jesus for trial. They kept the ceremonial requirements of their religion while harboring murder and treachery in their hearts. Because the Jews were outside, Pilate went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”

Pilate was in charge of Judea (the region where Jerusalem was located) from a.d. 26–36. Pilate was unpopular with the Jews. He resided in Caesarea, but came to Jerusalem during the major feasts in order to handle any problems that could arise with so many people in the city during the festival. Passover was a very important feast to the Jews as they remembered their freedom from bondage in Egypt.

*LIFE APPLICATION: THE EARLIEST MANUSCRIPT

Here is an interesting historical fact about this section in John’s Gospel: the earliest extant manuscript of the New Testament is dated a.d. 110–125. This papyrus manuscript, containing John 18:31-33 on one side and 18:37-38 on the other, must have been one of the very earliest copies of John’s Gospel. This manuscript testifies to the fact that the autograph of John’s Gospel must have been written before the close of the first century.

To go to Pilate, these Jewish leaders must have been really desperate to get rid of Jesus. Normally, the Jews would never turn one of their own people over to the hated Romans.

18:30-31 Pilate realized that something wasn’t normal about this case. He must have sensed the jealousy of the Jewish leaders who brought this popular teacher to him. Pilate certainly had seen or at least had heard about Jesus’ glorious entry into Jerusalem only a few days earlier, so he understood the motives of these religious leaders. Therefore, Pilate demanded that they provide a bona fide legal charge against Jesus. The Jewish leaders answered as vaguely as possible: “We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!”

But Pilate, uninterested in the constant squabbling among the Jews, was satisfied that this potential troublemaker was in custody. He had no reason to push the trial any farther, so he tried to dismiss them: “Take him away and judge him by your own laws.”

But the Jewish leaders persisted and gained Pilate’s attention by insinuating that they had already found reasons in their own law for Jesus’ execution. But the Jews needed Pilate to give Jesus a trial because only the Romans were permitted to execute someone. Being under Roman rule, the Jews were not permitted to carry out the kind of execution they were planning without the sanction of the Roman government. It seems that “spontaneous” executions like the stoning of Stephen or the woman taken in adultery were overlooked by the Romans. But in the eyes of the Jewish leaders, Jesus needed to be executed publicly. Thus, the Jews needed the Romans to execute Jesus for them.

18:32 Jesus knew all along that his would be a Roman execution, for he had predicted that he would die on a cross. Capital punishment for the Jews was by stoning and for the Romans by crucifixion. Jesus had always foretold his death in terms of crucifixion, not stoning (Matthew 20:19).

*LIFE APPLICATION: IT HAD TO BE A CROSS

Jesus sacrificial death was an inevitable necessity for our salvation. But the very means of that death was designated by God in order to accomplish several detailed purposes of God. Among the reasons for the Crucifixion are the following:

•  The Crucifixion preserved the accuracy of long-standing messianic prophecies, that none of Jesus’ bones would be broken, whereas stoning broke bones (Exodus 12:46) and that piercing would occur (Zechariah 12:10).
•  The Crucifixion combined the Jews and Gentiles in a conspiracy of death. The responsibility and guilt for the death of Jesus was thereby placed upon the world (Acts 2:23; 4:27).
• The Crucifixion actualized another Old Testament image, the serpent lifted on a pole as a sign of salvation (John 3:14).
• The cross also represented God’s commanded form of death for anyone who was under divine curse. He was to be hanged from a tree in judgment for his sin (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13).

God used the cross of Jesus to work out every detail of his eternal plan to accomplish our salvation!

18:33-34 Since Jesus’ enemies had accused him of sedition against Rome (Luke 23:1-2), Pilate asked Jesus if he really was the King of the Jews. Jesus then asked Pilate where the question came from. If Pilate was asking this question in his role as the Roman governor, he would have been inquiring whether Jesus was setting up a rebel government. But the Jews were using the word “king” to mean their religious ruler, the Messiah. Israel was a captive nation, under the authority of the Roman Empire. A rival king might have threatened Rome; a Messiah could have been a purely religious leader.

18:35-36 Pilate’s response indicates that his interrogation was motivated by the Jews. The impression is that he was merely performing his task. Jesus explained that he was not a threat to Rome because he was not an earthly king. Instead, his Kingdom was not of this world. Jesus was referring to all he had done and would do as God’s Son and all that is under his authority. When believers are born again, they become subjects of this Kingdom—a spiritual Kingdom.

*LIFE APPLICATION: NOT FROM THIS WORLD

Jesus’ claim to the throne and his reign are beyond the limitations of this world. The goals, principles, and methods of Christ’s kingdom come from heaven. They are not the invention of evolving people or even of prophets and wise men. The way the kingdom affects our lives demonstrates that it is not rooted in this world. For instance, citizens of the kingdom hold all of life in such high regard that they are ready to lay down their own lives in obedience to Christ for the sake of other lives. Jesus’ kingship requires, not a choice of options for action, but real obedience to a wise Savior-King.

18:37 Pilate tried to get his original question answered (see 18:33): “You are a king then?” Jesus explained that he was indeed a king, and born for that purpose. But he was the king of a different realm, a king who had come to bring truth to the world. Jesus did not enter the world for any political purpose; instead, he came to testify to the truth. There seems to have been no question in Pilate’s mind that Jesus spoke the truth and was innocent of any crime. It also seems apparent that while recognizing the truth, Pilate chose to reject it. It is a tragedy when we fail to recognize the truth. It is a greater tragedy when we recognize the truth but fail to heed it.

*LIFE APPLICATION: YOU MUST DECIDE

Pilate made four attempts to deal with Jesus:

(1) he tried to put the responsibility on someone else (18:31);(2) he tried to find a way of escape so he could release Jesus (18:39); (3) he tried to compromise with having Jesus flogged rather than handing him over to die (19:1-3); and (4) he tried a direct appeal to the sympathy of the accusers (19:15). Everyone has to decide what to do with Jesus. Whatever desire Pilate had to free Jesus was negated by his refusal to do so. Pilate let everyone else decide for him—and in the end, he lost.

18:38 Pilate was cynical; he thought that all truth was relative—it could be whatever Rome wanted it to be. To many government officials, truth was whatever the majority of people agreed with or whatever helped advance their own personal power and political goals. When there is no basis for truth, there is no basis for moral right and wrong. Justice becomes whatever works or whatever helps those in power. In Jesus and his word we have a standard for truth and for our moral behavior.

At that point, Pilate had the power and authority to simply set Jesus free because Jesus was not guilty of any crime. But he lacked the courage to stand by this conviction in the face of opposition from these Jews and a possible ensuing riot. Problems like that could mean that Pilate would be removed from his position because of being unable to keep the peace. So Pilate tried first to pass Jesus off on Herod, who was ruler of Galilee, the region of Jesus’ hometown (Luke 23:6-7). But Herod only mocked Jesus and then sent him back to Pilate.

18:39-40 Pilate hoped to escape passing judgment on Jesus by allowing the Jews to determine Jesus’ fate. As a custom, Pilate had released someone from prison each year at Passover. He hoped they would ask for the King of the Jews.

The screaming Jewish officials demanded that a convicted rebel, Barabbas, be pardoned instead of Jesus. Barabbas was a rebel against Rome (Mark 15:7), and although he had committed murder, he was probably a hero among the Jews. Barabbas, who had led a rebellion and failed, was released instead of Jesus, the only one who could truly help Israel.

*LIFE APPLICATION: WHO WAS BARABBAS?

Jewish men had names that identified them with their fathers. Simon Peter, for example, is called Simon son of Jonah (Matthew 16:17). Barabbas is never identified by his given name, and this name is not much help either—bar-abbas means “son of Abba” (or “son of daddy”). Barabbas, son of an unnamed father, committed a crime. Jesus died in his place, so this man was set free. We too are sinners and criminals who have broken God’s holy law. Like Barabbas, we deserve to die. But Jesus died in our place, for our sins, and we have been set free. We don’t have to be “very important people” to accept our freedom in Christ. In fact, thanks to Jesus, God adopts us all as his own sons and daughters and gives us the right to call him Abba—”daddy” (see Galatians 4:4-6).

www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

— Life Application Bible Commentary

— Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

Unity in Christ does provide an environment for the gospel message to make its clearest impact, and lack of unity among Chris followers frequently drives people away. Are you helping to unify the body of Christ, the church? You can pray for other believers, avoid gossip, build others up, work together in humility, give your time and money, exalt Christ, and refuse to get sidetracked by arguing over divisive matters.

This and other insightful *Life Applications are in today’s reading.

Jesus Prays for Himself / 17:1-5

John 17 contains Jesus’ great intercessory prayer. It is not the prayer of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane but an open conversation with the Father about his followers. This prayer brings to a close Jesus’ discourse in 13:31–16:33. It expresses the deepest desires of Jesus’ heart for his return to the Father and for the destiny of his chosen ones. Jesus asked the Father to grant the believers the same kind of unity that he and the Father enjoyed from eternity—a unity of love.

17:1 Jesus began his petition by praying for himself: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.” Jesus knew that his “hour” of suffering had come—several times previously in the Gospel, John had pointed out that Jesus’ time had not come (2:4; 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20). But the time for Jesus’ glorification had arrived. If the Father would glorify the Son in the Crucifixion and Resurrection, the Son could, in turn, give eternal life to the believers and so glorify the Father. Jesus asked the Father to restore to him the full rights and power as Son of God (as described in Philippians 2:5-11).

17:2 Jesus made his requests to the Father, knowing that from eternity past the Father had given him authority over everyone in all the earth so that he could give eternal life to each one the Father had given him.

17:3 Jesus defines eternal life as to know experientially the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one he sent to earth. We find eternal life only by knowing the one true God. This knowledge is ongoing and personal (see also Matthew 11:27).

*LIFE APPLICATION: KNOWING GOD

How do we know God? Jesus explained knowing God as the essence of having eternal life. Eternal life is a gift we receive when we enter into a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. We cannot know God unless we have eternal life; and at the core of eternal life is intimate knowledge of God.

Eternal life means having the capacity for intimacy with others who have eternal life. Jesus is the source of eternal life. Our first step toward eternal life includes realizing we don’t have it. That sense of separation, rebellion, lostness, or inadequacy before God is defined as “sin” in the Bible. When we admit our sin, turn away from it and then to Christ, Christ’s love lives in us through the Holy Spirit. Eternal life is not just being around forever; for believers it means eternity with God, their loving Father.

17:4 In this statement, Jesus affirmed that he had brought glory to the Father on earth by doing everything God wanted him to do. The last phase of Jesus’ revealing work was about to be accomplished through his death on the cross. Jesus spoke of his work as though it had already happened—his obedience to death on the cross was a certainty. Jesus requested again to be returned to glory based on the certainty of his completing the work of the cross.

 17:5 Looking beyond the Cross to his resurrection and ascension, Jesus asked the Father to restore the glory he had shared with the Father before the world began. In saying this, Jesus gives us a glimpse of his relationship with the Father before the beginning of time. Jesus wanted to return to the glory he had with the Father before the world was created (see 1:1, 18). Jesus would enter into that glory as the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus’ return to God was not simply a return to his preincarnate state, since Jesus would have his resurrected body. Jesus’ resurrection and ascension—and Stephen’s dying exclamation (Acts 7:56)—attest that Jesus’ prayer was answered. He returned to his exalted position at the right hand of God.

*LIFE APPLICATION: GET TO WORK

Jesus gave us a remarkable example in his prayer. He asked the Father to glorify him because he was completing the work God had given him to do (see John 4:34). He prayed confidently as the obedient Son. Do our prayers lack confidence because we are not committed to do what God wants? Jesus’ work was to reveal God to his disciples and to enable them to continue that work through others to the present day.

How do we bring glory to God? By completing the work he has given us to do. What is God’s work for us?

• Show mercy, justice, and humility before God (Micah 6:8).
•  Pass on the gospel and make disciples to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:19-20).
•  Care for those who are needy around us (James 1:27).
•  Do good and share with others (Hebrews 13:16).
• As we practice obedience in these areas, God will strengthen us.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples / 17:6-19

This prayer is one of several mentioned in the Bible that focused on the disciples. Before choosing the Twelve, Jesus spent the night in prayer (Luke 6:12). During their ministry together (John 6:15; Luke 10:18-22), we assume Jesus’ prayers included his disciples. We know that before the final days, Jesus had been praying specifically for Peter (Luke 22:32). The Scriptures also tell us that part of Jesus’ present activity is to pray for us (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). Jesus made it clear that although we have direct access to the Father (16:26-27), we are still the objects of his loving concern.

17:6 After praying for his own glorification, Jesus turned the direction of his petition to his disciples. These were the men God had selected to give to his Son as his disciples (see 15:19). To these men, given to him by the Father out of the world, Jesus had expressed the reality of the Father’s person to them (see 1:18). And they had kept his word. Their faith wasn’t perfect, and they would fail their Savior in the coming hours; but their commitment was in the right place, and they would return to this faith and to obedience to God.

17:7-8 The disciples had received Jesus’ words as coming from God; as a result, they had come to believe that Jesus had been sent from the Father (see 16:28-30). Before Jesus instituted God’s plan of salvation by dying on the cross, he introduced it to his disciples. They had to believe the words of Christ to benefit from the work of Christ. Jesus effectively demonstrated that what he said came from God. The disciples were not in a position to accept the saving purpose of Jesus’ death until they had accepted the fact that God had sent him. Once they knew God had sent Jesus, they were ready to learn that God had sent him to die! Jesus was declaring that the disciples were ready for the next lesson, as difficult as it might be.

17:9 We know that God loves the world (3:16), but at this time Jesus was focusing on the disciples, not the world. These disciples were the object of Jesus’ affection and Jesus’ prayer. He was not praying for the world, because the world was hostile and unbelieving. Instead, he was praying for those the Father had given him.

17:10 Jesus’ words reveal his oneness, closeness, and equality with God the Father. These disciples belonged to both him and the Father, and they were the ones in whom Jesus would be glorified on earth after he had returned to the Father. The disciples’ lives would reveal Jesus’ essential character to those who had not yet believed, so Jesus was present in the world through them.

*LIFE APPLICATION: HOW CAN WE GLORIFY CHRIST?

While you cannot predict exactly how Jesus will receive glory through your life, you can remove any hindrances to his glory.

•  Get rid of any immorality. The moral quality of your life must not even tarnish Jesus’ good name. Is Jesus honored by your life?
•  Get rid of pride. Focus on Christ so that he receives honor and acclaim rather than you. Does he get the credit?
•  Get rid of ambiguity. Your words and actions must clearly show that you are his disciple. Does anyone know you are a Christian?

17:11 Jesus would be departing the world to rejoin the Father; the disciples would stay behind to carry out God’s plan by spreading the good news of salvation. Such a mission would arouse great hostility from the evil one, so the disciples needed special protection. Jesus asked that the Holy Father would keep them and care for them. The prayer itself indicates confidence in God’s ability to “keep” his children, while at the same time allowing the disciples to hear Jesus’ desire for how they are to be kept. Jesus prayed that they would be united just as he and the Father are united. They should have a unified desire and purpose to serve and glorify God. Then they would have the strongest of all possible unions.

*LIFE APPLICATION: STILL IN THE WORLD

We, like Jesus’ original disciples, still live in the world. What is “the world”? It is a system of values typified by Satan himself, centered on power, deceit, and self-will. While we’re in the world, Satan wants to neutralize or destroy us. In 1 John 2:16, John explains that “the world” is the cravings of sinful human beings, the lusting of the eyes, and the boasting of what one has and does. As Christ’s disciples today, we are on a collision course with the world’s values. We need God’s protection more than ever because it is so easy for us to emulate the world’s character.

The fact that we are in the world does not grant us license to become of the world. We must not betray Jesus by loving the world. We must recognize and resist the pervasive attractions presented to us through advertising, self-help psychology, public opinion polls, and charismatic public figures. We must be sure that we allow Christ—not the media and the world around us—to define who we are.

17:12 Jesus’ physical presence had provided the obvious point of unity for the disciples. The more they were “in Christ,” the more they were united and protected. Jesus had kept them safe as a precious gift given to him from the Father; here he gave an account of the job he had done. All of the disciples had been guarded—not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. The one was Judas Iscariot who, by his own volition, betrayed Jesus. Thus, Jesus sadly identified Judas as one who had rejected the protection offered.

The place of Judas among the disciples and his choice to betray Jesus highlight the balance that we find throughout the Bible between the awesome sovereignty of God and the freedom he allows people to exercise. We would tip the balance toward error if we would say that Jesus intentionally withheld his protection of Judas to expose him to the temptation of Satan so that the betrayal could happen. We would also be in error if we would say that the temptation of Satan was stronger than Jesus’ ability to protect Judas. Judas was not a puppet on a string. Judas shared the protection offered by the presence of Jesus all during their time together. Judas made his decision to betray Jesus, and by so doing he removed himself from Christ’s protection. He passed the point of no return and thereby fulfilled the scriptural prediction.

The extent of God’s protection over us every single day is beyond our comprehension. His sovereignty is complete, including his choice to allow us to actually be able to effectively reject him. God could have created persons whose choices didn’t really matter. Instead, because of his love for us, he created us with enough freedom to live in relationship with him.

17:13 Jesus had told his disciples many things about his coming death—hardly a joyful topic. But after these events would take place—especially after the Resurrection—the disciples would be filled with joy, for they would then understand that Jesus had conquered death and Satan and had brought eternal life to all who believe in him.

17:14 The world hates Christians because Christians’ values differ from the world’s, and because Christians expose the world’s values for what they are—absolutely worthless. Because Christ’s followers don’t cooperate with the world by joining in their sin, they are living accusations against the world’s immorality. The world follows Satan’s agenda, and Satan is the avowed enemy of Jesus and his people (see 15:18; 16:2).

17:15-16 Jesus did not pray that God would take them out of the world to protect them from the hatred and persecution to come, rather that they would be kept safe from the evil one—that through difficult circumstances they would not fall prey to the devil. The only way believers can be witnesses to the world is to be witnessing for Christ in the world. We must carry our message, trusting God for his protection. Jesus was not a part of the world’s system, headed by Satan (indeed, he had been tempted to that end and had refused—see Matthew 4:1-11). Neither are believers a part of the world because they have been born again (3:3).

*LIFE APPLICATION: A BRAND-NEW GAME

Imagine a young boy’s experience as a baseball fanatic. He plays the game, collects the cards, memorizes statistics, and idolizes the players. In fact, all the boys in his neighborhood follow his leadership. But then a new boy moves next door and introduces a new game none of them have ever played. His personality draws the other boys to him. Soon, along with the new game, there is also a new leader, with new rules and new loyalties. The former leader feels alienated, angry, and confused. He regards the new game as an intrusion and the new leader as an enemy. He is torn between his desire for friendship and his fear of betraying “his” game. He wants to be loyal to the old game.

The world sees our allegiance to Jesus Christ in the same way. Christ threatens to shatter the neighborhood structure. His rules are different. His words are attractive. But loyalty to Christ means disloyalty to the world. We can understand the world’s confusion, but we should never forget that we were also part of that life. But precisely because we have been there, we need to build bridges and find common ground with unbelievers so they can see the difference Christ makes in our lives. But we must never return to the old game.

17:17 Three distinct views have emerged to explain what Jesus meant by “make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth.” (1) The truth found in God’s word will make us pure and holy. (2) The central truth of God’s saving love sets into motion God’s work in us. (3) The process of passing on (preaching, teaching) God’s truth would have a purifying effect in the disciples’ lives. These views are actually complementary, describing different aspects of becoming pure and holy (called sanctification): the second view highlights the initial pouring of God’s grace into our lives through the truth of the gospel; the first view summarizes the ongoing effects of the applied truths from God’s word; and the third view emphasizes that progress in sanctification will be seen in our desire and practice of communicating the gospel. God’s word, then, works as a divine cleansing agent that God uses to bring about our sanctification.

17:18 Jesus came into the world on a mission for the Father; so he sent these disciples into the world on a mission by the Son. That mission was to make God known. This is an important and exciting theme in John’s Gospel. The Father sent the Son into the world, the Father and the Son sent the Spirit to the disciples, and the disciples are sent by the Father and Son into the world.

It is up to us to carry on Jesus’ mission—to make God known to others. Because Jesus sends us into the world, we should not try to escape from the world, nor should we avoid all relationships with non-Christians. We are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), and we are to do the work that God has sent us to do.

*LIFE APPLICATION: SET APART

A follower of Christ becomes sanctified (set apart for sacred use, cleansed and made holy) through believing and obeying the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). He or she has already accepted forgiveness through Christ’s sacrificial death (Hebrews 7:26-27). But daily application of God’s Word has a purifying effect on our minds and hearts. Scripture points out sin, motivates us to confess, renews our relationship with Christ, and guides us back to the right path.

17:19 Jesus set himself apart to do the Father’s will like a priest consecrating himself to make the sacrifice. His final act of dedication was his offering himself on the cross (see Hebrews 10:10). The purpose of that death was so that the disciples (and all believers) might be entirely God’s possession. Jesus died to set us apart for him.

 Jesus Prays for Future Believers / 17:20-26

The pattern of Jesus’ prayer provides a helpful outline for us. He prayed for himself, for those close to him, and for those beyond his immediate sphere who would be affected by the ministry of his friends.

17:20 After praying for his disciples, Jesus prayed for all who would ever believe in him because of their testimony. In a sense, everyone who has become a Christian has done so through the apostles’ message because they wrote the New Testament and were the founders of the Christian church. So Jesus was praying for all the believers who would ever exist. He was praying for you and others you know. And he was praying for those he wants us to reach! Knowing that Jesus prayed for us should give us confidence as we work for his Kingdom.

17:21 There are three requests in verse 21, and they hinge on one another. In the first request, the Lord asked for unity—that they will be one. This all-encompassing petition includes all the believers throughout time. This oneness does not readily fit the idea of one unified church structure. Rather, this unity becomes most visible through love, obedience, and commitment to the Father’s will.

In the second request, Jesus prayed for a unity among the believers that is based on the unity of Jesus and the Father. Christians can be unified if they live in union with God. For example, each branch living in union with the vine is united with all other branches (see 15:1-17); or each part of the body is united with the other parts so that when one hurts, they all hurt, and when one rejoices, they all rejoice (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

This union with the Father and Son would result in people all over the world believing that Jesus had been sent by God as the world’s Savior—and not only believing, but receiving this Savior as their own. This is the third request.

*LIFE APPLICATION: BECOMING ONE

Jesus’ great desire for his disciples was that they would become one. He wanted them unified as a powerful witness to the reality of God’s love. Unity between believers is not often mentioned as the catalyst for someone becoming a Christ follower. However, unity in Christ does provide an environment for the gospel message to make its clearest impact, and lack of unity among Chris followers frequently drives people away. Are you helping to unify the body of Christ, the church? You can pray for other believers, avoid gossip, build others up, work together in humility, give your time and money, exalt Christ, and refuse to get sidetracked by arguing over divisive matters.

17:22-23 Jesus further explained this oneness in terms of mutual indwelling: “I have given them the glory you gave me.” Jesus was still referring to all his followers, not just the immediate disciples. The phrase is a promise. Jesus gave all true believers his glory by completing his mission of revealing God (17:4-6). Jesus’ work was not only to speak and model the character of God. His ultimate purpose was to present both the splendor and character of God (God’s glory) in such a way that God would become personally real to the disciples. They, in turn, were to pass on what they had received to others who would also believe. Those who, in fact, received the glory would become unified by their shared relationship with Christ. Complete and perfect unity between God and believers results in worldwide belief. When we demonstrate this oneness, we will convince the world that the Father sent the Son, and that the Father loves believers deeply and eternally, just as he loves the Son.

*LIFE APPLICATION: VISIBLE UNITY

Christian unity begins in the heart of individual believers. Are we willing to be unified with others who may be completely different from us other than the fact that we both follow Jesus Christ?

Unity in Christ grows as local church groups practice Christ’s teachings. This unity can expand as groups of local churches discover they can practice larger efforts in obedience to Christ. Because Satan’s power is directly challenged by these examples of unity, we can expect resistance. We can also expect simple resistance from people who confuse human loyalties and traditions with the command to obey Jesus. To achieve Christian unity, we need Christ’s help and the Holy Spirit’s restraining power.

To promote unity in Christ, take these steps:

•  Focus on the nature, attributes, splendor, and holiness of God. Filling our minds with God will keep us from being occupied with ourselves.
•  Keep mind, heart, and ears open while keeping the mouth closed longer. Realize that not all believers use the same terms, nor speak the same “language.” Impulsive conclusions can prevent us from getting along with those who share allegiance to Jesus Christ.
•  Steer clear of persons who closely measure everyone else by their standards. We may be the next to be “dissected” and judged.
•  Remember that Jesus died for persons, not principles or a system.
•  Stay out of endless arguments over various denominational methods and church traditions. Satan uses these to distract the church from obeying its commission. Better to fail as we obey than to neither fail nor obey! 

17:24 Jesus wants all believers (the eleven disciples and all others) to be with him where he is so they can see his glory. What wonderful assurance Jesus’ prayer gives us to know that the Lord of heaven wants us to be with him. This request impacts our present experience and future hope. In the present, we unite with Christ in God the Father (see 14:6; Colossians 3:3). In the future, we will be with Christ in eternal glory and enjoy with him the love he experienced with the Father forever.

*LIFE APPLICATION: OUR RESOURCES IN CHRIST

John 17 contains a storehouse of resources God makes available to us as disciples of Jesus. What more could we ask for? What else could we need?

• Jesus give us eternal life (17:2).
•  Jesus prays for us (17:9, 20).
•  The Holy F ather protects us (17:11).
•  Jesus gives us the words of God (17:8, 14).
•  Jesus sets us apart for special service (17:17-18).
•  We are unified with God and Christ (17:21, 23).
•  We have God’s love (17:23-24, 26).
•  Christ is in us (17:23).
•  Jesus reveals God to us (17:26).

Because we have these wonderful resources, we can persevere in our faith.

17:25-26 Jesus addressed his Father as righteous Father because God’s righteous judgment reveals that the world’s knowledge of God is incorrect and that the disciples’ knowledge is correct. Just as Jesus had chosen the name “Holy Father” (17:11) to present his request for protection of the disciples, so here Jesus added righteous as a highlight to the gulf that exists between the world and God. Jesus knew he was the living connection between the lost world and his loving, righteous Father.

The world failed to recognize that Jesus was God’s communication to them. The disciples did recognize this, for they had come to believe that Jesus was the one sent from God. Jesus, who knew the Father personally and intimately, had revealed the Father to his disciples and would continue to do so. Thus, Jesus could say, “I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you.” Finally, Jesus asked the Father to love the disciples with the same love he (the Father) had for his Son.

Jesus asked that the Father’s love would be in believers and that he himself (Jesus) would be in them. This expresses the heart of the Father’s desire, which is to have his Son in his people: “I . . . in them.” And because it is the Father’s desire, he will make sure it is accomplished. How do you understand your relationship with God the Father? Is his love in you?

*LIFE APPLICATION: FAULTY KNOWLEDGE

The world does not know Jesus truly, for its information comes from biased sources. Consider where most people get what they know about Jesus:

1. Television/cinema—These media constantly portray God, Christians, evangelists, and the Bible in connection with perversion, mental illness, child abuse, and dishonesty. Religious characters are stereotyped as deranged or weak and often are objects of destructive humor.

2. History—Accounts are written blaming Christians for most of the evils in the world. They highlight serious failures of Christians (the Crusades, the Inquisition, genocidal acts) so as to imply that God and the Bible prompted these injustices. Many of these acts were done in ignorance or blatant disobedience to God’s revealed commands. Often injustices were done as by-products of political moves by people who used the Bible to justify their sinful desires.

3. Religious training—Some people were forced to adopt a church’s or religious school’s “view” of God without opportunity for questions or real understanding. Required religious instruction can cause students to rebel. They not only resist the system but dismiss what may well be the truth. Wrong views taught by well-meaning teachers, or even right truths conveyed to children in an unloving manner can devastate a person’s adult understanding of God. Those who “haven’t paid much attention to God since Sunday school (or confirmation)” should be challenged to think again.

4. Philosophy—In philosophy, God is reduced to a concept for purposes of discussion and understanding. Unfortunately, many attempt to keep him in that state. As long as God is nothing more than a concept, people will invent any number of creative ways of “seeing” him. When we allow God’s revelation, the Bible, to guide our thinking about God, many of the philosophies of the world will be shown to be in serious error about God.

Believers need to be aware of the mistakes and biases against Christianity that they will face in the world. One of our bridge-building efforts with nonbelievers will be to guide them in questioning their sources of knowledge about God.

www.RidgeFellowship.com

 Sources:

— Life Application Bible Commentary

— Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary