Chapter 19:23-24 (ESV) - When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them,
    and for my clothing they cast lots.”

Question to consider: Why would John think it’s important to point people to Psalm 22?

I find it interesting to compare the perspectives of the different gospel writers. All four of them point us to Psalm 22, a prophetic psalm of David who saw his greater son at the hands of dogs who would encircle Him, pierce His hands and feet, and cast lots for His clothing. Even though crucifixion had not been practiced at the time of David, he would have understood that being hung this way was to be cursed by God. And yet, David recognized that it would result in his greater son being praised by the Lord in the great congregation, and that “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.” (Psalm 22:27) David’s vision both affirmed the resurrection of the dead and the reconciliation of people from every tribe and nation to God.

People seem to forget that although the Bible may be compiled into a single book, it is a literary library which has been compiled over thousands of years. Living two thousand years after the cross and reading the Bible from a mass-printed copy or virtually on a screen lessens the impact of one who witnessed these soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothing at the moment Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Think of someone who initially received John’s gospel account and was able to access a copy of Psalm 22 in a scroll that had been at their synagogue since before Jesus was born. If it had been difficult for them to accept how a crucified Jesus could actually be their Messiah, this Psalm would have a huge impact on their understanding of God’s redemption plan for the world.

Today, people will dismiss or even mock Christians for using one part of the Bible to interpret another because they dishonestly treat it as a single work of fiction that was written hundreds of years after the “historical” Jesus. We have thousands upon thousands of ancient manuscripts that prove otherwise. You can go into any synagogue today, pick up a Tanakh, and read Psalm 22 for yourself. 

If you believe that the early church was lying about their testimony of the crucifixion, it’s important to ask the question, “To what end?” What possible motive would a devout Jew like John have to proclaim this message if it was false? Why would he endure torture and poverty in this life and face God’s eternal judgment for a lie? Regardless of whether there would be evil religious leaders hundreds of years later who would try to exploit the Gospel for their own enrichment, we must consider the eyewitness account of John and his motive when discerning the truth of the Gospel.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us prophecy which revealed Your redemption plan hundreds of years before it came to pass. Help us to honestly examine our own hearts and see how far short we have fallen from what You have called good so that we may rejoice in the work that Christ has done to reconcile us to You. May this joy that we have in Christ overflow to our neighbor. Amen.

Chapter 19:17-22 (ESV) - So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

Question to consider: Why would the chief priests want Pilate to change what he wrote?

The other gospel accounts include the detail that Simon of Cyrene was there along the path to Golgotha and was forced by the soldiers to take up the cross when Christ stumbled under the weakness of His scourging. Mark also wrote that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus. At the point in which Mark wrote his gospel, he was in Rome with Peter. From Paul’s letter to the Romans, we know that Rufus lived in Rome so Mark may have met Rufus and Alexander when he visited the church there.

All of the gospels mention the two others crucified alongside Jesus. We can assume the cross on which Jesus hung was meant for Barabbas. Bar is Aramaic for son and abbas is Aramaic for father. Jesus is the true Son of the Father so it is interesting that He is hung between one who cursed Him and one who repented. Since the first promise of redemption was given in Genesis 3:15, the world has been divided between those who are offspring of the serpent and those who are offspring of the woman. Jesus is the true offspring of the woman who crushed the head of the serpent, but those who belong to Him are also a part of this holy line through faith, and the thief who repented was reunited with Him in paradise.

Tradition has it that Barabbas was actually called Jesus Barabbas, but instead of writing “This is Jesus, son of the father”, Matthew wrote that the full sign said, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews,” and John pointed out that it was written three times: in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek so that people would recognize Jesus whether they were a Jew, a Hellenist, or a Roman. The chief priests who called for the death of Jesus complained that Pilate didn’t qualify the statement, but Pilate was intentional with the signs.

The Romans were experts in despair. Jerusalem was the holy city, the place where people hoped for an anointed king who would deliver Israel from oppression and rule the world in righteousness. Instead, all who entered it would see what Rome did to their king and despair. The chief priests merely wanted the people to know that even though Jesus proclaimed to be this king, He obviously was not and was therefore being cursed by God for making a false claim.

Now that Christ has risen from the dead and is ruling from the right hand of the Father, we have two thousand years of history under that rule with the Holy Spirit professing through these apostolic authors that Jesus Christ is Lord. Death has been swallowed up in victory. Amen!

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us four gospel accounts that emphasize different aspects of the events that took place concerning Your Son. Please continue to give us insight into the work that Christ has done for us on the cross so that we may continue to discover new ways of glorifying His name. Amen.

Chapter 19:7-16 (ESV) - The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

Question to consider: Why did Pilate ultimately deliver Jesus over to be crucified?

At this point, Pilate had attempted to honor his wife’s concerns about falsely punishing a righteous man by arguing for Jesus’ innocence, convincing His accusers to punish them according to their own laws, trading His freedom for a known murderer, trying to pass off the issue to Herod, and having Jesus scourged— hoping to satisfy the crowds while saving His life.

Jesus proclaimed to be king of a different world, but Pilate treated the statement as nonsense until he was given the information that Jesus proclaimed to be the Son of God. Again, even if Pilate was a religious or superstitious person, I don’t believe he would have given this notion a second thought if it wasn’t for his wife’s dream. Now that dream must have seemed like an omen. However, Pilate’s fear of man was still greater than his fear of God. 

Even though we should never use God’s sovereignty as an excuse for inaction in the face of evil, we should also realize that there is a limit to our own power. Things do not happen in this world without God allowing them. People tend to try and judge God by the way the world works, but the Father’s overall plan is to bring people to repentance and bring an end to sin and death so, like Christ, we put our trust in Him when faced with trials and tribulations in this world.

Though Pilate tried to find a way to release Jesus, the people changed their charge to one that demanded Pilate’s consideration: treason. I suppose when you use secrecy and deception to find someone guilty of a crime they did not commit, it becomes easier to change the rules to something more convenient. The moment they appealed to Caesar, Pilate knew that those accusing Jesus had won.

It is easy to sound powerful when you have the full force of Rome behind your decisions, but the true test of a man’s character is what he does when he feels powerless. Pilate might have convinced himself there was nothing else he could do given the circumstances, but he was still guilty. Jesus pointed out that his guilt was not as great as that of His accusers, but he still was committing a sin. 

In our fallen state, we tend to think that we are somehow in a better position before God because we can point to someone who has more guilt than we do. The only way we can stand before a perfectly holy God is if we have a redeemer who can wash away our sin. Praise God that Jesus was delivered over to do that very thing.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for sovereignly bringing about our redemption in Christ. Help us to see that the trials and tribulations in this world serve to do His work amidst those around us. Please give us the joy and peace that only comes from knowing that we have been brought into a right relationship with You. Amen.

Chapter 19:1-6 (ESV) - Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”

Question to consider: If Pilate thought Jesus was innocent, why would he have Him scourged?

When Pilate's plan to release Jesus with a Passover pardon failed, and the crowds instead asked for a robber named Barabbas, he tried one more time to get the crowd to change their minds by having Jesus scourged. If those who wanted Him crucified were worried about making sure people saw that He had been cursed by God, the humiliation of the scourge should have done the trick. Once people saw Him in His battered and humiliated state, covered in blood and spit, there would be no way they could mistake Him as the king who would deliver them from Rome.

The soldiers were well trained in the art of humiliation and torture. This may sound like a backwards way of thinking, but Rome’s reputation for being merciless was actually a way of limiting opposition and rebellion. It saved soldiers and kept the vassal states in line. When people were considering an insurrection or even a crime against the state, seeing a row of tortured bodies hanging on crosses was a huge deterrent.

After flaying open the skin of Jesus’ back with whips embedded with sharp bone fragments and glass, they made a torturous crown out of thorns and put a king’s robe on Him. Matthew added that they gave Him a reed for a scepter. Then they mocked Him with false allegiance to show how ridiculous the idea was that this man could be king of the Jews let alone the world.

Pilate’s statement in bringing Him out was affirming that he thought Jesus could never be guilty of insurrection, for He was entirely broken. I’m sure he thought he was doing Jesus a favor because at least he was sparing His life. However,  after seeing Jesus in His humiliated state, it was not hard for the religious leaders to get all of the people to turn against Him and join in the shouts to have Him crucified.

At that point, Pilate was ready to wash his hands of the whole situation and said if they really wanted Him crucified, they could do it themselves. He was not ready for how they would respond.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for Your willingness to endure the scourge of sin in order that we may be brought into Your family. May we show the same grace and mercy to those who insult us and do all kinds of evil against us for Your sake so that more people can come to You and live. Amen.

Chapter 18:33-40 (ESV) - So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Question to consider: Why would Pilate question the idea of truth?

Even though it was not lawful for the Jews to execute anyone, Pilate implied that he would not stop them if they took matters into their own hands and kept him from having to get involved in the matter. However, those seeking Jesus’ death were not satisfied with stoning Him because they wanted to divest themselves of any appearance of guilt and believed crucifixion would be a death that would keep Jesus from becoming a martyr. About two months later, Peter and John would have an encounter with these men, and they would accuse Peter and John of falsely trying to make them guilty of Jesus’ death (Acts 5:28). So the religious leaders emphasized that they did not have the legal authority to kill Jesus in order to put the execution back on Pilate.

Pilate then tried to probe Jesus further to see if he was missing anything by directly asking whether Jesus was a king. If Jesus admitted that He was king of the Jews, it would be enough for Pilate to justify His crucifixion, but instead Jesus admitted that His kingdom was not of this world and that He had come to bear witness to the truth.

I would have liked to have seen video footage of this encounter because I would be willing to bet that Pilate looked at Jesus like He was certifiably insane. As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, the cross of Christ is foolishness to the Gentiles. Pilate lived in a culture that was polytheistic and superstitious. Every country Rome conquered had people proclaim that their god was supreme, but at the end of the day, Rome’s war machine rolled on, and as far as Pilate could tell, the king of the Jews was no threat to Caesar.

Throughout ancient history, the worship of the gods was proliferated by the sword. If you went through my study of Exodus, you may remember that Pharaoh had a similar attitude toward Moses about the God of Israel. What kind of god would allow his people to be enslaved for 400 years? The idea was laughable until Pharaoh’s sorcerers could do nothing against the plagues brought on by the god of Moses. Now Jesus, beaten and powerless, sat before Pilate and tried to say that He led otherworldly armies and was the voice of truth. The very idea must have seemed ridiculous.

To appease his wife and still try to maintain some level of peace in Israel, Pilate offered to let Jesus go as a Passover pardon. To make the decision easier, He offered up the choice between Jesus, who was popular among the people, and Barabbas, a true insurrectionist and scoundrel. Yet those who accused Jesus called for the release of Barabbas.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, please open our eyes to the truth provided by Jesus so that we may see ourselves in Barabbas— the one deserving of judgment but who has instead been set free from our own crimes against You. As we recognize our own bloodguilt, help us to show grace to those around us who also need the truth that Christ provides. Amen.

Chapter 18:28-32 (ESV) - Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

Question to consider: Why didn’t the ones who wanted Jesus to be executed wish to tell Pilate their accusation against Him?

When we think of the title, governor, we think of an elected official who is put in charge of a state. Pilate, however, was appointed by Rome to govern Judea, and it was not considered a desirable appointment. Ordinarily, Pilate would not have given the execution of Jesus a second thought, but as we learned in Matthew, Pilate had received a note from his wife that said, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” (Matthew 27:19) There was also the fact that Jesus seemed to be popular among the people so a misstep in his ruling could have produced unrest in a region that was already volatile. The people of Israel believed that the land was given to them by God and that one day, God would deliver them from Roman rule by an anointed king.

If Caiaphas could have provided evidence that Jesus was going to lead an insurrection against Rome, he may have dealt with the situation differently, but Jesus did not seem to be a threat, and He even went so far as to tell people to pay their taxes so there was no reason from a Roman perspective that Jesus should be put to death. Pilate asked them to bring an accusation against Jesus because so far all he could determine was that Jesus had done something to offend them. They resisted giving Pilate their accusation because the charge of blasphemy against the God of the Jews meant nothing to Rome.

I also have to think that Pilate didn’t appreciate that he had to come to them outside of his headquarters because they didn’t want to defile themselves by entering so he felt no obligation to do their dirty work for them. Ultimately, they needed Pilate to crucify Jesus. Stoning Jesus would just make a martyr out of Him because someone could be unjustly stoned. However, being hung on a tree was considered by the Jews to mean that the person had been cursed by God (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). If the people saw Jesus hanging on a cross, it would put down any hope for them that He could be their Messiah. This is why they challenged Jesus to prove He was the Son of God by saving Himself from the cross. They had not considered the fact that the curse Jesus bore was our own, and that He remained on the cross by His own will until all of our sins could be paid. Only then did He give up His spirit and go to the Father.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, please give us the desire to pursue true righteousness and not just act in a way that only appears right to other people. You search our hearts and know where we have fallen short of Your glory. Help us to see our sin and repent of it so we may be able to walk more closely with You. Amen.

Chapter 18:19-27 (ESV) - The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Question to consider: Why did Jesus answer Annas the way He did?

The other gospel accounts give more details regarding the unjust trial of Jesus, but here John summarizes the biggest problem with it. Jesus was forced to be His own advocate, and when Jesus questioned the process, He was immediately struck for it. Although Annas wasn’t the current high priest, he was obviously the one regarded by the guards as the one in charge.

We know that for the most part, Jesus remained quiet while Annas asked questions and brought false witnesses against Him who twisted His words to try and make Him look like an insurrectionist. Jesus had said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." They twisted His words to insinuate that He was plotting to destroy Herod's temple. We were told by John that Jesus referred to the temple of His body, but even if they applied Jesus' words to the earthly temple, the only action Jesus claimed was to raise it up. Of course, when Jesus destroyed the temple in AD 70 via the Romans, its destruction was permanent.

Ultimately, Annas asked Jesus directly if He was the Christ, and Jesus affirmed that all of them would see Him coming on the clouds of heaven and taking His place at the right hand of God. If you went through my study of Acts, I pointed out the exact moment that Annas and Caiaphas realized the fulfillment of this statement. At this point, however, Annas settled for the verdict that Jesus had committed blasphemy by proclaiming to be the Christ.

Annas sent Him on to Caiaphas to figure out a way they could have Him crucified instead of stoned. In the meantime, Peter witnessed Jesus being struck and sentenced while he warmed himself by the fire. His first denial may have been a little lie to make sure he could get into the courtyard, but the other two were something else entirely. Peter went from a willingness to die protecting Jesus, to denying that he even knew Him. John gave the added detail that the third accusation came from a relative of the guard Peter struck in the garden, and Peter admitted in John Mark’s gospel that after the third accusation, his denial was spoken with God’s curse upon him if he was lying.

Once the rooster crowed, Luke mentioned that Jesus looked directly at Peter, and Peter wept bitterly. One of the things I like about Peter is that I can identify with him. It is one thing to feel invincible in the Lord and willing to battle for Him, but this feeling is short-lived when faced with the idea of being tortured and crucified along with Christ. The life of the Christian is a long road of denying ourselves, taking up a cross, and following Christ into death.

There are those who try to present the Christian life as one of wealth and ease, but it’s more like an endurance test. In the midst of suffering, we find joy and peace in Christ and see the Holy Spirit at work in the world, but there is never a moment in which we aren’t looking forward to the day when Christ returns to put an end to sin and death.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for not only calling us, but providing the means for us to remain in You. Help us to remember that You are the vine, and that the primary place where You nourish us is in Your word and in a church that rightly proclaims it. Amen.

Chapter 18:15-18 (ESV) - Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

Question to consider: Why do you think Peter wanted to go inside the courtyard of the high priest?

Much of the debate around the authorship of this gospel account hinges on how a fisherman from Bethsaida and disciple of John the Baptist would even have had the ability to write the books he was supposed to have authored. If John was the author and made these references to himself as an unnamed disciple, it is also curious as to how he would be known to the high priest and be able to get Peter into his courtyard.

One theory is that John’s father, Zebedee, took the miraculous catch of fish given to Peter and the other boys and became a supplier to the priests in Jerusalem and so John was known by them (from Who’s Who of the Bible by Ronald Brownrigg). Maybe the catch was not only abundant but filled with the best tasting fish in all of Israel? However, I struggle with John being this other disciple because in Acts 4:13, the high priest and his family didn't seem to know who John was, and yet today's passage makes it clear that this disciple was known to the high priest.

Another possibility was that John, like Peter, had an amanuensis— someone well-versed in Greek and Hebrew who wrote down John’s dictated account. Like John Mark had occasionally interjected himself into Peter’s account in his gospel account, this amanuensis could have done the same thing by calling himself “another disciple”. One such person could have been Jesus’ friend, Lazarus. Back in chapter 11, Lazarus was referenced as one whom Jesus loved, and if he really was once known as Simon the Pharisee, he would have had the inside connections to get Peter into the courtyard. There are other clues which I’ll point out later that may make more sense if they refer to Lazarus. The only thing that makes me question this idea is that the Pharisees were plotting the death of Lazarus at this point so I have my doubts that he wouldn’t be arrested at the gate.

Two others that make sense were Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea since they were part of the Sanhedrin, highly educated, and secret disciples. Personally, I lean toward the latter, because Nicodemus was mentioned a few times directly during Jesus’ ministry so it doesn’t make a lot of sense that he would be mentioned secretly here. Joseph’s name was only mentioned after Jesus’ death when he outed himself as a disciple in asking for Jesus’ body. Up until that point, he acted in secrecy so it stands to reason that he could get Peter into the courtyard. It also makes sense that he would be able to give us details about the trial since he would have been in the room when it took place.

When the servant girl questioned Peter, it was posed with the negative in mind like she didn’t really think the one asking her to let him in would have asked her to let in one of Jesus’ disciples. Of course, she had to ask because Peter had a Galilean accent and probably didn’t look like someone who belonged in the court of the high priest. Because of the way she asked, it would have been easy for Peter to say, “I am not.” That is probably how he justified it to himself— one little fib in order to get close enough to rescue Jesus if he saw an opportunity. So Peter stood by the fire and warmed himself as he looked for the moment in which he could fight for Jesus— just like he said he would do.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, we ask that You help us to go out of our way to be truthful even when it is easier to lie. Thank You for Your promise to never leave us, nor forsake us. Please keep us from forsaking You. Amen.

Chapter 18:12-14 (ESV) - So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

Question to consider: Why would Jesus be led to Annas, the father-in-law of the high priest?

Even though Jesus was the Prince of Peace, the soldiers bound Him during the arrest as if He were some kind of violent criminal. Maybe it was out of fear because of His reputation for doing miraculous signs? After all, they did fall back when Jesus proclaimed, “Ego Eimi!” (“I Am!”) Or maybe it was because Jesus overturned tables in the temple area (twice) and had just come into Jerusalem like a king?

One thing is for certain, their order to arrest Jesus was not out of a search for justice. Generally, when someone honestly pursues justice, it is because a crime has been committed. In the course of investigating said crime, suspects are brought in for questioning, and charges are brought against the person to whom the evidence points. That evidence is then presented openly in a court of law where the accused is able to be represented by an advocate, and a judge presides over the court to make sure the preceding is handled fairly in front of an impartial jury.

When someone is not interested in justice, they arrest a person in search of a crime. In that case, the one arrested is already treated like a criminal, and the enemies behind the arrest try to manufacture evidence and act in secret to bring about their desired outcome.

In Jerusalem, trials took place during the light of day at the Hall of Hewn Stone, a chamber off to the side of the court of the Gentiles in the temple. Jesus was instead taken in the middle of the night to the house of Annas, the father-in-law of the high priest Caiaphas. John reminds us that Caiaphas had already determined that it would be expedient for Jesus to die for the people. While it was a prophetic statement, Caiaphas was not a righteous prophet of God.

Annas appeared to be the patriarch of the ruling family of the Sadducees, and those in his family seemed to always be chosen for the role of high priest during that generation. The high priest was to be chosen by the Sandhedrin (a counsel of 71 respected rabbis) as greatest among the priests and affirmed by the king. Since Israel was a vassal state of Rome, and Herod was appointed by Rome as their king, it stands to reason that the greatness of the high priest was considered by way of wealth and power instead of piety and compassion for the people.

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead so Annas was more concerned with protecting his political power than being a faithful mediator of the people to intercede for their forgiveness. It is evident that Jesus was a threat to this power, to the relationship with Rome, and to their corrupt revenue stream that made merchandise out of the people rather than rightly shepherding them.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, help us to be a people that pursue true justice and seek servant-leaders in our churches who are willing to faithfully administer Your word and good gifts. Please give us the discernment to recognize the humble and faithful rather than opportunists who would make merchandise out of Your people for the sake of worldly gain. Amen.

Chapter 18:1-11 (ESV) - When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Question to consider: Why did Peter cut off the guard’s ear?

After Jesus prayed for the disciples and all who would believe in Jesus because of them, the time had come for Jesus to be betrayed and arrested. The other three gospel accounts describe the guards hiding outside of the garden until Judas came in and kissed Jesus. John skipped that part and focused on the arrest. What was translated “I am he” kind of takes the force out of the incident. There was no "he" in the text. Jesus instead invoked the covenantal name of God when the soldiers proclaimed that they had come for Jesus of Nazareth so it was probably more like, “I AM!!!”

The guards drew back and fell to the ground because everyone who comes face-to-face with the living God falls to the ground in fear. If fear was not their motivation, there would have been no reason for them to let the disciples go just because Jesus commanded them to do so.

The other gospel accounts weren’t specific about who cut off the guard’s ear, but John provided the details that it was the apostle Peter, and that the guard’s name was Malcus. According to Luke, we learn that Jesus restored the man’s ear before submitting to the guards.

Even though Jesus told the disciples multiple times that He was going to go to the Father, I don’t think they were able to process what that meant. I think Peter heard Jesus saying that He was going to be murdered because the disciples would abandon Him. Jesus may have put a positive spin on it by saying He would go to the Father and send the Holy Spirit, but Peter took it as a personal challenge to prove his loyalty to Jesus. Peter thought he was keeping Jesus from being murdered when in fact, Jesus willingly submitted to His enemies to fulfill His mission.

It’s possible that Peter thought this was all a test from Jesus to prove that he had the courage to stand with Him in the new kingdom. It is no different than someone today who vows to do big things for the kingdom of God. The Gospel is not about what we can do for God. It is about what Christ has done for us. Our pursuit of holiness should not come from a desire to earn God’s favor. We are clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ and are the adopted children of God. Our good works are the fruit of God’s Spirit working in us to conform us to the image of Christ.

We may battle against the flesh and earthly temptations, but even that is only temporary, for one day Christ will perfect our faith, and sin and death will be a thing of the past.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for willingly submitting to the cross. May it stir up in us a desire to know You more and more so that the things of this world lose their desire. Amen.

Chapter 17:20-26 (ESV) - “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Question to consider: What are some things that we can unite around as a church?

In this final portion of Christ’s high priestly prayer, He prayed not only for the disciples but for all who would receive their message when they began their apostolic mission. In Luke’s second book to Theophilus, he described the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer in the early church who were united in Christ. After the stoning of Stephen, this church was scattered throughout the regions of Asia Minor as each one who had come to Jerusalem for Pentecost went back to their hometowns to preach the Gospel.

By the time Saul of Tarsus became Christ’s apostle to the Gentiles, the persecution of the church was in full swing, and there was an increasing amount of division. The Jewish Christians struggled with the fact that Gentiles didn’t get circumcised, and they faced constant pressure from their friends and relatives to go back to the practices of the Old Covenant Law. The Gentiles persecuted the church for interrupting their sale of idols and preaching against immoral worship practices. As citizens began to respond to the Gospel and turn away from sin, there was a constant temptation to fit in with popular culture, especially in light of the grace that was so freely given by the church.

At the time of this prayer, Jesus understood that the world did not know God and that there would be this constant pull by the world on the church. In addition, the enemy would continually seek to divide and conquer the church. Thus, Jesus pledged to continue to make the Father known so that believers would continue to be renewed with the love of Christ. This is why we gather as the church— so that Christ can make Himself known to us through His word and build up our love for the Father and one another.

We have a tendency to focus on the things that divide us, but it is encouraging when we can find common ground. Some argue against the use of rote prayers, liturgies and creeds, but these things help unite us in the basic truths of the faith. When it comes to secondary issues, we can sharpen each other’s knowledge of the faith by discussing them in a healthy manner, but we should be able to unite around God’s word and the doctrines in it which are essential to the faith and plainly stated.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, help us to remember this prayer of Christ for His church when we deal with our brothers and sisters in the faith. Help us to look past the accusations made against Your church and seek what is true and edifying. Help us to build one another up as family rather than tear each other down as enemies. Amen.

Chapter 17:6-19 (ESV) - “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Question to consider: About what group of people was Jesus praying in today’s passage?

In today’s passage, Jesus continued His high priestly prayer to intercede for those who had believed and followed Him up until this point and were going to be left behind when Jesus went to be with the Father. Jesus had promised He would not leave them as orphans but would send the Holy Spirit to dwell in them. However, given that they had physically walked with Jesus for three years, their lives would definitely be different. Jesus physically provided for them, taught them, and kept them from harm. All of that would change after Jesus’ ascension, and they went out into a hostile world to proclaim the Gospel.

When Jesus said they kept the Father’s word, He didn’t mean that they had perfectly kept the Law and were deserving of God’s favor. He meant that they believed that Jesus was sent by God and did not abandon Him when they were given truths that were still beyond their understanding. As Peter said after Jesus lost favor with the people when He proclaimed that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood to have life, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…”

Now that Jesus was to go away, He asked the Father to preserve the unity of the disciples and keep them from the evil one— except of course for Judas whom Jesus called “the son of destruction” and had already been delivered over to the devil. The word used for “sent” here is apesteilas which is why we refer to this group as the “apostles”. As I have mentioned previously, the world would at this point be anyone who did not receive Christ. Think for a moment of how daunting it would be to have Jesus go away while this group of eleven were being sanctified (set apart) to go into a hostile world with the truth that Jesus is the only one who could justify us before God.

When Jesus said I consecrate myself, He was speaking of Himself being set apart from these people in death so that they may be set apart unto God to be His apostles. Jesus’ death would of course sanctify the apostles by exchanging their sin for His righteousness, and when Jesus went to the Father, He would send the Holy Spirit as a helper in their task.

Again, we should remember that Jesus spoke of these future events in the past tense (for example, “have sent”) because they were the declarations of God that were ordained from before the creation of the world and were about to be fulfilled.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your word which is truth and for having sent out Your apostles to deliver it to the ends of the earth. Now that the world is again growing more hostile to the truth of Christ, we pray for the courage to proclaim it and for You to protect us from the evil one in doing so. Amen.

Chapter 17:1-5 (ESV) - When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Question to consider: What was the role of the high priest?

In the other gospel accounts, Jesus went away from the disciples in the garden of Gethsemane in order to pray for the events that were to follow. Peter, James and John were to guard Jesus and pray for their own battle against temptation. These faithful disciples, who professed a willingness to die for Jesus, failed in their watch and instead fell asleep— three times no less.

In reading this prayer shared to us by John, my initial questions were: when did Jesus pray this prayer, and why was it only John who shared it? I would argue that His assurance to the disciples and this prayer came after Jesus had prayed alone in the garden and right before Judas showed up. In that prayer, Jesus submitted to the will of His Father and was resolved to the task before Him. This is why Jesus could definitively share with the disciples that all authority had been given to Him. He had fulfilled the righteousness of the Law and was now about to exchange it for the Father’s wrath upon our sin.

Obviously, only God could speak of a future event as if it already had taken place which speaks to my second question. Matthew and Mark both dealt with the kingdom of mercy which was given through Christ by grace. Luke gave a well ordered account of God’s plan of salvation that included the Gentiles. John presented Christ as God who became flesh in order to be our paschal lamb and great high priest.

It was Christ who had overcome the world and its temptations. It was Christ who gave eternal life and eternally existed with the Father. Because Jesus is fully man, His righteous death could pay the penalty for the sin of men, and because Jesus is fully God, He can be our eternal high priest in the order of Melchizedek whose priesthood was based on righteousness rather than lineage and was able to serve for life. (Read my study on Hebrews 6:19-7:3)

The high priest was the one who interceded for the sins of the people under the Law. He would put on the holy vestments and make sacrifices for His own sin in order to become most holy and be able to enter into the most holy place to repent for the people of Israel and be their mediator before God. Jesus was already most holy, for He had never sinned, so the sacrifice He gave for the sins of the people was His own naked, holy flesh which was given once-for-all time.

The title text in the ESV calls this prayer Jesus’ high priestly prayer because in it He intercedes not only for His disciples but for all who would be covered by His righteousness.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for accepting the sacrifice of Christ for the sins of all whom You have given to Him for all time. Help us to walk in newness of life to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

Chapter 16:25-33 (ESV) - “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Question to consider: Why did Jesus say things to the disciples that they would not understand?

When I served as a middle school religion teacher and catechist, there were times I spoke of things that were beyond their understanding at their age. I did not do this to confound them, but to help drill the ideas into their memory so they could be unlocked later in life.

In the same way, I believe it is a good idea for Christian parents to work with their children on scripture memory from a young age even if the child doesn’t understand the context of the passages being memorized. The intent is to get the ideas and passages in their long-term memory so that when their brains are more fully developed, the information is readily accessible to them. Memory is one of the most basic of brain activities that people of all ages can accomplish with enough repetition. It is work, but it is work that pays dividends. Even an elderly person, who may not remember a conversation he had five minutes ago, can often recall things that were seeded into his long-term memory ages ago.

The disciples learned the scriptures from when they were children, and Jesus constantly catechized them about things that they were spiritually incapable of understanding. The reason He did this was because He knew that when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples at Pentecost, all of this knowledge would suddenly be illuminated since the Holy Spirit would now be dwelling in them. As the Gospel spread throughout the world, it was first proclaimed in the synagogues because the Jewish elders who recognized their Messiah from the types and shadows of the Old Covenant instantly began to grasp their fulfillment in the New Testament in Christ and were able to rapidly become elders in the church.

It is kind of funny to hear the disciples awkwardly act like they now understood what Jesus was saying. We know that Judas was about to show up and turn Jesus over to the praetorian guard, and the other disciples would scatter like scared and confused sheep despite the fact that Jesus had told them this was all about to happen. When Jesus said they would go back to their homes, He meant that they would go back to their lives before becoming disciples. At the end of this gospel account, we see Peter and John had gone back to their fishing boats.

After Pentecost, they would ask for the Father to do miraculous signs in Jesus’ name. Although the generation of the apostles has come and gone, we still are able to come to the Father in prayer because of the name of Christ. This doesn’t necessarily mean we are required to tack the phrase “In Jesus’ name” onto the end of our prayers. It means that because we have been given the righteousness of Christ, we can come before the Father in prayer without fear of judgment. The Holy Spirit even makes our prayers more presentable before God. This doesn’t mean we get every earthly thing we desire or request. As James wrote to the early church, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3) Once we have given to God our requests, we can rest comfortably in whatever response He gives, knowing that He desires what is best for us.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, help us to hide Your word in our hearts and teach our children to do the same. May Your Spirit bring them to remembrance at the right time so that we may have peace in the world. May we remember to bring our requests to You and rest comfortably in Your good will. Amen.

Chapter 16:16-24 (ESV) - “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Question to consider: Where else in scripture has Jesus used the illustration of suffering in childbirth?

The word eschatology is from the Greek eschatos which means “last or final” and logos which means “word or speech”. When we tack “ology” onto a particular subject, it more specifically refers to the study of that subject, and so we refer to eschatology as the study of endings. Often, people associate it with the end of the world, but as I’ve pointed out in my studies of the Old Testament prophets like Zechariah and Ezekiel, I believe it’s more nuanced than that. 

To the disciples, life revolved around the temple because that is the place where God dwelt among them. While Israel wandered in the wilderness, God dwelt in the tabernacle which was an ornate tent that was taken down and reassembled every time God asked them to move. Once Israel came into the promised land and established an earthly king, their desire was to make the dwelling permanent so God granted the earthly temple under David’s son, Solomon. Solomon was known for peace and wisdom as opposed to his father who was known for bloodshed.

Earlier in John’s gospel account, Jesus made a statement to the Jews after having cleansed the temple courts of the money changers which would be used against Him at His trial, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:9) John pointed out that Jesus was referring to the temple of His body. Not only did John point this out as a prophetic word about Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, but Jesus’ body was “the temple” where God dwelt among us in flesh.

When the disciples marveled at the majesty of the earthly temple in Matthew’s gospel account, Jesus told them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2) When the disciples questioned Jesus’ meaning, He spoke of signs that the earthly temple was about to be destroyed and said, “All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:8)

Jesus used this same image of birth pains in His discussion with the disciples in today’s passage in regard to the destruction of the temple of His body that was about to occur. Their pain would be turned to joy at His resurrection.

So when I say that eschatology is more nuanced than the events that usher in the end of the world’s system, it is because scripture seems to speak of it in a threefold manner. The great and terrible day of the Lord occurred as Jesus bore the punishment for all of our sins, and the temple of His body was destroyed on the cross. God raised Him up in joy, for we could now become the righteousness of Christ. In AD 70, the great and terrible day of the Lord occurred as the Romans tore down the earthly temple, brick by brick, but God raised up the temple of His church which fills the earth! Now we look forward to the great and terrible day of the Lord in which Christ comes to judge the world in righteousness. The temple of His church will not be thrown down like the earthly one but made perfect for us to dwell with God eternally.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Spirit who testifies with our own that we are Your children and the temple in which You dwell. Please grant us Your peace and joy in the midst of the birth pangs we also are experiencing as we wait for the end of this age when we will be raised like Christ without sin or blemish. Amen.

Chapter 16:5-15 (ESV) - “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Question to consider: What does Jesus say is the role of the Holy Spirit in the world?

We don’t know exactly where the disciples were when Jesus said these things. Maybe it was as they were leaving the upper room, or perhaps it was on the way to the Mount of Olives or at the Mount of Olives before He would pray in the garden of Gethsemane. This wasn’t the first time Jesus had said He would be turned over to the religious leaders and put to death, but at this point sorrow had filled their hearts, for these events were imminent.

Now that the Holy Spirit has come, we have the benefit of the truth and insight that He gave to the disciples as prophesied here by Jesus. If you went through my study in Acts, I pointed out that the prophecy in Joel which was announced by Peter at Pentecost was fulfilled in the first generation of the church, for the judgment at the end of that passage came about in AD 70. Once we had the complete revelation of God, the foundation of the church had been laid, and now we look to the apostles and prophets who lived in that day rather than those who profess to be prophets now.

The Charismatic movement over the years has attributed all sorts of strange behavior and experiences to the Holy Spirit, but Jesus very clearly told the disciples exactly what the role of the Holy Spirit would be: to convict people of sin, to declare the righteousness of Christ and bring glory to Him, and to proclaim victory over the one who professes to be ruler over the world’s system. There is no indication that He would have people speak gibberish, convulse on the floor in the assembly, make people bark like dogs or laugh uncontrollably, or have people acting as if the Spirit had made them drunk. In declaring what was to come, the Spirit of God gave prophetic utterance to the apostles and early church, but it was all for the sake of the glory of Christ. It was not to have self-proclaimed prophets prognosticate over someone’s personal business ventures or act like they are part of the Psychic Friends Network.

The tongues that were spoken in the early church were to extol the glory of Christ in the languages of the nations, for not only was the Gospel going out to the Hellenistic Jews from around the world, but to the Samaritans and Gentiles who through them would realize that the good news of Christ’s righteousness was meant for them as well. At the point in which I have gone on to be with the Lord, if I discover that angels say things like, "should of bought a Honda but I bought a KIA," I guess I will owe them an apology.

Today, we have people proclaiming to channel the Holy Spirit while they remain completely ignorant of God’s revealed word and focus entirely on the things of this world that are going away. Instead of lifting up Christ, they make a celebrity out of the so-called prophet and turn their churches into stadiums of people who are addicted to the manic highs of a manufactured spiritual mountaintop.

If I sound harsh in these things, it is because people have abandoned the faith for an experience. At best it is a distraction, and at worst it leads people on a path to hell.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, please give us a hunger for Your revealed, written word that contains the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Thank You for giving us Your Spirit who sanctifies us and conforms us to the image of our Lord. We look forward to the day when our faith is fully realized in Christ, and we can enjoy You forever. Amen.

Chapter 15:18-16:4 (ESV) - “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.”

Question to consider: Can you give an example of someone who killed Christians while thinking he was serving God?

There are a number of religions and cults today who give this same promise of persecution when their members proselytize others. I honestly think that the devil saw the resolve of the early church when faced with this persecution and has sought to replicate it to reinforce false doctrine. I had a conversation with my grandfather once where he prided himself on slamming the door on some JW’s who paid him a visit and letting me know that he wasn’t going to fall for their deceptions. 

I pointed out that given his knowledge of scripture, there was little doubt in my mind that he could be deceived by them, but he should consider the fact that God had brought the mission field to his door, and they needed to hear the truth about Christ. By slamming the door instead of ministering to them, he was just affirming what they had been told would happen and inoculating them against the truth. We had to “agree to disagree” about that, but I would like to point out that the apostle Peter exhorted his persecuted brethren to be able to defend the truth of Christ in 1 Peter 3:13-16, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

At the time in which Jesus said these things to the disciples, the idea would have been shocking. Remember that Jesus had just redefined “the world” as anyone who did not see Him as the true vine and the only way to the Father. Now, Jesus was openly telling them that those whom they considered brothers in Judea would put them out of the synagogues and think they are offering a service to God in killing them. Of course, Luke proved the fulfillment of these words when Saul of Tarsus oversaw the stoning of Stephen and began leading the Pharisees in a deadly crusade against the early church.

However, as Jesus said, a servant is not greater than his master. Jesus would be betrayed by someone from among the twelve and endured more than any of them could fathom. Although I expect to be persecuted by a culture that is openly hostile to Christ, the most difficult thing to face is when it comes from within the church. I pray that you are part of a biblically sound and healthy church and never have to experience the gut punch of being persecuted by a close brother or sister in Christ. I can say, however, that as difficult as this is to experience, it is all worth it if it is used by God to prune His church so that it may bear more abundant and abiding fruit.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, we ask that You give us a right perspective when we experience persecution for Christ, and we give You praise that we bear His name. Please use it for Your good correction in our own lives and the lives of those who hate us, and help us to overflow with Your grace so that we do not unnecessarily add to the offense of the Gospel. Amen.

Chapter 15:3-17 (ESV) - Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Question to consider: What does it mean to abide?

The power of baptism is the word of God, not the water. That is why Paul called baptism the water “with the word” in Ephesians 5, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” The context of that passage was Paul calling a husband to sacrificially love his wife in the same manner— with a willingness to give himself up to save her from harm and to keep her abiding in Christ.

As Jesus had originally stated while He was washing their feet in chapter 13, the disciples had already been cleansed. Now, they were to abide in Christ if they were to continue to bear fruit, for apart from Christ, they could do nothing. Obviously, Judas is the epitome of not abiding in Christ, but the other disciples got a taste of what it was like to not abide in Christ when they fled and denied Him before His accusers.

The concept of “abiding” is to remain and persevere. He gives the image of branches on a vine. If a branch remains affixed to the vine, it will receive the nutrients it needs to produce fruit. If it is cut off from the vine, the branch withers and dies. Jesus added that the withering branches would be gathered and thrown into the fire. This played out in a very concrete manner at the end of the age of the earthly temple in AD 70. Those who remained in Christ fled from the fires of judgment that reigned down upon Jerusalem, for they listened to Christ’s words on the Mount of Olives and in the revelatory vision given to John. Those who were broken off from the true vine of Israel were gathered into Jerusalem to be burned, for they sought salvation behind the city’s protective walls.

The commandments of the Father was the Law which Christ kept fully and completely, and thus Jesus abides in His Father, and His Father abides in Him. The disciples weren’t asked to keep the Law as Christ did, for Christ’s righteousness counted for them (and us). Instead, Jesus asked them to abide in His love by keeping His commandments. Christ’s commandments could be summed up in loving one another as He had loved them.

I have encountered a lot of people lately who insist they can be a Christian without abiding in the church. In order to justify their claims, they relegate the church to "organized religion" when the Bible defines the church as the body of Christ. A hand can no more exist apart from the body than a branch from the vine. Abiding in Christ is found in the study of His word, confessing and receiving the forgiveness of our sins, receiving from Christ in the Communion meal, and being in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if you think you can exist apart from the body, what about Christ’s command for you to love your brothers and sisters in Christ?

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, help us to be like Christ in our love for Your church. Raise up among us those who will shepherd Your church according to Your word so that we may abide in Christ and produce good fruit. Show us where we have been selfish and fallen short of the love to which You have called us so that we can be restored to a right relationship with You and with one another. Amen.

Chapter 15:1-2 (ESV) - “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Question to consider: How does God prune the church?

Back in chapter 10, Jesus proclaimed that He was the Good Shepherd which contrasted the religious leaders of their day who were false shepherds and hired hands. The false shepherds could be compared to the Sadducees who may have held a divinely appointed office, but they used the sheep for their own financial gain and treated them cruelly. 

The Pharisees were not even shepherds but “hired hands” because they appointed themselves as authorities. There was no appointed office of the Pharisee in the Old Testament. They came about during the exile when there was no temple, and the people assembled or “synagogued” around the reading of scripture. In itself, the synagogue was a good thing, for God comes to us through His word, and the establishment of the synagogue allowed the word of God to spread well beyond Israel into Gentile lands.

The Pharisees, however, supplemented God’s word with their traditions. The traditions came about as a hedge of protection around the Law to help keep people from breaking it. They believed they received these traditions from God, but as Christ pointed out in His discussions with them, they received them from their father, the devil. This does not mean all traditions are to be rejected. In fact, many traditions are valuable and should be cherished. The important thing is that they do not violate God's written word or bind people's conscience to something of which God did not. Anytime we put words in the mouth of God that He did not say, we misuse His name. 

In today’s passage, Jesus gave His final “I am” statement which pointed to Himself as the true vine. Israel had been depicted in the Psalms and Prophets as a vineyard. A good example is Isaiah 5 which begins with, “Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.” (Isaiah 5:1-2)

Israel yielded “wild grapes” in the sense that its teachers produced disciples who got further and further away from the teachings of scripture and mixed God’s word with the practices of the surrounding nations. In declaring Himself to be the true vine, Jesus whittled the entire vineyard down to Himself alone (true Israel), and He affirmed that the Father was the vinedresser who trimmed off or judged those who deviated from Him or preached falsely in His name. Those who belong to Christ, the Father prunes (disciplines) so that they bear more fruit for Christ. Whether you view the fruit as works of faithful believers or as disciples produced by faithful teaching, the idea is that the Father intervenes in the life of His church so that His will is done on earth, and His kingdom stretches to the ends of the earth.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for disciplining us as Your children. Help us to learn from this so that we may bear good fruit and see Your kingdom multiply on the earth. Amen.

John 14:27-31 (ESV) - “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.”

Question to consider: How would you define the word ‘peace’?

This word “peace” is eiréné in Greek and shalom in Hebrew, and it goes beyond our feelings of comfort and security or the absence of conflict. These things are more like what Jesus described as “what the world gives you.” The peace that is exclusive to Christ is in being in a right relationship with the Father. It is the peace of knowing that we have been brought from death to life. If we want a mental picture of this kind of peace, think of Jonah’s suffocating description of drowning in the sea, “The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head,” (Jonah 2:6) and then being delivered by the great fish sent by God. It is only then that Jonah could proclaim, “Salvation belongs to the LORD!” (Jonah 2:9) Did you know that this entire phrase was expressed in a single word? Yeshua! (Jesus in Greek).

This is the peace that Jesus gives to all who call upon His name. The disciples did not need to drown in the fear and trouble that would surely come upon them when Jesus was betrayed, arrested, and crucified, for He would be going to the Father and then coming back to them from the grave. 

Jesus told them these things ahead of time so they would believe when they occurred. In fact, if the disciples had experienced these things after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they would not have been troubled but would have rejoiced that these things were to take place. Think for a moment of Peter and John having been beaten for proclaiming Christ by the same people who crucified Jesus, "When they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus." (Acts 5:40-42)

We have a tendency to treat Good Friday or the Communion meal as solemn events. I believe it is a good thing to receive these things with reverence, but I pray that you also find them as a source of great joy. Your sins have been forgiven! You are at peace with God! Let not your hearts be troubled, for there is nothing in this world which can take that from you!

Jesus had them rise and go from the upper room because Judas had already left to get the guards. Jesus would take them to the Mount of Olives and then take Peter, James, and John with Him to the garden of Gethsemane to keep watch while He prayed. The next three chapters capture Jesus’ final words before His arrest.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for being our Caesar of Peace and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. Help us to rejoice in this with a desire to walk in newness of life and abide in You and teach others to do the same. Amen.