I remember reading about a little snippet of a little boy that was to recite some scriptures for Sunday Morning. His verse to remember was Joh_8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." He got up before the congregation to recite this verse and drew a blank, he could not remember it for anything. Looking down at his mother sitting on the front row, she mouthed out the verse. Still, he couldn’t make out what she was mouthing, so he leaned in to read her lips and he finally got it, he finally understood. He looked up and said, “My mom is the light of the world.” No, No, but thank the Lord for mom’s who teach their children God’s word.
As you might have figured, today’s message is not a traditional Mother’s Day sermon. Unless there are verses from the Gethsemane arrest scene that can be applied to mothers, today will be a travel through more verses from the garden scene. In reality, I do not have to spend 30 minutes trying to tie these verses into Mother’s Day when I can talk about Jesus and how He affects all of our lives.
Last week, I most of our time considering what transpired at the opening of the garden scene. We spoke about the thick irony that is through the narrative, how this episode reflects upon a time when man and women walked with God in the coolness of the day. I am of course speaking about what transpired in the Garden of Eden. How humankind sinned against God and if you fast forward a few thousand years, you see the same level of rebellion and deceit seen through those in the garden with Jesus. Here are people coming up the hill side to arrest Jesus, who is the light of the world. These people carrying torches and lights, and weaponry. Those light bearers were coming to arrest the Light that came into the world to lift the darkening and blinding effects of sin. Jesus asks the arresting party of people who they seek, they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.” When Jesus answered the men here is what happened, Joh 18:6 When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. Jesus’ response was very similar what they know about the “I AM.” Could it be that Jesus was using the language that can only be used when referring about the self-existing one?
We spent much time talking about betray. If anyone in that garden had the right to pick up a sword it would have been Jesus. So, Peter slices off the ear of Malchus then Jesus heals Him. Instead of rightfully standing over Him and saying, “see, that’s what you get,” Jesus healed him. To compliment last week’s sermon, here is the verses that demonstrate Jesus healing the ear. Luk 22:50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
Luk 22:51 But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him.
Today we pick up in the narrative with a sermon I have entitled, “will you deny Him?”
Joh 18:12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.
- Jesus basically turned Himself in to the captain who was a commander over a legion of soldiers. The Lord could have very easily could have upset the crowds and they could have followed Peter’s lead and started slicing away as well. Goes to show, the end result of retaliation leads to a vicious cycle of harm and ill intent. From this point on in the narrative, it is very easy to see ourselves in Jesus place. Jesus was bound because we were bound in sin.
Joh 18:13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Joh 18:14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.
- We quickly see that both Annas and Caiaphas were involved with the sentencing of Jesus. Where did Caiaphas first unknowingly prophesy that Jesus should die for the people? Joh 11:48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." Joh 11:49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, Joh 11:50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish." "You know nothing at all. I preached through these passages in a sermon entitled, “A View To a Kill.” Caiaphas had no idea the weight of the words that he said. Jesus would not only die for Israelite people, but people of every ethnicity, every tribe on earth, every dialect or language, every people group, Jesus died for the whoso ever will, He is no respecter of persons. Yes, one man had to die so that the whole world would not perish forever. Act_10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Joh 18:15 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, Joh 18:16 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.
- West of the temple mount, is the court yard of the high priest. We have one Simon Peter mentioned and another disciple that many believe to be the apostle John. Since only men were allowed in the inner temple, and since there was a servant girl watching the door, it would be safe to say that this was at the house of one of the arresting party, probably a religious ruler.
Joh 18:17 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."
- The world, in the way of this girl, pressed in on Peter to test his allegiance. Was this a test for Peter to see if he would deny the Lord? Did the Lord use this chance to humble Peter. The lady sets Peter up with a lob pitch. She puts the ball on the “T” for peter and makes it easy for him to say “no.” She uses the phrase, “Art thou not,” and in the Greek, this would be a negative gesture towards Jesus. “Are you with HIM?” You know people in the world ask that of you all the time? People notice a different outlook of life according to you, and they notice. With a little digging, they come to find out you are a Jesus Christ follower and they ask, “Are you with Him,” or “you are one of them aren’t you?” The way we respond is pivotal in the rest of our walk, for each time we dismiss a gospel opportunity, it becomes easier the next. How many of us have said, even in our silence, “I am not with Him.” She speaks of Christ in the vulgar dialect of the Jews, calling him "this man"; not only esteeming him a mere man, but a worthless man.
- We know of the scriptures that show Peter’s denial before the rooster crowed. Mar 14:72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and wept.
Joh 18:18 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.
- John shows us, that, up to a certain point, Peter was hard headed and rebellious, even in his denial. Sometimes the Lord has to knock us up side of the head to get us out of our funk we get in. To get us to think like Him and to acknowledge that His ways are always the better way. It took three times before Peter was broken.
- F.B. Meyers said there are three lessons we can learn from Peter’s denial: (1) Let us not sleep through the precious moments which Heaven affords before each hour of trial, but use them for putting on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand in the evil day. (2) Let us not vaunt our own strength. We need more than resolution to sustain us in the hour of conflict. (3) Let us not cast ourselves down from the mountainside, unless absolutely sure that God bids us to do so. He will not otherwise give His angels charge to keep us.
- Peter warms himself by the fire to escape suspicion, but the light reveals him yet again and he denies the Lord. This all was part of the Lord’s divine plan. Christ would be rejected so we may be accepted. In Act_4:11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
How do we reject the Lord today? For the church, it is not living out your faith. For the person that doesn’t know Jesus yet, rejection and denial is already there. We reject the Lord today by living in willful disobedience and try to have things our way and catered to our preference. We reject the Lord by not reconciling with each other, by being stingy with the gospel, by not looking at adversity in the body of Christ and using it for the glory of God.
I would like to share a dream with you…
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