GEMS FROM THE GOSPELS JOHN 18 & 19 #52days

GEMS FROM THE GOSPELS

JOHN 18 & 19

John 18 & 19 – Jesus and his disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Judas Iscariot was familiar with this frequent meeting place and took a detachment of Roman soldiers as well as some Temple guards provided by the High Priest and the Pharisees armed with weaponry to accost the “criminal.” Jesus asked who they wanted even though He already knew. When they said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth, He said, “I AM.” At that moment the soldiers backed up and fell to the ground. They asked again and He replied the same way and told them to let the disciples go since it was Him they wanted. Simon Peter cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant, and Jesus told him to put the sword away because this was the cup the Father wanted Him to drink. We know from the other Gospels that Jesus had, in His humanity, wrestled in prayer to submit to drinking the cup of bearing the sins of the world. Satan was actually defeated during that prayer. It was already FINISHED when Jesus said, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” They arrested Jesus and took Him tied up to Annas, the former High Priest and father-in-law of the current High Priest, Caiaphas. Peter and another disciple (John) followed. John was known to the High Priest and secured entrance to the courtyard for Peter. The woman at the gate was the first to whom Peter denied knowing Jesus. Annas questions Jesus who replied that He had taught openly, and Annas could ask those who heard him. A guard slapped Him for speaking to the High Priest in this way. Jesus told him if He had said something wrong, state it. If not, why did he hit Him? Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas. Simon Peter denied knowing Jesus two more times. Immediately, a rooster crowed fulfilling what Jesus said about Peter denying Him three times before dawn. The High Priest and Pharisees led Jesus to the governor’s headquarters in the early morning, but they did not enter lest they be ritually unclean and not able to observe Passover by entering the domain of a Gentile. Pilate came out and asked the charge against Jesus. He thought they could try Him under Jewish laws, but under Roman rule they could not order the execution of anyone. Pilate took Jesus inside and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus wanted to know if he was asking for himself or others had said that. Pilate told Jesus that His own people had handed Him over to him and asked what He had done. Jesus replied that His kingship was not derived from this world order. Pilate said, “Then you are king.” Jesus said, “You say I am a king. I bear witness to the truth. Those who belong to the truth listen to me.” Pilate asked rhetorically, “What is truth?” Then he went out and told the Pharisees he didn’t find a case against Jesus. He offered to free Jesus in honor of Passover, but they demanded that he release Barabbas the revolutionary instead. Pilate had Jesus flogged. The soldiers pushed a crown of thorns deep into His head, place a purple robe on Him, and mocked and abused Him. Pilate made one more attempt to free Jesus. He stood the now pitiful looking Jesus in front of the crowd, but they shouted, “Crucify Him!” The Pharisees said that according to their law, He must die because He claimed to be the Son of God. When Pilate present Jesus as their king, they shouted, “We have no king but Caesar!” Pilate gave up and sent Jesus to be crucified. Jesus was made to carry His cross to Golgotha. Other Gospels tell us Simon of Cyrene was forced to complete the task because Jesus was too weak. Jesus was nailed to the cross and placed between two thieves. Pilate had a sign placed above His head that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The Pharisees protested it should read that He claimed to be king, but Pilate would not change it. The soldiers divided His clothes and gambled for His robe (Psalm 22:18). Jesus’s mother and two other women stood near the cross. Mary was standing next to the Apostle John. Jesus said to her, “Woman, this is your son,” and to John, “This is your mother.” John took Mary into his home from then on. It was the day before the Sabbath, Preparation Day, and the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath. Therefore, Pilate ordered the soldiers to break their legs to hasten death. They did not break Jesus’s legs because He was already dead, but a soldier stabbed Him in the side with a spear. Blood and water flowed out proving He was truly dead. The fact that His legs were not broken was in keeping with Exodus 12:46 since He was the Lamb of God, and they were not to break the legs of the Passover lambs. Psalm 34:20 prophesied that the Messiah would not suffer broken bones. Being pierced with the spear was a fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10. Joseph of Arimathea, a covert disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate for His body. Nicodemus, another secret follower, brought seventy pounds of spices, myrrh, and aloes to anoint Him for burial. They wrapped His body and laid it in a new tomb in the nearby garden. This act would have “outed” them as disciples.

IT IS FINISHED:

·      Jesus’s time as a man was FINISHED

·      His mission on earth was FINISHED

·      The payment for our sin was FINISHED

·      Satan’s hold on believers was FINISHED

·      For believers, separation from God was FINISHED

·      For those who trust Jesus, death was defeated and FINISHED

·      ALL JESUS SET OUT TO DO ON HIS FIRST VISIT TO EARTH WAS COMPLETELY FINISHED