(Read John 18:1-10)
Today we continue down The Road to the Resurrection. Soon we will be celebrating the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus the Christ. In preparation, for the next few messages, I will teach on what Jesus endured on the road to the cross, and what it means to us today.
In John chapter 18 we find Jesus entering a grove of olive trees. Judas, the betrayer, knew the place well. Jesus frequented the grove with His disciples. Judas led a contingent of Roman Soldiers and Temple guards (armed with blazing torches and weapons), to the grove. Jesus knew what was going to happen, so He stepped forward to meet them and asked, “Who are you looking for?” They replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus said, “I AM he.” As soon as He said it, the Soldiers drew back and fell to the ground! I guess it hadn’t dawned on them what they were doing. They were about to arrest the Son of God. When Jesus said “I AM” it was like the power of God was released. At that moment the Soldiers realized they were up against more than they bargained for.
Jesus asked a second time, “Who are you looking for?” And again the Soldiers replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus responded, “I told you that I AM he, and since I am the one you want, let these others go.” The Bible says that Jesus said this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.”
While Jesus knew what was going on, Peter did not. Peter was hot-tempered. He was not about to allow Jesus to be arrested without a fight. So Peter drew his sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, a servant of the High Priest. While Peter was zealous, Jesus knew this was not a flesh-and-blood fight. Peter was looking at the situation ‘in the natural’. Jesus was looking at the situation ‘in the Spirit’. Jesus was on assignment and He was ready to accept His fate. Jesus was ready to die for our sin BY GRACE. So Jesus told Peter to put his sword away and He put Malchus’ ear back on his head.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Jesus knew Judas and the Roman Soldiers were coming for Him and He willingly allowed Himself to be arrested. No man could do anything to Jesus without His permission. Certainly no man could take His life. But He did it for you and He did it for me as an act of underserved grace.
2. The Roman Soldiers fell to the ground as soon as they stood before Jesus. There is no way they could have arrested Jesus unless Jesus allowed it. Jesus accepted it and allowed it, because He was thinking of you. He was ready to accept brutal punishment and a horrific death, all because of you! Please remember that on Easter Sunday and keep that thought at the back of your mind every day.
3. Peter cut Malchus’ ear off, because he ready for a physical fight. Jesus put Malchus’ ear back, because He understood the fight was not carnal. Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit. There will be times when the Holy Spirit leads you to do something that makes no sense in the natural, but if you have spiritual discernment, you will know why God is leading you to do it. Others may not understand you, like Peter did not understand Jesus. But living by faith will require you to do what God says, even when no one else understands what you are doing, and even when it causes you pain. The pain you are enduring will pale in comparison to the glory that will be revealed through it.
4. Jesus accepted the cross because it was part of His assignment. The cross was not the end of Jesus, but He needed to go through it. We could never celebrate the resurrection if Jesus refused to accept the cross. Many of us want the promise God gave us, but we don’t want to endure the pain associated with the process. God will give you the promise, and He may even give you a glimpse of what you will look like as you enjoy it, but the same God will require you to develop the grit and determination required to endure the process associated with bringing it to pass. If you are not willing to endure the pain, you may never enjoy the promise!
5. There will be times when you have to overcome the pain associated with your path, on the road to your purpose. Don’t let the pain stop you. If you are facing it, you can take, and you will make it, by God’s grace. Just keep going, keep pressing, and keep pursuing your purpose. There is a promise waiting for you on the other side of the pain.
6. The writer of Hebrews said, “We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him.” (Hebrews 12:2 ERV). While Jesus was dealing with the pain associated with His path to the cross, He looked past the pain and He saw YOU. You are the JOY He was able to see on the other side of the pain. Jesus looked down through the annals of time and He saw YOU. That’s why He went to the cross. He did it for YOU! Understanding that, you should live your life in honor of His death!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die in my place. Jesus willingly accepted His fate. He voluntarily went to the cross. He did it for me. No man took Jesus’ life, because no man ever could. The Soldiers fell down when they realized they were standing before Jesus. He had to ALLOW them to arrest Him. Jesus did this as an act of undeserved grace. Jesus accepted the pain associated with the cross, because He was thinking of me; because He knew there was a promise waiting for Him on the other side of the pain. Like Jesus, I press through challenging times, knowing there are precious promises waiting for me on the other side. The road to Jesus’ resurrection was not without pain and the road to my purpose will not be pain-free either. But I shall not stop. Like Jesus, I endure the pain and I shall enjoy the promise! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
