The Arrest of Jesus Christ

Transcript

GR 406
6/21/1981
The Arrest of Jesus Christ
John 18:1-11
Gil Rugh

John chapter 18 in your Bibles, John's gospel and the 18th chapter. We come to the third major division in the gospel of John when we come to the 18th chapter. Remember the first 18 verses of chapter 1 of John formed a prologue or introduction into the book. Then the first major division of the book of John began in chapter 1 verse 19 and went through the 12th chapter, chapter 12 and verse 50 and there Jesus Christ was revealed in His public ministry, the ministry among the nation, the miracles, the teaching and the open display of Himself to the nation Israel as the Messiah and King. Chapter 13 through 17 we had the revelation or manifestation of Christ in His private ministry, that personal ministry with the disciples in chapters 13 to 17 which took place primarily in the upper room and then on the way to the garden. Only the eleven disciples are in on that ministry. Then when we come to chapter 18, we come to the passion ministry of Christ. Chapter 18 through chapter 20 will deal with the events of the crucifixion and the resurrection. Then chapter 21 will be the epilogue, the closing to the gospel of John.

So in chapters 18, 19 and 20 the focus will be on the events of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's where we come to abruptly in chapter 18, the arrest of Jesus Christ in the garden and then move quickly into various trials before Annas, Caiaphas, Pilot and the crucifixion.

The first eleven verses which we'll focus on this morning in our time together deal with the arrest of Christ, the events of the arrest. And we're going to see that John has very selectively recorded this event, not including much of the material that is contained in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Some of the more familiar events in the garden are not recorded, for example the agony of Christ in prayer as He prays Father, if it's possible let this cup pass from Me, that whole period of agony is not recorded by John. The focal point of what John will record is to demonstrate that Jesus Christ is totally sovereign and in control through all the events that transpire. Now that does not mean that the other things did not happen. In all probability John was familiar with what Matthew, Mark and Luke had written but he brings the balance because he wants, remember through his entire gospel, to demonstrate the deity of Jesus Christ, that this one is not only man but he is God. So the events that he selects are those which demonstrate and reveal the power and sovereignty of Christ even in His humiliation, even so humbling an event as His arrest in the garden. When you're done with John's account you have that sense that Christ is totally in control, He is determining the course of events, He is not a victim of these activities but rather He is the sovereign in control.

Chapter 18 begins when Jesus had spoken these words and that would encompass John 13 through 17 but then in particular the prayer that He had just concluded. "He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, into which He Himself entered, and His disciples." John does not give the name Gethsemane, he just says that it is a garden. The other accounts reveal that the name of the garden is Gethsemane, so we call it the Garden of Gethsemane. Not an unfamiliar place to Jesus or His disciples.

Verse 2 tells us "Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place; for Jesus had often met there with His disciples." This was the common gathering place for Christ and the disciples. Evidently Christ spent many nights in this garden when He was in the vicinity of Jerusalem, perhaps it was a friend who had provided this place of retirement for Christ and the disciples to use when He chose.

Back up to the gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 22. We're not going to be bringing in all the details that the other gospel writers record because we want to follow John's thinking and emphasis. I'd encourage you, if you have a parallel account of the gospels, to read it and it will put everything in proper order.
The Harmony of the Gospels, where you have these events paralleled or put in order. In Luke chapter 21, verse 37 "Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called 01ivet." or as you have it in the margin the Olive Grove. Gethsemane means the olive press and evidently the olive trees here a place where olive oil was pressed from the olives of the trees. And you'll note, Christ would teach in the temple, and in the evening He would go out to the Mount of Olivet, the Garden of Gethsemane to spend the evening, to spend the night there. The only time that Jesus is said to have spent the night in Jerusalem in a home is in the upper room, John 13 and those events. So evidently His practice was to retire to this garden.

Over in chapter 22 of Luke, verse 39, this is the same event we're talking about now in John, "And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him.1,1 So when you come over to John 18 and verse 2 and it says that Judas knew the place, this was the common place for Christ to retire to when He was in Jerusalem. So that it didn't take a lot of thinking or reasoning on the part of Judas to determine where would he find Christ. In the normal place when Christ was in Jerusalem He would be spending the night at Gethsemane. Now important to note here also, the demonstration that Christ is not going to Gethsemane because He's trying to throw Judas off the tract, that when Judas wants to betray Him He'll be back looking for Him in the upper room and never think to look at the garden. The logically place for Judas to look for Christ is in the garden at Gethsemane. So you see something of Christ willingly proceeding to the point where He will be arrested. If He was trying to avoid Judas the last place to go would be Gethsemane because Judas had been here many times with Christ during His earthly ministry and knew this is where he would expect to find Him. Judas who was betraying Him knew the place, so verse 3 "Judas this, having received the Roman cohort, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons." So you see the connection, the first part of verse 2 says that Judas knew the place, the reason being that Jesus had met there with His disciples. So when Judas gathers this band he takes them immediately to Gethsemane, to the garden. "The Roman cohort", now that's an interesting statement, this word identified a group that was normally comprised of 600 Roman soldiers that formed a cohort, you have it in the margin, a battalion. This particular Greek word denoted a group of five to six hundred Roman soldiers. Now there were occasions where it could be used of a portion of that group, a group as small as 200 or 250 soldiers. We don't know what the number is here. Evidently it is a large number, the other gospel accounts call it a great multitude. You see something of the determination that is evident here. You're going out to capture one man who has eleven disciples and you have a contingent of hundreds of Roman soldiers in addition to the officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, the representatives from the leaders of Israel who are there perhaps to help with the arrest although several hundred Roman soldiers probably are not going to need help from some religious leaders but to see that it is carried out and that the right man is arrested. They "came there with lanterns and torches and weapons", they came well armed. Now it may be perhaps that with the input of the Jewish leaders that a man like Pilate would be concerned that perhaps the following of Christ would be much stronger. I mean He's presented as one who claimed to be King and perhaps among the Galileans there would be a large following and Pilate would not want anything to get out of control. Here we are at the time of the Passover when many Jews are in Jerusalem, perhaps there would be hundreds of followers that would attach themselves to Christ. At any rate we see that there is going to be no room for error here so this may be a full cohort of 600 soldiers in addition well armed lanterns, torches. Now at Passover, normally there would a full moon and be well lighted but you're going to a garden and perhaps Christ would try to hide, so they're well prepared to search Him out to accomplish their purposes.

"Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth, and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" Note John has omitted entirely the agony of the prayer of Christ in the garden and that did occur and John is familiar with that because the other gospel writers say that John was one of the three who were privileged to go into the inner recesses of the garden while Christ agonized in prayer but he does not feel compelled to repeat that account because his stress here is to demonstrate that Christ is sovereign through all of this even with the great pressure He was feeling, even with the reality of His humanity as He agonized in prayer before the Father. He is the sovereign, He comes out of that time of agony in prayer as the one who is in total control, and He goes out and confronts the soldiers and this band with the question "Whom do you seek?". I'm sure that that was a startling confrontation, they in all probability expected Him to be hiding some place and He steps forth to the front to confront them They answer Him "Jesus the Nazarene." In all probability the commander of this Roman cohort would have been the one who did the speaking here "We're looking for Jesus the Nazarene." He said to them, "I am He." Now you have a note here "And Judas also who was betraying Him, was standing with them." I think that note is important because here for the first time for everyone including the eleven disciples Judas is revealed for who and what He is, Judas was standing with them Now for the three years of the public ministry of Jesus Christ Judas had been identified with Jesus Christ and the disciples but he had never really been part of them. And now as the final confrontation comes and the line is drawn, Judas is seen standing with the enemies of Christ against Him. His true character, his true person is now revealed, his choice has been made and it's clearly demonstrated for all to see. I take that this would be the first time that any of the eleven disciples realized that Judas really belonged to the enemies of Christ and not to the friends, that he was one who stood against Christ not for and with Christ. And a good reminder for all of us, there is going to come a day when we'll all be revealed for what we are. And many who have identified themselves in a superficial way with believers, with Christ have been part of groups like this will be revealed to in reality to belong to the enemy and not to Christ. Those who will cry out that we did many mighty things in your name and Jesus says "Depart from Me ye cursed, I never knew you." Judas always stands to me as I study the gospels as a strong warning and reminder. Here he is in the garden where many times he had retired with Christ and the disciples but never really was a believers and now he stands in the garden with those who have come to arrest Jesus Christ.

Now verse 6, John tells us what happens Jesus stood forth said "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus the Nazarene." Identifying Him as the One from Nazareth, Jesus was not an uncommon name, the Old Testament equivalent is Joshua. So they identify very clearly "We are looking for Jesus the Nazarene.", "Jesus the One from Nazareth". Jesus speaks forth and says "I am", you note you have the word "HE" in italics there. That means that is added to complete the idea but literally He simply said "I am". And John in verse 6 says "When therefore He said to them, "I am", they drew back, and fell to the ground." An interesting note that John reveals here that when Christ presented Himself and identified Himself, the moment He identifies Himself this whole band of Roman soldiers and others falls back to the ground. That's an awesome presentation. Now some commentators say this would have just been a natural surprise. Here they come into this garden which would have been shadowy and all and all of a sudden Jesus steps forth and asks them "Whom are you looking for?" "Jesus the Nazarene". And they are so startled that they retreat and fall on the ground. That may make sense to some but can you imagine 600 Roman soldiers being confronted by one man in the garden and being surprised when He says "It's Me". It just doesn't fit at all. If they were going to be startled it would have been when He came out and asked them "Whom are you seeking?", if they weren't expecting anyone to speak up. But Roman soldiers weren't noted for turning around and falling on the ground, so I take it that's not the explanation here. These Roman soldiers aren't intimidated just on the human level. I take it what we have is this response of Christ which really is a two fold emphasis. That when they ask for Jesus the Nazarene and He presents Himself, He uses that title which also bears the whole force of deity. We looked at this earlier in the gospel of John as a title of Christ, back in John 8, just quickly. John chapter 8 and if you want to pursue the background of this name, if you weren't here when we did this study you can get the tape on this section and look at its Old Testament background. Verse 58 "Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM." Same expression there which comes out of the opening chapters of Exodus as a title of deity of Jehovah, I am, the eternal God. The Jews response on that occasion was to want to stone Him because of the declaration of deity. Here in John 18, I take it when He says "I am", there is something of the presentation of His person which in that instant of time is overwhelming and it is that supernatural display of power which overwhelms the enemy on this occasion. Now He's going to go on to respond again that "I am" indicating that I am the One that you are looking for. But I take it there is a two fold emphasis brought out here, the "I am" reveals that "I am not just Jesus the Nazarene but I am the sovereign God." And John presents clearly here that Christ is totally in control. Six hundred, six thousand, six hundred thousand soldiers could not have arrested Jesus Christ in the garden if He had not determined that that was what was to happen. All He had to do was utter two words and everybody that was there to oppose Him was laying on the ground. It's no big deal so to speak, He is in control He is not boxed in, He is not caught with no place to run, He is sovereign. "I am" and they retreat and fall to the ground. The impact seems to be lost we're going to see this on a couple of occasions here. There is the display of the glory of Jesus Christ and it is lost on the unbeliever, it makes no impact on them. We're going to see this again in a surprising way when Christ is raised from the dead and the Jewish leaders give the soldiers money to lie about what happened. The impact of that miracle and revelation of the glory of Christ goes right on by the unbeliever. I wonder what was going through the mind of this band as they looked around as they were gathered on the ground. We're not told and Jesus makes no point of it.

"They drew back and fell to the ground. Again therefore He asked them, "Whom do you seek?" "Maybe you didn't understand My question." They said "Jesus the Nazarene." Jesus answered, "I told you that I am"." Now you see "I am Jesus the
Nazarene.", but there is also the revelation here that as Jesus the Nazarene "I am" going beyond just the humanity of Christ but to the deity. "If therefore you seek Me, let these go their way", I think it's interesting here, here is Christ confronted in the garden in the darkness of night, He has eleven cowards joined with Him who in a moment are going to take off and run and one of them, John Mark, is going to be geared for running in the lightest possible way because he's going to be running naked. But they're all going to be running and Jesus confronts them here and I think it's a twofold request focuses attention on just who they are looking for. Twice He has asked them regarding the object of their search, twice they have said "Jesus the Nazarene", twice He has said "I am". So there can be no confusion about the purpose of their mission no confusion about who He is and then to see something of His sovereignty He gives this band of Roman soldiers, priestly officials a command. That command is at the end of verse 8 "let these go their way", that's given in the errost imperative, the strongest way to give a command in the Greek language. You get the idea of who is in control here? Who is in charge? "I've told you I am, let these go." It seems a strange place for a person to give orders doesn't it? You don't find Jesus meekly cowering under their presence. But He's giving them an order, "You're looking for Me, then let these go." And they do, they will all be spared "let these go".

Verse 9, John tells us why "in order that the word might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one." Back up to chapter 6. We see two occasions, "the word" is the word that Christ spoke during His earthly ministry, He promised the deliverance of those who followed Him. John 6:39 we're going to see that there is a different dimension to this as it's used in John 18. But note 6:39, Jesus speaks "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day." Now there the ultimate implication is the salvation the glorification of those who believe in Him, but He promised that He would lose nothing, not one. Look over in chapter 17, verse 12. In His prayer Christ prays, "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You had given Me; and I guarded them, and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled." That preservation of the disciples, now again the ultimate realization of this is our eternal salvation but that preservation of Christ, that keeping of Christ in the spiritual realm is demonstrated by His keeping them on this occasion even in their physical preservation. So His word is fulfilled and seemed to be true, that not one of them was lost, not only spiritually but physically as well on this occasion. So Christ is the one who will be taken on this occasion and that helps clarify things as well. Jesus is the only one taken, He is the only one to die on this occasion. It clarifies and draws attention to the fact that He is the sacrifice. It's not Jesus and Peter and John. It's Jesus alone. Now we ought to note something here because I think that it reminds us of a principle that we need to be aware of as believers. Christ on this occasion secures the disciples for their physical safety, He preserves them from physical harm but that is not going to always be the case. That is not going to always occur. Here we have demonstrated Christ's keeping power which reveals the fact that He is able to keep them spiritually even as He keeps them physically. But you know there is going to come a time when He's not going to keep them. Look over to the book of Acts chapter 12, a contrast that many have noted which is a good reminder. Acts chapter 12 verse 2 verse 1, "Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, in order to mistreat them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword." Where's the keeping power of Christ? Because it fit His purposes and His plan to preserve them on that occasion in the garden. Now it fit His purposes and plans to allow James to be executed and them Peter is arrested in verse 3. But it suits the purposes and plans of God with Peter, verse 7 "And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared, and light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and roused him, saying, "Get up quickly." And his chains fell off his hands." Verse 10, And when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street", Peter is delivered. Why? Because it fit God's purposes for Peter at that time to deliver him. So James is killed and Peter is delivered. What explanation? Couldn't the same God who delivered Peter have delivered James? Yes, but He didn't. Later on John is going to be spared and Peter is going to be executed. Why? God saved Peter by an angel on this occasion, couldn't He have done it them? He could have but it didn't suit His purposes on that occasion. So back in the garden it suited the purposes of God to preserve and spare all of the disciples on that occasion, but only one of them is going to be spared the death of a martyr before all is said and done and that's the apostle John. But important to note that the sovereign God is in control of it all. We are believers sometimes fail to recognize that. Can you imagine the family of James sitting around saying "Oh, why James?" "You know, why did God let Peter out?" "Why didn't he preserve our James?" Because it suited His purposes on that occasion. So we sit and say "Oh, why did this tragedy come to me?" "So and so is a believer and they never seem to have this kind of difficulty." Because the sovereign God is doing what is right and best in my life and in your life and working all of these things according to His purpose. He could do differently and I don't always understand why He doesn't do differently except that He is the one who is sovereign and in control. And it's a great comfort to know that He does preserve, He does keep and when the tragedy, when the difficulty, when the hardship, when the death comes with the full assurance that the sovereign God is just as much in control and this is His plan for Me.

Come back to John 18, verse 10 "Simon Peter" (good old Simon) "Simon Peter therefore having a sword, drew it, and struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave's name was Malchus." We get some insight and we'll see this as we move on in our study of the trial. John evidently is from a well to do influential family and he is familiar with this high priest, he knows his name, he is the only one of the gospel writers who tells us what his name is. I used to wonder how Peter did that little bit of butchery of in the night you reach out and cut off an ear. Well, knowing Peter, knowing the occasion there is no future in cutting off ears. I take it that Peter was not intending to cut off his ear but the thing that holds the ears on, called the head. He has here what is called the sword, this wouldn't be one of these long deals, but the word here denotes a dagger sword so it would have been a short sword. And evidently as he reached out to strike Malchus moved to avoid the blow and it slices off his ear. Now you see what's happening here, Peter is about to take things into his own hands, he has even missed the point of what has just happened. Christ said "I am" and the whole multitude falls back on the ground. Things have not come to the point where the sovereign Lord Jesus Christ needs Peter to protect Him. The other gospel accounts record that Jesus said "I could ask My Father and He'd give Me legions of angels to deliver Me.", that's not the need, Peter misses it here. I take it there is an order, John doesn't bring it in, but it you read through the other gospel accounts you'd find out something happened, Peter was sleeping when he should have been praying.

Back up to Mark 14 and we'll just look at that one account, Mark 14. You know there's something that amazes me about the devil. I don't know how much he knows, I know he is brilliant, but he is not omniscient. I don't know how much about the future he can know and understand but obviously he has some knowledge of the future. And if you've been a believer very long, you've been in that situation where it seems that things come up and transpire which unsettle you as a believer and then all of a sudden you're in a major spiritual confrontation for which you feel totally unprepared. And you look back and say "How could I be so foolish?", but you didn't know that that battle was coming or you would have used the time more wisely to prepare yourself spiritually. That amazes me, I've come to the point when I get into a difficult spiritual time I almost expect that there is a major conflict coming and the devil is trying to unsettle me so that I'm not prepared. That happens with Peter, Peter is sleeping when he should have been praying because he didn't know this confrontation was coming. Look at Mark chapter 14, verse 37. Christ has been praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, that prayer that John does not record. He has asked the disciples to stay and pray while He goes further on to pray alone. Verse 34 He tells them "And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch." Then He went on and prayed. Down in verse 37 "And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying, that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." And again He went away and prayed,... And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy", these men have had a long day, this is late at night or early in the next morning, they are weary, but Jesus said it's still not the time to be sleeping, you ought to be praying because there's a tremendous battle about to be waged. Peter is not ready he was sleeping when he should have been praying. And now and often we do this, we repeat the activity of Peter, we've been unprepared spiritually when the conflict comes up we charge in with the brashness and rashness of the flesh, taking things in our own hands. And sometimes we get a false sense of courage but we're not going about it God's way, we try to overcome the spiritual deficiency by charging in and it's really just the energy of the flesh going to work. Peter is in danger here humanly speaking of making a serious error. I mean how foolish, you think these eleven men, they only have two swords among all eleven incidentally. Peter's got one, you might expect that and we're told there's one other one, the other gospel writers said they had two swords among them. Eleven men, 'only two of them armed are going to stand against hundreds of Roman soldiers, they'd be slaughtered on the spot. Now is that God's intention? That Jesus Christ be executed in a massacre in the Garden of Gethsemane? Obviously not. You see Peter here is trying to lead instead of follow. Instead of looking to Christ for direction, he's trying to take it on himself. I take it, it goes back to the lack of proper preparation. We need to be careful, when we do battle, we battle. We don't have time to go into it, Ephesians 6, we do battle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces. So down in Ephesians 6:18 we're told to pray. Prayer is a key part of doing that battle. It tells you why prayer is sometimes such a difficult responsibi1ity, it's a key part of effectively waging warfare. In II Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4, Paul says "for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but rather they are spiritual."
John 18, Malchus' ear is cut off. Look over in Luke 22, John doesn't record it but we ought to just note it. In Luke 22, verse 49 "And when those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" Now there's a certain amount of courage here that will evaporate rather quickly. "And a certain one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear." John is the only one who says it was Peter, now it may well be that John writes much later and Peter is already dead so there's no danger or harm to come to Peter through this. At any rate he's the one who reveals it's Peter, we might have guessed it but John tells us. Note verse 51, "Jesus answered and said, "Stop! No more of this." And He touched his ear and healed him." One of the things that really interests me in the events surrounding the arrest and crucifixion of Christ is whatever happened to Malchus? I wonder what kind of impact this made on him. Can you imagine you being this high priest and just had your ear sliced off and Christ reaches over and heals the ear? I'm sure that through all the rest of these events Malchus was in a little bit of confusion. But we're not told anything about Malchus. I would expect his testimony to come rushing to the forth at one of the trials of Christ. You say "wait a minute you can't put him on trial He put my ear back together." "Look at this ear, you see this ear, it was cut off in the garden." That's a good way to get identified as a nut I'm sure. I wonder where Malchus is, nothing told. That's the other event that seems to be lost. I don't know how many would have been aware of what happened in the garden in the confusion but both with tie display of power and this band being driven back and falling to the ground and now the healing of the ear of Malchus. But you know the unbeliever is set on his course and neither of these stupendous events makes any difference to these unbelievers who are here, they pursue their course. It makes no impact on Judas who betrays Him with a kiss and just indicates again that an unbeliever is an unbeliever by the own set of his rebellious heart. Just like today, people set they hear this word, they hear the message concerning the death and resurrection of Christ, they are unmoved by it.
They see family and friends whose lives are transformed by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, they are unmoved by it. How can they not be impressed? Because they are set in their unbelief unwilling to consider Jesus Christ as the Savior that He is.

Back to John 18. I still got to say, I wonder if I'll see Malchus in heaven I can't believe that a guy could go through this- and incidentally here there's a note that Malchus' faith had nothing to do with his ear getting healed. It doesn't say "If you have enough faith Malchus I'll put your ear back on for you." There's no indication that Malchus unbelief changes anywhere along the line but Christ sovereignly heals him. "Jesus therefore said to Peter", verse 11 "Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?" A note here "the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?" on other occasions Christ has been delivered from His enemies. Look back in John 8 again verse 59, the Jews had intended on other occasions to kill Him, in John 8:59 "Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple." Or literally Jesus was hidden, went out of the temple, evidently supernatural preservation here. Look over in John chapter 12, verse 36 "While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and He departed and hid Himself from them." Now you come to John 18 "the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?" "That which the Father intends for Me, shall I not accept it?" "Shall I not carry it out?" So the point in John 18 and verse 11 is, now it is God's appointed time and thus Christ now willingly is going to partake of the cup. No resistance, no attempt to avoid it but only acceptance of what is the Father's will. I think we ought to take note here, Christ is a unique case, obviously, for what is about to take place. The same is true for you and I. As believers, as children of God we are supernaturally cared for and protected as preserved until God's appointed time. So when hardship, when difficulty, when tragedy comes, I as a believer ought to be ready to accept it willingly, knowing that it is God's time. Some could look and say "Why should Christ be taken at this occasion?" "Why at 33 years of age, the prime of the ministry should He now be arrested?" "Why when perhaps there would be a movement among those at the Passover to accept Him, after that triumphal entry approximately a week before when they proclaimed Him the Son of David?" Because it is God's appointed time. We sometimes look and say "Oh, why should this happen to them on this occasion?" "Why should God allow this to come into my life at this time?" Because it is God's appointed time. Humanly I don't understand it but I have the confidence that the sovereign God is doing the right thing at the right time to carry out His purposes.

Look at one passage that we've referred to before, in II Corinthians chapter 12. II Corinthians chapter 12. The account here of Paul suffering and just a principle, the same principle but it's a different setting, obviously. Paul had a problem, we're not told what it was and he besought the Lord three times that the Lord would give him deliverance. And verse 8 "Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Paul's response, "Most gladly, therefore I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong." And you know it's interesting to me, Paul does not say "I will boast in spite of my weaknesses". That's not what he says, that's what we as Christians often say "I've learned to boast in Christ in spite of my weaknesses." Paul says, "I will boast about my weaknesses", he doesn't say "I am strong in spite of my weakness", but rather "I am strong because of my weaknesses", "My weaknesses are my strength, because it is in those that the sovereign power of God is at work." This characterized Paul down to the end, where in II Timothy chapter 4 he could confront his impending death with confidence saying 'Now is the time, I've fought a good fight, I've kept the faith, now I'm ready to be offered." But Paul do you remember all the times you were delivered and spared? Yes, but this is God's time, I'm ready. So when Christ says "shall I not partake of the cup which the Father has prepared for Me?" I take it He is revealing an attitude which ought to characterize us as believers. Now Christ had more full knowledge about the total plan of God for His life, about the timing of that. You know you and I who walk by faith can have the same assurance and confidence that why should this come into my life on this occasion? Why should I have this physical weakness? Physical suffering? Why should I be confronting the possibility of death on this occasion? Why me Lord? I don't have all the answers, but I know the sovereign God is in total control and His timing is always right and always perfect. For His plan and for me as well. I wonder do we as believers live that way? Full confidence and assurance, that's a terrific privilege to be able to live with the full confidence that a sovereign God is in control. Sometimes He provides deliverance, sometimes He won't. What a privilege, the rest and the assurance that He always does the right thing, at the right time. And I don't need to fret, I don't need to worry, I don't need to fuss all I need to do is trust Him. If you're here and not a child of God, you ought to note here at the end of this verse "the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?"' What He’s talking about is partaking of God's plan for the redemption of fallen humanity by going and dying on a cross to pay the penalty for sin, so that by believing that the Son of God did die on the cross, was resurrected from the dead you might have forgiveness and cleansing. That’s the whole purpose of it all. Christ is saying "I have come at the Father's appointed time to secure redemption and salvation for those who will believe. Have you come to believe in Him? Perhaps you're more like Judas than you would want to admit. That you're here and you come and meet together with other believers but have you ever personally come to trust this one that we preach about? As the one who died for you personally? As the one who has paid the penalty for your sins in His death on the cross? Have you come to believe in Him? Perhaps you've got everyone fooled, me, others, you family, your husband, your wife, your children but you haven't fooled God and if you don't come to believe in Him there will be a day when you'll be revealed for what you are. The joy of it all is that Christ partook of the cup the Father had prepared that you might believe and have life.