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John

John 
Day 
Day 275

John 18:1-11 "THE STRANGEST ARREST EVER MADE"

Day 275 – John 18

THE STRANGEST ARREST EVER MADE

The armed soldiers staggered back, literally, at the power of the cool courage displayed by this Jesus of Nazareth! John could not but record this detail precisely.

“Now when He said to them, ‘I am He,’
they drew back and fell to the ground.”
John 18:6

You could have felled them with a feather! What happened here? The soldiers were of course taken aback that Jesus did not try to run away in the cover of the night. He had not only remained resolute and calm, He identified Himself as the very prisoner that the soldiers had been sent to capture! Somebody must have made a big blunder somewhere! Why would they need to send an armed detachment to arrest a Man who seemed so harmless! Shock and confusion caused the soldiers to stumble over each other!

As they picked themselves up, not without some embarrassment, once again they faced Jesus. Once again, they heard astonishing words,

“Whom are your seeking?”
John 18:7

And once again, the soldiers muttered, with some apprehension.

“Jesus of Nazareth.”
John 18:7

This must have gone down in their books as the strangest arrest the soldiers ever made. The arresting officers did not seem to know what they were doing. The Person they were trying to arrest was helping them!

“HAVING LOVED HIS OWN … HE LOVED THEM TO THE END” John 13:1

The matter of His own personal suffering had already been settled, as far as Jesus was concerned. However, the question of His Disciples had not yet been dealt with. Thinking only of His beloved Disciples, Jesus spoke to the arresting officers.

“I have told you that I am He.
Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way.”
John 18:8

Did the Disciples hear these words? Had all of them fled already? How moved their hearts must have been to hear these loving words.

The soldiers had no orders to arrest anyone else, except Jesus. However, they were armed to the teeth because they had expected trouble or resistance from the Disciples of Jesus or from the crowds. If anyone had attempted to obstruct them they would not have hesitated to use force to carry out their orders.

Jesus was not unfamiliar with the ways of the rough soldiers. They had been trained to quell mob violence. The scene could get very ugly. His heart went out to His Disciples. He loved them and did not want them to get hurt unnecessarily. Thus He asked that His followers be allowed to go free!

CONSCIOUSNESS OF JESUS’ WORDS

John claimed that Jesus was conscious of a prophetic word from the Scriptures. He wrote,

“That the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke,
‘Of those whom You gave me I have lost none.”
John 18:9

John had heard the prayer of Jesus. Who could forget those moving words uttered so gently to the Father in prayer?

“While I was with them in the world, I kept them
in Your Name. Those whom You gave Me I have
kept; and none of them is lost except the son of
perdition …”
John 17:12

Where was Judas all this while? John made this observation.

“And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with
them (soldiers)”
John 18:5

What about the Disciples? Would they be harmed? They had not received a word from their Master yet. Would He command them to fight? They were more than prepared to fight for the life of their Beloved Master. Many if not all of them would have been prepared to lay down their lives for their Master if He so commanded them to give battle to the soldiers.

The arresting officers had come fully prepared for any resistance. There could be bloodshed! Lives could be lost unnecessarily. The soldiers had to quickly assess the situation. They were on unfamiliar territory. This man called Jesus of Nazareth was obviously no ordinary Person. The way He carried Himself, the way He spoke, there was such power in His whole being!

The soldiers had already lost their advantage or surprise. Jesus had known that they were coming. He had not been intimidated in the slightest! How would they fare in a fight, in the night? Some lives would be lost if they did not carefully consider what Jesus asked. Perhaps, some of the soldiers could be severely wounded if there was heavy fighting.

Experience and prudence taught the soldiers to concede to Jesus’ request. The Disciples would not be harmed, if Jesus surrendered Himself to the arresting officers. Jesus thought of His Disciples as He spoke to the soldiers. John thought of the words of Jesus as the soldiers acceded to the request of Jesus. The Disciples would be spared. None would be lost – as Jesus had said!