 What we're looking at tonight is the arrest of Jesus from the perspective of the Gospel of John. And so beginning at verse 1, reading to verse 11, John writes, when Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden which he and his disciples entered. And Judas who betrayed him also knew the place for Jesus often met there with his disciples. Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that would come upon him, went forward and said to them, whom are you seeking? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus said to them, I am he. And Judas who betrayed him stood with them. Now, when he said to them, I am he, they drew back and fell to the ground. Then he asked them again, whom are you seeking? They said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he. Therefore, if you seek me, let these go their way that the same might be fulfilled which he spoke of those whom you gave me, I have lost none. Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Melchus. So Jesus said to Peter, put your sword into the sheath, shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me, the arrest of Jesus? Now, let me give you a little bit of an introduction and we'll move into our study. Jesus has been teaching this last night with his disciples. He had been in an upper room. He had celebrated Passover and then according to John 14 verse 31, he left that room and he was walking with his disciples and as he was walking and you could imagine Jesus did this so many times, you see it so often in Scripture that he would be with his disciples and as he was walking with his disciples with his men, he was continuing to teach them, he was continuing to instruct them. They're walking to a garden, a place called the garden that we know as the Garden of Gethsemane and the Garden of Gethsemane is just outside the city walls and as he's walking, he's concluding his teaching and as he was concluding his teaching, he lifted up prayer to his father. We saw that in chapter 17 and he had began his prayer with a personal yielding to the will of his father. We saw then in chapter 17 verse 1, he had prayed glorify your son that your son also may glorify you. Well we know that as we've gone through this particular gospel, we know that Jesus's glory was going to come through his death on the cross. So he's now putting what you would call feet to his prayer, this prayer of consecration. He's making his way to the cross and he's completing the will of his father. He's completing the task his father had sent him to do in order that he might bring glory to his father. Remember in John 4.34, Jesus had said, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. It's to do his work. It's to finish his work. It's to do his will. When you look in the book of Hebrews in chapter 10 verse 7, it says, behold I have come in the volume of the book it is written of me to do your will, oh God. So Jesus was doing the will of the Father. And as we were looking at chapter 17, John closed the chapter by telling us that Jesus was concluding his prayer. So we pick up at verse 1 in chapter 18 and it simply says here in John 18, 1, that he went out with his disciples over the Brook Kidron. Now we've been to the garden of Yosemite. Some of you have gone with us to Israel, have been to Israel and you've been by the Brook Kidron. It's dried up now, but this garden of Yosemite is located just east of the city. It's on what is called the Mount of Olives. And as you were leaving the city in order to get to the Mount of Olives to the garden of Yosemite, you would have to cross over a brook and that brook is called Kidron. The word Kidron literally means to be dark or to be murky. Now the brook was in what is called the Kidron Valley and it wound southeast and emptied into the Dead Sea. In 1 Kings 15, 13, that particular verse speaks of idols that were burned by the Brook Kidron. And it seems that the ashes of those idols were thrown into the brook and were carried off in that brook to the Dead Sea. And that was intended to show the futility of idolatry. The ashes ended up in a sea that had no life. And so this Brook Kidron is significant in the nation of Israel's history. Now during the summer it's very dry. When you go to Israel and we've only been to Israel once in the actual summer, we've found that it's very dry and very, very hot. And so during the summer it's very dry in Israel. But during the rainy season, this brook would swell with water. At Passover, lambs would be killed in the temple area and the blood was poured on the altar. And from the altar was a channel and the channel funneled the blood into the brook 200 feet below. Now there's a lot of blood that would be poured into this dark and murky brook because 30 years after Jesus died, it's recorded that 256,000 lambs had been slain during Passover. Usually a lamb was intended to feed 10 people. And so that tells us the number of people that would be in Israel. It also would tell us how many lambs would be slain and the amount of blood that would be poured into this dark and murky brook. It was filled with blood. It would be filled with blood during the time of Passover. So you have to picture Jesus is crossing over the brook and that brook would still be read with the blood of the lambs that had been sacrificed. Undoubtedly the thought of a soon sacrifice would be on his mind. He was going to be the lamb slain for the sin of the world. And the book of Hebrews in chapter 10, verse 4, it makes it clear. It's not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. But Ephesians tells us in chapter 1, verse 7, in Jesus, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. And so the thought of his sacrifice has to be in his mind. It is in his mind as he's crossing over this brook that's filled with the blood of the lambs that have been sacrificed, the offerings that had been made. And we know that the blood of bulls and goats do not cleanse us from sin. It took the blood of Christ. And all of this is symbolic as we understand it now. So Jesus is making his way outside of the walls to a garden, a garden that is owned by one of his followers. You see, the gardens that they had would be outside of the walls. And the reason that it would be outside the city walls is because in the city itself there was very limited space and it was prohibited for manure to be used for gardens within the city walls. And because that was true, many wealthy owned private gardens on the slopes of Mount, the Mount of Olives. And so Jesus is going to one of these private gardens. They're going to a place called Gethsemane. Gethsemane literally is translated oil press. And he's about to go into this area and he's going to go through a press, if you will. And he's going to take time to pray. According to Mark 1432, it says they came to a place which was called Gethsemane and he said to his disciples, sit here while I pray. And so Jesus is on his way. He went out with his disciples, according to verse one, over the brook he drawn. There's a garden which he and his disciples entered. Verse two, Judas who betrayed him also knew the place for Jesus often met there with his disciples. Now notice how it says Judas who betrayed him. Judas is often identified in that way. Judas who betrayed him. When you read the names of the apostles that Jesus had, you might find this interesting because he had two apostles who went by the name Judas. According to Luke, chapter six, verse 16, in Acts, chapter one, verse 13, there's one named Judas, the son of James. But this Judas that's being mentioned here is the one who betrayed Jesus. One of his followers, one of Jesus's followers, owned this private garden. And we're told here that Jesus often met there with his disciples. And Judas would know where the Lord would be. Notice with me as we're looking at this, Jesus didn't try to hide. He went to the place where Judas could easily find him. And so Judas knew where he was. And according to verse three, Judas received a detachment of troops and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. He came there with lanterns, torches and weapons. And so the Romans were sensitive to problems during this feast. They often would provide troops. So Judas went and got some of them. It was a mixture of Roman soldiers and Jewish temple police. And there was a detachment of them. And the detachment speaks of a number ranging from 200 to up to 1,000 soldiers. And so they were prepared for a possible riot. So there were quite a number of soldiers that came. And so as this is taking place, notice they came with lanterns, torches and weapons. So they came fully armed and fully prepared. Well, Jesus first forth, therefore knowing all things that would come upon him, went forward and said to them, who are you seeking? Now, John doesn't supply some information that I want to use for a moment and develop this with you. Jesus enters the garden. And when you look at the other Gospels, he left eight of his disciples and he went deeper in with only three of them. He took with him Peter, James and John. These three have been referred to by Bible commentators as his inner circle. These are ones that you would see very often with Jesus experiencing things that the others didn't share. They were with him, for example, when he raised Jairus' daughter from the dead, according to Mark 537. They were with him on the Mount called Transfiguration as recorded in Matthew 17, verse one. And they were with him at the Mount of Olives when he spoke of the last days in Mark 13, verse three. These are three men who spent an awful lot of time with Jesus, his inner circle. And now they are with him as he enters into this garden and he's going there to pray. Now he commands them to watch and to pray. But out of sorrow, according to Luke 22, 45, they fell asleep. In Matthew 26, 45 through 49 it says he came to his disciples. He said to them, are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand. And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve with a great multitude of the swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now his betrayer had given them a sign saying, whomever I kiss, he is the one, seize him. Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, greetings rabbi. And he kissed him. So you picture this, Jesus is there. He's told this man to watch and to pray. Watch and pray, let's you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. And he went and he prayed and he prayed three different times. And as he was praying, he was praying, Father, if it'd be possible, take this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours. If it's possible, take this cup from me. But the fact is, it wasn't possible, was it? I remember going to the Garden of Gethsemane for one of the first times that we ever went. And my pastor, Chuck Smith, was there in this particular garden, giving a Bible study. And his son, Chuck Jr., had just given a great devotion in that garden. But Pastor Chuck, being the pastor that he was, if he felt something was not mentioned, that should have been mentioned, well, he would go and he would take it upon himself to mention it. And he did that quite often. That's why I didn't like to teach in front of him. And I'll never forget how Pastor Chuck went up after Jr. had spoken after his son had spoken. And how Pastor Chuck said, and this is how Chuck would be, what Jr. didn't say was there is no other way. And I've never forgotten that. Not that it could have been embarrassing to a son. I'm pretty sure Chuck Jr. was used to that, a lifetime with a dad like that. But what Chuck said has always remained within my heart after all of these years. What Jr. didn't say is, there is no other way. There is no other way. There's only one way to the Father and that's through the Son, Jesus Christ. There is no other way. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration, by the renewing of the Holy Spirit. If there were another way, there would have been a way supplied, but there was no other way. And Jesus was there and he had said to his Father, if there be another way, and his Father, by not providing another way, said, no, you are the Lamb of God. You were slain from the foundation of the world. You are the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. For this purpose, you came in order that you might yield your life, that you might take the sin of the world upon yourself on that cross. And as Jesus was agonizing and Luke made it very clear that in his agony, he even began to perspire as it were great drops of blood. And Luke reminds us that an angel came and began to soothe and comfort him as Jesus went through an agony that was so incredible and so deep, so much of emotional torture and so much pain that he needed to be sustained. His physical body was so gripped because he was about to yield his body up for the sin of the world. He was about to die. And so Jesus was there and he was yielding himself to his Father's will. And he prayed three times. And three times he was led to the same conclusion. He was going to lay his life down. Well, according to Luke 22, 47, and 28, while he was still speaking, behold a multitude, and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss him. Now, we saw a moment ago out of Matthew that Judas came up to him and said, greetings Rabbi and kissed him. What I didn't point out is when you look at the original language when it says in Matthew that he kissed him, the word kissed him is in a Greek tense that speaks of kissing him repeatedly. He didn't kiss him just a greeting on the cheek. He smothered his face with kisses. There was a reason he did that. It wasn't a sincere love or affection for Jesus. It was to make sure that the Romans knew that this was the one that they were to take. He didn't want the others to be taken. He wanted this one to be taken. And so he gave the customary kiss of greeting. Even in our culture today, people don't do this quite as often as others. But there are cultures, for example, the Greek culture is well known for this. And other cultures like the Greek culture that there is still a kiss of greeting. I didn't know that. I was 25 years old and I had gone to Europe with a friend of mine, a Greek friend of mine, and we'd been in Europe for three months. And we returned from Europe and my friend's dad, and my friend is Greek, and my friend's dad met us at the airport. And when he met us at the airport, he gave me a kiss on my cheek. And that had never happened to me. And I was not a happy camper. I wasn't used to that kind of affection at that time. I have since obviously grown to accept it and understand it, but I didn't know it then. You know, there are cultures that do that and affection is fine. And I've learned to appreciate that. I still remember one time, oh, here we go. I didn't put this in my notes, but I just remembered it. I was speaking to someone in our church. Our church wasn't two years old at the time. It was still a young church and I was still a young man. And we were at Ontario Christian Elementary School. And I remember I was standing outside and there was this fella. He was a Mexican guy from Mexico. And he came up to introduce himself to me. And if there were a, if you were looking at a dictionary and the word macho was there, they would just put this guy's picture next to the word. Very macho guy. And so, you know, as I was speaking to him, you know, and he's asking me questions and all. And it's his first time in our church. I have a friend of mine who to this day still does this 38 years later. I have a friend of mine is just a very affectionate guy. And he comes walking by while I'm speaking to this kind of rigid guy. And he comes walking by and he says, Hi, Pastor, how are you? And I said, well, I'm good. How are you doing? He goes, I'm great. He walks by. He turns around and he says, I haven't kissed you in a long time. And he comes and gives me a big kiss on my face. And this macho man I'm looking at. I'm thinking, oh boy, you know, what's he thinking right now? So I kissed him. No, I, this is a friendly church. And that's when I began being more and more aware of affection and how natural it is and how right it can be. And in the Jewish culture, a kiss of greeting was something that you gave. You see it in scripture, greet one another with a holy kiss. In scripture, the men would actually greet the other men with a kiss. It wasn't the men kissing the women, you know, because when I first got saved, I'm a brand new believer. I'm single. And it says right here, kiss one another, greet one. And I'm looking around for some little hippie Christian to get all right, you know, but it was, I was supposed to kiss a guy. So that was off the table. But that's what they would do. They would, they would greet each other. And it was a typical thing, right? It's something they did. But this is different because Judas approached Jesus and gave him the kiss of greeting, which is normally a sign of affection and respect, and smothers his face with kisses, not because he loved him, but to make sure that the Roman soldiers and the detachment that came to arrest Christ knew for sure that that was the one. Jesus didn't stand out amongst all those men in that garden. He wasn't, there was no holy glow about him where they could see him lighting up in a dark garden. They had to identify him. And that's what he did. But Jesus' response is again found in Luke 22, verse 48, when when Jesus said to him, Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? Are you showing, are you betraying me by showing affection? And so as all of this is taking place, can you imagine what it would have been like if you had been there the night, the darkness, the sounds, to see all of these angry soldiers, lanterns, torches, swords drawn, quite a number entering into this enclosed garden, filling it up with the presence, the intimidation, how the men would have felt at that time, how much chaotic emotion there would have been, and what happens is they're entering in, but John tells us that Jesus went to them and he asked them, he went and interrogated them, whom are you seeking? He didn't go and hide behind a tree. He didn't put one of his disciples or two in front, bunch up and kind of hide me so I can slip out. He walks up to them, he confronts them. This reveals to us that Jesus wasn't a martyr. This reveals to us that he chose to die. The Bible tells us in Titus, chapter 2, verse 14, that he gave himself for us. Galatians chapter 1, verse 4 says Jesus gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father. So he approaches them and he asks them, whom are you seeking? Well, verse 5, they answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus said to them, I am he. Now notice, and Judas who betrayed him also stood with them. Judas stood with them. Judas made his choice. He chose to stand with those who opposed Jesus. Remember Luke 16, verse 13, guys, no servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. And he went on to say, you cannot serve God and mammon, earthly wealth. You have to make a choice. You can't have two masters. I think that's one of the problems a lot of believers have today is they're trying to serve two masters. They're trying to serve God and they do that on a Sunday, we'll say. But the rest of the week, they serve the world. But Jesus said, you can't do that. You have to choose whom you're going to serve. You need to know who is your master and you can't serve both the world and the kingdom of God. And so you have to make a choice. Judas made his choice. Judas, the scripture is very clear and it simply says that he was on their side. He stood with them and that's what he did. So notice, when he had said to them, I am, I am he, they drew back and fell to the ground. He asked them again, whom are you seeking? They said, Jesus of Nazareth. And so Jesus begins to interrogate them. Jesus actually intimidates them and then Jesus permits them to take him away. Notice how it says here that they drew back and fell to the ground. To me, that is a beautiful picture of the pride of man and what the pride of man actually does in the presence of God and all of their blustering arrogance in their sense of power because there's a large group of them. When it's just you and another person, that's one thing to show courage and stand up. But when you've got 100, 200 or whatever behind you, it doesn't take an awful lot of courage when you've got a whole troop of people behind you. It really doesn't because what happens is if something goes down, you've got these people to back you up. I used to know a guy, his nickname, and I think I can say it now, it's been almost 50 years, his nickname was Big Time. That was his nickname. That's how I knew him. I didn't even know. I think his name was Steve, but I knew him as Big Time. Everybody knew this guy as Big Time. That was his name. That's how I knew him. I had met him when I was 19 years old. And years later, I'm talking about when this church began, somebody that I used to hang around with who also hung around with this guy named Big Time came to the church for a little while. His name was Phil. And I was talking to Phil and he said, oh, I remember Big Time. And he says, well, yeah, he says, do you know where he got his name? I said, no, I really didn't know him. Where did he get his name? He said, Big Time got his name like this. We would go to a party and Big Time was only like 5'5", 115, 120 pounds. I should have mentioned that, right? He says, little guy. He says, you know how he got his name? I said, no, he said, we'd go to a party. There'd be several of us. And Big Time would look for the biggest guy and he'd go and hit him. And when he hit the guy, the guy would get up to beat him up. Then we'd all jump the guy who was going to beat up on Big Time. That's how he got the name. So Big Time was Big Time as long as he had big friends. When he didn't have any friends, he was the opposite. You get real brave when you've got a lot of people back in you. You really do. We're seeing that right now. We're seeing that right now. Where people are in cluster groups doing all kinds of things that they would normally, most of them would normally not do by themselves. Can you imagine some of these, and I won't spend too much time on this, but can you imagine some of these protesters? Some of you, perhaps if you watch the news, you see them going face-to-face with police officers that are foot taller than them and they're acting this and that, all big and bad and this and that. They wouldn't do that under normal circumstances if they didn't have a camera on them and several people behind them and everybody taking film. They wouldn't do that. They're Big Times. We've got a whole bunch of Big Times today. People standing up and doing that. Well, during the time of Christ, there's Judas. He's got all of these soldiers with torches, lanterns and swords drawn. They enter into an enclosed garden area. They fill it with their presents. There's only 11 apostles and Jesus. Here comes Judas. He had told them, the one whom I kiss, this is the one, take him, not take him away safely so much as take him without too much incident. He didn't care about Christ. He's just pointing them out. He walks up to Jesus and he kisses him profusely, kisses his face. Smothers his face with kisses. And then you see Jesus looking at him in your mind's eye and Jesus says, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? And then Jesus is approaching these people and who are you looking for? Jesus of Nazareth. I am he. And when he says I am he, they all fall to the ground. They're on the ground because for just a moment the majesty of Christ shows. And it reveals to us that had he not yielded himself, there's no way they would have taken him. They couldn't have taken him. I often think of this though. You see him like blustering, you know, this bravado, this. I'll read it like this. He said to them. He said to them in verse four. He went forward and said to them, whom are you seeking? So you can picture that all of these people and then these blustering people. They answer him, Jesus of Nazareth, you can hear a rough answer. I am he. Judas is there. When he said I am he, they drew back and fell to the ground. Then he asked him again. Well, when he asked him again, I wonder if he was looking down at them because do you think their voice might have changed at that point? From that bluster to surprise? Who are you looking for? Jesus of Nazareth. I am he. Whom they're on the ground. Okay, I'll ask you again. Who are you looking for? Jesus of Nazareth. I can almost hear their voices change. Well, I've told you that I am he. Therefore, if you seek me, let these go their way. Jesus interrogates them in all their blustering arrogance and their sense of power. Jesus reveals their nothing. Psalm two versus two through four says it like this. The kings of the earth set themselves. The rulers take counsel together against the Lord against his anointed saying, let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision. You think that you can rebel against me? Satan, a high ranking angel couldn't could not stand against me, but you think you can stand against me? Well, Jesus makes it clear. He says, if you seek me in verse eight, he says, let them go. And in verse nine, that the same might be fulfilled when you spoke of those whom you gave me, I have lost none. He's a good shepherd. And once again, Jesus moves on their behalf to protect them. And John sees this as a fulfillment of what he had said in prayer shortly before John 1712. He had said, those whom you gave me, I have kept and none of them is lost. Jesus is our good shepherd. Never forget that. That's one of the things that I want to just remind us of. Nothing enters into my life that hasn't first passed through the permissive will of the father. Nothing enters into my life that hasn't first gone through his counsel wisdom and his plans for me. One former another. God is on our side. I simply want to make sure I'm on his side. In my plans, I don't want to make plans without consulting him for his because he may give me my request, but send leanness to my soul, as he says in the Psalms. It's possible for you to pray and get your prayer answered to get what you asked for, but you dry up inside. Aren't you glad that he doesn't answer everyone of the prayers that you've prayed with a yes? I wonder if you are. I am. I am because if God would have answered my prayer, you know, I wouldn't be married to Marie because I wanted to marry other people first. And I would, oh God, in Jesus' name, I claimed this one for myself. And he says, no. And I said, oh, Lord, you don't love me. You know, if you love me, you would give me her. And he says, oh, no, no, I've got something for you. But Lord, you know, you know I like blondes. Well, I left this one in the oven a little bit longer and you're going to like her. Oh, how, how grateful I am that God doesn't answer everyone of my prayers for the yes. How grateful I am that he's taught me to pray, but to pray according to his will and to trust him because Father knows best. To ask what is on my heart, to try and make sure that it's lined up with his word and pray that it's his will. But if he says no, it's only because it's the right thing to hear no. Because sometimes the word no is the best word you can hear. And we are on his side. We line up on his side. And what we want is the Lord to fulfill his will. So we yield to him. And we know that this God who answers prayer, well, his son had been praying that night and said, if it be your will, allow this cup to pass for me. And God had said, no. And now this one is saying, you know what, this is my moment. This is what I'm going to do. And he takes care of his men to the very end. Now, it must have been difficult for those men because they had never seen Jesus yield in this way. They had never seen him in a vulnerable place like this. For him to be taken from them must have just torn them up. It must have shocked them. As a matter of fact, look how they respond. Verse 10, Simon Peter having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cut off his, notice his right ear. And John says, the servant's name was Melchus. And so in this moment where they're taking Jesus and let's face it, I love this man, Peter. I love this guy. I really do. I've gone to love him over time because he was so sold out. He was so committed. He was a powerful man and a protective man. And he had this strong personality. You see it throughout the scriptures. So often he would speak without thinking, but you can't help but love this guy. And he obviously loved the Lord. He told the Lord just that night, though all were to forsake you. I will never forsake you. I will die for you. I will die for you. You can't help but love this guy. And when this is taking place and these people have entered into that garden and the chaos, the noise, the lanterns and all the jostling and the disciples are being moved around in there. And here comes Judas and he's kissing Jesus and Jesus having conversation. Those men are on the ground to get back up. He yields himself and the Apostle Peter couldn't take it. He has a sword and he just, he just, he just, good thing he wasn't a swordsman. He was a fisherman. He was a swordsman. He had to cut his head off. That would have been an interesting, a more interesting miracle than an ear. And if Jesus had a sense of humor, he could have put Marcus's head on backwards. That way he'd know when someone's coming from behind. It's often been noted that during the time of Christ, and you might find this interesting, the left hand and the right hand have different meanings. Even to this day, you go to the Middle East, go into Israel, especially amongst the Muslims. The right hand is reserved for certain things and the left hand is reserved for certain things. Bathroom duties are performed with the left hand in the Middle East. The right hand is looked at as the hand of power authority in favor. So it is more than likely that the Apostle Peter would use his right hand when he used a sword, his right hand. He wouldn't have used his left hand. And so when you look at this, I want you to notice again in verse 10, Simon Peter having a sword drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off which ear? His right ear. So if Malchus is facing the Apostle Peter, and Malchus and Peter's right hand it and he swings his sword, which ear is he going to cut off? He's going to cut off the left ear. The only way he's going to cut off the right ear is if he hits him from behind. Way to go Peter. He blindsided him. Now it may be that he just wildly swung, you don't know. But if Malchus was facing him and he used his right hand, he would have hit his left ears. And and that tells me he got hit from behind. That's what that says. And so basically what happens is he he just goes crazy. And what does he do here? Well, Jesus in verse 11 says to Peter, put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given to me? Now we're told that Jesus healed his ear. And so what happened is this, all this takes place, all this anger takes place. And yet Jesus is yielding himself. Now Jesus had already said, and I had to point this out, earlier that night, Jesus had made mention of a sword in Luke chapter 22 verses 35 to 38. He said to them, When I sent you without money bag, knapsack and sandals, did you lack anything? They said nothing. Then he said to them, but now he who has a money bag, let him take it. Likewise a knapsack. And he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in me. He was numbered with the transgressors for the things concerning me have an end. So they said, look, Lord, look, here are two swords. And he said to them, it's enough. So Jesus had said, he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. Now Jesus was speaking in that context of his of their future ministry in his absence. And what he was doing is he's teaching his men to bring about conversion, not to bring about conversion by the sword, because that's not how it works. Jesus's kingdom isn't of this world. What he was doing is he was preparing them for ministry in the midst of opposition, even danger. We need to remember that when he had been speaking that night, the country was infested with robbers and wild beasts. So it was customary to go armed. So he's telling them of the dangers and they needed to be prepared and the usual way that you would meet this danger, their life was going to be changed. They needed to be prepared for that kind of life. So when they said, Lord, here are two swords, he said, it's enough. In other words, enough has been said, we're going to leave it at that. You don't understand the full import of what I'm saying, but one day you will. You see, it seems that the apostles had misunderstood his mission once again. And so Peter moves impetuously and Peter attacks Malchus. Now, in Luke 22, verses 49 through 51, it says, and those around him saw what was going to happen. They said to him, shall we strike with the sword? One of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, permit even this. And he touched his ear and healed him. Matthew gives us further insight into the ministry of Jesus. And Matthew 26, 52 and 53, Jesus said to him, put your sword in its place for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot pray to my father and you will provide me with more than 12 legions of angels? If you live by the sword, you die by the sword. My father could deliver me. I remember years ago, guys, every time I read this, it comes to mind. Years ago, before I was saved, I was 19 years old. And I had some friends who were having a party and I went to the party. And while I was there, there was a guy. As I walked out the door, there was a guy I didn't know who was standing at the door. And as I walked past, he said something to me. And I didn't know him. And I remember responding, talking to him. And he was trying to start trouble with me. I'll never forget it. He was, and I wasn't one of these guys who liked that, who wanted to, I was, you know, I was a hippie. Why are you so mad? So I asked him, what's wrong with you? You know, why are you? And he just got very aggressive. And a couple of my friends had to step in and he backed off. But I never forgot that guy. I never forgot how aggressive he was. I never forgot how he tried to intimidate. I never forgot how he was such a bully. And you know, the party was at a friend of mine's house by the name of Jeff. I hadn't seen Jeff in a few years. And I was in Whittier and I was on Whittier Boulevard at a Bob's Big Boy on Whittier Boulevard. Some of you may know of that Bob's Big Boy. And I was talking to Jeff, I saw him. And I asked him, whatever happened to that guy at your house who tried to start trouble, remember Jeff? He goes, yeah, I remember. Whatever happened to that guy? He said this, I'll never forget it. He who lives by the sword will die by the sword. He said he started trouble with the wrong guy. I said, what happened? He said they found his body cut to pieces in a motel room. He was murdered and butchered. And I've never forgotten that. That's part of what has made me as a man real sensitive to attitude and bullying and all of that. Because Jesus said, if you live by the sword, you're going to die by the sword. If you're starting trouble, you ultimately end up in more. It's just wiser for us not to. But Jesus was speaking to his men, put your swords away. My kingdom is not of this world. If it were of this world, my soldiers would be fighting, but it's not modeled after this world. My kingdom is a kingdom of the heart where I transform people's lives. And Peter, I was trying to prepare you for when you were out doing the work of ministry to be aware of the fact that there are dangers and there'll be opposition. And I was using the sword as a symbol to help you to understand that there's an aggressiveness that will come against you and you have to be prepared for that. But I wasn't telling you to bring a sword and to chop somebody's head off. That's not what I was teaching you, because you need to know that if you live by the sword, you're going to die by the sword. And so Peter didn't get it. Once again, he didn't understand. Jesus said, I don't need human help. If I needed help, I would pray and my father would provide me with more than 12 legions of angels. Well, I don't need human help. Well, in verse 11, Jesus said, Peter, put your sword into the sheath. Put it away. Shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me before Jesus was taken into custody? Remember that in the garden, he had prayed. And again, I mentioned this three times. He asked his father, take this cup from me. And though he was God's son, the answer came back. No, as mentioned, because there's no other way. Jesus knew that the cup was from the hand of his father. And this cup that he had prayed about was speaking of the cup of God's wrath. And Jesus came to give his life at ransom for many. And he drank the cup his father gave to him. Remember in John 12, 27 and 28, he said, Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this purpose, I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name. And I've always came from heaven saying I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me? Shall I not take it? Shall I not drink it to the full? Shall I not accomplish the will of my father lay my life down? And Peter, you're trying to keep me from the cross. But for that reason, I came to lay my life down so that I could I could atone for the sin of the world. Listen, when you think of Jesus and I know you do every day, try and keep in the forefront of your mind what he did for you. Try and remember, put that in the forefront. Keep that as what you meditate on. You know that he laid his life down for me. He yielded himself for me. I've shared this with you recently, I think, but a song that was out years ago that that reminds me of this thought all the time. It says that he left the splendor of heaven knowing that his destiny was a lonely hill called Golgotha, where he laid down his life for me. And then the question is asked if that isn't love. Isn't that love? That's love. You know, we worship we worship Jesus Christ, one who laid his life down for me. There he is in this lonely garden. His men are going to forsake him and flee. He's going to be taken. He's yielded himself up. He did so because he came to fulfill the will of his father. And the Savior that you and I worship, the one that we have as our Messiah is somebody who took upon himself my sin. He paid the price I couldn't pay. He yielded himself in a way I never would. And he took it upon himself so that I might look to him and be saved. So that I might have a relationship with God, not because I tried hard, but because he succeeded. And then he drew me by his Holy Spirit. And there he is in this garden after a night of celebration of the Passover, knowing full well that he himself is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. And there he is with his men. Judas had taken off. His other men are with him, not knowing where Judas is, thinking that perhaps he went off to buy some more supplies and would meet them later. And here he comes walking in, but there's a detachment of troops, and the men must have been confused. There were eight men posted at a gate and three who were further in with Jesus. And these eight men are overwhelmed by this crowd of men who crowd into this garden. And then they see their friend, somebody that they broke bread with, somebody that they performed ministry with, somebody that they had slept next to at campfire, I said marched through for three and a half years, gone through Israel. A man that they had performed miracles alongside of, they had preached next to, they had been close to, can you imagine three years with this man? And they thought they knew him. And here he comes walking into this room, rather this garden, here he comes walking into the garden. And as he walks into the garden, they see him and it's Judas and they're not even thinking. They must have been a bit surprised, but he marches on and here he comes all these people with him and he marches up to Jesus, begins to kiss him. And then they see it all go down like this. And then the chaos that that erupts and there's the apostle Peter saying, I'll lay my life down for you. And he's swinging this sword wildly and he hits this guy on the side of the head and cuts his ear. Jesus picks it up and touches the man and heals him, basically touches the man in the air and heals him. Put away your sword. All of this is going on. Can you imagine the shock? Can you imagine what you'd have felt like? It's hard to, you got to put yourself there tonight. Think about that for a moment. What would you have felt? What I have felt like seeing all of this chaos. And then I see, I see my master, I see my savior, I see him being taken away. There's nothing I can do. There's nothing I can do. The last thing he's saying is, put your sword away. I'm drinking the cup that my father gave to me. Put your sword away. This has to be done. Is there another way? No. There is no other way. There's only one way. And Jesus fulfilled the will of his father by laying his life down, by giving himself up. He yielded himself. He wasn't taken. He wasn't martyred. He yielded himself. He was in full control. These men were on the ground. If he needed angels, he could have had legions, but he yielded himself so that he could be that lamb who's led to slaughter, who dies on a cross to take upon himself our sin. And that's why we love him, isn't it? We love him because he loved us first. And he laid his life down for us. And that's why we worship him. And that's why we serve him because he's a wonderful savior. And he loves us to the very end. Never forget that. You have a savior who loves you.