John chapter 18 in your Bibles tonight. As we come to this 18th chapter, I have the whole chapter outlined, but I don't think we're going to get to all the chapter tonight. Especially in the first few verses here, there's so much that takes place here that I don't want to skip over it too quickly. And so we'll probably just Try to get to verse 14 to begin with tonight, get down to about 13 or 14. As we look here, this is the time of our Lord's arrest. Now, he's finished his discourse with them. They've left the upper room. They cross in, cross the gate. Kidron Brook there. They go up onto the Mount of Olives. And the Mount of Olives is a mountain, of course, known because of all the olive groves that are on the mountain. But they specifically go to a particular garden on the mountain called Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane means an oil press. And so, in fact, the scripture says there that they entered into this area, so it apparently is a walled, or at the time was a walled garden, where the oil press itself sat. And of course they would gather the olives from the groves there and bring it to the press, and that's where they would squeeze the olives out there in Gethsemane, being the place of the oil press. But apparently it's walled, because the Bible says here, as we'll see, they entered into that area to pray. And the majority of the disciples stayed there on one place where they entered in, and the Lord went a little further with James and John and Peter and asked them to watch with him as he prayed. And he would be praying as this event of his arrest is unfolding, as Judas has betrayed him. There's a large group of soldiers that are coming with him to come and arrest the Lord. And we see all this, the hour has come. The hour has come. The Lord has prepared his disciples for his departure. He's told them all these things that are about to take place. And here it is, the middle of the night, and it is happening. It's unfolding. And the disciples themselves are oblivious. Jesus has told them it's happening. Jesus has told them that he's going to go from them. He's told them these things. He's going to die. He's told them all these events are going to happen and take place. He's prepared them for this. But at this moment, they are oblivious to what is taking place. They have no clue about what is transpiring as they've entered into the garden to pray. Now, the Bible tells us here in this passage, especially, or in these passages in regards to this time, that this is the place that Jesus was wont to come to pray. This is where He usually came. And so this was not an unusual thing for the disciples to be with the Lord here at Gethsemane. This was a place He would come to regularly to pray. In fact, the Lord would, that was how he would begin his day and how he would end his day. He would spend a couple hours of prayer. A couple hours in the morning, he said he'd get up early and pray. And then of the evening, he would go and pray. And so this was, as far as the disciples could tell, this was usual stuff. Okay, we're going to get sinners. The Lord's gonna praise. Well, He always does. So it was not out of the ordinary for them of what was taking place in the actions of the Lord here, but what the Lord has prepared them for and told them for is unfolding at this very instant. Notice with me here, beginning in verse one of chapter 18, it says, When Jesus had spoken these words, now this is the prayer from chapter 17. As he had finished this high priestly prayer and spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Tedron, where was a garden into the which he entered and his disciples. He had finished speaking to them there in the upper room, praying for them. Now he leads them out here to the garden to pray. And the Gospels as a whole, you take all four of the Gospels and the harmony of them, they give us details of these steps and what's taking place here in them in these last hours. And when we read here the book of John, remember John's purpose is to present Jesus as Messiah, as the Son of God. That's John's purpose. And so John is detailed. He's not just Son of God, he's showing him as God. John is the one that gives us all seven or eight of those I am statements. He's the one that gives us all of those, you see. So John's purpose is to show Christ as God. And this is one of my favorites right here when he shows it here in this passage. By the way, John's gonna record this particular event that's about to take place here. He does not speak here. John, again, with the purpose of showing him as God, does not speak here of the Lord's prayer in the garden. We get those details from the other gospels. John doesn't speak to it. He just says he's gone in to pray, okay? Now, we know because of those things, of those other details of the Lord's sorrow at this time, The Lord was very heavy. The Lord was sorrowful as he entered into the garden for this time of prayer. And Matthew, of course, is setting him forth as king. That's what Matthew is giving us in his gospel. He wants to present the Lord as king. And so he gives us the details of of the prayer of the Lord as He would enter into this garden, or at least a portion of that prayer. In chapter 26 of Matthew and verse number 36, Matthew 26 and verse 36, we read here, it says, Then cometh Jesus with them into a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, which of course was James and John, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, tarry ye here and watch with me. And he went a little further. and fell on his face and prayed, saying, O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. Why is he telling Peter that? Because he'd already told Peter that when these events would start to unfold, Peter was gonna deny him three times. He even told him that very night, you're gonna deny me three times before the cock crows in the morning, Peter. No sir, I'll go with you to the death. No, Peter, you're going to die me three times for the cockroach. And that's left Peter. He has no concern about it by this time. Has no concern about it. He's asleep even. Jesus, why aren't you at least praying for that, Peter? that you'd not enter into temptation. Why are you at least not praying for that? That should be something that's affecting you now. And Peter, he didn't, had no thought about it after that. Watch and pray, he says, that you entered on into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, Oh, my father, this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it. Thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. And he left them and went away again, prayed the third time, saying the same words. And cometh he to his disciples and saith unto them, sleep on now and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. Behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. So there was a pause there between verse 43, or verse 45, rather, verse 46, where he told them to go on to sleep. that he was to be betrayed. The hours come, and they went right on sleeping. You thought that would have woke them up. What? What? What'd you say is happening? But they went right on sleeping. And so there's a pause. It doesn't tell us how long they slept there, but the next words they heard was the words of the Lord, rise, let's go. Let us be going, behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. So Matthew tells us here the sorrow. of the Lord. He gives us some insight in the struggle that the Lord is facing in this time, the sorrowfulness of what is about to take place to Him in the separation from the Father as He's going to go and become our sin sacrifice and take upon Himself our sin and take our place as our substitute. And that separation between Him and the Father, the Lord was very sorrowful about this. And so Matthew gives us some insight into that. Luke even, who is of course setting him forth as Savior. That's Luke's purpose in his gospel. Set forth the Lord as Savior. He says in chapter 22 and verse number 39, he gives us this time in the garden as well. Luke 22, verse 39. So he went out and went as he was wont, or as he always did, to the Mount of Olives. And his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, pray that ye are not in temptation. And he was withdrawn from them by stones cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, thou be willing to remove this cut from me, nevertheless not my will, but thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. This is how sorrowful the Lord was. This is how much these events were affecting Him that God, the Father, sent an angel to strengthen the Lord as He prayed. Luke goes on to tell us there that He was praying so hard that his sweat was as it were great drops of blood as he was praying in this time. Our Lord was very sorrowful in this time. He was very distressed in these moments as he was preparing his heart to go and be that sacrifice for us. But again, John doesn't give us those details. John's not concerned in his details of it with the sorrow of the Lord because he is presenting him as God. And John gives us some details here that nobody else gives because of what his intention was to present him as God, and I absolutely love these details that John gives. It's marvelous to see the working of our Lord in this. We're told they leave the upper room, they cross the brook, they come to the Mount of Olives, they come into Gethsemane here to pray. And it says there, verse two of our text, chapter 18, verse two says, and Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place. The Lord came here so often to pray. Obviously, every time he was in Jerusalem, he would go out to Gethsemane and pray. Judas knew it so well himself. Having been there so many times with the Lord, he knew exactly where the Lord was going to be at this hour. The Lord was not in any way hiding. He knew where to go in order for Judas to find him in this betrayal. He was where he was always was, praying to his father at Gethsemane. Our Lord teaches us a lesson here. in how regular our prayers should be and how much of a habit our prayer life should be to those around us that see us. Our loved ones, our families, our children should know where we are at in times of prayer. This is Dad's prayer time. We'll find him in prayer now. We'll go seeking him, we'll find him in prayer. Our prayers, our prayer time should be a time of habit for us, that it can be known That's his time of prayer. Doesn't have to be in the morning, doesn't have to be in the evening. That's the example the Lord gives us. We should be known as a people of prayer. And we should be able to be found when we are in prayer. When we are in prayer. The Lord's praying. Judas knows exactly where he's at. It says in verse three, Judas then having received a band of men. That word band there is the word cohort or manipulus as it was called. This cohort or manipulus of soldiers was given to Judas by the high priest in order to go and arrest Jesus. A cohort was a Roman detachment of soldiers that were anywhere from between 600 and 1,000 soldiers. 600 and 1,000. Manipulus leaned more to the 600 end of the spectrum there, or a manipul is another word that's used to describe it. But there was about the 600 soldiers, the full thousands known as the cohort. And so somewhere between a manipulus and the cohort, or from 600 to 1,000 soldiers came with Judas to arrest the Lord. That was a lot of firepower. A lot of clanking about. Coming through the garden that night. All to arrest one man. Why so many? Why so many? Every other detachment they had sent before came back empty handed. They didn't have the power to take him. So they did their only option. They sent more men. What this cohort will find out, though, is they also have no power to take him. He's given this massive group of soldiers. Again, he ordered 600 to 1,000 soldiers. And they come and find the ward in the garden Verse number three, it says, having received the band of men and officers from chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Now, Jesus, therefore, verse four, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth and said unto them, whom seek ye? Now, apparently, between verse three and verse four is when the kiss took place. In Matthew 26, in verse number 47 of that passage, we read about Judas's kiss of betrayal. As he had told those coming with him, because it would be in the dark, he said, you'll know which one it is because where Jesus is at, I'll go up and I'll kiss him on the cheek. I'll greet him with a kiss. And when I greet him there with the kiss, you'll know he's the one, you grab him. You grab him. And so Matthew tells us there in verse 47, it says, and while he at spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came with him a great multitude with swords and staves, and the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, the same is he. Hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus and said, Hail, Master, and kissed him. Jesus said unto him, friend, wherefore art thou come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him. But now John gives us more detail on this. Judas kisses him, Jesus says, friend, wherefore art thou come? And then Jesus looks here in John chapter 18, verse four, looks to those that are with Judas there and says, who seek you? Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. Now notice that he is in italics. In King James translation, they tell us there in the first part of your Bible, if you turn back and read there concerning what the translator's notes were, they tell us that whatever is in italics is what they added to the scripture in order to give it clarity, grammatical flow. And said, but because they were adding it to the scripture, they wanted to be clear where they added it. So they're being very honest about the translation. I love that about it because they were, though they were giving it grammatical flow, they wanted us to be sure that, to understand that this is where we added to it. And so we put it in italics so that you would know this is a word that was added. So then what was Jesus' answer to them? I am. I am. He declares. He declares his name. As God. He declares his name to them. I am. Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. Judas had kissed them. He backs down now behind the boys with the swords. And this 600 to 1,000 soldiers standing in front of the Lord, they say, we're looking for Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus simply says His name, I am. I am. And it says this in verse number six, as soon then, as he said unto them, I am, they went backward and fell to the ground. The Lord of heaven proclaimed his name. And this cohort of soldiers, this multitude that had come to arrest him could not stand in the presence of simply his name being spoken. They all fell over backwards to the ground. Can you imagine the clanking? that went on when that happened. Swords and shields and spheres and torches and men and helmets falling on top of one another there in the presence of the name of the Lord Jesus. I am. He speaks his name. It's the same name that was told to Moses at the burning bush. When Moses asked there at the bush, he said, Lord, who is it? When they asked me who sent me, what name should I give them? You tell them I am, that I am has sent you. Jehovah. And this is what Christ Jesus declared to them. We are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, Jehovah. and they fall over backwards at his name. John assures that we understand that Judas was there leading them to Jesus. And on the pronouncement of his name, I am this detachment of troops with Judas. all drew back and fell over backwards. I've often wondered what was Judas thinking? What was he thinking in the betrayal itself? What were his thoughts when he found himself laying on his back after Jesus declared he's God? Some have suggested that Judas did this, that he betrayed the Lord because he was trying to force Jesus to show who he was. In that case, he got it that night. If that's what he was trying to accomplish, he got it accomplished. It was at the speaking of his name, they all fell over, but they could not stand in his presence. It didn't matter if there were 10 soldiers. It doesn't matter if there are thousands of soldiers. It don't matter if it's thousands of thousands of soldiers. They will not stand in the presence of the Lord. Simply his name mowed them all down. These soldiers, with all the might they wielded, with all the authority granted to them by the high priest, they had no power whatsoever in the presence of the King of Kings. And so he asked them again, as they are laying on the ground and scrambling to get their stuff and scrambling to stand back up, trying to decide whether or not they should run at this time or not. The Lord asked them again, who seek you? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I've told you that I am. If therefore you seek me, let these go their way, speaking of his disciples. If it's me you're after, take me, let the rest of them go. That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake of them, which thou gavest me, have I lost none. That, of course, is chapter 17, verse 12. He says that, while I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. He says it there. He says it also in chapter six, verse 39 and 40. And then again in verse 44, he says it also again in John chapter 10 and verse number 28, he will lose none of his elect. He will lose none of them. He has them all. He will get them all. He will miss none of them. And so he says, this is a type of that reveal that that the scriptures might be fulfilled. Of them which thou gavest me, have I lost none. And Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it. He's still wiping the sleep out of his eyes. He gets up, sees what's happening, sees what's going on, sees these soldiers coming to their feet there as Jesus is speaking to them. He draws his sword. Now, this tells me these soldiers that were there to arrest the Lord were completely stunned at this point because nobody drew down on Peter. Peter was efficient. I guarantee you Peter did not have a smooth draw of his sword from his sheath. do all the fancy swinging of the sword. He was fumbling around and swung that thing and he was aiming to cut somebody's head off. And nobody, nobody drew down on Peter. Nobody, nobody, I mean, if they were prepared as they were when they first came up to the Lord, Peter would have had four spears in him and three or four swords. But they're still recovering. from what has just happened to them being blown down by the name of the Lord. They are stunned. Peter draws his sword. He sees those soldiers there and he swipes that sword and it hits Malchus and cuts Malchus's ear off. He was not aiming for Malchus's ear. He was aiming for Malchus's neck. He was gonna take his head off if he could. Peter was living up in this sense to his, I'll go with you to the death. He was ready to fight, but he was not ready for what the Lord was gonna do. He was not ready for what the Lord, that the Lord is gonna lay down his life. Peter was not prepared for that. He was prepared for a fight. Having chopped off Malchus's ear, the servant of the high priest, I love it that it was, I've wondered about Malchus. I've wondered about it. His name's mentioned here for us in the scriptures. I've wondered about Malchus. If Malchus wouldn't later have saved. If Malchus's mind wouldn't later be changed and his heart opened because of what he sees even here. I don't know. We don't know that. Old Malchus gets his ear cut off. Jesus commanded Peter there in verse number 11. It says, then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into the sheath, the cut which my father hath given me. Shall I not drink it? No, Peter, we're not. This is not what this hour is for. Put your sword up. It says, then the band and the captain and the officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound him. Now, just before they bound him, Luke gives us another detail. Luke 22 and verse number 51. Just before they bind him there, it says, It tells us there in verse 50 about Malchus's ear being cut off. It just says one of them, Luke tells us, cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. And it says it was his right ear even that was cut off. And Jesus answered and said, suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear and healed him. I've wondered about Malchus. Here he is standing in front with the high priest. He's come to help arrest the Lord Jesus. One of them crazy servants of his has just whacked his ear off and the Lord touches him and his ear is made whole. I would think, I would think that would, I mean, you're already shocked, right? But I think it would make you reconsider some things. Can you imagine? At this point. He's already blown them down. Every last one of them. They've gotten to their feet. One of them's had their ear cut off and he stuck it back on their head and their eagles. You can imagine at this point, the hesitation of this cohort to even approach Jesus. But John tells us that they bound him. They had no power to bind him. But Jesus allowed himself to be bound because it is required of the sacrifice that as the sacrifice is to be brought to the priest, that sacrifice is to be bound. And so Jesus was bound. that he might fulfill the sacrifice of the Old Testament, that he might show he is the Messiah that's come to take the sins of his people. He was going to fulfill every part that was typified of him in those Old Testament sacrifices. He would fulfill every detail of them, even to the binding of his hands as he would be led away to the high priest. They bound him, John says, verse 13, and led him away to Annas first. For he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was the high priest, but Annas being the elder and also The honorary high priest, if you will, he was the one that they looked to because Annas was done dirty by the Roman government. And they apparently didn't like that. And so from their standpoint, their mindset, Annas is the high priest. That's the reason they came to him first. Annas was high priest from AD 6 to AD 15, was the prefect before Pilate removed him from office as high priest and instated someone else in that spot. But Annistill had a great sway among the high priest, for five of his sons held the office of high priest, and here we find his son-in-law Cactus was high priest this year. And so he had a great deal of power and position among these priests. And so they brought the Lord to Annas first. And John reminds us here of the promise or the, I should say the prophecy of Caiaphas in verse 14. Since they led him away to Annas first, verse 13, he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he, he says, which gave counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. Well, that was back in chapter 11, if you remember, verse 49 and 50 is when he speaks to this. This is as they were plotting to kill the Lord. It says in verse 47, it says, then gathered the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the council, said, what do we do for this man due of many miracles? This is after he raised Lazarus from the dead. They did not like that at all. This made them so angry, they even sought to kill Lazarus because this miracle upset them so bad. It says, if we let him thus alone, verse 48, all men will believe on him and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. If we leave this alone, everybody's going to believe on Jesus. And when they believe on Jesus, we're going to lose our power. We're going to lose our place. Romans won't have any need for us any longer. And one of them named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people and that the whole nation perish not. Caiaphas says, all we have to do is kill Jesus, that one man, for the rest of the nation of Israel. And we'll kill him and the rest of us will be okay. We kill him, we'll protect our station. We kill him, we'll protect our nation. We kill him, everything will be all right for us. One man dying for all of us. John said Caiaphas is the one that said that. Caiaphas is the one that said that. One man. dying for all the rest. Now our Lord would go before Annas here. He would go before the Sanhedrin, which John doesn't tell us about, but in Matthew chapter 26, Matthew tells, we won't go over and read that, I'm just gonna give you a brief outline here of what's taking place there. He's gonna go to the Sanhedrin, Matthew 26, verse 57 through 68, after he goes to Annas. Then he's gonna be sent to Pilate, Matthew 27, verses one and two, which John doesn't record for us here, the events that took place at this first meeting. Then he is, It doesn't record those two verses there, the similar things that take place in those two verses. When he's at last before Pilate, John will give us a few of the details there in this passage of chapter 18. Matthew gives us a few more of those details, Matthew 27, verses 11 through 14. Then he's gonna leave Pilate there and come back, be brought before Herod. which John doesn't give us here. John gives us both of these times with Pilate. He kind of combines both of them together. And so you have him only coming before Pilate here, and you have both times that he come before Pilate combined in the book of John. John doesn't record for us before the Sanhedrin. He doesn't record him being brought to Pilate, and he doesn't record him being brought before Herod. Luke tells us about him being brought before Herod in Luke chapter 23, verses 6 through 12. And then again, lastly, before Pilate. in our text here in chapter 18, which we'll see beginning in verse number 38 and on down through into chapter 19, verse number 16, these events that take place of the crucifixion. Then again, Matthew 27, verses 15 through 31 gives the account of this last time before Pilate as well. So he's gonna be, through the night, he's gonna be brought back and forth through these different to these different authorities. First to Annas, then before the whole of the Sanhedrin, then brought from there to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back to Pilate. And so he's going to go back and forth through the night. Each time he receives an accusation, each time they will beat him, they'll inflict him, they'll do something against him as he's brought back and forth between these different groups. Pilate will be left with charge of the crucifixion and what all of those events will be a part of. And we'll see a great many details concerning Pilate in here in chapter 18. Pilate wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. When the world, when the wicked of the world recognizes the innocence of the Lord. How awful, how disconnected, how disjointed is the religion of the Jews that they could not see him as Messiah. They were blinded. They were blinded. all that our Lord might be the sacrifice for his people, and that the gospel of our Lord might be brought to us. So we'll leave off here in verse 15, or verse 14 rather, as the Lord is brought before Annas, And it is here that he will be questioned first. And we're given, of course, immediately following that, the details of Peter's betrayal. The one who was willing to die by sword was not want to be associated with him when he was giving himself for us. Well, we'll see each one. Let's all stay and we'll be dismissed. We'll see each one Wednesday. Except for Kristen. She won't see us Wednesday. She's leaving Tuesday. Do me a prayer for her. She travels. No, she's gonna have a good time. Seeing all those sites. That I would like to see. But maybe she'll take a lot of good pictures. Be in prayer for her, be in prayer as she travels, for her journey time there. She's not just traveling over, she's gonna be traveling all over the place while she's back at home, so just be in prayer for her. Lord willing, we'll see each and every one Wednesday, be in prayer for our service then. Remember those many we have on our prayer list. Brother Frank, would you dismiss us tonight?