Lessons from John 18: The Help of Jesus

Where is it that you find yourself needing the help of Jesus? Is it in your marriage? Or maybe it’s another relationship? Maybe it’s your relationship with your teenager, a neighbor, a coworker? Maybe it’s a situation at work that just seems impossible! Or some other area of your life that just seems to be working against you!

Won’t you stop and take the time to invite the One who knows what to do and to how to work it out for your good and the good of others and for His glory!

That’s what Jesus did! When He just couldn’t bear the thought of dying on the cross and being separated from His Father as He bore the sins of the world, He stopped and prayed and then got up and moved forward in obedience to do the will of the Father. And you and I and many others will never be the same because of it! Glory Be to God!

Now Judas, (v.2) who betrayed Jesus, knew the place, where Jesus had often met there with His disciples. So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some of the chief priests and Pharisees. And they had brought with them torches, lanterns and weapons. These men were clearly ready and equipped for battle. A battle that would not take place. Because Jesus would willingly surrender His life into their hands.

And though John doesn’t mention it here, Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell how after Judas had left Jesus and the other disciples in the upper room, he went to the chief priests and asked them, what they were willing to give him if he handed Jesus over to them. And when offered thirty silver coins, by the religious leaders, Judas accepted their offer and watched and waited for the right opportunity to turn Jesus over and he would identify Jesus before the chief priest with the sign of a kiss!

So, Judas basically sold Jesus out for the price of a slave and lay in wait, similar to how a lion lays in wait and watches for its prey before pouncing on it with the intent to devour it! But in this case, Judas would lead these men, these Jesus haters, to their prey and seal the deal with a kiss of betrayal!

So, when Jesus returned with Peter, James and John to the other disciples, He was not at all surprised to see that Judas has indeed seized this opportunity to lead the chief priest, Pharisees and a detachment of Roman soldiers to Jesus and the disciples in the private prayer garden. Not wanting to involve the disciples, Jesus walks out into the midst of these warriors and asks them knowing full well, “Who is it that you want?”

Now though we cannot be sure how many men came for Jesus, we do know that it was a lot! Probably hundreds! And they were armed for battle! Yet, little did they know that Jesus had lived His whole life for this moment and the battle of prayer had already taken place and therefore they met with a man who was willing to surrender His all, give His all in order that people like them and people like you and me might be saved! Saved that is, if they choose to walk in the light of Jesus truth. Yet, we can see that these men chose to reject the truth of Jesus Christ and remain in the darkness of rebellion!

The men replied that they were looking for, “Jesus of Nazareth” and Jesus replies, “I am He.” This was in reference to Jesus deity and should have reminded those there from the Jewish Council of Exodus 3:14 in which God told Moses, when he asked whom shall I say sent me and God responded, you tell them, I am sent you!

So, what does it mean when Jesus says, “I AM?” My Pastor said it like this once and I wrote in it my Bible so I would never forget it! He said, “I Am was a code word for God back in Exodus because He is. He is what! He is everything! Jesus has already taught us in the Gospel of John alone that He is…

THE WORD (1:1)

THE TRUE LIGHT (1:9)

THE ONE AND ONLY, FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH (1:14)

THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD (1:29) THE SON OF GOD (1:34)

RABBI (WHICH MEANS TEACHER) (1:38)

MESSIAH (THAT IS, THE CHRIST) (1:41)

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE SON OF JOSEPH (1:45)

SON OF MAN (1:51)

GOD’S ONE AND ONLY SON (3:16)

THE BRIDEGROOM (3:29)

THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD (4:42)

THE JUST JUDGE (5:30)

THE BREAD OF LIFE (6:35)

THE LIVING BREAD (6:51)

THE HOLY ONE OF GOD (6:69)

THE LIVING WATER (7:38)

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (8:12)

I AM (JOHN 8:58)

LORD (9:38)

THE GATE FOR THE SHEEP (10:7)

THE GOOD SHEPHERD (10:11)

GOD’S SON (10:36)

THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE (11:25)

THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD (11:27)

TEACHER AND LORD (13:13)

THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE (14:6)

THE TRUE VINE (15:1)

JESUS CHRIST (17:3)

And soon we will learn that Jesus is also,

JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS (19:19)

RABBONI (TEACHER) 20:16

MY LORD AND MY GOD (20:28)

JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD (20:31)

In other words, Jesus is all there is!

Terri Hamman

Faith & Fitness Coach