The Failure of Death: Series - Meet Messiah: A Simple Man's Commentary on John Part 4, Chapters 18-21

By Paul Murray

In The Failure of Death, John records the greatest conflict planet earth has ever experienced. It is not a conflict between nations or peoples, nor a conflict involving military weapons. It is a conflict for the hearts and souls of all men everywhere. It is a conflict in the spiritual dimension of reality that has raged on since the beginning of time, a conflict between good and evil, right and wrong. The Jewish leadership had grown to hate Jesus. Several times they had tried, unsuccessfully, to put a stop to His influence over men. The prophetic words of Caiaphas the high priest had finally come to fruition, "It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." Jesus had finally been arrested, "tried" and crucified to appease the will of the Jewish leadership. Victory had finally been achieved in stopping the madness of The Way. The head of the snake had been cut off. John focuses our attention around two major players as the events of Jesus' crucifixion unfold, Peter and Pilate. With Peter a clear contrast is drawn between One suffering and dying and the other lying and denying. Pilate's struggle, who is caught up in the tangled web of the Jews, is expressed in the profound question, "What is truth?" Yet Pilate turns and walks away before the One who is "the truth" has a chance to respond. Neither Peter or Pilate, nor anyone expected that the One who had been crucified and buried would raise from the dead. The failure of death rocked the world in the first century and it continues to rock our world today. John concludes his gospel with the redemption of the lying denier. Pilate, on the other hand, is left on the trash pile of history. As you read, you will be caught up in the trauma and emotions of the events that unfold. Will the failure of death be your final reward? Like Peter and Pilate, you also have a choice!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098021443

Paul Murray

Paul Murray was born in 1975 in Dublin. He is the author of the novels An Evening of Long Goodbyes, which was short-listed for the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award. Skippy Dies (2010) was long-listed for the Booker Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. The Mark and the Void (2015) was the joint winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize and was named one of Time’s Top 10 Fiction Books of the year.

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The Failure of Death

Series - Meet Messiah: A Simple Man?s Commentary on John Part 4, Chapters 18-21

Paul Murray

Copyright © 2019 by Paul Murray

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

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Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

I would personally like to dedicate this four part series, Meet Messiah, A Simple Man’s Commentary on the Gospel of John to the memory of Jerry Laursen. Jerry was an elder at Valley Bible Church in Spokane Valley, Washington who encouraged me to put my study notes and thinking on John into writing. Jerry was a remarkable evangelist and discipler of men who spent his life in missionary service in South America. He went home to the Lord this past year. Paul Murray

An Introduction

We now come to the fourth and final section of this series, Meet Messiah. This final section covers chapters 18–21 of John’s gospel. We are calling part 4 The Failure of Death. This will bring us to the momentary end of the ministry and life of Jesus, the Messiah, the Sent One who came to fulfill His mission as the Lamb of God to be sacrificed for the sins of the world.

Here we find recorded the most important events of all of human history. Human history is divided between the events before the birth of Christ and the events that followed the death of Christ, BC and AD. Whether you believe in Jesus Christ or not, His birth, life, death, and resurrection have changed the course of all of history.

The entire purpose of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us was to give His life as a ransom for all. The enemy foolishly thought that if he could kill the Son of God, he would have foiled God’s plan of redemption and won the battle for the hearts and minds of men. Numerous times attempts were made on the life of the Messiah, from throwing Him off a cliff to stoning Him.

Finally, the plot of the ages was realized when Jesus was arrested, tried by both legal and civil authorities and hung on a cross to die! Victory for the enemy was in sight, except for one small miscalculation…resurrection! Like the Jewish leadership then and so many today, the enemy refused to believe what God had clearly revealed in His Word.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ, among other things, accomplished two major issues. First, it defeated death (the enemy’s greatest weapon against humanity) and second, it provided the option of eternal life for all who would by faith accept the substitutionary death of Jesus as payment in full for all their sins. The failure of death has defeated both the enemy and his hold over all who believe.

The plot unfolds in the final section of John’s gospel in dramatic fashion. This section begins with the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Then we move swiftly through the six trials, three religious, and three secular. John records many events the synoptic gospels leave out. He briefly mentions Jesus’ interrogation before Annas, the most powerful Jew of Jesus’ day. He skips Jesus’ trials before Caiaphas where false witnesses were brought forward and the hastily called trial before the Great Sanhedrin. He records extensively the two trials before Pilate but says very little of Jesus before Herod.

John gives us great detail of Peter’s three denials of Jesus in the courtyard of Caiaphas while Jesus is being questioned and beaten just off the mezzanine above him. The contrast between one suffering and dying and the other lying and denying cannot be overstated.

After Peter’s third vitriolic cursing denial of Jesus, in the stunned silence that immediately followed, Peter heard the cock crow. It was exactly at that moment Peter and Jesus locked eyes. The crushing trauma Peter felt as he ran from the courtyard cannot be adequately expressed in mere words.

Then there is the crucifixion event. John focuses in on those gathered around the cross. Of the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross, John mentions three we would not have know had he not written. John’s gospel begins to wind down with the post-resurrection appearances, first to Mary Magdalene then to the others. The roller-coaster ride of emotions is chaotic.

John ends with the greatest story of forgiveness and redemption ever told. Peter had seen Jesus on the two occasions after He rose from the dead. He saw Him when Jesus first appeared in the secrete room where the apostles had gathered and Thomas was absent. Then again, a second time, a week later when He appeared in the same place to restores Thomas’ doubting heart.

But Peter is left hanging. He knew Jesus loved Him, but nothing was ever said about those shameful denials. Would Peter live with that guilt for the rest of his life? John resolved that conundrum in his epilogue, chapter 21. You will be moved by how Jesus loved these men. The compelling final word of Jesus in John’s gospel is You, Follow Me! The ring of that statement still grabs the hearts of true believers today.

Chapter 1

The Garden Scene

John 18:1–4

Immediately before us in this opening section, John 18:1–4, we have an account of the setting just before Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. This sets the stage for the tragic events that are about to take place in the next several hours. We are in the waning hours of Thursday night and the early morning hours of Friday.

The spring air is cool and damp, but not too cool to wrap your tunic around you and fall fast asleep in the quietness of the garden, to the tune of crickets chirping in the distance. It is already Friday, and Passover will begin at 6:00 PM later this day. Jesus will be dead before Passover begins in less than eighteen hours, but you have no clue about this or all that will lead up to it.

Right now, you are exhausted, not so much physically but mentally. The last three or more hours have been taxing. You just don’t want to think any more. Jesus has mentioned that He wanted to spend some time in prayer and you will do that. But even that seems like a chore at this point. You just want to lay down, get comfortable, and relax. You have no idea that things are going to feel like they have gotten out of control in just a few moments.

The context is set in verse 1–3:

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, 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.

2 Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place; for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.

3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

One of the things that is so fascinating in John’s closing account of Jesus’ life and ministry is what is and is not included. We will note some of that as we go along. The differences of opinion among the commentary writers are also fascinating.

A Familiar Location

Jesus has concluded His Words to Loved Ones. All that needed to be said has been said. They cross the short distance across the Kidron Valley to the garden just up the hill a ways on the opposite side of the valley. Now is not a time for further discussion. Now is a time for prayer. Jesus is fully aware of the events just moments away.

Verse 2 gives us another clue about the scene. The garden was a place Jesus often took His disciples. According to what I’ve read, there were several gardens on the Mount of Olives. These were not public gardens or city-owned gardens. It was not a Manito Park, as exists in downtown Spokane or a Central Park as in New York City. Nor was it a state park run by the Department of Fish and Game.

These were private olive gardens owned by wealthy people who lived in Jerusalem. These gardens, only a short walk, provided some quietness and privacy away from the congestion and chaos of the city. Jesus apparently knew and befriended such a person and had permission to use his garden.

This was a place Jesus often went when He came to Jerusalem, to get away in the evenings from the daily masses. It was something of a safe place for Him, a place of solitude and prayer. It became a private place to re-connect with His men and His Father after a people-filled day.

We can surmise from Jesus’ routine that Judas knew exactly where He could be found after their supper. When John says often met there I would assume that meant whenever Jesus came to Jerusalem for all the feasts. At the end of the day, in the shade of the olive trees, they would go there to rest, talk, and pray. There was no doubt in Judas’ mind as to where he would find Jesus. The fact that the garden was off limits to the public, being private, made it an ideal place to get Him, apart from the crowds.

Having dismissed Judas earlier, Jesus knew that He would see him later that night. He knew that Judas had gone to betray Him because the Old Testament Scriptures had revealed that.¹ As to when Judas would show up and whom he would bring with him, Jesus didn’t know. He knew the method of His death would be by crucifixion, so it was safe to assume some contingent of Romans might show up, and he knew the Jews had plotted to kill Him, so some contingent of temple guards might also show up.

Jesus didn’t flee or go to some other place to pray with His men because He knew with certainty that His hour had come.² Three times earlier in John’s gospel Jesus had said, "My hour has not yet come."³ However, now was the time. It was, for this reason, He had stepped out of eternity into human history. Jesus went to this garden because His very purpose was to give His life as a ransom for many.⁴ He went because He knew this was the cup of suffering the Father had given Him to drink.⁵ It was His Father’s will.

Here is a list of some of the things Jesus was aware of as He crossed the Kidron Valley and ascended into this private sanctuary.

He would be betrayed by one of His own.⁶

He knew He would be rejected, despised, and treated with contempt.⁷

He would be physically beaten beyond recognition, punched in the face and led to the slaughter like a defenseless lamb.⁸

All would mock him.⁹

They would spit on Him.¹⁰

His strength would be beaten out of Him.¹¹

Both His hands and feet would be nailed to a cross.¹²

Worst of all, the Father would turn His back on Him and forsake Him in His greatest hour of need.¹³

These were just some of the things Jesus was aware and all of this was only a few hours away. How did He know all this? The Old Testament had revealed all of it. He knew it because He knew His Bible. It all awaited Him as He moved toward the garden. Any normal man would have fled, but Jesus boldly went directly to the garden with utter confidence in the will of His Father. It is one thing to face hardship and difficulty that comes upon you unexpectedly. It’s quite another to walk directly into the face of hardship and suffering, knowing it is the Father’s will.

John’s Unique Perspective

There are a couple of things here we must see. Only in John’s gospel are we going to get a unique glimpse into the arrest, trials, and crucifixion of Jesus. All the other gospels record the prayers in the garden; the agony; the great drops of blood and the ultimate relief by the appearance of the angelic beings who came to strengthen Him.¹⁴

All the other gospels show the weakness of Jesus’ humanity; the humble, honest pouring out of His heart to the Father about the events that are about to happen and His utter loneliness as the eleven sleep while He agonizes.

John speaks nothing of any of this. Some commentators say it is because John wants to show the deity of Jesus, as Jesus does two separate miracles here. I believe John is showing us the humanity of Jesus. The Son of Man who came for a specific mission, to give His life as a ransom for many. John is showing us the character of a Man whose complete trust and faith are squarely in His Father in heaven. Here is a Man willing to do whatever the Father asks, regardless of the cost. This is a model of commitment at the highest level.

Jesus knows all that lies in front of Him and has chosen to demonstrate His love for you and me, and his love for the Father, by being obedient unto death. Here is Jesus, not engaging His deity (since He did nothing on His own initiative¹⁵), but engaging His complete trust and obedience in His Father’s will, wisdom, and care.

That gives Jesus the supreme confidence to face with boldness whatever lies before Him. He knew His Father would be with Him every step of the way. That same confidence God will give to every one of us if we, like Jesus, will abandon our wills to His will, and simply do what He puts before us to do. The crucifixion event is the supreme display of Father’s all sufficient grace to meet the needs of any man.

There’s another thing to notice here. Jesus brings His men into a very dangerous environment. We are going to see in this scene as it unfolds that the Jews intend to arrest them all, beat them all, and perhaps even crucify them all. Jesus could have left them in the safety of the Upper Room with orders to await further news. That way, they would have found out that He had been arrested without having been put in harm’s way.

However, He has prayed for their protection.¹⁶ He has every confidence the Father would answer that prayer, and we are going to see the remarkable way the Father does answer that prayer. He wants these men to see what transpires, and later on, understand how to handle the most difficult situations in life.

Having poured out His fears and concerns in prayer (which John doesn’t record), He is now ready to face the enemy boldly and confidently. He is modeling for them what trusting the Father looks like. If He had left them safe in the upper room, they would have been devastated when they discovered His arrest. They would never have seen His agony or His victory in the face of death. So again, we see the complete confidence of a man whose complete trust is in His Father.

One last observation before we go on. Knowing all that Jesus knew going into that garden, why didn’t He reveal any of it to His disciples. Peter’s reaction, which we will look at shortly, tells us why. Jesus knew that if the disciples understood what was about to happen, He would have had more trouble with them than with the arresting mob! They would have done everything possible to keep Jesus from leaving the Upper Room and would have fought to the death for Him in the Garden.

It surprises me how many believers think they need to know everything God knows and everything He is doing. Why is God doing this to me? Why does God allow that? they ask. But God has no obligation to tell us anything. He tells us only what we need to know to handle whatever situation we find ourselves. We don’t need to know anything beyond what He reveals. The object is not to know, but to trust!

The Multitude

As this scene opens in John’s Gospel, about an hour and a half have passed since they entered the garden. The scene was quiet and peaceful. Jesus had requested that His men watch and pray with Him. Then, He receded further into the garden with Peter, James, and John for more privacy.¹⁷ This was somewhat unusual, but the others had come to recognize that on other occasions Jesus had desired the presence of these three. It had been a troubling night.

Thaddaeus mentioned to Peter just before Jesus asked him to recede further into the garden, that something was not right. The Master seemed to be more distressed than usual. Bartholomew nodded in agreement. Jesus had tried to calm their troubled hearts, but they could see that even Jesus appeared to have a troubled heart. The men shared an uneasy and undefined concern for their Master.

The hour was late, very late. The stress of the day, the fear of being discovered in Jerusalem by the authorities, the long hours in the Upper Room had taxed everyone. As much as they felt the need to watch and pray as the Master had requested, sleep became an overpowering force. Finding their favorite spots in the garden to recline, so they could watch and pray, they were all soon fast asleep.

Suddenly, the sound of a thousand feet scuffing the ground and the brightness of torchlight awakened them. It took a second or two to orient themselves as to what was going on. Who are these people? Why are they here? This was a private garden. What is going on? As they rose to their feet, they saw the Master approach the mob.

John tells us who showed up at the Garden. There was a Roman cohort, officers from the chief priests, Pharisees, and Judas, leading the way. The approach wasn’t necessarily stealthy. The crowd was too big for that.

Let’s consider these groups John identifies. First, there is a Roman cohort. A Roman cohort could be as many as six hundred men. It seems unlikely that six hundred Roman soldiers followed Judas through the night into the Garden of Gethsemane. I’ve never been there, but I doubt if the Garden was that big. It would seem like six hundred would be overkill. However, Matthew’s gospel emphasizes that a great multitude accompanied Judas.¹⁸

Generally, a cohort could describe a company of armed soldiers of whatever size was necessary to handle a specific situation. There were only eleven disciples plus Jesus. You would think that forty to fifty soldiers would be enough to handle the situation, but forty to fifty is not a great multitude. My sense is that there may have been four hundred to five hundred soldiers. These would most likely have been battle-hardened fighting men, fully armed.

The Romans didn’t know if there would only be twelve of them in the garden or one hundred. They needed to be ready for any contingency. Any opposition, especially at this particular feast, must be put down swiftly. They were ready for that.

With the Roman cohort were the officers of the chief priests. These are those who served under the chief priest. Because they are termed officers, they were most likely the Temple Guards who served as protectors of the temple compound and were the Jewish police force. We don’t know how many of these there were, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were fifty or sixty of them.

For all we know, this multitude may have been enough to surround the entire garden area if necessary. Jesus had a reputation for evading folks who wanted to capture Him. Plus, there was probably great uncertainty about resistance or the possibility of rioting. Even though the hour was very late, it was Passover, and it was uncertain who else Jesus might have with Him.

John includes a group of Pharisees who also came along. They were most likely those Pharisees Jesus had dealt with in the past, who attempted several times to trick Him, but always wound up looking like fools. They were there primarily to see Jesus get what was coming to Him. They were the ones driving this agenda, wanting to arrest Jesus once and for all.

The other gospels tell us that also included in this crowd were priests, elders, and scribes.¹⁹ Many of these were some of the Sadducees who came along as well. Everyone was there, including, no doubt, some members of the Sanhedrin. The importance of a successful arrest was monumental.

Judas!

Then, there was Judas. I am blown away by this guy. What does he think he’s doing? What is driving him? The simple answer is the devil who had entered his heart.²⁰ However, beyond that, what is going on in Judas’ head. He didn’t hate Jesus. In fact, even now, I believe he loved Jesus. Later on, Judas will hang himself out of remorse for what his betrayal caused to happen to Jesus.²¹ Judas had no idea Jesus would be condemned and crucified.

Judas had seen all the miracles Jesus had done. Judas had seen Jesus walk away through angry crowds that wanted to kill him. He believed there was no situation that Jesus couldn’t control and that his own actions would never put Jesus in real danger.

Judas was frustrated with Jesus. He believed that Jesus was, most likely, the real Messiah. Jesus was just misguided in His mission. The Messiah was to be a deliverer, a savior like Moses or David. He was supposed to deliver the Jewish nation from the bondage of Roman oppression and restore the glory of the kingdom of David.

Jesus was going about this thing all wrong! Judas was utterly frustrated with Jesus. Jesus was continually making enemies with the leadership of the nation. Why was He doing that? He needed them if He was to accomplish His mission. The poor, the sick and the lowly, who seemed to be His primary concern, had no power to achieve the political objectives that needed to be accomplished.

Judas felt driven to force the issue with Jesus. By bringing a multitude of Romans and Jewish elite to confront Him, Jesus would be forced to make a decision. Would He side with the Romans or would He side with His own people, the Jews? Judas could help Jesus get back on track with His real mission as Messiah.

What a misfit he was among this armed, angry and hateful crowd. How could he not have been embarrassed? His heart must have been as cold as a stone at this point. Luke 22:47 tells us, Judas was leading the way. He thought he was a big shot. This was his moment of glory! Jesus would thank him for this one day, when He could see the light.

The organization it took to pull this off is remarkable. The Pharisees hated the Romans and would have nothing to do with them. It took the power and influence of both Annas and Caiaphas to talk Pilate out of