King Jesus: John 18

King Jesus: Unimaginable Pain

Story: Love for my kids

Something we’ve always said to our kids is “I love you this much”. And we would hold our hands out as far as we could stretch. Then we’d ask “How much do you love me?”. The reality is that, as a parent, we love our kids more than anything else in the world. We would do anything for our kids. We protect, support, resource, discipline, nurture, and pray for our kids. Jess and I work hard to set them up for success. There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for our kids. The same is true for our Heavenly Father.

Sylah running in the street.

Something else we like to say is “I love you forever and always.”

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son (to live a sinless and obedient life), so that everyone who believes in him (His death, burial, and resurrection) will not perish but have eternal life.” - John 3:16

Knowing the mission Jesus was assigned to on earth, God gave the one thing that mattered most, His Son. And He did it because He loves you this much.

Question: Have you ever been misunderstood? Or maybe betrayed, falsely accused, or rejected?

The reality is that in life you will face many challenges in relationships and it can often feel like nobody understands…

Title: Unimaginable Pain

Passage: John 18:1-8 CSB

After Jesus had said these things, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. 2 Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas took a company of soldiers and some officials[a] from the chief priests and the Pharisees and came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing everything that was about to happen to him, went out and said to them, “Who is it that you’re seeking?” 5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “I am he,” Jesus told them. Judas, who betrayed him, was also standing with them. 6 When Jesus told them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7 Then he asked them again, “Who is it that you’re seeking?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. 8 “I told you I am he,” Jesus replied. “So if you’re looking for me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the words he had said: “I have not lost one of those you have given me.”

Pray: (Pause 3-5 seconds)

Background:

Sunday - Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

Thursday - Preparation for Passover/Garden of Gethsemane

Friday - Trial and Crucifixion

Jesus was arrested by soldiers and officers sent by the chief priests, led by one of his own disciples that betrayed him. They took him before the Sanhedrin and they mocked him, spit in his face, and physically abused Him. The whole assembly was in an uproar as they made countless false accusations about Jesus, but Jesus kept silent.

At one point in the night they blindfolded Jesus and repeatedly punched him in the face asking “Prophesy! Who was it that hit you!” Their hatred and anger towards Jesus was out of control! Their hunger for status, money, and power led them to fear the Kingdom Jesus spoke of and caused them to do unimaginable acts of violence and hatred. The following morning the chief priests and elders conspired to put Jesus to death and they brought him before Pilate.

Big Idea: Jesus endured so much physical pain and public mockery on the way to the cross. As we examine this text and other passages in the Gospels, we will also see the unimaginable pain He endured relationally.

We will discover that Jesus did not retreat or retaliate, but He chose to show forgiveness, love, and submission to the Father’s will despite all the pain. He is acquainted with our pain, He is acquainted with our grief, and He has called us to follow His example. Let’s dive in!

Main Points: Actions against Jesus. Jesus was...

1. Misunderstood by His Family (His Family)

   1. Mark 3:21: "When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind.'"
   2. John 7:5: "For even his own brothers did not believe in him."
   3. Question: Has anyone in your family misunderstood you?
   4. Pic: Old photos of me with black hair and ear rings.
   5. His brothers would later believe after His resurrection. And His brother James would become a leader in the church in Jerusalem.
   6. "All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers." - Acts 1:14
   7. "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings." - James 1:1

2. Betrayed By Judas (His disciple) John 18:1-9

   1. John 13:21-30: "After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, 'Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.' ... As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. ... Jesus told him, 'What you are about to do, do quickly.'"
   2. Matthew 26:14-16: "Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, 'What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?' So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over."
   3. Matthew 26:45-46: "Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? See, the time is near. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up; let’s go. See, my betrayer is near.”
   4. Someone you thought you could trust, turns around and betrays you.

3. Accused by the High Priests (Religious Leaders)

   1. John 18:12-24, Matthew 26: 57-68, Matthew 27:1-2
   2. Matthew 26:59-60: "The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward."
   3. Mark 14:53-55: "They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. ... The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any."
   4. John 11:47-53: "Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. 'What are we accomplishing?' they asked. 'Here is this man performing many signs. ... So from that day on they plotted to take his life."
   5. “They had no interest in justice. They wanted blood” - Dr. Tony Evans (18:22-23)

   6. 6 Trials All Together

      1. 3 Religious Trials:

         1. Hearing before Annas - John 18:12-24
         2. Hearing before Caiaphas - Matthew 26:57-68

         3. Trial before Council - Matthew 27:1-2 2. 3 Civil Trials:

         4. First hearing before Pilate - Luke 23:1-5

         5. Hearing before Herod - Luke 23:6-12
         6. Last hearing before Pilate - Luke 23:13-25
            7. Accusations against Jesus…

      2. In the Sanhedrin, the chief priest, elders, and scribes were accusing Jesus of blasphemy. That He was claiming to be God. But these weren’t the accusations they brought before Pilate. They knew that blasphemy would not result in the death penalty, only charges against Rome would do that.

      3. So they brought 3 charges to Pilate. Two were lies and one was a twisted truth.

         1. That he was convincing people to not pay taxes.
         2. That he was inciting riots.
         3. That he claimed to be king. He is King, but they twisted it into a political threat against Rome. They were willing to stop at nothing to see Jesus crucified that day!

4. Condemned by Pilate (Political Authority)

   1. Luke 23:1-25 & John 18:28-40
   2. Matthew 27:24: "When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. 'I am innocent of this man’s blood,' he said. 'It is your responsibility!'"
   3. Luke 23:13-25: "Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, ... 'I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.' ... But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed."
   4. John 19:12-16: "From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, 'If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. ...'
   5. Pontius Pilate was the governor over the people. He was not particularly liked by the people. One of the many wrongs against the Jews was that Pilate built a running water system in Jerusalem and he took money from the temple to construct it. This made the Jews angry and hostile toward him. So Pilate was constantly trying to navigate keeping the Roman law, while at the same time not causing riots among the people. He didn’t want word to get to Caesar, the emperor Tiberius, and lose his position as governor. Pilate was status, money, and power driven as well.
   6. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23

5. Rejected by the Crowd (The Generation)

   1. Matthew 27:20-23: "But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. ... The governor answered, 'What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?' They all answered, 'Crucify him!'"
   2. Luke 17:25 - “But first it is necessary that he suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
   3. Isaiah 53:3 - “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him.”
   4. “They wanted political deliverance from Gentile rule, when what they needed was spiritual deliverance from sin.” - Dr. Tony Evans
   5. Choosing Barabbas - “We wanted our circumstances to change, but we didn’t see the need for our souls to change” - the crowd

   6. Pilate’s question “What is truth?” Is still the same question many are asking and seeking today.

      1. Truth, is not relative. “What’s true for you is true and what’s true for me is also true”. This is simply not possible.
      2. “The truth is an objective standard by which reality is measured; it's God's point of view on any subject.” - Dr. Tony Evans

      3. You can deny it, but it doesn’t make it any less true. It does not shift with your feelings and it does not change with your perspective. Jesus declared “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He testifies the truth, He exemplifies truth, and He IS truth!

         7. It was customary for the governor to release a prisoner that was on death row. This was a show or an act of mercy on behalf of the governor.
         8. Question: Who is Barabbas?

      4. Barabbas was a robber, murderer, and insurrectionist. He was a well known thug.

      5. Jesus was being accused of stirring up the people against Rome, the very thing Barabbas had actually done.

         9. Barabbas is a name with a meaning

      6. Barabbas comes from two Aramaic words: Bar, which means “Son of” & Abba, which means “father”. The name means “Son of the father”. If you look at your footnotes on Matthew 27:16-17, some manuscripts give his name as Jesus… Jesus Barabbas. He is a picture of the depravity of humanity.

      7. So here we have Jesus Barabbas (whose name means son of the father) and Jesus (the Son of God), which will you choose? The crowds shouted “Give us Barabbas!” and when asked about Jesus they shouted “Crucify Him!”

         10. Question: I’ll ask again, Who is Barabbas?
         11. Story: I am Barabbas. You are Barabbas.

      8. Jesus taking our place, the substitutionary atonement.

      9. It may have looked like the people set Barabbas free, but it was LOVE. The love of the Father. It was God saying “I love you this much!”
      10. “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:8‬

6. Abandoned by His disciples (His followers)

   1. Matthew 26:56: "Then all the disciples deserted him and fled."
   2. Mark 14:50: "Then everyone deserted him and fled."
   3. John 16:32: "'A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.'"

7. Denied by Peter (His closest friend) John 18:25-27

   1. Matthew 26:69-75: "Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. 'You also were with Jesus of Galilee,' she said. ... Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, 'I don’t know the man!' Immediately a rooster crowed."
   2. Luke 22:54-62: "Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. ... And Peter went outside and wept bitterly."
   3. John 18:15-18, 25-27: "Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. ... Then Peter, who was standing there, denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed."
   4. Jesus foretells Peter that he is going to deny Him
   5. Peter exclaims “Even if everyone falls away, I will not.”
   6. Then again with more passion Peter exclaims “If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.”
   7. Just a few hours later…
   8. Peter denies Jesus 3 times “Aren’t you one of His disciples?”
   9. Jesus then asks Peter 3 times “do you love me?” (John 21:15-19)
   10. Peter is restored by the mercy and grace of God.
   11. Peter then goes on to write “6 You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” - 1 Peter 1:6-9

8. Separated from the Father (His Father)

   1. Matthew 27:46: "About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' (which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?')."
   2. Mark 15:34: "And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' (which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?')."
   3. 2 Corinthians 5:21: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (This verse implies the separation Jesus experienced as He bore the sin of the world.)
   4. Of all the hurt Jesus would experience on this earth relationally, I can imagine that this one eternal and supernatural relationship was the hardest moment in Jesus’ life on this earth.
   5. “Jesus was not a victim, He was a volunteer” - Ps. Skip Heitzig

Closing: What did Jesus do prior to the moments of great heartbreak and trials? He prayed.