Holy Week – John 18:3-11

Triumph. Humility. Confrontation. Celebration. Betrayal. Anxiety. Prayer. Trials. Torture. Death. Weeping. Resurrection. Victory. Jesus had quite the week. 

As we reflect this Holy Week – from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday – on all the events leading up to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, let's focus in on where our Lord's willing surrender is most evident. We'll walk through John 18:3-11. The apostle John captures the gripping moment when Jesus is met with an armed mob to be arrested:

"So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 

Jesus knows his destiny. He just wept before the Father in the garden, asking if this cup could pass over Him. But He committed to full submission. And now He has steel resolve. Jesus speaks first, confronting the crowd with a question He already knows the answer to. Jesus willingly steps forward to the mob, knowing He will be falsely accused, beaten, and killed. He does this for "the joy that was set before Him" (Heb 12:2). The joy of saving us. The joy of loving us. The joy of being glorified and worshipped. The joy of revealing He is the victorious Savior. The Lord of all. 

They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 

The crowd tells Jesus who they are looking for. It's Him. Jesus' response is absolutely incredible. He simply answers, "I am." Most English translations add the word "he" to make it read more smoothly ("I am he"). But that’s not there in the original language. And this is intentional. When Jesus answers "I am," He is identifying Himself with the Great I Am of the Old Testament. Yahweh. The God who reveals Himself to Moses at the burning bush. The God who was, who is, and who is to come. Jesus is claiming identity as Yahweh God. There is so much power in this declaration, that the soldiers fall flat on their backs when Jesus speaks it. The same voice that created the heavens and the earth is the voice pushing back this mob. But the incredible thing is that Jesus doesn’t use His power to destroy them. He uses it to surrender Himself and to save others.

So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 

This part of the story is almost humorous. Jesus just pulled the ultimate power move, and then asks them to answer His question again. You can imagine they must have been nervous to respond this time. When they do, Jesus identifies with Yahweh God a second time. He surrenders to their arrest, but ensures His disciples can go free. I'm sure Jesus' cooperation was disorienting to the crowd, as He had just demonstrated His divine power over them. But this moment is a picture of what Jesus is about to do. He accepts arrest and guarantees His disciples' freedom. He did not deserve to be approached by an armed horde. He hadn't harmed or threatened anyone. He hadn't broken the law. Yet He willingly surrendered so His followers could be free.

Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Peter misread the room. He thought Jesus' flex of divine power and authority meant he could start a war. But that was the opposite of what Jesus was showing. Jesus was indeed starting a bloody revolution. But it wasn’t political. It wasn’t social. It wasn’t racial. The revolution of Jesus is not covered in the blood of His enemies. It's covered in His own blood. Jesus wins the war through surrender. He brings life through His death. The revolution of Jesus loves enemies into friends. Our Lord conquers through sacrifice. He sets aside His power, position, and privilege, so that we may be saved from our sin. He disarms Himself in order to take on the brutal end we had earned for ourselves. He willingly drinks the cup that the Father gave Him. The cup is death and wrath. Jesus took it all on for us. He paid it all. But His story doesn’t end in death. The Great I Am defeated death! The divine voice can never be silenced. Jesus' power never runs out. Breath filled His lungs once again, and He walked out of His tomb as the King. And His kingdom is here. We can put our sword in its sheath because the battle is already won, and our current struggles are not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12). The Jesus revolution is a cosmic one. It is the love and presence of God breaking back into the world. We await Jesus to come again and fully realize His kingdom here on earth. Until then, we follow His example of surrender. We die to ourselves. We live in His life. We thank Him for His love. We praise Him for His sacrifice. We look forward to His return. And we celebrate His victory!