Whom are you seeking?
Text. John 18:1-4
Intro: The 18th chapter of John begins a transition from the events of the Last Supper recorded in John chapters 13-17, to the events concerning Jesus’ arrest and trials before his Crucifixion. At this point Jesus’ men are confused and perplexed. Having just celebrated the Passover which is usually a very happy occasion, Jesus kept talking to his men about his soon departure from them. And rather than pointing back in history to the time of Israel’s becoming a free nation after over 400 years of slavery in Egypt, he is pointing forward to something new and different that seems to be connected to his own flesh and blood.
When Jesus and his men left the upper room they crossed the Kidron Brook which was likely flowing with the dark stains of the blood of the sacrificed sheep from the temple above. Only Jesus knew that the very next day his own blood would be added to the blood of the lambs. Crossing the Brook led to the entrance of the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus left 8 of his men while he took Peter, James, and John further into the garden so they could be near him as he prayed. Sadly, in his hour of distress his own men fell asleep and lost their chance to minister to their Lord. Instead, an angel came to comfort Jesus in his distress. There is so much more that can be said about the garden experience, but I want to move forward to the moment of Jesus arrest.
Having been with Jesus for the past 3 years, Judas was well aware of how often Jesus would take his men to the garden to pray. Therefore, he had a good idea of where he could find Jesus when the priests and soldiers needed to apprehend him. Judas had been hired by the Jewish leaders to take them to Jesus so they could arrest him privately at night rather than in the day when he was surrounded by followers. Judas had been paid 30 pieces of silver (the usual purchase price for a slave) by the priests and the sign of identification would be for Judas to greet Jesus with a kiss. What an ironic act of betrayal!
Judas arrived with a group of soldiers and Jewish religious leaders. The text reminds us that they came with lanterns, torches, and weapons. The wording of the text also implies that this was a large group; some commentators suggest there could have been as many as 600 men. Perhaps, they wrongly assumed that Jesus would assemble a mob of loyalists to protect himself and resist arrest. But Jesus presented himself willingly to be arrested and to suffer the torture and death he knew was coming his way. His only request was that his men would be allowed to leave and not be required to accompany him in what was about to happen to him.
Perhaps the most interesting part of these first 4 verses in Chapter 18 of John, is the question Jesus asked of the mob who had come to take him away. He went forward and asked, “Whom are you seeking?” Obviously, he already knew they were seeking him, but still he asked them the question so they could state plainly who they were looking for. When they answered, “Jesus of Nazareth” he responded, “I am he.” Obviously, Jesus was not interested in evading arrest.
But John mentions in his Gospel account, that Jesus answer, “I am he” had an amazing effect on the mob assembled there. Verse 6 states that when Jesus said, “I am He” they drew back and fell to the ground. I don’t know if this was a miracle or just a display of the fear shared by those who had come to complete the arrest. Obviously, they weren’t prepared to find Jesus so agreeable and open to all that would happen to him that night and the next day. If Judas had showed up with only one or two in the arrest party everything would have gone better than anyone expected.
The text for today’s message ends with verse 4 so I won’t go any farther with the account of the arrest, but I want to take time to unpack the lesson contained in Jesus’ question to the arresting mob. “Whom are you seeking?” That same question deserves an answer today just as it did on the night of Jesus’ arrest.
When people these days think about Jesus everyone has some kind of opinion about who Jesus is and what they may assume Jesus could or would do for them. We know that in Jesus’ day many knew that Jesus was a healer and a miracle worker. He was also a preacher who said amazing things, and this made him very popular with the crowds wherever he went. On one occasion he even fed a crowd that included 5,000 men and an unnumbered group of women and children. After that experience, the crowd came seeking him so he could feed them another meal. They were looking for a handout like that to be repeated every day from then onward.
Let us consider who it is people are seeking these days when they go looking for Jesus:
1. The Genie in Aladdan’s lamp: Since we know Jesus healed people and performed amazing miracles, why not look for the one who can do such things as that today? It is not unusual for believers to pray for healings and other miracles as they direct their thoughts toward Jesus. Is it out of line to make such requests in our prayers? I am reminded of Paul’s Doxology in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” It doesn’t sound like miracles and healings are beyond Jesus’ ability, but the problem isn’t what Jesus can or can’t do. The issue at hand is the person looking for a wish granting genie in or out of a lamp. Sadly, the Jesus some are looking for is nothing more than a good luck charm of sorts. All some people care about is what Jesus can do for them in the way of signs and wonders. These folks aren’t looking for a relationship with the risen Lord, just a lucky rabbit’s foot to keep in their pocket. These folks are looking for the wrong Jesus if that’s what they seek.
2. The Conquering Warrior: The reason most Jews didn’t see Jesus as Messiah was because they had in mind a conquering warrior like King David who defeated Israel’s enemies and drew blood with a sword. In Jesus’ day the Jews wanted someone to eliminate Rome from the picture. But Jesus preached about a spiritual kingdom and matters of the heart rather than taking up arms to defeat Rome and other enemies. The book of Revelation lets us know that Jesus will someday return as a conquering King to establish his kingdom and bring down the New Jerusalem to earth for his Millennial Reign. But some are looking for the kind of Jesus who could settle the score with their enemies and reign down judgment and destruction on those who they believe are deserving of it. Jesus didn’t come to earth to be anyone’s personal bodyguard or conquering warrior.
3. The Legalistic Judge: There are some more legalistic minded folk who seem to see everyone around them as a rotten sinner who needs to be punished. These are the kind of folks who like to preach hellfire and damnation sermons at the drop of a hat. Like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, these folks delight in pointing out all the things you can do to incur the wrath of God. But Jesus didn’t come to judge the world, he came to save it (John 3:17). If the Jesus you’re looking for is the one who will send all your enemies to hell then you’re looking for the wrong Jesus. We know Jesus will be the judge at the final judgment, but the heart of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is a heart of mercy and grace calling whosoever will to become another one of God’s much loved children.
Let me ask it again, when you look at Jesus who do you see? Who is it you are looking for? If you seek a genie to grant your greatest wishes, or a bodyguard to beat up all your hated enemies, or a legalistic judge to send sinners to hell, then take another look at the real Jesus. See him for who he really is. Jesus Christ is so much more than whatever we may tend to think he is. He is not around to do our personal bidding, but he is always near to transform us into God’s much loved sons and daughters. When Moses saw the face of God on the holy Mt. Horeb, his face glowed in reflection of God’s glory from that close encounter. The problem was that the glory from that encounter was a fading glory, so Moses covered his face to keep people from seeing a diminishing glory. We on the other hand have a much better situation than Moses experienced. When we see the glory of the real Jesus just as He is, here is what happens to us: 2 Cor. 3:18, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Conclusion: Once you rightly answer Christ’s question, “Whom do you seek?” you can be transformed by seeking the real Jesus just as He truly is. Therefore, avoid seeking an inferior Jesus of your own invention. Instead, seek the Holy and Glorious Jesus who is your Savior, and Lord, and Life.
