Sermon Central
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The Gospel Of Might Series
Contributed by Jim Butcher on May 4, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: The arrest of Jesus puts a spotlight on the "Gospel of Might" versus the "Gospel of Jesus." What are the differences? And how does the backward stumbling that's described there sum it all up?
THE GOSPEL OF MIGHT: By all outward indications, Jesus is in a losing situation.
- John 18:1-11.
- Pieces of this outward situation:
a. Jesus has a betrayer with inside information.
- John 18:2.
b. Jesus is in an enclosed area.
- John 18:1.
- It’s an olive grove and they went “into it,” so presumably this was not an open area with plenty of avenues of escape.
c. Jesus is facing perhaps hundreds of soldiers.
- John 18:3.
- Most of us picture the scene with maybe a dozen soldiers (in addition to the officials) in order to lead Jesus back to Annas, but it seems more likely they brought an overwhelming force. They had seen the passions that Jesus stirred up in the public. They deliberately chose a time when it would be less likely for there to be a crowd, but I expect that they would have decided to err on the side of too much force.
- Even if there’s not a confrontation, any competent plan would allow for the fact that Jesus and His followers might try to flee when they became aware of the effort to arrest Jesus. Having many soldiers would allow them to quickly block the various exits from the area.
- There is speculation about the word “detachment” that’s used and whether that means they brought a full detachment. That word could indicate as many as 600 men, although that seems unlikely.
- Nonetheless, it was a formidable force.
d. Jesus has only a few followers and fewer weapons.
- John 18:1.
- Compared to that impressive army, Jesus is surrounded by perhaps eleven disciples. (There may have been a few additional – we can’t be sure.) Among those, we can be confident that almost no one had a weapon.
e. Jesus is against powerful political foes.
- John 18:3.
- Those that were pressing this prosecution of Jesus were well-connected. They were the religious leaders, so they had the Jewish people in their grasp. Further, they had influence over the Roman leadership, who had a vested interest in keeping peace in Jerusalem.
f. Jesus wants to get His followers out safely.
- John 18:8.
- It would be easier if Jesus was only interested in finding a way to slip away through the crowd and flee Himself, unconcerned about what happens to those He leaves in His wake.
- But that’s not His stated desire. Quite the opposite. He is most concerned about making sure that His arrest does not lead to their arrest.
- From a human perspective, that puts Him in a most challenging situation, given all the other details we’ve just discussed.
- I have called this “the gospel of might.” What do I mean by that? I mean that from an outward, worldly perspective, this show of force is incredibly impressive. It’s everything this world loves: forceful, overwhelming in power, well-connected politically, well-executed in timing.
- This is a show of force and it is, by all outward standards, impressive and going to be effective.
THE PATH OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS: Pursue the will of the Father.
- This is a simple point, but it is crucial and often overlooked today.
- First, the simple point.
- Note in v. 11 that Jesus makes His decision on what to do based on one simple criteria: what is the Father’s will?
- Peter moves forward to fight against this nefarious arrest and Jesus puts him in his place: why is Peter trying to misdirect Jesus onto a path that is not the Father’s will?
- Second, how this is often overlooked.
- Let’s just ponder for a moment the various ways to do the calculations on how to respond to this predicament:
a. The situational calculus.
- “What’s the best way out of this sticky situation?”
b. The military calculus.
- “How many weapons to we have? How many do they have?”
c. The power calculus.
- “If we let them win this moment, will they have all the power?”
d. The religious calculus.
- “By what authority are they bringing this condemnation?”
e. The political calculus.
- “Do I have allies that can push back on this arrest?”
- The important thing to consider at this point in the sermon is this: all of these are possible things that Jesus could have focused on in doing His calculations of how to respond. And each of them would have led to a different approach.
- But what does Jesus keep His focus on? One thing: what is the Father’s will?
- Why is this so important for us tonight? Because we usually have other criteria that we put first as we make our decisions:
a. “How will this impact my finances?”
b. “What will this do to my kids?”
