John 18:10-14 Jesus Is Arrested!

Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus.  So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him,  and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.  Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.

God's plan for Jesus is starting to unfold here as Jesus who is a man of peace is arrested without a crime or any violence.  When Peter truck out in His defense, Jesus advised him not to love by the sword, because to live by the sword is to die by it.  There were so many times they could have seized Jesus as he routinely taught in the synagogues, but instead they seized him in a remote place where the people would not rebel, because the people held Jesus to be a prophet.  This is the cup Jesus was given to drink for my salvation and yours.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, before I was born, You made way to take away my sins and remember them no more.  How great is Your love, grace, and mercy!  Give me this day the ability to model you in my life.  Not that I am perfect, but in You and can be perfect because You are perfect.  Let this be evident to everyone I come in contact with so that they can notice that I am affected by You.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

John 18:1-9 "Who Do You Seek?"

When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples.  Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.  Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.  So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”  They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them.  So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.  Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.”

What do you think?  Was it right that Jesus's disciples left Him alone with His enemies?  From Jesus' point of view, it fulfilled prophecy and the reason for His coming into the world which is to be the Savior for those who call on His name.  But what about the disciples who pledged their loyalty to the Son of God?  This goes to show that they believed He was from Heaven, but still did not trust Him with their life - at least not yet.  But the day will come when Jesus will return to the Father and send the Helper and the disciples will indeed fight, and all lose their life less the disciple John the beloved.

Daily Prayer:  Lord I cannot say that I am better than the fearful disciples because I need the strength of the Good Shepherd as much as they do.  I do ask Your ongoing presence in my life and fight for me the great fight of living for You and dying to myself.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

John 17:11-26 "Do Not Take My Followers Out Of The World, But Keep Them From The Evil One

I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.  While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  For their sake I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;  that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;  I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.“O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;  and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

The crux of Jesus' high priest prayer is this "I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but to keep them from the Evil One."  Jesus is referring me us.  He wants us in the world doing His work until the time of His return.  If it weren't for us the the work of the Holy Spirit, the world would go to hell.  The other main point is that He desires that His followers are given spiritual power by the indwelling of the godhead in the life of the believer.  That is why we can say "I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me."  This is our life and our calling in Christ Jesus.

Daily Prayer:  Lord, live Your life through me.  There is no greater honor than being of service to the Savior of the world.  But  give me also strength, the kind of strength you petitioned for me so that many may come to know Your gospel through words you place in my mouth.  In Jesus name I pray Amen.

John 17:1-10 Jesus is the High Priest Over His Kingdom

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.  This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.  Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You;  for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.  I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;  and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.

The verses of Jesus' High Priest prayer wrinkle our understanding of His mission.  He states that He came to bring the word of God to those who were ordained to receive it, in other words the elect. Through them, Jesus glorifies God and God glorifies Jesus and Jesus states that eternal life is for those who know Him.

Jesus declares that His hour has come and therefore salvation to the elect.  Those who hear the words of Jesus and believe them are those who Jesus call His own.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, Your work is finished on the Cross and salvation came to me because of it.  But not to me alone, but for all those who believe.  For all those who have not yet believed, but belong to You, let their hour come so that they serve you because of who You are and Your great gift.  In Jesus name I pray     Amen. 

John 16:26-33 Jesus is Lord of Heaven and Earth

In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.”His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech.  Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.”  Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?  Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

It is easy to say with your mouth "I believe," but the hour of testing will appear.  Satan has his eye fixed on the disciples of Jesus Christ, which include you and me.  Surly we will be among those who are asked "You are one of his also, aren't you."  We will either reply "I never knew Him," or say "Yes, I am one of His."
Blessed are those who testify me in the world, because they will be testified to with God Almighty.  But woe to those who deny me before men because they will be denied to Father God in heaven.  The church was established as the body of believers who declare their loyalty to their Lord and Savior.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, the church is Your's because we honor You for who Your are who is the Son of God who comes to take away the sins of the world.  Bless You for who You are and hasten Your return to us our Savior.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.

John 16:16-25 Your Grief Will Be Turned Into Joy

A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.”  Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this thing He is telling us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?”  So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.”  Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’?  Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.  Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.  Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.  Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.

You have probably noticed in your life that there is a difference between happiness and joy, confusion and clarity, and fleshly and spiritual.  Jesus is telling us that soon He will be speaking clearly to those who are  His.  He explains the world is His enemy because of Satan is its prince.  Finally, His hour has come to make the Great Sacrifice so that no longer will they be sorrowful, but will have joy that cannot be taken away.  Happiness is a temporary condition which the world entices us with.  Joy is complete and it leads to confidence which leads to our trust in Jesus.  Not as the world gives to I give to you, Jesus declares.  But we are his and our joy complete.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, the gift of joy is what I and everyone else desires.  It takes away fear, anxiety, desperation, hunger - all things which the world possesses.  It replaces them with peace, well-being, confidence, and love - Your gift to those who are Your followers.  Amen and Amen.

John 16:12-15 Things To Come - Jesus

“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

The words of Jesus are many, but our minds need to be conditioned before we can understand everything Jesus wants us to know.  All of the words of the godhead, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are utterances of the Father.  Previously Jesus declared that He does not speak of His own, but He speaks of the One who sent Him.  Now that He is preparing to return to the Father, He is sending the Spirit of Truth, who also does not glorify Himself or speak His own mind, but instead takes charge of the souls that were given Jesus and glorifies Him when speaking the words of the Father.  He guides us into all truth and leads us into righteousness. 

Daily Prayer:  Lord, we can ask for nothing more than what you have already given us.  You have secured our souls by Your sacrifice on the Cross and did not leave us alone.  Instead You sent the Helper who will shepherd Your people until the time of Your return.  Let us shew the ways of the world and strive for righteousness for Your name's sake.  In Jesus name I pray Amen.