Bowled Over!

 

 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. --Psalm 23:4

If you or someone you know works in law enforcement, you may have heard many stories of dramatic arrests. A law enforcement officer must be prepared for any number of different scenarios when making an arrest.

Sometimes a suspect is caught in the act. The officer is there, witnesses the event, and makes the arrest. This scenario happens most often in traffic stops. Other times the police are called when a citizen detains a suspect. For example, a department store security officer witnesses a theft, and approaches the suspect, and the suspect cooperates.

Other times a detective may have spent some time building a case against a suspect. Once the threshold of probable cause is met, officers are dispatched to arrest the suspect wherever he or she may be staying. If lawyers are involved, a suspect may be given the opportunity to turn himself in. In more dramatic and dangerous situations, the law enforcement personnel may be met with armed resistance. In those cases, law enforcement must either have a greater show of force (as in a shoot-out), or they may bring in a negotiator, who will attempt to talk the suspect into surrendering.

In each case, you can't know beforehand how it will go down. Law enforcement must be prepared for anything and everything.

When Jesus was arrested, the traitor disciple called Judas brought with him some or all of the Temple Guard. "A Roman cohort was a tenth of a legion, and this would be six hundred men," says Warren Wiersbe in The Bible Exposition Commentary. "It is not likely that Judas brought that many to the Garden, but apparently a full cohort was made available to him had he needed it. Did he not realize that the Lamb of God would meekly submit and that there would be no need to battle?"

Let's read about it in John 18:1-14.

When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples. Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. Then He asked them again, "Whom are you seeking?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way," that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You have given Me I have lost none." 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 the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

It might be easy to skim over this passage. A simple arrest. The Jews had overwhelming force. The only resistance was Peter, who did some non-lethal damage to a servant, but afterward there was no evidence of bodily harm, so Peter was not detained. In essence, Jesus turned Himself in.

However, this passage goes much deeper than that.

Jesus led His disciples over a brook called Kidron. The portion of the brook that Jesus and the disciples crossed was downstream from the Temple. The water was dark, as the brook served as a drainage for the Temple sacrifices. Commentator David Guzik wrote, "This small stream was the drainage from the temple, and would be reddish from the blood of thousands of Passover lambs. This would have been a vivid reminder to Jesus of His soon sacrifice." Whenever we go through "dark waters" we can be reminded what Jesus Himself went through for us.

The garden itself was named in the other Gospel accounts. They called it Gethsemane, which literally means "an oil press." This area was known for its olive groves and it is where they produced olive oil. Olives are placed in a press and crushed, so that the oil runs down and is collected in containers. Isaiah 53:5 says, "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed" (ESV).

Jesus had apparently spent a lot of time in this very garden, for Judas knew that was where He would go after the Passover meal. When Judas arrived, he was followed by soldiers, but also by chief priests, Pharisees, captains and other officers--all "Type-A" personalities, to be sure.

Who was in charge?

The answer to this question is, simply, Jesus was in charge. 

He was the One who stepped up.  He was the One who spoke up first. He was the One who was giving orders, not only to His own disciples, but also to the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the soldiers. Jerome Neyrey, in The New Cambridge Bible Commentary, wrote:

With few exceptions, those who ask questions of others do so to challenge them. This happens regularly in the synoptic Gospels when Jesus' enemies put Him and His disciples on the spot with questions. Here, Jesus asks the questions; and by taking the lead in this confrontation, He exercises control over the situation: "Whom do you seek?" The soldiers might answer a question with a question, "Who are You?" but they follow the script, which emphasizes Jesus' authority: "Jesus of Nazareth!" His answer, "I AM," both identifies Himself and communicates power, another aspect of control. "Drawing back and falling to the ground" is not the typical gesture of armed soldiers before an unarmed man. But if shoved back, then they have met a superior force; if overwhelmed, they are not in control. The pattern repeats, as Jesus again asks and they answer. Still in control, Jesus commands the soldiers to let His disciples go. He not only asks questions but commands the soldiers who have come to seize Him. Thus He manifests complete control over the situation: He speaks the first and last words. He lays down His life; no one takes it from Him.

This reaction by the soldiers is not fully explained. It is notable that Jesus' confession of His identity mirrored the words that God spoke to Moses at the burning bush. "I AM." To make it more grammatically correct and therefore easier for us English speakers to read, most translators add the word "He."  

"I am He" is a human response, as in, "I am the Man you are looking for." However, "I AM" is a divine response, as in "I AM the very nature and essence of God Himself; when you see Me, you see the Father; I and the Father are One."

This admission would certainly leave the Pharisees and Priests dumbfounded, perhaps taking a step back to ponder. But the reaction of the soldiers is a miracle of divine power over human strength. Bible commentator Adam Clarke wrote, "Our Lord chose to give them this proof of His infinite power, that they might know that their power could not prevail against Him if He chose to exert His might, seeing that the very breath of His mouth confounded, drove back, and struck them down to the earth." 

The cohort of Roman soldiers, who were individually and collectively trained to kill, were bowled over by the word that Jesus spoke. This is the power of I AM.

Jesus commanded the soldiers, "Take Me, but leave these others alone." Maybe Malchus, the servant of the high priest, came and took hold of Jesus to arrest him. Maybe he was just the one closest to Peter when Peter decided to be a hero. He had already told Jesus, "I will die for You" (John 13:37). He grabs his sword, and in a clumsy attempt to cut the man's head open, instead lands a glancing blow, resulting in Malchus losing an ear.

This was not the way to diffuse the situation.

In fact, it could have ended up much worse for the disciples.

In 1775 at Lexington, Massachusetts, the British army was under orders not to fire unless they were fired upon. They confronted the colonial militia, and there was a stand-off. Out of nowhere, a single shot went off. No one knows who fired, or whether it was someone's rifle that misfired accidentally. Nevertheless, that single shot triggered the British volley that began the battles of Lexington and Concorde, the start of the Revolutionary War in America.

A single act of aggression against a superior force usually results in a forceful response. When Peter wielded his sword, he likely expected the Roman cohort to draw swords and spears in response. Whether he believed that an angelic army would come to their rescue is unclear. Peter only seemed intent on defending his Master, even at the cost of his own life.

As we saw before, however, Jesus was in charge of the situation. He commanded Peter to stand down and holster his weapon. He healed the severed ear of the servant, so that charges were not brought against any of the disciples, especially Peter. By His power, Jesus kept the Roman soldiers at bay. By His word, Jesus rebuked Peter, the unruly disciple.

Jesus drank from the cup His Father had given Him. He submitted to the Father's will and allowed Himself to be taken. Even though He had the power to knock them backwards, He submitted Himself to them and allowed Himself to be arrested and taken before the High Priest. Wiersbe writes:

Jesus deliberately gave Himself to His enemies. They bound Him and led Him to the house of Annas, which was not too far away. Annas had served as high priest until he was deposed by the Romans; now his son-in-law Caiaphas was the high priest. Got had ordained that one man should serve as high priest for a lifetime, so it is easy to see that the Jewish religious establishment was in sad condition. It is generally believed that the high priest's family was in charge of the temple "business," and the fact that Jesus twice cleansed the temple must have aroused their anger against Him.

The Jews were doing everything they could to silence Jesus, up to and including hiring false witnesses to ensure a death sentence. But make no mistake: Jesus was the one in charge. Not Annas. Not Caiaphas. Not the captains of the Roman cohort. Certainly not Peter.

Whenever we find ourselves in a situation that appears to be spiraling out of control, we must realize that God is in control. Not the circumstances. Not the people who accuse us or persecute us. Certainly not ourselves. It is God who is in control, and it will be God who will ultimately receive the glory. 1 Peter 4:14 says, "If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified." Later in verse 19, Peter goes on to say, "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator."

Many times, we are "bowled over" by the goodness of God; other times, God may be glorified in our suffering. Either way, it is God who gets the glory.