Here is a teaching on chapter 18 Part 1 of the book of John. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added into that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
First I want to say a quick prayer... Lord I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. I pray that you open up our eyes to see the truth of your words. Lord please give us the knowledge and understanding to know exactly what it is that we're reading and how to implement it in our daily lives. Lord reveal to us the truth that you want us to see and the truth that you're speaking into our lives today and every day going forward. I pray that you give us courage and strength to take the things that we're learning and the truths that you're teaching us and implement those things, spread the gospel, and to let others know about you and how amazing you are. I love you with my whole heart. In Jesus' name, Amen.
John Chapter 18 Part 1:
1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons.
4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" 5 "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
8 "I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me." 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11 Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
So I'm going to stop right there and discuss these verses with you guys here. So just like we see from chapter 13, Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him and he told his disciples that one of them would betray him. So in verses 2-4 of chapter 18, Jesus had already saw all this coming. He already knew that Judas would betray him in this way. Now in verses 5-6 when Jesus said "I am he" and these soldiers, officials, chief priests, and Pharisees all drew back and fell to the ground after he said those words, that just shows the power of the words of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ (God the Son), and God the Father are more powerful than we could ever fathom, but this is just a good illustration right here of some of the power of Jesus Christ in the words that he speaks. That's why it's so important for us to really know and understand the truth of God's words in the Bible, to implement that truth in our daily life, and to spread the gospel to others to help them to understand the truth and the power of God's words also.
Here in verse 9 the words that Jesus had spoken were from John chapter 6 verse 39, which we learned from our Bible study in John chapter 6 when he was telling the people that he was the bread of life. In verse 39 of chapter 6 he said, "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but rise them up at the last day." So in verse 8 of chapter 18 when he told them to let his disciples go because he was the one they were looking for, it was to fulfill what he said in verse 39 of Chapter 6. Then in verse 10 Simon Peter drew the sword and cut off the right ear of the high priest's servant. Simon Peter was brave, courageous, he always spoke up about Jesus, really wanted to show Jesus his love, that he would fight for him, and he would always be there for him, but he also was human. As humans, we're all sinners, and he had flaws just like everyone has flaws. Even though Simon Peter loved Jesus so much and he would fight for him he did things that he wasn't proud of, which we'll see in the verses later on. Then what Jesus says here in verse 11 just shows again that he was fully submitted to the will of God the Father and he knew that this was all part of the plan to save the world. He knew he had to make that ultimate sacrifice to forgive us of our sins so that all who believe in him will have eternal life, will be able to see God's glory in heaven, and be in heaven with them whenever he comes back for us.
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people."
Alright, I want to discuss these few verses with you guys here. So in verse 14 when it says that Caiaphas was the one who advised the Jews that it'd be good if one man died for the people, we saw that in our Bible study from John chapter 11 in verse 49. The chief priests and Pharisees had called a meeting and they were trying to figure out what to do about Jesus, because he was performing all these miraculous signs and people were believing in him. They were afraid that the Romans would see him as a threat if he kept gaining followers and they didn't want the Romans to take away their place and their nation. So in verses 49-50 of chapter 11 Caiaphas spoke up and said that they know nothing at all and that they didn't realize that it's better for one man to die for the people than the whole nation to perish. We also see in verses 51-53 of chapter 11 of the book of John that Caiaphas didn't say this on his own, but he prophesized that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation. So it was all part of the plan, because Jesus knew that he was going to be dying for the nation to forgive us of our sins.
15 "Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in. 17 "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, "I am not." 18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
19 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 "I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."
22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded. 23 "If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" 24 Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.
25 As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it, saying, "I am not." 26 One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove?" 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow."
Alright, so that's all the verses that we're going to read in part one of chapter 18, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. So in all these verses we see Peter's denials and Jesus predicted these denials in chapter 13 of the book of John. Jesus told Peter in verse 38 of chapter 13 that before the rooster crows Peter will disown Jesus three times, and that is what we see here in these verses in chapter 18. So even though Peter loved Jesus so much, he was brave, and he fought for him in the earlier verses in chapter 18 when he cut off the ear of the high priest's servant; he still was human, made mistakes, and did things that he was not proud of. Peter disowned Jesus three times. This just goes to show that even though our intentions may be pure, we love Jesus, and we always want to do the right thing; we're still humans, we make mistakes, and the most important thing is once we make those mistakes to repent, ask for forgiveness, and try to always do the right thing going forward. We're not exempt from sin, we're always going to sin, but we have to make sure that we humble ourselves, repent, ask for forgiveness, and Jesus will always forgive us.
So in verses 20-21 Jesus was open about his teachings, he always said them in public, and he always spoke truth. Jesus asked the high priest why he questioned him, because all the people that spoke to public surely knew what he said to them. In verse 22 when one of the officials struck Jesus in the face, he clearly didn't know who Jesus was or believed in him to he show that disrespect to Jesus. He thought that the high priest deserved more respect than Jesus. No person in this world deserves more respect than Jesus Christ.
In verse 23, this just goes to show that Jesus lived a sinless life and he didn't try to strike back or lash out. Jesus just spoke truth, kept calm, and asked why he struck him if he spoke the truth. This just goes to show the way that we should react whenever someone strikes us. It could be a harsh word or they do something wrong to us. We have to act in a gentle manner, stay calm, stand firm, and know that we have troubles in this world but Jesus has overcome the world. Lashing out, shouting at someone, or doing to them what they did to us does no good for anyone and that only disrupts our peace. We can find peace through Jesus Christ.
John Ch 18 Part 1 Study Guide
Why did Judas guide soldiers and officials to the olive grove?
In verse 5, why did the soldiers fall to the ground?
What scripture is verse 9 pertaining to?
Why do you think that Peter disowned Jesus 3 times?
Jesus kept his composure when the high priest’s servant struck him in verse 22, how would you have reacted if you were in the same position?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
So in all these verses in the Bible studies that we've learned in John we can see how Jesus was, his manners, and the way in that he lived his life. Us, as disciples of Jesus Christ, should strive to live as Jesus lived, follow him, obey his commands, and love each other. So that concludes this Bible study. Next week we're going to go into part 2 of chapter 18 so stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
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