Journey Through JohnНамуна

Scripture:

John 18:28b “To avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.”

Observation:

The Jews were knowingly trying to kill an innocent man through bribery and deceit; yet they were concerned about keeping religious rules about ceremonial cleanliness. They didn’t want to miss out on celebrating the Passover, the holiday marking God saving them out of slavery. But their hearts were far from the God they pretended to worship. 

Application: 

Jesus said in Matthew 23:23-25, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” People have the tendency to let their faith degenerate into a few external rules, while missing the real point – loving God and caring deeply about what He cares for: justice, mercy and faithfulness. Is this true in my life? Am I going through external motions, but missing the heart of my faith? I want God to show me my blind spots and help me authentically worship Him as He wants to be worshiped. 

Prayer:

Don’t let me slip into doing externals without having my heart where You want it. I want my faith to be authentic and my love for You to be real and fresh. Guard my heart, Amen. 

Truths to notice:

18:2 Judas’ usefulness to the Jews was that he showed them where to find Jesus at night alone with just a few followers and no crowds around, so they could arrest Jesus without a riot. 

18:4-11 Jesus was not taken by surprise. He willingly went to His death in obedience to His Father. 

18:5-8 Jesus’ words “I am” echo God’s name in Exodus 3:14, which together with His calm confidence about who He was disarmed the soldiers who had come to arrest Him. 

18:15 Peter and John followed Jesus from a distance. John was allowed to go closer, because of his connections to the high priest. Peter meant well, but while alone, he lost his courage and denied Jesus, just as Jesus had predicted. 

18:31 The Jews wanted Jesus to be crucified, but they had no authority to do that type of execution, so they needed to get permission from Pilate, the Roman ruler. 

18:36 Jesus did not intend to set up a kingdom in this world at that time, but rather He was the King of the spiritual realm. 

18:38 Jesus was innocent and did not deserve to die, but He was framed by the Jews.