Sunday 02 • 16 • 20

Good morning, CTK. It's good to be with you all this morning. If you're visiting with us for the first time, my name is Russell McCutcheon, and I have the honor and the privilege of not only being the church planting resident here, and by God's grace, launching in the fall, but also to stand before you to open God's word.

Today, we're going to start a new series called "Witnesses to the Cross." As we begin this series, I think it's important to engage your senses. We all must engage our senses—our sense of sight, our sense of smell, our sense of touch, our sense of what we hear. Often when we think about the cross, we tend to think about that moment where our Lord hung between heaven and earth beside two criminals, and that was a devastating moment. As a matter of fact, that was the cataclysmic moment of all of history. By God's grace, we thank God for it, but if you're like me, you can brush past the things that happened before and even the things after. We're going to look at some things that have taken place in and around the cross. So today, we're going to be in John chapter 18, verses 1 through 11 from the scriptures.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with the disciples across the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, "Who do you seek?" They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So if you seek me, let these men go." This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: "Of those whom you gave me, I have lost not one." Then Simon Peter, having a sword...

Let's pray. Holy Father, I stand in awe of you, for each week you allow your people to gather corporately to worship you. We come together and we sing praises to your name. We confess our sins and rest in the assurance of pardon. What a beautiful thing we get to do, Lord God—to sit before you and your word. So heavenly Father, I pray that you will give us eyes to see and ears to hear, not simply for information but for transformation. We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Mendelssohn Story

A true story is told of the great musician and composer Mendelssohn. One day in Europe, he went to this magnificent cathedral. In this cathedral, they had a caretaker who made sure that everything was taken care of. They had a brand new organ in this cathedral. So Mendelssohn, who was traveling, asked the caretaker, "Sir, can I please play this organ?" The caretaker said, "Absolutely not. No one can play this organ. It is precious to us." But Mendelssohn continued to ask, wearing him down. "Please let me play this organ." The caretaker continued to say, "I will not allow this because this is a million-dollar organ." But Mendelssohn did not stop. He continued to wear this man down so much that he said, "Alright, you have one minute to play this organ."

When Mendelssohn sat down to play, the caretaker heard a sound that he had never heard before, so much so that he went up to him and said, "Mister, please tell me your name. Who are you?" Mendelssohn said, "My name is Mendelssohn." The man stared at him with an open mouth because he could not believe who was standing in front of him. Before this, the caretaker forbade him to play the organ. Afterwards, he felt embarrassed because he could not recognize who was in front of him.

Recognizing God's Work

How often are we blinded to God and His work in our lives? I don't know about you, but I have presuppositions about how I think my life should go. I needed things to go a certain way, and when God is at work because I have a way I think life should go, I fail to recognize God's hand at work in my life. I want to control my life and the lives of those around me sometimes. However, when I look back over my life and I see—as I heard in the early church I grew up in—where God has brought me from, seeing what He has done in my life, I look back and I see God at work in a way that I would have never expected. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't even want it, but it turned out for His glory and for my good, even though it may have been painful. But this could be frustrating, right?

It can be really frustrating because we want God to work, but according to our desires, our way of thinking, and our way of doing things. And when he does not do what we want him to do, it's almost like we ask God, "Do you know what you're doing? Do you see? This is not supposed to be happening." And honestly, if it's me, often when this happens, I begin to doubt God. "You must not be God because you can't see what I'm seeing."

The problem is when we do stuff like this, we don't have God framed up right. What do I mean? We come to God assuming—especially in any culture, but if it's a false way of looking at Scripture—we say, "God, I believe you should be acting in this way." But when he does not act in this way, outside of the lines that we have, the box that we have created, then we must think that he must not be God.

But when I come to Scripture and I see something like John chapter 11, where his friend Lazarus dies, the Scripture would say he heard that Lazarus was dead and he stayed where he was. Or he heard that he was sick and he stayed where he was. Then he died. He stayed and he died, and it took him two days to get where he was. So much so that Mary and Martha would say, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died."

Have you said anything like that before? "God, if you had been here, x, y, and z would not have happened"? Because we may not have God framed up right. We want him to work according to our thinking and our way of doing things.

However, Scripture tells us to trust God's way of doing things. Great scripture that I learned early on was Proverbs chapter three, verses five and six:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways, know him and he will make your paths straight. — Proverbs 3:5-6

My friends, God knows what he's doing. He knows what he is doing.

This morning as we come to the text, we're going to see a group of people who struggled to see God correctly and to trust how he works. When we see Jesus interact with different groups of people—the disciples, the religious leaders, and the crowd—many of them didn't understand Jesus or what he was doing.

That's interesting when I think about the disciples. Jesus called twelve, and I don't have time to extract this, but twelve rejects. Those who did not have what it took to follow the rabbis of the day—they were out fishing or going to the family's trade. Jesus goes to these very young boys and he says to them, "Come follow me." And when Jesus says, "Come follow me," he is actually saying to them, "You have what it takes to be just like me. I'm going to invest in your life to make you exactly who I am."

So they followed him. They immediately left all that they were doing and they followed Jesus up close and personal for three years. But when you read the Scripture, you will see that they were still confused about who Jesus was. Now, multiply that when you look at the crowds and the religious leaders. They didn't understand at all who Jesus was in many instances.

But I love what one of my favorite preachers who's not with the Lord, Gardner C. Taylor, once said about Jesus. He said this: "As a baby, he frightened the king. As a child, he perplexed the elders and doctors. As a man, he made the sea to be still and boisterous waves lie down upon the bosom of his gentle command. Jesus was like no other."

The Series Overview

So as we begin this series on the witnesses to the cross, starting in John chapter 18, verses one through 11, the primary thing I want us to know is this: Jesus as King calls the shots, not us. Jesus as King calls the shots, not us.

Just as the Roman soldiers, Judas, nor Peter were in control, you nor I are in control. The religious leaders wanted to silence Jesus because their position in life was threatened. Their station in life was threatened. The way that they normally did things was threatened. God had come to Earth in the flesh, but John chapter one, verse 11 states this about Jesus:

He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. — John 1:11

In this passage of Scripture, we will see the rejection of the people actually being fleshed out.

So if you are a person that loves to take notes this morning, this is where we are going.

The first thing I want us to see is that Jesus, King Jesus, is the new Adam. I'm going to explain this. King Jesus is the new Adam. We see this in verses one through three.

The second thing that we will see is that the enemies of Jesus see him as a threat, not as King. The enemies of Jesus see him as a threat and not as King in verses four through nine.

And finally, I want us to see this: Jesus, the true King—and forgive my Ebonics—don't need your help. Jesus, the true King, does not need our help in verses ten through eleven.

So as we walk through these verses, I want to ask you to ponder this question as we walk through it. How do you see Jesus? How do you really see him?

King Jesus as the New Adam

So, let's look at our first point. King Jesus is the new Adam in verses one through three. Now, as I stated before, as we look at this section of scripture, I want us to engage our sense of sight. I believe that we could witness what's taking place here.

First Corinthians chapter 15 verse 45 states that Jesus is the second Adam, showing us that he succeeded where the first Adam failed. If you remember Adam in Genesis in the Garden of Eden, he failed. He sinned. And as a result of his failure, you and I are sinful. He failed in the garden, but Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he succeeded. He obeyed what the Father gave him to do. You see, the plan the Father gave to Jesus was to win back to the Father's house those who are his.

The text begins with stating this: "after Jesus had said these things," but what is the writer John referring to? So we need to ask questions of the text. What is he referring to? This points back to the conversation Jesus had with the disciples in John chapters 14 through 17. Jesus is on his way to the cross, and he is spending up close and personal intimate time with them, downloading spiritual nutrition into their souls as he is about to depart.

But don't just start at verse one. Go back to chapter 13 because now we see the Lord of heaven and earth do something that the disciples thought should not be done. Jesus took off his outer garment, got these muddy feet, and he started to wash the disciples' feet. Now, when we read that, we don't think much of it, but this was an ugly thing. How many of you like to deal with feet? But the disciples had walked dusty roads and if it rained, mud, and everything was caked within their feet. This was a job of a servant. And so Jesus takes the form of a slave in this moment, gets down, takes some water, and begins to wash their feet.

Then in chapters 14 through 17, he is downloading into their lives, giving them instructions, and also praying for them. You can also read Jesus's prayer in John chapter 17 for his disciples, but not only did Jesus pray for his disciples, but he prayed for you and me through the disciples.

Into the Garden

So the text says when they left the house that they were in, in verse one, he states that he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley where there was a garden and he and his disciples went into it. Now, when it states that they went into it, scholars believe that this suggests a walled enclosure based on the Greek verbs that are used here. So in other words, if this is true, they were able to open and close a gate and go into this garden.

Now, visualize this place. Visualize it. It is dark. Jesus opens a gate. They go into this garden where there were olive trees all around because it was an olive grove. So as Jesus was with his disciples in the garden, verses two and three state this:

Judas who betrayed him also knew the place because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas took a company of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees and came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. — John 18:2-3

The text lets us know that Judas knew the place. Why did he know it? Normally, when we think about Judas Iscariot, we only think of him in terms of the fact that he was a traitor. Yes, he was, but before he betrayed the Lord Jesus, he was one of the Twelve. He walked up close and personal with Jesus, often going with Jesus to his favorite places. That's why the text would say that Judas knew the place.

Judas also knew that if Jesus went to this garden, this was the perfect cover to arrest Jesus. Now, the Greek verb for "betray" is a present active participle. What does this mean? This means that Judas did not betray him one moment in the past, but in this scene, he is actively betraying Jesus at this very moment.

But don't miss Jesus here. I said in the first service, you got to see Jesus as a real man. He didn't fall back because Jesus, who knows all things, knew that Judas was going to betray him.

In John chapter 13 verses 21 through 27, it states this:

When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in his spirit and testified, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me." The disciples started looking at one another, uncertain which one he was speaking about. One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining close beside Jesus. Simon Peter motioned to him to find out who it was he was talking about. So he leaned back against Jesus and asked him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus replied, "He is the one I give the piece of bread to after I have dipped it." When he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot's son. After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him. So Jesus told him, "What you're doing, do quickly." — John 13:21-27

Jesus, in going to the Garden of Gethsemane, went to a place that he knew Judas would be able to get to him.

Jesus was not hiding but he was out in the open knowing that Judas would come. The text also lets us know that Judas took some people with him. Don't rush past this. It says that he took a company of soldiers. What does this mean? Now, many of us just think like, man, there's a small portion of some men that he took but if you study this word in the Greek, it could either mean one of three things. Judas took a thousand soldiers—either 760 foot soldiers and 240 cavalrymen, or he took a small cohort of 600 men, if you call that small, or a smaller group of 200. Now, I don't know about y'all but I'm visualizing this. It's an army coming after Jesus. Along with temple officials. So it was even more. These people were coming out for war. You see the words? They brought lanterns, they brought lights, and they also brought weapons.

But I love it because they were preparing for battle and our Lord didn't run. I don't know about you, but I'm getting old. I can't run fast, but let many people come after me and y'all don't have no guns either. Y'all got to catch me because I'm gone. I may flame out in about five seconds, but I'm gone. Right? But I love it. Jesus did not run. He didn't run.

See, the beauty of this is we think about Adam. When Adam sinned, he hid. And he also took some fig leaves. I don't even know how you do this to cover nakedness. They didn't have needle and thread, but something they did to try to cover themselves. But Jesus did not run. He went to a place where he could be found. Why? And I'll keep saying this: He's in total control. He's in total control.

A drunk driver is encouraged not to drive because the person who is drunk, inebriated, can hurt themselves, hurt others, or both. And so the person who has had too much to drink is encouraged to give the keys to someone who is able to drive to make sure that the person under the influence can make it home safely. Because a drunk person, if they got behind the wheel, they are not in control. My friends, many of us are seeking to drive the steering wheel of our own lives when we are unable to control it. So we are crossing the line in the road, right? We're just all over the place. And often when we try to control our lives, if y'all like me, you end up in a ditch. You go off the road.

But when we see Jesus in this text, he was in control of this whole situation. Why? Jesus was aware of his purpose. He knew that the road for him was going to be dark and hard but he was on a course to set right what is wrong in all of creation. Where Adam failed in the garden, Jesus succeeded. So he is the new Adam.

Secondly, I want us to see the enemies of Jesus see him as a threat, and not as king. Now, these verses in verses four through nine start with stating, "Then Jesus knowing everything that was about to happen to him." Jesus, because he is God, had complete knowledge of the situation. I love what N.T. Wright, the theologian, states. He says, the power of darkness is closing in but Jesus is meeting it with love. You see, Jesus offered up his life in total obedience to the Father.

Those seeking him were not controlling the events but Jesus's complete knowledge dictates his action. Therefore, when Judas and these people came to arrest him, he said, "Who is it that you are seeking?" They said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Then, don't miss this. Then Jesus says three words where we have three words in the English. He then says to them, "I am he." I am he. And when he said this, they stepped back and fell to the ground.

Now, when you read the other gospels, it's probably in this little exchange that Judas went up and betrayed Jesus with a kiss even though John does not tell us this. When Jesus said, "I am he," he says something amazing. In the Greek, this phrase is "ego eimi"—ego eimi, meaning "it is I." This is self-identification. Actually, Jesus here is using the words of deity. How do I know? I'm glad you asked. We're to look at and listen to Exodus chapter three, verses 13 through 14.

Then Moses asked God, "If I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What should I tell them?" God replied to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you ought to say to the Israelites, 'I am' has sent me to you." — Exodus 3:13-14

Also, in John chapter eight, Jesus is having a discussion with the religious leaders, with the Jews, and he told them that he is the light of the world and then he says something amazing. He says, "Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad." But in verses 57 and 58 of John chapter eight, the text says:

The Jews replied, "You aren't 50 years old yet and you've seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am." — John 8:57-58

You see, Jesus is God but they saw him as a threat. So they came to arrest him. Again, picture the scene is dark.

It's dark and there is gloom in the atmosphere. Some tension here that you could probably cut with a knife. In the midst of all this, Jesus was fearless and he spoke to them and he says, "I, who you looking for? I am he." They fell to the ground. Jesus was not afraid at all. You see, the soldiers, I'm sure and the religious, especially the soldiers, thought that they were coming to arrest a peasant. But they came face to face with the creator of heaven and earth.

And so after asking them who they were looking for a second time and they affirmed that it was Jesus of Nazareth they were looking for, then Jesus did something amazing. He says, "I told you, I am he." Then in verse nine, he says, "So if you're looking for me, let these men go." Then, the text says, "This was to fulfill the words he had said, I have not lost one of those you have given me."

You see, Jesus is the good shepherd. He is the good shepherd and he takes care of his sheep. Their business was with Jesus, not with the disciples. When it says that this was to fulfill the words he spoke, now you have to go back to John chapter 17 verse 12 where Jesus says these words in his prayer:

While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost except the son of destruction so that the scripture may be fulfilled. — John 17:12

Theologian D.A. Carson states this: "In one sense, the disciples' safety is secured by Jesus's arrest and death. But this is not simply the substitution of physical safety for eternal salvation. Rather, it is the symbol of it, an illustration of it. More, it is the first step in securing the eschatological reality. To preserve them physically was also to preserve them spiritually."

The reason I'm so thankful that the Lord Jesus protected them is because you and I would not be here today if the disciples got the same punishment that Jesus got. You and I are a result of the disciples being unleashed on mission based on Acts chapter one verse eight. Jesus said, "I protected them." If you read it—it's beautiful in John chapter 17—"I have protected them." And even in this, he is still protecting them.

The Religious Leaders Saw Jesus as a Threat

Because the religious leaders saw Jesus as a threat, on March 7th, 1965 in Selma, Alabama, that day goes down in American history as Bloody Sunday. This was a day where protesters against segregation sought to march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama. But when they started the march, the state troopers stopped them. Would not allow them to march. So they regrouped, and then on March 9th, they were in the hospital.

On March 9th, 1965, something began to stir because a white minister down from Boston came to align himself with the community of those opposing segregation, and he lost his life. His name was James Reeb. But then after all of this, they became inflamed in their acts of civil disobedience. Then on March 21st, with the protection of the federal government—because Doctor King sought protection from the federal government—now with that protection, they were able to march from Selma to Montgomery. And it was still hard if you hear some of the stories about how they were maligned on their way to march, but they had one goal in mind and they made it.

When they made it to the state capital, a few people spoke, including Doctor King, but also a man by the name of Ralph Bunche. He would say to the crowd gathered, "No tide of racism can stop us."

Just like the segregationists of the civil rights movement who opposed those who sought to be treated with dignity and fairness, the religious leaders of Jesus's day saw him as a threat. But I want to ask you a question this morning. I want to pose a question to myself: What lengths would we go to oppose those we disagree with? If they disagree with us religiously, politically, or anything else, what lengths would we go to?

Lord, I continue to ask the Lord: Lord, do not allow that ugliness in me to well up when things don't go my way, when somebody's having their way, and then I want to oppose them because I can't have my way. What lengths would we go to?

You see, the religious leaders opposed Jesus because they just couldn't fathom that he's God. They had an image of who the Messiah would be when he came—like riding on a Clydesdale horse, coming in with pop and power, coming in to overthrow Roman rule and to set up their kingdom the way it was in David and Solomon's day. But Jesus said, "I didn't come to do that."

For even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. — Mark 10:45

Yes, one day Jesus is going to establish his kingdom, but they wanted it right then. Jesus came for another purpose. And because it didn't fit with what they thought, their paradigm, they opposed him.

Finally, Jesus, the true king, doesn't need our help. Verses ten and eleven say this:

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. At that, Jesus said to Peter, put your sword away. Am I not to drink the cup the father has given me? — John 18:10-11

In these verses, we have Peter trying to do something to help Jesus. Question: does God need our help to do anything? Is he too weak to accomplish his purposes? Absolutely not. But here, Peter takes out a sword—which is probably a little dagger—and he gets up on Malchus and he cuts off his ear.

Now, if you read the other gospels, you know that Jesus—he's God. He's doing something magnificent. I don't know what the scene looked like, but I'm trying to visualize it. Jesus probably picks up this cut ear and puts it back on Malchus' head perfectly. It wasn't hanging down lower, probably wasn't bleeding, but he does it perfectly.

And the other thing I like about this is that we have his name. This is the only place where we have his name, and what I love about this is that God knows who he is. He was human. There was dignity there, and Jesus affirms that man's dignity. Takes an ear, puts it on the side of his head. The only thing we know about him is his name and the fact that he was the high priest's servant.

But my man, Pete. Pete didn't understand what was happening. He thought that Jesus needed some help. Jesus told Peter in Matthew chapter 26, verses 52 to 54:

Put your sword back in its place because all who take up the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot call on my father and he would provide for me here and now with more than 12 legions of angels? How then would the scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way? — Matthew 26:52-54

It's like Jesus looked at Peter and said, brother, I got this. I don't need your help. I'm in control. This has to happen. You see, Peter's bravery was both useless and a denial of the work Jesus had come to do. Don't we think that we sometimes want to be brave and step in and help him? But really, our bravery means nothing. We're not bringing nothing to the table. He don't need us. Like when he's working, get out the way.

It's like I heard someone say: when we're sharing the gospel, we think we have to add all these words because we gotta help and we gotta make it clear. But I love what somebody said—when you have a lion in a cage, the only thing you need to do is open it. The lion knows what to do. Let him do what he does.

But see, in Peter's mind, he could not fathom Jesus leaving them. When Jesus told the disciples prior to this that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and die, Peter said to him in Matthew chapter 16, verse 22:

Oh no Lord, this will never happen to you. — Matthew 16:22

But Jesus turned to him and said:

Get behind me, Satan. You are a hindrance to me because you are not thinking about God's concerns but human concerns. — Matthew 16:23

Now, before we look down on my man, Pete, we need to see from his point of view. Peter was a disciple whom Jesus called to follow him. The text tells us that he immediately left what he was doing and followed Jesus wholeheartedly with 12 other guys—up close and personal. Then as they were walking with one another, they saw him to be the Messiah. They saw him to be the one that they were waiting on. He was their rabbi. He was their master teacher. And they cannot comprehend that he had to die.

There's a Lot of Peter in Us

See, there's a lot of Peter in us. Often we don't understand God's ways. We don't understand that God would allow someone we love so dearly and so young to leave our lives. We don't understand that. We don't understand how the most vulnerable among us could be abused. But if you're God, you could stop this because you're supposed to stop this evil. And you can fill in the blank with many other things.

There's a lot of my man, Pete, in us. Because we think God is supposed to fix things, but fix them according to our way. But my friends, you have to believe that God knows what he is doing. When he is not doing what you think he should do, the word I want to leave you with is: trust him. Trust him.

And this table behind me shows that he can be trusted. He accomplished his purpose for us. He purposed to send his Son to give his life as a ransom for many, and that's what he did. Because of the finished work of Jesus, we are able to partake of the Lord's supper weekly. So let's turn our