(264) Oct 3/2016 – Ironies in the Garden (4) Christ Crossing the Kidron

Monday Meditation
October 03, 2016
From the desk of A.J. Higgins

Ironies in the Garden (4)

The Wonder of Christ in John 18

The Significance of the Location – across the Brook Kidron (Cedron)

We read that He went over the brook Cedron into the garden. Centuries earlier, another king travelled the same route. He crossed over the brook and only then, discovered the treachery of Ahithophel; but he also witnessed the tender care of three men who came to meet him with provision to strengthen and to encourage him (2 Sam 17).

The Lord Jesus knew from the beginning about the traitor who moved in His presence, taking from the bag for his own selfish ends. Across the Cedron, three disciples were present with Him, but instead of comforting and empathizing, they slept.

The Irony of the Preparation

The motley crowd, hastily prepared by the leaders, came with lanterns and torches. Only John records this fact. And it is only John who introduces the Lord Jesus as the light of the world! John is depicting men coming with lights to find the One who is Light itself. Perhaps they thought they would need to flush Him out of hiding or search for Him among the trees. But unlike Adam, He did not seek refuge behind a tree. He went forth in all His dignity to meet them.

Foreshadowing in the Prostration

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Lord Jesus was found upon the ground in prayer. In John’s account, it is the men who are forced to fall on their faces before Him. At first thought, we would take this as a reminder to them that they are actually helpless before the Lord of all; but another view is also possible. Was this a foreshadowing afforded by the Father to His Son, that a day would come when every knee would have to bow to Him? The submissive Lamb going forth to offer Himself to the hostile crowd was given this reminder that despite the cross, the day of honor was assured.

The Contrast in the Presentation

When God came to find Adam, the guilty pair hid behind a tree. God had to not only seek, but search for them before He could speak and save. But all is different here. The Lord Jesus went forth to meet His foes. No hesitation and no reluctance marks Him in John’s account. Unlike Adam again, who pointed to Eve, rather than pointing to others, He says, “Let these go their way” (John 18:8).

Insight from His Affirmation

The words which John records supplement what the synoptic writers have written when they recorded, “Not My will … ” (Matt 26:39). Here in John the words of submission are, “The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?”. One of the first mentions of a cup occurs in the story of Joseph. On that occasion, the cup of “guilt” was found in the sack of a son whom his father loved, Benjamin. The only innocent man among the sons of Jacob had the cup. In the garden, the only Holy Man Who ever lived willingly takes the cup. But in so doing, we are reminded of what He meant to His Father and what grief that Father must have known at Calvary.

The Culmination in their Declaration

“We have no king but Caesar” (John 15). It is only John who tells us that Judas was a thief (12:6) and that they chose a robber (18:40). Now to that decision making, they add a stranger king, Caesar. Thus they chose a stranger, thief, and robber over the Shepherd. Once again it is significant that only John presents the Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). They rejected the Shepherd and chose the stranger, thief, and robber!

Consider

1. Can you find other ways in which Christ is in contrast to Adam in John 18 and 19?

2. Notice the significance of the statements, “Jesus knowing all things,” and also, He “went forth” on several occasions.

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