An Incredible Moment in an Olive Grove (John 18:1-11, Luke 22:51b)

This whole section is one of my most favorites in all of the Bible and I think it is because John's Gospel is saturated with symbols. Some are more obvious than others but they convey some important spiritual truths. Here I see Jesus' private ministry with His disciples ending and the public drama of redemption is about to begin. It brings to my mind Romans 5:20, "but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."

I actually see five spiritual truths here but I'll stick to the passage which Gire is highlighting. That leaves four spiritual truths.

The first I alluded to the other day in regards to the Garden. I see the Garden as Obedience. Human history began in a garden and the first sin of man was committed in that garden. The first Adam disobeyed God and was cast out of the garden, but the Last Adam was obedient as He went into the Garden of Gethsemane. In that first garden, the first Adam brought sin and death to mankind; but Jesus, by His obedience, brought righteousness and life to all who will trust Him. He was "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil 2:8).

Just think of the progression here. History will one day end in another garden, the heavenly city that John describes in Revelation 21 and 22. In that garden, there will be no more death and no more curse. The river of the water of life will flow ceaselessly and the tree of life will produce bountiful fruit. Imagine! Eden was the garden of disobedience and sin; Gethsemane was the garden of obedience and submission; and heaven shall be the eternal garden of delight and satisfaction, to the glory of God! [Sorry, I know, I can get carried away sometimes.]

Gethsemane means "oil press." The olives were picked and put into the press for their oil. What a picture of suffering! So our Lord would go through the "oil press" and the "winepress" (Isaiah 63:3) and taste our judgment for us.

Even the Brook Kidron is significant. The name means "dusky, gloomy," referring to the dark waters that were often stained by the blood from the temple sacrifices. Our Lord and His disciples were about to go through "dark waters," and Jesus would experience the "waves and billows" of God's wrath (Psalm 42:7; and note Jonah 2:3).

The historical significance of the Kidron was King David crossed the Kidron when he was rejected by his nation and betrayed by his own son, Absalom. Jesus had been rejected by His people and at that very moment was being betrayed by one of His own disciples! I find it very interesting that David's treacherous counselor, Ahithophel, hanged himself, and David's treacherous son, Absalom, was caught in a tree and killed while hanging there. Judas, of course, went out and hanged himself.

Jesus fully knew what lay before Him, yet He went to the garden in obedience to the Father's will.

The second symbol I see is The Kiss which equates to Treachery. Here Judas had lived with the Lord Jesus for perhaps three years, and had listened to Him teach; yet he knew NOTHING, okay, very little about Him. The traitor actually brought a company of temple guards, armed with swords and clubs! Just think of the privileges Judas despised and the opportunities he wasted! Did he not realize that the Lamb of God would meekly submit and that there would be no need to battle?

What a shock it must have been both to Judas and the arresting officers when He boldly presented Himself to them. He had nothing to fear and nothing to hide; He would willingly lay down His life for His sheep! And, just think about this...by surrendering to the officers, Jesus helped to protect His disciples. He kept them safe not only spiritually but also physically.

I'm disappointed with how Gire deals with Christ saying, "I AM." The "he" is in italics which means it is not in the original. I've always understood it to be a glimpse of the Shekinah glory which caused the men to fall back. They could not stand before His presence for that brief moment. Gire does address it by saying, "At the words, "I am," the soldiers collapse. In one brief but incredible display of deity, Jesus overpowers his opposition."

The kiss was the greatest insult Judas could have given. It is one of the basest acts of treachery recorded anywhere. Back then, a kiss was a sign of affection and devotion. Members of the family kissed in greeting and departing, but Judas was not a member of God's family. Disciples greeted a rabbi by kissing him; it was a sign of devotion and obedience. But Judas was not truly a disciple of Christ, though he belonged with the group. In the garden, Judas stood with the enemy, not with Jesus' friends!! When people today pretend to know and love the Lord, they are committing the sin of Judas. It is bad enough to betray Christ, but to do it with a kiss, a sign of affection, is the basest treachery of all!! I would say it was born in the pit of hell.

The Sword is the third symbol...representing Rebellion in my book. Peter's sword symbolizes rebellion against the will of God. Peter should have known that Jesus would be arrested and that He would willingly surrender to His enemies. Peter made every mistake possible!! He fought the wrong enemy, for crying out loud! He used the wrong weapon, had the wrong motive, and accomplished the wrong result!! He was openly resisting the will of God and hindering the work that Jesus came to accomplish! While I admire his courage and sincerity, it was certainly a demonstration of zeal without knowledge.

Why did Peter fail so miserably? For one thing, he had argued with the Lord when Jesus warned him that he would deny his Master that very night. Peter had slept when he should have been praying, and he talked when he should have been listening. I see he imitated the very enemies who came to arrest Jesus, for they too were armed with swords. Oh, but soon, Peter would discover that the sword of the Spirit is the weapon God's servants use in fighting their spiritual battles. He would use that sword at Pentecost and "slay" 3,000 souls! Hallelujah!

Luke tells us that Jesus healed Malchus' ear, which I think was certainly an act of grace on His part. I see it being gracious from Peter's point of view; for had He not healed Malchus, Peter most likely would have been arrested and crucified! Peter was acting like one of the Jewish "zealots" and not at all like a disciple of Christ. Of course, it was an act of mercy toward Malchus. After all, he was just a servant. And, he was the enemy. I wonder if Malchus actually touched Jesus? I cannot imagine laying hands on the holy Son of God! But, rather than judge Malchus, Christ healed him. Do you wonder if he then believed? How could you not? I guess we will find out one of these days.

By Christ extending grace toward Peter and also toward Malchus, I see the miracle of His healing the ear revealing His grace toward me. If Jesus had the power to stun an armed mob and heal a severed ear, He could have saved Himself from arrest, trial, and death. But He willingly submitted! And He did it for me, for you, for us! Peter hurt Malchus. Peter hurt the testimony of Christ.

The final symbol I draw from this passage is The Cup...representing Submission. Peter had the sword in his hand, but my Lord had a cup in his hand. Peter was resisting God's will but my Savior was accepting God's will. I see Jesus was able to accept the cup because it was mixed by the Father and given to Him from the Father's hand. The Father had mixed and measured the contents of the cup, Jesus knew He had nothing to fear. We may suffer pain and heartbreak, but He will eventually transform that suffering into glory. This truth is what enabled me to come to grips with my handicapped brother's murder. I knew that it had first passed through the Father's hands before He ever allowed it to touch my brother, me or my family. It was horrendous but God was glorified throughout. I'm thankful I had an obedient Savior to look to.