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Chapter 1
The Garden Scene
John 18:1ā4
Immediately before us in this opening section, John 18:1ā4, we have an account of the setting just before Jesusā arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. This sets the stage for the tragic events that are about to take place in the next several hours. We are in the waning hours of Thursday night and the early morning hours of Friday.
The spring air is cool and damp, but not too cool to wrap your tunic around you and fall fast asleep in the quietness of the garden, to the tune of crickets chirping in the distance. It is already Friday, and Passover will begin at 6:00 PM later this day. Jesus will be dead before Passover begins in less than eighteen hours, but you have no clue about this or all that will lead up to it.
Right now, you are exhausted, not so much physically but mentally. The last three or more hours have been taxing. You just donāt want to think any more. Jesus has mentioned that He wanted to spend some time in prayer and you will do that. But even that seems like a chore at this point. You just want to lay down, get comfortable, and relax. You have no idea that things are going to feel like they have gotten out of control in just a few moments.
The context is set in verse 1ā3:
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, into which He Himself entered, and His disciples.
2 Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place; for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.
3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
One of the things that is so fascinating in Johnās closing account of Jesusā life and ministry is what is and is not included. We will note some of that as we go along. The differences of opinion among the commentary writers are also fascinating.
A Familiar Location
Jesus has concluded His Words to Loved Ones. All that needed to be said has been said. They cross the short distance across the Kidron Valley to the garden just up the hill a ways on the opposite side of the valley. Now is not a time for further discussion. Now is a time for prayer. Jesus is fully aware of the events just moments away.
Verse 2 gives us another clue about the scene. The garden was a place Jesus often took His disciples. According to what Iāve read, there were several gardens on the Mount of Olives. These were not public gardens or city-owned gardens. It was not a Manito Park, as exists in downtown Spokane or a Central Park as in New York City. Nor was it a state park run by the Department of Fish and Game.
These were private olive gardens owned by wealthy people who lived in Jerusalem. These gardens, only a short walk, provided some quietness and privacy away from the congestion and chaos of the city. Jesus apparently knew and befriended such a person and had permission to use his garden.
This was a place Jesus often went when He came to Jerusalem, to get away in the evenings from the daily masses. It was something of a āsafe placeā for Him, a place of solitude and prayer. It became a private place to re-connect with His men and His Father after a people-filled day.
We can surmise from Jesusā routine that Judas knew exactly where He could be found after their supper. When John says āoften met thereā I would assume that meant whenever Jesus came to Jerusalem for all the feasts. At the end of the day, in the shade of the olive trees, they would go there to rest, talk, and pray. There was no doubt in Judasā mind as to where he would find Jesus. The fact that the garden was āoff limitsā to the public, being private, made it an ideal place to get Him, apart from the crowds.
Having dismissed Judas earlier, Jesus knew that He would see him later that night. He knew that Judas had gone to betray Him because the Old Testament Scriptures had revealed that. As to when Judas would show up and whom he would bring with him, Jesus didnāt know. He knew the method of His death would be by crucifixion, so it was safe to assume some contingent of Romans might show up, and he knew the Jews had plotted to kill Him, so some contingent of temple guards might also show up.
Jesus didnāt flee or go to some other place to pray with His men because He knew with certainty that His hour had come. Three times earlier in Johnās gospel Jesus had said, āMy hour has not yet come.ā However, now was the time. It was, for this reason, He had stepped out of eternity into human history. Jesus went to this garden because His very purpose was to give His life as a ransom for many. He went because He knew this was the cup of suffering the Father had given Him to drink. It was His Fatherās will.
Here is a list of some of the things Jesus was aware of as He crossed the Kidron Valley and ascended into this private sanctuary.
He would be betrayed by one of His own.
He knew He would be rejected, despised, and treated with contempt.
He would be physically beaten beyond recognition, punched in the face and led to the slaughter like a defenseless lamb.
All would mock him.
They would spit on Him.
His strength would be beaten out of Him.
Both His hands and feet would be nailed to a cross.
Worst of all, the Father would turn His back on Him and forsake Him in His greatest hour of need.
These were just some of the things Jesus was aware and all of this was only a few hours away. How did He know all this? The Old Testament had revealed all of it. He knew it because He knew His Bible. It ...
