Calvary Road Baptist Church
“THE SAVIOR’S OMNISCIENCE ON DISPLAY IN THE GARDEN”
John 18.4
May I spit and whittle a bit on our way to the message from God’s Word? It is such a part of my southern heritage; I hope you don’t mind the practice or the idiom that expresses it.
I begin by pointing out that mentoring is such an important part of the Christian life. But for the hospitality of one Christian couple in the Church during the first year of my Christian life, I have no idea what might have happened to me. I was mentored while not even knowing I was being mentored.
For several years during my first pastorate, my wife and I opened our home to a newlywed couple and three or four single adults, hosting those half dozen young adults several times each week. We interacted, studied the Bible together, and enjoyed rich Christian fellowship.
That was before my wife and I took in two homeless families, totaling ten people, for an extended period for a different kind of mentoring. Looking back, I would not trade either of those experiences for anything. For what purpose does a Christian couple have a three-bedroom house but for the ministry of hospitality?
Years later, I had the privilege of a close friendship with Ken and Caroline Connolly during their twilight years. While I enjoyed being mentored by Ken Connolly, there was a longtime pastor in the Bay area, now retired from more than a half-century of ministry, who was himself mentored by Ken Connolly’s father, Peter Connolly. What a blessing to find a friend who was mentored by the father of a man who mentored me!
And for the rest of her life until her passing, Caroline Connolly always had young Christians living with her. She helped them get on their feet, and they provided her with a touch of additional personal security as she let them come and go as they pleased. Not everyone is comfortable with such arrangements, but she loved it.
Call it informal mentoring or formal discipling, you can learn a great deal by spending time with wonderful Christians. Men learn how to be better men. Women learn how to be better women. This is because many of the blessings of mentoring and discipleship are as much caught as taught, which is why believers do themselves great harm by unnecessarily missing Christian gatherings and by not humbling themselves to be discipled to be mentored by other believers.
Along that line of thinking, there is also the importance of reading. Reading good Christian works is equivalent to sitting at the feet of an older, wiser, more experienced spiritual leader. And the individual whose attitude is, “I read the Bible. I don’t need to read anything else,” is really quite the arrogant fellow.
Not that any product of human authorship is comparable to God’s Word. Not at all. But the humility displayed by reading and receiving a Christian author’s good book can be likened to sitting at the feet of a wise sage. God gives grace to those with such humility as that.
Let me illustrate. The things one learns when mentored by another believer when one reads thoughtful works by other Christians. My friend, Dr. W. R. Downing, mentored by Peter Connolly, the father of my good friend, the late Ken Connolly, has written dozens of fine books. I recently found a gem of wisdom and insight from one of those books that Dr. Downing learned from Peter Connolly.
What is the quote from Professor Peter Connolly?
“A man’s religion is never better than his theology. Therefore, seeing that theology is vital, determining and regulative, it must be sought with utmost care and received by earnest prayer.”[1]
I have been a Christian for forty-eight years without coming across that spot-on statement of truth. What clarity! What precision! And yet any young believer in Christ might have gleaned that same beneficial truth from reading Dr. Downing’s book himself! Do you see the benefit of reading? And what a valuable insight into theology.
The question, of course, is what is theology? Here is one explanation of theology:
A religious belief system about God or ultimate reality. Theology commonly refers to the ordered, systematic study or interpretation of the Christian faith and experience of God based on God’s divine self-revelation. Theology also seeks to apply these truths to the full breadth of human experience and thought.[2]
My definition of theology is a bit broader and follows:
Your theology (and everyone has a personal theology) is your understanding of God and yourself that forms the basis for your decision-making about your present life and your eternal future.
The accuracy of your theology, your understanding of God and yourself, is measured by how close to the Bible your theology is. This is important because God will someday judge you, not according to your theology, not according to your personal beliefs, but according to the truth of the Bible.[3]
How profoundly significant because people’s behavior is a reflection of their theology, but God’s judgment of people come Judgment Day will not be based on your theology. Still, it will be based on the truth of His Word, the Bible.
Therefore, it is important to take advantage of every opportunity to learn truth from the Bible, to improve the accuracy of your personal theology. And the conversion and consecration of every Christian amounts to a series of realizations; three, in fact. #1, that you are wrong about something. #2, recognizing the truth of the Bible. #3, discarding your wrong belief in favor of the Bible truth you have just learned.
This is what happens when sinners are saved from their sins, as well when Christians grow in grace in their Christian lives. The convert to Christ is willing to discard his wrong notions about God and sin and Christ in favor of acting on the truth about God and sin and Christ. And the Christian who grows in grace is all over the notion of discovering his errors and then discarding those errors in favor of newly discovered Bible truth. Some things you just gotta get right. Amen?
To that end, to improve the accuracy of your theology, we now turn to John 18.4. I invite you to stand, once you arrive at that verse, for the reading of God’s Word:
“Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?”
Over the last year, during our midweek Bible studies dealing with the life and lessons of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have strongly emphasized how different the Lord Jesus Christ is from everyone else despite His very ordinary and commonplace physical appearance during His earthly ministry. As well, His conduct was profoundly different from anyone else’s. I especially noted that the Savior was never overwhelmed by circumstances, as you and I are from time to time.
Every human being in God’s Word, to whom more than passing attention is paid in Scripture, is shown to respond poorly, predictably, and humanly to being overwhelmed by circumstances suddenly coming upon them and tempting them. Eve and then Adam responded poorly when confronted by the temptation of the serpent. Noah succumbed to wine. Job succumbed to self-pity. Abraham succumbed to Sarah’s recommendation that he take Hagar and sire a child by her. Abraham also lied under pressure. Isaac lied under pressure. Jacob deceived and then sired sons by four different women. David committed adultery and, when he felt trapped by his bad conduct, murdered. Peter denied the Lord three times. Even the Apostle Paul seems to have had a breakdown of some sort.
Circumstances seem not to have overwhelmed Jacob’s son, Joseph, or godly Daniel as they overwhelmed such prophets as Jonah and Elijah, and perhaps even Habakkuk. But it may be that Joseph and Daniel benefited from what the Holy Spirit chose to record about them in the Word of God, which is a matter of God’s grace.
The Lord Jesus Christ, on the other hand, stands in stark contrast to typical human behavior in situations that would overwhelm everyone else. So it was at the outset of His earthly ministry when the Devil tempted him in the wilderness. And so it was at the climax as He endured the death of the cross.
As we explore evidence of the Lord Jesus Christ’s differentness, His uniqueness, His superiority, His tranquility, and His command of every circumstance, let us choose to admire and wonder at His majestic serenity and control of not only Himself but everything and everyone around Him.
Our goal is to look upon Him with wonder. It should be our hope that we are receptive enough to the truth of God’s Word that the additional benefit of sharpening our theology, what we believe about God, His Son, His salvation, and our sinfulness, will also result from us looking upon Him.
Four thoughts come to mind for reflection and contemplation in this verse:
First, THE VERSE BEGINS, “Jesus therefore”
Being mindful of what is presented in John 18.1-3, we see that John, the Gospel writer, transitions from Judas and a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees who were on their way with lanterns and torches and weapons, in the previous verse, to what is far more important.
John had to tell his readers about Judas and the approaching Romans and Temple police dispatched by the chief priests and Pharisees. His readers needed to appreciate the context and unfolding dynamic in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Clearly, however, the evangelist’s interest is the Savior:
“Jesus therefore.”
The now very advanced in age Apostle John, writing this account fifty to sixty years later, wants his interest to also be his reader’s interest. “Jesus therefore.” Background can be useful, but let us always remember that background is only background. Too often, people are caught up in background, too easily distracted by the sight of clutter and the sound of noise. What is in the foreground here is the Savior, as He should always be.
Second, THE VERSE UNFOLDS, “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him.”
This is neither new information nor should it be surprising to readers of this Gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ’s omniscience is well-established. From John’s Gospel, we have these testimonies of the Lord’s omniscience:
John 1.42:
“And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”
Without being told, the Lord knew who he was.
John 1.47-48:
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
Again, without being told, He knew.
John 2.24-25:
24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
He knew.
John 5.6:
“When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?”
He knew the man had been in a bad way a long time. Are you in a bad way? He knows.
John 6.64:
“But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.”
He knew His adversaries and who should betray Him.
John 13.1:
“Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.”
He knew more than knowing men. He knew His hour was come.
John 13.3:
“Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God.”
He knew men. He knew the hour. He knew all the Father had done.
John 21.17:
“He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”
What heartache and disappointment Peter had to experience on his way to recognizing,
“Lord, thou knowest all things.”
Of interest to us in John 18.4 is the particular Greek word selected, that is translated “knowing.” The two Greek words most commonly used for knowing are oἶda and ginώskw. Ginώwskw refers to knowing as a result of learning and experiencing and discovering, such as knowing how to ride a bike. Though the two words are frequently synonymous, oida is often used of knowledge God possesses because He knows everything and not because He has to learn anything. So, we ask, Did the Lord learn what would happen to Him? No. He just knew, and He had always known. Should this not inform your theology? Should you not factor into the decisions and actions of your life the fact of God’s Son knowing everything, meaning He is omniscient and therefore divine? The One who knows everything will judge you.
Third, “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth.”
Went forth from where? From the grove of trees? From the place where He had prayed? From the area known as the Garden of Gethsemane amid the olive trees? We are not specifically told, because that is not the point that John seeks to make.
John is making the point that the Lord Jesus Christ went forth to meet those He knew had arrived to take Him into custody. This means, unlike almost everyone the Roman soldiers had ever in their experience been dispatched to apprehend, and likely the Temple guards as well, the Lord Jesus Christ did not flee from them. He did not run away scared. Neither was He passive to do nothing as the soldiers and guards approached. He knew that they knew where He was. He made no attempt to hide or evade capture, though doing so would have been so easy at night on a hillside covered with olive trees.
Understand that this was a meeting that had been arranged in the divine council chambers of heaven in eternity past. Judas Iscariot and the Romans and Temple guards were there by divine appointment to play the part assigned to them in the unfolding drama of redemption authored by the producer and director of the drama, God Himself. To be sure, each man there made individual and personal choices. But God is so vast, so wise, so unfathomable, so unsurpassed in all His capacities that they completely fulfilled His divine plan by doing what they freely chose to do.
There is no doubt that the Romans and the Temple guards, fulfilling a law enforcement role they were familiar with, had never before experienced such an encounter as that. Typically, they took into custody those who attempted to run away in fear or were paralyzed by terror into passive inaction. This One, however, “went forth.” Imagine the Lord’s posture. Picture His stride. His bearing. Ponder the look of confidence and serenity on His face when those who came for Him were so used to instilling fear in others. John’s account does not, but my own experience and understanding of human nature suggests that the soldiers and guards were likely taken aback by the absence of fear on the Savior’s face in the flickering torch light. No terror. No fright. No hesitancy. But calm in His approach, as befits the Prince of Peace.
Finally, “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?”
Have you noticed, in your reading of the Gospels, that the Lord Jesus Christ never, ever, asked a question to elicit information? He never asked to discover something. Never.
Throughout His earthly ministry, with this occasion yet another example, He asked questions to draw people out, provoke thought, or create an opportunity. In other words, He always knew the answers to every question He ever asked.
Yet He asked anyway. Why did He ask? To seize the initiative. To display His control of the situation. To demonstrate truth in action to them. To reveal Himself to them in an unforgettable way.
He asked, “Whom seek ye?” The Lord asked so that all doubt would be removed from the minds of the several dozen Temple guards and the upwards of 600 Roman soldiers who might not have previously known just who it was they had come to apprehend.[4] The Roman officers knew who they had come to apprehend. The Temple guards almost certainly knew who they had come to take into custody. But it is likely the average Roman soldier in the column that night had no idea what this was all about. Well, now they all knew. They had come to apprehend Jesus of Nazareth. None of those men would ever forget the answer to the Lord’s question, “Whom seek ye?”
Realize that there are different senses in which someone can seek Jesus of Nazareth. You can seek Him for good reasons, and you can seek Him for bad reasons. For whatever reason you seek the Lord, you will find Him.
Those Roman soldiers and Temple guards sought the Lord to apprehend Him. They were sent to seek the Lord for the wrong reasons, to do the bidding of Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest, who believed Jesus should die for the nation.[5]
Caiaphas felt Jesus should die so the Jewish people would not rally to the Lord’s cause, which he felt would provoke the Romans to suppress and destroy his people. Caiaphas was right about Jesus dying, but he was utterly wrong about the reason for Jesus dying.
Caiaphas, then, and the armed men were examples of men seeking Jesus for the wrong reason. And there are other ways people seek Jesus for the wrong reasons. They don’t want to be saved from their sins by Jesus but want to use Him to serve their purposes.
I am reminded of someone who sought the Lord Jesus Christ because he was interested in a Christian girl. The worst thing that can happen to a Christian girl is for a lost guy to seek Jesus to convince her to marry him. He does not love her. He cannot love her. And he will likely destroy her by seeking Jesus for the wrong reason and persuading the naive Christian girl to marry him.
Just know this. Even if you seek Jesus for the wrong reason, you will find Him. You will regret finding Him. You will be sorry you found Him. But you will find Him. And when you find Him, He will judge you at the Great White Throne judgment and then cast you into the lake of fire.
On the other hand, I commend the idea of seeking the LORD for the right reason. David said, “thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee,” in Psalm 9.10. And Psalm 10.4 reads, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God.”
Isaiah 55.6 encourages us to “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” And in Jeremiah 29.13, the LORD said, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
There is something you will find if you seek the Lord. If you seek the Lord Jesus, you will find Him. And when you find Him you will soon learn that He was seeking you while you were seeking Him. He said in Luke 19.10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Who are you seeking? Some men are seeking a wife. Some women are seeking a husband. Some young people are seeking a good time. Would you hear the suggestion of an old man who is happily married, who delights in his devoted wife and a daughter who is the apple of his eye?
In Matthew 6.33, the Lord Jesus Christ directed His listeners to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” This is first done by seeking the Savior, Himself. This is then done by following the Savior and serving Him.
These things done, and you will be fulfilled in this life and the next.
__________
[1] W. R. Downing, Theological Propaedeutic: An Introduction to the Study of Theology In its Various Branches and Departments, (Morgan Hill, CA: Pacific Institute For Religious Studies (P. I. R. S.) Publications, 2010), page 4.
[2] Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), page 113.
[3] Romans 2.2; John 17.17
[4] The word speῖra referring to a Roman cohort typically numbering about 600 soldiers, verse 3, Rogers, Jr., Cleon L. and Rogers III, Cleon L., The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1998), page 221.
[5] John 11.49-51
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