City Life Starter

Written by Opeyemi Ojekunle

The Word

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

² Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. ³ So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

⁴ Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

⁵ “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)

Exegesis

The hour was now come that the captain of our salvation, who was to be made perfect by sufferings, should engage the enemy. After Jesus had prayed for himself and the unity of believers, He proceeded with the disciples to the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36)  perhaps to get himself ready under the shelter of the olive trees, knowing there is a long journey ahead.

Judas came to the garden with a large number of Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus, there was a troop of soldiers because the Romans must have expected or feared some kind of fight or resist of arrest, but no, the scripture shows that Jesus was not trying to avoid arrest. Instead He deliberately went to a place where Judas evidently anticipated that He would go. I believe Judas misunderstood that Jesus’ entire life was prepared for this hour, and He was ready for it.

Jesus took the lead and approached the troop of soldiers, first, to stop them from hurting his disciples, he remained caring and responsible for them even at the point of suffering and second, he went out, not to make his escape from them, but to meet them, and make himself known unto them. Jesus asked them the question, not out of ignorance; for he knew they were there for him; but to show that he was not afraid of them, and that they could not have taken him, if he had not made himself known; Jesus gave himself up to be taken away and at the same time consciously proclaimed that He was God, by responding “I am he” .

Application

Jesus gives us a good example of love to other believers and concern for their welfare. When we, as a body and as a family find ourselves in trouble, we must not selfishly seek our own ease and safety only, but others, as well as our own. Individually, we need to be confident of who we are in God, especially amid life chaos. Jesus did not allow the situation or the name he was been called “Jesus of Nazareth”, to define who he is, instead he declared who he is as the I am