Oh. That old thing? She hadn't warned that brooch for years. It was the kind of old jewelry you let the grandkids play with. If it hadn't been for her granddaughter insisting that she wear it, she certainly wouldn't have worn it out in public. The man said, that's a nice brooch. She said, oh, this old thing? I don't even remember where I got it. Well, you got to have somebody look at that. It might be valuable. Now, but the thought stuck with her. And who knows? Maybe it was valuable to somebody, you know, one man's junk and all that sort of stuff. So one day, at the antique shop, she brought it with her. The manager said, let's take a look at that. He popped in his eyepiece, squinted the other eye, gave it a closer inspection. And now his eyes pass over it. He notices the way the light refracts, the way the jewels are arranged. And the thought hits him. Suddenly the eyepiece pops out and is breathing is a little bit labored. And he says, this, this is an ancient artifact. We don't know how they did this. Nobody's been able to do this since. This brooch, I've gotten my hand. Your brooch is worth more than all the jewels I've got in this shop. As a matter of fact, it's worth more than all the jewels I've had in this shop for over 30 years. Suddenly, her legs don't feel so steady anymore. She's got to find a place to sit down. How long has it been? How long has it been since Jesus has knocked you down? Has he ever laid you out? Because the Jesus of the Bible, he didn't really fit in the back of the sock drawer. But don't take it from me. Let's go to the source. John 18 is where we're going. That's page 1681 in your Pew Bible. Over the next month, we're going to follow John to the cross as we move toward Easter. So John 18, beginning at verse 1. Let's hear from God. When he finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidren Valley. On the other side, on the other side, there was an olive grove and he and his disciples went into it. Now, Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place because Jesus had met there with his disciples, met there often with his disciples. So Judas came to the grove, guiding the detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, who is it you want? Jesus of Nazareth, they replied, I am he, Jesus said. And Judas, the traitor was standing there with them. When Jesus said, I am he, they drew back and fell to the ground. Again, he asked them, who is it you want? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth, I told you that I am he, Jesus answered. If you are looking for me, then let these men go. This happens to the words he had spoken would be fulfilled. I have not lost one of those you gave me. Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest servant. Cutting off his right ear, the servant's name was Malkus. Jesus commanded Peter, put your sword away. Shall I not drink the cup, the father has given me? Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people. This is God's word. Let's pray. Jesus, knock us down this morning. Show us who you are, that we know why we get out of bed on Sunday mornings, that we know why we get out of bed every morning and your name we pray. Amen. So I'm coming out of the I-NAS on Thursday and I get a text message, Jamie Lynn Spears isn't bromas. I'm thinking, Jamie Lynn Spears, isn't she that swimmer? No, Britney Spears younger sister. Oh yeah, what was I thinking? Celebrity had come to town and our own Andrew Henley was sitting just two tables away from her in her daughter. Jamie Lynn Spears in the flesh. Now some of you might be blown away by that but others have you? Just really aren't that impressed. Maybe you have no idea who she is or maybe you really just can't stand her. But Jesus, he got a similar range of reactions in his day. So let's get to it. For those of you who like a blueprint, here it is, who God is, who we are, where we go from here, who God is, who we are, where we go from here. First of all, who God is. Look at verses five and six. Something weird is going on here. Jesus says, I am He and everybody falls down. Now normally English translators do a great job but this is just grammatically difficult and the original language, what Jesus actually says here is simply I am. Now if you're a visitor, it might seem a little bit preposterous. It sounds like grammar school role call. There's that one kid who says, present little too loud and everybody ducks. Something much more profound is going on here. Back in Exodus three, God sends Moses to Pharaoh with the command to let God's people go. But somehow Moses knows when he gets there, Pharaoh is going to say, on whose authority says who? And he knows the God of fiery desert shrubs just thinking going to get it. So he asks, who should I say is sending me? What's your name? And God says, tell him I am sentient. Now what's God telling Pharaoh about himself? I am just I am not I am because no contingencies, nothing else has to go out from it. I'm utterly independent. I just am. Let's unpack that a little bit. The philosopher Descartes said, I think therefore I am.
That's as if God is saying, I don't need those kind of weak self-justifications. I just am. In other words, there's a being who has no beginning, no end, always has been, always will be, never changes.
When I really stop and think about that, that blows my mind. It's a completely different state of existence. I mean, at best, we could say we are becoming something. But God simply says, he just is. I mean, I need, I need an anchor. I need something, some point of reference. You know, the day I was born, I came from somewhere, my mom and dad, something. And God says, I don't need an anchor. I am the anchor. So fast forward back to Jesus' day. What's he saying? Jesus is claiming nothing less than to be the anchor. That spirit that's out there maybe that has never changed, always existed. The great I am has stepped into time. Now, isn't the first time he said this earlier in this gospel back in John 8, he said the same thing. And there, people reacted about like you with this morning, or somebody in your pew said, they're talking about me. It's me. I'm God. You see, what are you kidding? I know your mom and dad. I remember when you were born. They picked up stones to kill him for blast for me. But that's not what happens in our passage. Jesus says, I am and everybody falls down. Nobody fell down in John 8. Same words, but something more is going on here. There's some really funny explanations for this passage in the commentaries. I mean, some folks have said, you know, Jesus scared them. He just popped up really quickly and everybody fell down. Or the mount of olives was, it was really steep, you know, and the soldiers were in a tight single file line. And Jesus scared the first one. Boo. And he fell back and there was kind of a domino effect. Everybody fell down the hill.
These are wimpy priests we're talking about. These are soldiers. The term detachment that's used there is a technical term for anywhere from 200 to 1000 soldiers. These guys were trained in tactics and terrain. They're coming to arrest an insurrectionist. They're ready for a fight.
And hardened Roman legionaires don't fall down when some homeless preacher yells at them. Well, other folks have said they recognized the name of God. As if secular Gentile soldiers stop and said, wow, you know, his grammatical usage in vocabulary directly reflects that of Exodus 3. And I say 41. We should bow. No. The term there literally the verb says to be blown back. They were blown away. It's as if Jesus, the God man, let's just a flicker of his reality out. It gives just a glimpse. Let's just a little bit peek through. And when God shows up, no one can stand. We said it this morning, every knee shall bow. It's like Jesus just gives a quick little flex, just a little, hmm, why? Why in his weakest moment? What Jesus flexed just a little bit?
See, he wants them to know who's really in control here. He's saying, you don't realize who I am. You think you're coming to arrest me, but it's only because I'm letting you arrest me.
How are we going to get this? At this point, I probably need to apologize for something that I've taught my two-year-old son. We play a game called Tickle Tackle, which not too surprisingly involves tackling followed by tickling. It's a great father-son game. The problem is sometimes he likes to bring that to nursery and starts with a bear hug around the neck and then a slow lean with your child, lines up with both parties in the floor. The problem is he just really doesn't comprehend the implications of his body falling on top of another child. That's because when he wrestles his daddy, I don't let him feel my full weight. I mean, I can't. He weighs 30 pounds and I don't.
I mean, my full weight would crush him, so I only let him feel just a little bit. You know what I found? It's really hard. I mean, the more we interact, the longer it goes on, it's much harder to hold back than just to let my weight fall. It takes a lot of control and stamina. I mean, he's only two years old, but I could really hurt him. So remember back in Genesis 32, when Jacob wrestled God, they wrestled all night long until dawn when God finally lets Jacob win. And just so Jacob understands what's happened, after God loses, he reaches out and just touches him on the hip and Jacob has a limp for the rest of his life. Power under control. From then on, Jacob's standing up, sitting down, laying down, going for a walk. He has a constant reminder. One night, I encounter the living God and nothing will ever be the same. So let me ask you, have you met the living God? Not some Christmas tree ornament. Not a wooden nativity set. The living God is personal. And like a good friend, I mean, sometimes he gets in your face. Sometimes he tells you things you might not want to hear. Do you have a God who can tell you things you might not want to hear?
Yes, he's gentle and he's kind, but don't mistake his kindness for weakness. If you encounter the living God, you will not come away unscathed. To meet Jesus is to have your life changed. It is life altering. Just ask Jacob, have you, has the love of Jesus remained you? Do you see who this God is? The great I am letting himself get arrested.
Power under control. That's who God is. So who are we? Secondly, let's just compare. If that's how God does it, how would we do it? If you had all power, how would this go down? I like to imagine myself in art class. You take a little clay, you start patting it out, rolling it. It's one of those good days. You know, one of your days when your best efforts really pay off and a human figure starts to emerge. You kind of pleased with yourself. Maybe you'll whistle a little bit while you're working on it. And next thing you know, your breath goes into this human figure and clayman comes to life. Wow. Clayman, you're alive. I just made you. Let me show you around this place. You want to hang out? Clayman, let's set you to go. No, I do what I want. Hold on a second. I don't think you understand. I just made you. Clayman lets you square in the eye and he says, forget you. I do what I want and he picks up your pencil, throws it at your face and runs off across the desk. I don't know about you. I think at that point I would say, well, I guess we're done here. And I'd smash him and say, next, you know, some of you might think, that's a little bit harsh for us. Well, let's take a look. Look at the characters in this passage. Who are these people who come to arrest Jesus? And why are they coming? Take the Romans. They're coming to arrest Jesus because he's a threat to their government. He's an insurrectionist. He wants to be king. Jesus is getting in the way. Then you got the priests and Pharisees. This guy's a blasphemer. He's a false teacher. When he associates with sinners, he's clearly unholy but our people, they're listening to him. They're starting to follow him. He's stealing our followers. Jesus is getting in the way. Even Judas, dare we call him the Apostle Judas. He's one of Jesus trusted men. He's so trusted. He's the treasurer. He takes care of the money. He's been with Jesus for years.
And now we find him leading this group into the garden, the same garden where he used to hang out with Jesus in the fellace. How did it come to this? How did he get so disillusioned with Jesus?
I mean, all he'd seen, all they'd been through. Do you ever notice? Judas doesn't really speak much in Scripture. He's the quiet one. He's smart enough to keep his mouth shut. He's certainly much wiser than brash. Peter can't keep his mouth shut, but he's always there. Judas, every Sunday sitting in the pew, he didn't miss a K-group. He's in Jesus' personal small group for three years. And then he trades it all for money. Judas got what he thought he wanted. Jesus was just getting in the way. He never think about what went through Judas' mind as he's picking himself up off the ground. This is a strange group of people that are coming to Jesus. These are people who normally hated each other. They wouldn't associate with one another. But a common enemy makes for strange bedfellows. What does it these guys have in common? All of them, Jesus is getting in the way. The problem here is Jesus is coming between me and the thing I think is important. Whether it's government, religion, money, power, fame, fill in the blank, Jesus is getting in the way. He's stepping on our idols.
Well, they're not the only ones in the passage. I mean, what about the disciples, Russ? Yeah, let's take them. What about those disciples? I mean, what about Peter? Peter's the leader. He's the rock. He's the best one we've got. Peter represents all our best efforts. I mean, look at this guy. He's so ready to serve Jesus, to fight for Jesus. He'll do anything for Jesus, even though he's clearly inept with a sword. I mean, it's not like the guys just swinging fur of the ear, but you know, a moment before he saw Jesus lay everybody out with a word. Brash Peter's thinking, yes, it's finally on. I've been waiting for this. I'm just going to charge in there with my sword, me and Jesus, verse 600. You know, if I get in trouble, Jesus will say, I am again, everybody fall down. Be great. And we're good to go. But here comes Jesus, getting in the way again. Peter put down your sword. Peter thinks he's fighting for Jesus. He's actually fighting against him. Calvin put it like this. He said, Zeal is good. Your passion is good. But be careful that your passion doesn't carry you beyond what God is calling you to do.
See, if Peter would have succeeded, he would have started a riot. And instead, Jesus completely undoes all of Peter's best efforts. I mean, he chopped off the guy's ear and Jesus recreates one on the spot. If the first miracle knocked down all of his enemies, the second miracle knocks Peter down. He's put God in a box. He's got him nice and tidy back in the sock drawer. And now he's stunned to find himself, find himself laying on his back with the dresser sitting on his chest. Just look at this passage. Look at all these characters. Pick one. Who are you? Who would you be in this story? And hopefully nobody here thinks, I'm Jesus. So which one are you? Every single one of them have this in common. Jesus is getting in the way. So they try to get, they try to bend the God to their agenda. Forget you, God. I do what I want. We are all clay men. But thankfully, the living God doesn't just smash us again, power under control. And look what he does with his power. Thirdly, where do we go from here? There's a problem here for the disciples. It's unspoken in the text. Now these soldiers come to arrest Jesus for insurrection. The standard protocol is not just to arrest the leader, but all the followers too. So this is where it really gets interesting. Look at verse 4, Jesus knew what was coming. Probably about three hours passes from the time he dismisses Judas and the arrest. There's plenty of time. Jesus could have gotten away. Instead, he goes right back to that same garden. I mean, he could have just gone somewhere different than unusual. And think with me, Judas has already been paid what would have happened if Judas failed to keep his end of the bargain. I mean, that would have been a nice, tidy way for Jesus to deal with that problem. But no, he goes anyway. And think about the disciples. We know from other gospels they were really tired. I mean, they were falling asleep. He could have just left them back at the house. They could have gotten some sleep there, but no. He brings them along. He wants them to be there when it all goes down. I want you to catch something ironic in this passage. These soldiers bring torches to find the light of the world. They come with weapons to apprehend the prince of peace. They expect to be scrambling all over that hillside, hunting for Jesus. They think they're going to have to fair it out their prey. And instead, Jesus initiates. He just steps right up and says, who is it that you want? Think about that. Who is it you want? Jesus of Nazareth. I am. Oh, the stars are real pretty tonight. How do we wind up on our backs? How do they go from that to arresting the guy? I mean, they're clearly disoriented. Jesus could have escaped right then. Instead, the next thing they hear is again, who is it that you want? I mean, who's pressing the agenda here? Who is arresting whom? Jesus has them repeat. Who it is they want? Why? Look at verse 8. Jesus says, you want me and nobody else. What's he doing? He's being a shepherd.
See, the job of a shepherd is to stand between the sheep and the wolves. The shepherd takes the hits so the sheep don't have to. Listen to the words of Caiaphas in verse 14. It would be good if one man died for the people. A few years ago at a professional basketball game, a young girl was coming out to sing the national anthem. She was all about 14 years old. And as she came out, her nerves got the best ever. Right in the middle of the anthem, she lost her way. She forgot the words. She started singing the wrong words. She got off from the music. It got so bad. She got so far off, she just stopped. She's standing there in the middle of the court. Music still playing frozen. Poor little girl. What shame. What a sense of failure she had.
And at that moment onto the court walked the coach of one of the teams that was playing that day. Maurice Cheeks. And he comes over by her side, puts his arm around her, takes the microphone, and picks up right where they're supposed to be, and gets her going again. And they finish singing the anthem together and the crowd roars. But everybody else had just stood there watching her fail. Only one man came to her side and defended her. One man was her advocate. Only one stood between her and her shame. That's what a shepherd does. See, Jesus didn't sit on his hands when your eternity was at stake. The Almighty God who could have crushed us allowed himself to be crushed in our place. The great, the majestic I am has the mercy of a shepherd. Do you see this? The creator of the universe made himself so fragile he had to have his diaper changed. And at one point in his life he's so feeble and exhausted he sleeps through a hurricane. And when they're finally able to wake him up he whispers hush and the storm just stops. Who is this God? Who is this God? Even the very nails that pierce him. He held together. He even held together the creatures that mocked him and nailed him into place.
Who is this power under control? See when you see who this God is there's no room for him in the sock door. Either he's an idiot or his love will flat out knock you down. And when you get back up nothing will ever be the same. Are you ready?
Are you ready to limp around Brookhaven? Let's pray. Lord Jesus knock us down with your love.
Don't let us leave here this morning and think we can go stick you back in the sock door.
Help us to see that your love is more valuable than all the jewels we've ever owned.
Lord let our limp remind us that you suffered so we wouldn't have to. We pray that you'd fill us with who you are that it would just come spilling out of us everywhere we go. We pray in your name. Amen.
Take out your hymns as we sing our hymn of response. Send number 462. Savior like a shepherd lead us. Let's stand and sing together.
Amen and I are really glad to be here. And as we run to Jesus together we really look forward to getting to know all y'all. We're going to be at the back today shaking hands. There's no way. I remember everybody's name but I want to now we want to get to know our new family. So there will be people taking pictures but more we're looking forward to doing life together. So receive the benediction. May the love of Jesus our Savior our shepherd knock you down. May the grace of his father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit which leads us all out of here with a joyful limp. Be with us all now and forevermore and his name. Amen.