The Shepherd in the Garden
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Jesus as the Good Shepherd, faces evil and protects His flock in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Text: John 18:1-11
Date: 04/26/2020, the Combined service.
Series: "John: Encountering Love" Part 174
Description:
With the magnificent High Priestly prayer behind us, John begins His narrative of the events surrounding Jesus' final hours leading up to the Cross. We will pay special attention to what John includes and what he leaves out-- choosing to pass directly from the prayer to the confrontation with the mob sent to arrest Him. What a contrast! From the mountain top to the sewer, as Jesus and His disciples face "the world". We will once again see Jesus as the Good Shepherd, protecting His flock both physically and spiritually, and insuring that they remain in the world to complete their task. We will take comfort as John presents Jesus as Prophet (who knows exactly what will happen), as Priest (who willingly sacrifices Himself for His disciples) and King (who never for a moment loses sovereign control). But especially we will triumph in the image of our fearless Shepherd in the Garden who even now protects and enables those blessed to be in His flock.
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I. Introduction, 1Sam. 17:33-36, John 10:10-15.
II. Exposition of the text, John 18:1-11.
A. Context, John 17:15-16.
B. The Shepherd in the Garden.
1. Overview
a. John's handling of the Garden events.
b. My handling of the Garden events.
2. The Garden of Gethsemane, vs. 1.
3. Creating the drama, vs. 2-3.
a. A place known by Judas, vs. 2.
b. No attempt to hide.
i. Hiding would have been easy, John 13:27.
ii. The time has come, John 12:27, 10:11.
iii. The nature of an atoning sacrifice.
c. The mob arrives, vs. 3.
i. Underplaying Judas.
ii. A "larger than necessary" force.
iii. A vision of evil, John 15:18, 23-24.
4. Confrontation with the Shepherd, vs. 4-8a.
a. Prophet, Priest and King, vs. 4a.
i. As Prophet.
ii. As Priest.
iii. As King.
b. The reaction to the Shepherd-King, vs. 4b-6.
i. The resolve of the King, vs. 4b.
ii. The objective of the mob, vs. 5a, John 8:44.
iii. The final reference to Judas, vs. 5c.
iv. The great "I AM", vs. 5b.
v. The stunned reaction, vs. 6.
• Visualizing the reaction.
• Not a mob of "lightweights", John 7:46.
vi. Finding an explanation.
• The words, Isa. 41:4, Ex. 3:14, John 4:26, 6:20, 8:28, 6:35, 8:12, 10:7,9,11,14, 11:25, 14:6, 15:1, 8:58.
• The Word.
vii. The Shepherd and the wolves, Matt. 24:30.
c. A quick recovery, vs 7-8a.
5. In the hands of the Shepherd-Priest, vs. 8b-9.
a. The work of the High Priest, John 17:6,9,12,15-18.
b. Not one will be lost, vs. 9.
i. A physical protection, John 17:12, 6:39, 10:28.
ii. A spiritual protection, 1Cor. 10:13.
iii. A new perspective.
6. Peter's short-sighted intervention, vs. 10-11, Matt. 26:39, John 12:27.
III. Application, Jer. 29:11, John 17:24, 1Chr. 28:20, Matt. 16:18, Psa. 23:1-6.
IV. Conclusion
