Scripture to Read: John 18:2–4
We know the garden of Gethsemane was a place that Jesus and His disciples had gone to regularly during Jesus’ three years of ministry with His disciples. We read today in John 18:2–4, “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. 4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and *said to them, “Whom do you seek?’” Jesus’ time had finally arrived, and though He did not look forward to what He was about to face, He willingly submitted to the Father’s perfect will. We know that Judas had departed from the upper room a few hours earlier, and according to the Scripture in John 18, he was now coming with a mob to arrest Jesus. It’s interesting that the crowd came with weapons as if they were expecting a fight to break out. The reason they came with torches and lanterns was because it was nighttime. Notice too that Jesus very calmly asked the crowd, “Whom do you seek?” Jesus knew they had come for Him and knew what He was about to go through. He asked the crowd whom they were seeking because He did not want His disciples harmed. He wanted them to confirm that they were there just for Him. Remember that Jesus had asked the Father in John 17 to protect the disciples. He is our Protector and Provider.
Challenge & Application
• What did Jesus ask the crowd and why did He ask it?
• How does our Lord protect us each day from the enemy we face? (Look at Ephesians 6:10–18 for help.)
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!