John 18: A Good Idea or a God Idea

There are good ideas that seem like the right thing to do, then there are “God ideas” that are according to His will. The eighteenth chapter of John gives us some great examples of what it looks like when you are following the will of God and when you are not. Throughout the last year, Jesus had told His disciples that He would be betrayed and crucified. Now the time of His capture is at hand.

Judas had gathered some soldiers and led them to the garden where Jesus often went to pray. When the large group of soldiers with torches came, Jesus stepped forward:

Then Jesus, knowing all that was about to befall Him, went out to them and said, “Whom are you seeking? [Whom do you want?]”

They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

Jesus said to them, “I am He.”

Judas, who was betraying Him, was also standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am He,” they went backwards (drew back, lurched backward) and fell to the ground. (John 18:4-6 AMPC)

According to the other accounts of this night, Jesus had prayed and been strengthened by angels for what was to come. When the mob came, He was surrounded by God’s power because He was doing God’s will: He was following a “God idea.” As He spoke, spiritual power was released, and those seeking to harm Him fell to the ground.

Jesus was born King of Israel, and the appropriate way to approach Him was to bow or kneel. When Jesus spoke with His heart ready to submit to God, His Father’s power forced those approaching Jesus to be in the appropriate position of respect. This also made it very clear that if the Lord wanted to escape, He could have. The entire Roman army could not have stopped Him. Jesus had to go to the cross of His own free will. This show of spiritual power allowed Jesus to put forth the necessary request:

So He asked them again, “Whom do you seek?”

And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He. So, if you seek Me, let these men go.”

This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” (John 18:7-9 ESV)

In Chapter Seventeen, Jesus declared that He had not lost any that His Father had given Him. To make this statement true, He had to keep them safe. The display of spiritual power beyond that of mere men, which had been displayed as Jesus first spoke, set the stage for this request to be accepted. Unfortunately, one of the disciples didn’t listen to what Jesus had said in the past and began acting according to his own will:

Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)

So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given Me?” (John 18:10-11 ESV Strong’s)

If a group of soldiers came to take your leader away, defending him seems like a good idea, like the right thing to do. There are good ideas, then there are “God ideas.” God intended for His Son to pay the price for the sins of the world to free us from Satan.

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV)

“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die. (John 12:31-33 ESV)

Jesus knew that He needed to be “lifted up” on a cross to free people from Satan’s grasp. This is much better than ruling a world that is still controlled by Satan, who was the “prince” or “ruler” of this world before Jesus was crucified. Peter was determined to do what he thought was right instead of listening to Jesus about what needed to happen. We can see what happens when we do our own will in another account of this night:

And when those who were around Him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. (Luke 22:49-51 ESV)

Jesus halted Peter’s attack and repaired the damage he caused. If we pursue our own “good idea” and work against God’s plans, He will stop us in our tracks. He may also bring all that we tried to do to nothing. If our plans, our work, or both don’t produce lasting results, or suddenly come to a halt, then we should ask ourselves: Was this my will or God’s will? Was this a good idea or a God idea?

Consequences of a Good Idea

When cowboys say a horse “has the bit between its teeth,” they mean the animal is determined to go in a certain direction despite urging it to turn from the path. The “bit” is a metal bar placed in the mouth as a means to stop the horse. If it clenches the bit in its teeth, then it doesn’t have to listen to your direction to stop. This is the state Peter was in: determined to do what he thought was best. Once we are heading away from God, we can get into all kinds of trouble, just as Peter did!

The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this Man's disciples, are you?”

He said, “I am not.”

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?”

He denied it and said, “I am not.”

One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. (John 18:17, 25-27 ESV)

When Peter vowed to never leave Jesus, even if he were to die with Him, the Lord prophesied that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. This prophecy was fulfilled within that very night. God knew this would happen, and so did Jesus, but this didn’t keep it from having consequences that Peter would overcome.

From this point on, we see that Peter is not automatically included in instructions given to the disciples:

And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee... (Mark 16:6-7 AMPC)

After Jesus was crucified and rose on the third day, an Angel told Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome to go tell the disciples AND PETER. Peter was no longer considered a disciple since he had denied Jesus three times. By two or three witnesses, facts are established. Peter’s statements established his dissociation with Jesus.

As the saying goes, the road to Hell is paved with “good” intentions. It starts out with good intentions, a “good idea” instead of listening to God and doing His will, a “God idea.” As we continue along that path with the bit between our teeth, determined in what we think is right, this can lead us so far away from God that we can be completely outside of His inner circle!

Thanks to God’s grace, Peter would not be lost. Later, he would need to confess his devotion to Jesus three times to counteract the consequences of his statements. Just like Peter, there may be some repentance required to get back into God’s good graces if we have pursued a good idea too far and come against His will.

Following a God Idea - God’s Will

When we are wrongly accused, defending ourselves is usually a good idea. Jesus did not do this. He continued to follow God’s will while being questioned by the high priest and Pilate, by only agreeing with the truth when it was stated. This was necessary to fulfill a prophecy:

He was oppressed, [yet when] He was afflicted, He was submissive and opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7 AMPC)

When a lamb is shorn, it cannot struggle. It must be calm so that the job can be completed. Shearing becomes much harder if a sheep struggles or tries to defend itself.. As Pilate questioned Jesus, the Lord had an opportunity to defend himself, but to fulfill this prophecy He had to follow God’s idea instead of what seemed like a good idea.

Salvation came to the Gentiles and to most Christians, because Jesus followed God’s idea, despite not wanting to go to the cross. It is up to us to pursue God and seek His ideas instead of following what seems like a Good idea that might possibly end in disaster!

John 18_ A Good Idea or a God Idea

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