See His Cross! Put Your Sword Away!

John 18:4 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.) ⁶ When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷ Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." ⁸ "I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." ⁹ This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me." ¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) ¹¹ Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

If you haven’t heard, Jeremy Lin is taking the NBA by storm. Lin is new point guard for the New York Knicks who came out the basketball powerhouse of Harvard. In his first four starts, Lin has put up point and assists numbers greater than the first four starts of superstars like Jordan, Bird and Magic. Lin has become an overnight sensation on Sportscenter, Letterman and in the Far East.

But there are critics who say that Lin is getting all this publicity because he is an Asian American playing in a predominately black league. And he has the benefit of playing in New York City, the media capitol of the world.

Whether Jeremy Lin is a real talent or real hype isn’t really important. In the world of sports and entertainment, image is everything and there’s nothing wrong with the NBA and media outlets promoting Lin to sell jerseys and gain viewers.

Jesus didn’t hire a publicist, make-up artist or agent, even though image played a significant role in His publicity as Savior. In fact, there were times when Jesus would heal someone of leprosy or demon possession and then command them not to tell anyone about it. That sounds strange, but Jesus didn’t want to be known primarily as a miracle worker. When Jesus started touring around Galilee and Judea, He quickly became known as a friend of sinners. Which is what He wanted. Penitent prostitutes, tearful tax collectors and sorry sinners of all kinds found God’s mercy in Jesus. Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:37,40).

Image played a part for Jesus’ critics – those who belonged to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council in Jerusalem made up of Pharisees and Sadducees. The Sanhedrin hated Jesus’ popularity among the people. They felt that He was stealing honor and glory that belonged to them. That’s why “the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death” (Mark 14:55).

That’s why the Sanhedrin sent a detachment of soldiers to the Mount of Olives on Thursday evening. Judas knew that this was a place that Jesus and His disciples often visited for prayer. So he guided the gang with their torches, swords and clubs to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus then did the unexpected. He advanced to meet the armed thugs. With the Garden of Gethsemane in the Mount of Olives, Jesus would have looked down hill and seen the mob coming with their torches in the night sky. He knew they were coming, and He knew what they wanted. On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus had taken His disciples aside and said, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Matthew 20:18-19). There was no question that Jesus knew why He had come to earth. He saw His cross clearly and resolutely embraced His mission.

But Jesus wanted His disciples and us to know that He submitted to the arrest and the cross, and was not a helpless victim of injustice. Jesus asked, “Who is it you want?” When they responded, “Jesus of Nazareth,” and Jesus announced, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Why? Because Jesus had the power to resist. Against His power, their torches and weapons were useless. He chose to go along with this gang of thugs to meet death on the cross.

Peter stood there with the other disciples in the garden that night. He was confused about what was happening. Peter had been confused about Jesus’ mission before. When Jesus told His disciples about the cross and the coming ordeal in Jerusalem, Peter rebuked Him. Peter said, “Never, Lord! ... This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22). Peter wasn’t alone either. The disciples had resolved to come to Jerusalem with Jesus so that they might die with him (John 11:16). They did not understand. They did not see the importance of the cross.

And so Peter, who had boasted of his devotion to Jesus, wanted to save Jesus from arrest and crucifixion. With sword in hand, he lashed out and struck the high priest’s servant. For Peter it was an act of courage against formidable odds. He had drawn blood for his Lord! The ear of Malchus proved Peter’s brave resolve to die with Jesus rather than deny Him.

But Peter had it all wrong. Jesus commanded Peter not to resist, “Put away your sword!” Salvation would not come by brave human effort in the face of overwhelming odds. Peter could not save Jesus. He couldn’t even save himself. “Put away your sword!” made it as clear as it could be. Salvation would come only by the cross. Peter needed to see the Savior’s cross and understand its significance.

Jesus had tried to tell His disciples the necessity of His cross, but they had been slow to grasp its importance. Perhaps they thought He didn’t need the cross. Perhaps they liked His image as a miracle worker. They enjoyed being groupies of a rock star bread king like Jesus. They didn’t want all this talk about the cross because it would wreck His popularity.

Whatever the reason, Peter and the others did not see the cross.

The Sanhedrin who hated Jesus, the disciples who loved Jesus and the adoring public who cheered for Jesus were all confused about Jesus. They all wanted a different Messiah; a different kind of Savior. They wanted a God made in their image, according to their own making and imagining.

What about you? What happens when Jesus isn’t the kind of God you’re looking for? Sometimes, if we are honest with ourselves, we wish Jesus would be a different kind of God. A God who would give us more blessing, while expecting less commitment. A God who doesn’t hate our sin so much, but would instead allow us to wallow in our filth and enjoy ourselves a little more. A God who will allow us to enjoy a bit of heaven on earth, though we often live like children of hell.

Like Peter, we don’t like this image of Jesus in the garden. Weak. Frail. At the mercy of His enemies. A Savior on trial?! A God on the cross?! The Messiah in the grave?! No! We want our image of Jesus to be a more pleasant one, a stronger one, a friendlier one. We like the picture of Jesus leading the sheep because then we can take our focus off Jesus as Lamb sacrificing Himself for our sins. We like the image of Jesus playing with children so we can ignore the image of Jesus beaten and bloodied for His prodigal children. We like to imagine that if we would have been in the Jerusalem crowd that week, we would have shouted loud “Hosannas,” because we don’t want to admit that we would have also shouted with the mob, “Crucify him!”

Our human nature doesn’t like the image of the suffering Savior. We also think that this suffering Savior doesn’t play so well in marketing our church, school and God to the general public. We think they want less talk of sin and more songs of praise; less solemn repentance (and ashes) and more clapping; more contemporary and less liturgical. We want Jesus to appeal to the masses … like He once did. We see how the church is abused and battered in this world and we want to improve its image. We want to strike a blow to save the church and the image of our Savior. Sometimes we want to hide the crucified Jesus and proclaim a more friendly and upbeat message that appeals to the populous and draws them in. Give them what they want instead of what they need.

But then we rob the church of its essential message. Put your sword away.

We are here tonight on this solemn evening of worship so we can be reminded that we cannot improve upon Jesus. We don’t need to defend Him. We don’t need to popularize Him. Put your sword away and accept Jesus for who He is. He is the One who looked helpless in the garden, so that He could overcome the helplessness of what happened to Adam and Eve in the first garden. He is the One who allowed Himself to die so we might have life. He is the One who bore our diseases and sins so He might grant us healing and salvation. He is the One who allowed Himself to be arrested, but yet had the power to knock down armed men with a single word.

We are here this somber Lenten evening because perhaps tonight, more than most other times in the year, we are made aware of our sin. We are made to feel uneasy. There are no excuses. There’s nowhere to hide. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Death awaits us for we are sinners.

Though we see Jesus on the cross this Lent, we also see beyond the cross to the open tomb of Easter. For Jesus didn’t stay dead. His body never returned to ashes or dust like ours will, for He was stronger than armed soldiers, stronger than crucifixion, stronger than death. Death couldn’t hold Him. He came back to life, having defeated death once for all. And He grants us life in heaven through His resurrected life.

We don’t need to improve upon our Savior. We can’t. So we come to realize the benefits our Savior gives us: Out of struggle Jesus brings character. Out of sinful thinking He brings right living. Out of weakness He brings strength. With His blood He washes away your sin. With His death He defeated the devil and your inner demons. With His resurrection on the third day He provides you with an eternity of days in heaven.

Jesus didn’t need force, one sword, a thousand swords, or any human effort to save humanity. He certainly didn’t need anything Peter might do. And He doesn’t need anything we might do, either. It is His cross, and only His cross, that provides salvation. Peter could not achieve it by his brave effort. And we cannot make it more appealing with our efforts.

Perhaps the first question Jesus asked when the mob appeared is important for us, too: “Who is it you want?” Did you come here seeking something other than Jesus crucified? The image of a bloody Savior crucified is not attractive to the world or even to our own sinful nature. The message of Christ crucified is foolishness to some. It is offensive to others. But it is God’s wisdom to those who are saved. Accept Jesus for who He is. He doesn’t need your hype or hyperbole. Save that for sports and entertainment. Let Jesus focus on His own image and you put your sword away! See His cross! Amen.