“THE LORD’S PROTECTIVE MINISTRY”

4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.”

John 18:4-5

Without a doubt, we have a fearsome enemy in Satan. But how can we gain confidence when we are clearly his targets?

In our previous blog, we said that when the love of money rules our hearts, we will never be satisfied.

In verse 4, we can see two statements that seem to contradict each other. John tells us that Jesus knows all that would happen to Him, which clearly is a reference to Jesus’ omniscience. At the same time, he records Jesus asking the cohort, “Whom do you seek?” This is not a question stemming from ignorance. Jesus isn’t looking for an answer. Instead it is a question asked by God to reveal a situation and bring people to action. Jesus wants His enemies to announce their evil purpose, which will prove His predictions to be accurate. More importantly, He wants the potential hostility to be directed to Him and not His disciples.

In response to Jesus’ question, the men tell Him that they are looking for Jesus of Nazareth. Why did they call Him by this name? Why not Jesus the Son of Joseph or Jesus the Rabbi? They called Him “Jesus of Nazareth” as a sign of reproach and ridicule. People of Nazareth were often looked down, specifically because Nazareth was an obscure village. It was neither mentioned in the OT or other Jewish literature. Also, we have seen Nathanael’s comment in 1:46, where he doubts that there is ever a good thing to come out of this town.

One of the things that I observed in this passage is Jesus’ protection of His disciples. By clarifying who the Romans were seeking and identifying Himself, the Lord made sure that no one else would be harmed. I am sure that He knew how terrified the disciples were. So, He bravely faced the entire contingency to keep the Apostles safe.

The Bible shows that God helps and protects those who put their trust in Him.

7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield;

    in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;

my heart exults,

    and with my song I give thanks to him.”

Psalm 28:7

We have a powerful enemy who commands the entire evil army. That said, we are on the side of the Sovereign God who is able to keep us safe from the enemy’s schemes and forces. Therefore, we have every reason to praise God for His protective ministry. In His arms, we are safe.

Pursue the Savior today!