{"id":31560,"date":"2024-06-16T22:00:20","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T05:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/john-18_1-11-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-06-11T20:28:10","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T03:28:10","slug":"john-18_12-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/john-18_12-27\/","title":{"rendered":"Bound To Set Us Free"},"content":{"rendered":"

John 18:12-27 \u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is John 18:12-27.\u00a0 I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

John 18:12-13 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 12-13:\u00a0 You could call Annas the godfather of high priests.\u00a0 From AD 6 to AD 15 Annas was high priest of Israel.\u00a0 When Annas was deposed by the Roman governor Valerius Gratus at that time (Pilate\u2019s predecessor), many still considered Annas to be their high priest.\u00a0 Annas also had five sons who would each hold the office of high priest after Annas.\u00a0 At this time Annas\u2019 son-in-law Caiaphas was the acting high priest.\u00a0 So Annas had enormous influence in Israel at this time.<\/p>\n

It is before this Annas that Jesus appears.\u00a0 Little did Annas know that despite all of Annas\u2019 history as Israel\u2019s high priest, the true great high priest was standing before him.\u00a0 As further irony, here we have Jesus, the one truly free person, bound so that he could set us, slaves to sin, free. \u00a0\u00a0Jesus was bound to set us free.<\/p>\n

John 18:14 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 14:\u00a0 Caiaphas made this statement, which John considers to be prophetic, in John 11:49-52.<\/p>\n

John 18:15-16 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard,
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 15-16:\u00a0 Who was the other disciple who was with Peter?\u00a0 Probably John himself.\u00a0 I think there is a lesson to be learned from the fact that this other disciple \u201cwas known to the high priest\u201d (v15) and thus was able to go with Jesus into the high priest\u2019s courtyard, whereas Peter who did not know anyone \u201chad to wait outside the door\u201d (v16).\u00a0 In the kingdom of God, it\u2019s not what you know but who you know that enables you to enter the courts of the Lord.<\/p>\n

John 18:17 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 17:\u00a0 Here for the first time Peter denies being a disciple of Jesus.<\/p>\n

John 18:18 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 18:\u00a0 While Peter was warming himself physically, he was cooling off spiritually.\u00a0 Who knows?\u00a0 Perhaps if Peter had been with John inside the high priest\u2019s house and closer to Jesus, he would have at once less comfortable and more bold to proclaim his allegiance to Jesus.\u00a0 But because he was a more comfortable distance away from Jesus, he was less bold to admit that he was Jesus\u2019 disciple.<\/p>\n

John 18:19-24 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.
\n23\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?”
\n24\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 18-24:\u00a0 I love how Jesus remains cool under pressure.\u00a0 Even after he is unjustly struck in the face, Jesus still continues to be gentle and peaceful in his actions toward those who misunderstood him and abused him.\u00a0 May we be cool under the pressure in a similar way.<\/p>\n

John 18:25-27 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n25\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.”
\n26\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?”
\n27\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 25-27:\u00a0 Here Peter, who earlier had said that he would lay down his life for Jesus (John 13:37), folds under pressure and denies Jesus a second time and a third time, just as Jesus had predicted (see John 13:38).\u00a0 Once we sin a first time, it can be that much easier to sin in the same way again and again.\u00a0 It\u2019s a sobering reminder that we should not claim to be more spiritual or faithful than we are, lest we risk humiliating ourselves later on.\u00a0 May we be quicker to acknowledge our weaknesses and boast about Jesus than about ourselves.<\/p>\n

It reminds me of Jesus\u2019 words in Luke 14:10-11, where he compares knowing Jesus to going to a banquet: \u201cBut when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.\u00a0 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thank You Jesus for being our true great high priest and for letting Yourself be bound so that I could go free.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is John 18:12-27.\u00a0 I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!
\n\u00a0
\nJohn 18:12-13 (NIV)
\n12\u00a0\u00a0Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him
\n13\u00a0\u00a0and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
\n\u00a0
\nOn verses 12-13:\u00a0 You could call Annas the godfather of high priests.\u00a0 From AD 6 to AD 15 Annas was high priest of Israel.\u00a0 When Annas was deposed by the Roman governor Valerius Gratus at that time (Pilate\u2019s predecessor), many still considered Annas to be their high priest.\u00a0 Annas also had five sons who would each hold the office of high priest after Annas.\u00a0 At this time Annas\u2019 son-in-law Caiaphas was the acting high priest.\u00a0 So Annas had enormous influence in Israel at this time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31562,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31560"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31563,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31560\/revisions\/31563"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}