After five chapters of recording the most memorable dinner of his life, John now finally turns to the tragic events that followed. We have to imagine that John remembered them vividly, because as Jesus was being arrested and taken toward his eventual death, all of the disciples’ hopes and expectations were being shattered.
John’s telling of the arrest of Jesus emphasizes just how serious the world’s rejection of the Messiah really was. Chief priests, Pharisees, and even Roman soldiers all rallied to arrest him; Jews and Gentiles alike rejected the King. But there is an even more important emphasis on the fact that Jesus was God Almighty, King of universe nonetheless. Just the simple words “I Am”—the Lord’s consistent powerful declaration of his own eternal existence—from the mouth of this one man caused a large mob to stagger in the face of unmistakable divine power.
Even while being arrested, the Son of God was in control. Yet he was still complicit to let the evil of the world overtake him—a rather confusing way to show his control. But God tends to do things in ways that don’t make sense to us. Peter was certainly confused—even when he did the common sense thing of charging in with rage to protect his rabbi, Jesus rebuked him for it! Perhaps John intended a subtle application for us. We shouldn’t think we have to go to war with our culture to save Christianity, as if it’s in any real danger from the world. The Son of God really is still in control.
Jesus’ control of the situation had no need for force. Instead, he went humbly. The Great “I Am” let the evil world bind him in chains, but not because they were stronger than him; rather, he was obeying his Father’s will. Jesus trusted the Father enough to obey him to the point of death. All things were under his control; and though it happened through the world’s rejection of him, the death of the Son of God was because of his own decision to obey the Father’s will and save the ones who were lost. The Son of God was in control; he always has been and always will be. We can trust that—just like Jesus himself did.
