December 15

<p>John 18 We are in the Christ Stream reading from the New Living Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7streamsmethod | <a href= "http://www.sevenstreamsmethod.com/donate"><u>Donate</u></a> Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis</p> <blockquote>Lord Jesus, you laid it all out for us so that we can live with you in a place where again, you laid it all out for us.  We know that you are preparing a place for us so that we can be together permanently. Blessings abound, as does our gratitude. Amen.</blockquote> <div>Jesus has just finished the part of John that we call the high priestly prayer, ending in John 17. They are in the Garden of Gethsemane (Gethsemane = "olive press"). John's wording makes it clear that he has no love whatsoever for Judas Iscariot as he arrives with a squadron of religious leaders determined to have Jesus dead and buried before the next sunset. Also entering the garden are 500+ Roman soldiers pulled in to certify the arrest and make it impossible to escape . . . as if Jesus was trying to run. The size of the posse arresting Jesus tells us about the manic attitude and fears of the "upper" eschalon in Jerusalem. Reaching and finding Jesus didn't require weapons, threats, strength, nor violence.    It's interesting that Jesus' admission blasts the crowd to the ground like Jesus' voice were a hurricane!   Peter lunges forward in great zeal and slices off the ear of the High Priest's servant.  That is a bold gesture of "commitment to the death" that Peter is showing for Jesus.  So Peter is committed, right?  The penalty for physically attacking the High Priest or his own was death.</div> <div>His inquisition by the High Priest reveals that the trial of Jesus is a bungled process.  Jewish law was violated repeatedly in Jesus' arrest and trial and crucifixion.  The leaders know they are not being true to principle and therefore are a conflicted nest of scheming hound-dogs.  And they know it.  So the trial goes along bumpy; passing Jesus to leader after leader hoping any or either of the others will drop the