There are a few things that John 17 did not tell us that we need to know if we need to rightly understand everything that happens in John 18. In John 17 we got to hear Jesus’ prayers for himself, for his apostles and for his Church. And the way John records that night, it seems as Jesus walked from those prayers into his arrest. But there was an in-between. There was a space of time and some events that shaped everything that would happen next. I believe that to really and fully understand John 18 we need to look at Matthew 26 and Luke 22 to see what Jesus and Peter did in-between going to Gethsemane and being met by a crowd of soldiers. If I can be honest, the in-between is often the most important part. In all of our lives it is in-between where most of the work gets done and most of the outcomes are determined.
In this week’s sermon, Pastor Abie looks at how Peter and Jesus conditioned themselves for the arrest in Gethsemane. One held on to his own will and the other was able to pray, “Nevertheless.”