VINDICATION OF THE WORD (JOHN 18:1–21:25)

Jesus entered the world in controversy and lived much of His life under the shadow of doubt. His mother received an angelic visit informing her that she would be the mother of the Messiah, and that His birth would be in literal fulfillment of an ancient prophecy: “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14, emphasis mine; cf. Matt. 1:23). In other words, her baby would be conceived without a human father. Unfortunately, her wonderful secret would soon become a neighborhood scandal. Her betrothed was prevented from filing a quiet divorce by another angelic vision, but we have no indication the Lord supernaturally revealed the truth regarding the conception to anyone other than Joseph. No one else in Nazareth received an angelic visit telling them the truth. In other words, everyone else thought what you would think: that Jesus was illegitimate.

From the very beginning and throughout His public ministry, belief in the Christ would be a matter of choice. Which evidence would people trust? Scripture, or their own prejudices and presuppositions? Which authority would people accept? The Word of God, or their own desires?

As Jesus proclaimed divine truth, His critics relished every opportunity to question His origins (John 6:42; 7:27, 41; 8:19, 41; 9:29), taking great care to avoid the overwhelming prophetic evidence of His divine identity. As we have observed, most people persistently ignored the “signs” He miraculously performed (9:16; 11:47-48; 12:37)—ironically, while demanding He prove Himself by performing miraculous signs (2:18; 4:48; 6:30). Nevertheless, many others were attracted to His obvious divine power. Ultimately, “His own” moved beyond the need for miraculous signs to accept the Man as the Word of God, their Messiah, the Son of God.

By the end of His public ministry, Jesus had polarized the nation. On one side stood the unbelieving temple authorities in all their religious finery; on the other, a ragtag collection of a few hundred committed believers. Between them stood a vast multitude, whose souls hung in the balance. And each side—the minions of evil and the followers of Jesus—had been tasked to claim them.

As the sun set one evening before Passover, each side retreated to prepare for the first real battle of an invisible war, a cosmic campaign for the souls of humanity. Both claimed to be the sole guardian of divine truth, but the religious leaders hoped to settle the matter quickly. Before the end of the Passover festival, they intended to prove their case by killing Jesus. They would put Him on trial for openly opposing the temple authorities—and God by extension—and then crucify Him as a blasphemer. By sundown on “the day of preparation,” they hoped to bury His body and, with it, any notion that He was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the Word incarnate, the Savior of humanity. With the good news—salvation by grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone—lying cold in a tomb, their proud religion of works could again reign supreme, with the temple authorities back in control.

But, as Jesus had promised His disciples, the victory gained by the evildoers would be short-lived. They would destroy themselves by the very weapons they wielded against their Creator. The incarnate Word would rise from the grave in a glorious resurrection body, triumphant over disease, disaster, death, and decay, victorious over sin and evil. By the break of light on Sunday morning, divine truth would emerge from the grave completely vindicated in the eyes of all humanity. His words of reassurance were clearly and repeatedly stated. His disciples heard them . . . but quickly forgot them as the tide of public opinion and official decisions turned against Him. In a few hours, they would all walk away.

KEY TERMS IN JOHN 18:1–21:25

akoloutheō (ἀκολουθέω) [190] “to follow,” “to go the same way,” “to go after”

Literally, this verb means “to go the same way,” which of course carries the metaphorical connotation of imitating the thoughts, beliefs, actions, or lifestyle of another. Similarly, we might say of a boy adopting his father’s occupation, “He’s following in the footsteps of his father.” The Old Testament doesn’t prefer this metaphor for following God’s ways. It becomes a favored term in the New Testament, however, perhaps because the example of Christ is more accessible. See John 1:43; 10:27; 21:19, 22.

tetelestai (τετέλεσται) [5055] “completed,” “brought to fulfillment,” “paid in full”

This is the perfect passive form of the verb “to complete” or “to fulfill.” A verb in the passive voice indicates that the object is acted upon by some external influence (e.g., “The ball was thrown”). The perfect tense places the action in the past, while emphasizing ongoing results. This Greek term declares that something has been brought to a state of completion and therefore needs no more involvement. It was also an accounting term, meaning “paid in full.” See John 19:28, 30.

phaneroō (φανερόω) [5319] “to manifest,” “to make visible,” “to reveal,” “to shine”

Classical Greek made very little use of this term, which means “to make visible what was invisible.”[69] It is a causative verb, meaning that the subject causes the action of the verb. The term also places particular emphasis on the prior state of being unseen. Therefore, it finds wide use in the New Testament, which records a remarkable time of divine revelation. Jesus perfectly manifested God in the sense that humankind experienced God in ways not possible before. Jesus manifested truth as only a “God-man” could. And then Jesus manifested Himself in a state never before seen—a glorified, incorruptible form of humanity. See John 2:11; 17:6; 21:1, 14.