Talk
We are already at the culmination. We’re nearing the end of the book of John.
I pray that this has been blessing you. We are now at the tail end where we will see the part where Jesus is crucified but also the part where Jesus is enthroned as King. But I need to tell you that this is a different kind of enthronement.
We are more familiar with the modern-day coronation such as the recent coronation of King Charles (left). Did you know that $125M was spent just for that coronation?
But there’s a different kind of coronation.
The Coronation of Jesus looks like this (right):
Do you see the difference?
Jesus is the only King in our entire universe who chose to be crowned with thorns as King–and that’s His throne, the Crucifix.
About The Crucifix
I need to tell you a little about the Crucifix.
I believe that this is the rule of life: When you spend a long time with someone or something, it wears you out.
How many of you have been married for more than 10 years?
Be honest with me. There’s a certain part in your marriage where you’re just doing everything by ritual or by routine, right?
Sometimes that happens. Things wear out over time.
I realized that it’s the same thing with the Cross. We appreciate the Cross.
We appreciate the Crucifixion. But how many of us can honestly say that sometimes, we don’t even acknowledge the Cross anymore with much reverence.
Whenever we pray, some of us just do the ritual. You don’t even do the Sign of the Cross. A lot of us are in that position simply because we never really experienced the Cross– unlike the disciples did. Imagine those disciples seeing Jesus up on the Cross.
Here’s the difference: They saw the Cross as a tool or a symbol of execution.
It was a tool for destruction.
But as you experience the Cross, I want to make it a little deeper for you.
Because to us, we believe in Jesus. And we know Jesus–as opposed to the people who did not believe in Jesus back then.
To us, the Cross is not just a symbol of destruction. It’s a symbol of the Resurrection. So that whenever we look at the Cross, we are reminded of what Jesus did for all of us.
Today, I pray that you will discover a newfound passion and a newfound love for Jesus who died for all of us upon that wooden cross.
Experience Jesus Anew
Are you ready to experience Jesus in a fresh new way today? Put your heart over your chest and just say this with me:
“Dear Jesus, I’m here. I’m present.
I’m asking you to speak to me over my situation and over my difficulties. Change me.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet And a Light unto my path.
It’s time to lean in on the Word of God.
Our big message for today:
Four Acts of the Passion
There are four movements in the story of the Passion of Jesus:
Act One:
Jesus and some of His disciples were already in the garden.
“1When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So, Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.” – John 18:1-3
If you’ve been coming to The Feast, you probably know already that every good story in the Bible often begins in a garden.
We have been preaching about the Garden for so long that you know the significance of this place. It’s a place of “new beginnings.”
That’s why it’s important that in this Garden, we find ourselves in the story where a sinless man by the name of Jesus is about to fight with the representative of Satan. Why is that important?
Because the very first time that happened, there was also a sinless man by the name of Adam who fought with the representative of Satan.
Adam lost there. But in this new Garden, the second Adam is about to fight Satan’s representative.
I tell you that He is not about to lose. He is going to win this battle.
Detachment
The exciting part now comes when John says that Judas came with a band of soldiers who were carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.
This tells us one thing. It tells us they were coming to Jesus at night.
You can also say that symbolically, they’ve given themselves already to the darkness. It’s like they’re already pawns of Satan. Which also makes the next part interesting– because John said that Judas came with a band of soldiers.
Another version of the Bible, the NIV version, says that it was a detachment of soldiers.
In that language, you can actually define the word detachment in three ways:
But what is the point?
This is roughly the approximate size of an entire army trying to apprehend just one man.
It means that they were afraid of Jesus.
Let me tell you the truth that you can take home today: Satan is afraid of Jesus.
The enemy is afraid of Jesus. Sometimes, Satan will bring a horde of his minions with him — but when Jesus is with you, they’re still going to be outnumbered.
How is this significant in your life? When Jesus is in your life, you never have to be afraid. Why? If God is for you, who can be against you?
Though I walk through the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil because
He’s with me. His rod and His staff– they comfort me. He prepares a table for me in front of my enemies. In His presence, my cup overflows. (Psalms 23:4-6)
God is good.
I heard this from an exorcist priest very recently.
Did you know that the mere mention of Jesus to people who are possessed makes the demons go away?
That’s how powerful the Name of Jesus is.
The priest even said that the people who are possessed are also afraid of the Blessed Mother.
They’re afraid of Mama Mary.
Jesus In Control
Let me show you how Jesus is in control. In John 18:4:
4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Correct me if I’m wrong. When guilty people see authorities, the first thing they do is run away. They hide in the bushes, right? Because they’re guilty.
But what did John say? Jesus came forward.
He even had the audacity to say, “Who are you looking for? Whom do you seek?”
Jesus is not afraid. He’s in control.
Jesus says to them, “I am he.” 1 Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. – John 18:4-5A ESV
The non-believers of Jesus drew back or turned back and then they fell to the ground.
Jesus says, “I am He.”
I learned just this week that in the original Greek language, they believed that Jesus did not even say, “I am He.”
He only said, “I am.”
Do you know any other part in the Bible where the words “I am” were also uttered?
If you watched the movie The Ten Commandments, you’d know in Exodus, Moses is facing the burning bush and he says, “Whom shall I tell the Egyptians who is sending me?”
God says, “I am.”
Then, Moses can no longer look at the burning bush– out of reverence and respect to the Presence of God.
There is something about the Presence of God that just incites reverence and respect.
Do you understand that? Imagine the people who did not even believe in Jesus– they could not help falling to their knees.
I’m telling you: Everything and everyone bow down to the Lordship of Jesus.
So, whatever is in your life that you’re carrying that’s difficult, call on the Name of Jesus. Because His Name is greater than your sickness. His Name is greater than your financial difficulty. His Name is greater than your brokenness.
There is no other name by the Name of Jesus– that men must be saved. That’s the power of Jesus.
Jesus Reveals Himself
But here’s a question: Why did Jesus choose this time to finally reveal Himself?
If you look at the Gospels, you’ll note every other story in the beginning of His ministry, Jesus was like, “No, don’t tell them who healed you. Don’t tell them who I am.”
He even told Mama Mary: “It’s not my time yet, woman. My hour has not yet come.”
How come Jesus is choosing this as the time to finally reveal himself?
By the way, that’s evidence that Jesus was in control– because nobody was forcing Him to do it. It was of His own volition
Imagine if Jesus told them in the very beginning that He was the Son of God– people might have believed Him.
But imagine the power of Jesus saying, “Come and follow me. Come and see.”
Every day, as you’re walking with Jesus, as you’re hearing from Jesus, as you’re witnessing Jesus, your faith is being formed.
So, now each disciple could say: “Because I have seen Him with my own eyes. Because I have felt Him in my own spirit. Because
I have seen and experienced Him, I truly believe that He is the Son of God– not just because He said so, but because I’ve seen and experienced Him.”
That’s the power of your faith.
Jesus invites all of us to come and see.
Jesus wants you to form your faith by yourself because then your faith would be deeper.
So, come and see.
That’s Act One.
Act Two:
There were two trials that Jesus had to face.
The first one was the trial that was presided by the Jewish leaders. The high priest by the name of Annas presided this meeting:
Who were they? Jesus was referring to every person who heard Him preach and who saw Him do miracles. Jesus was expecting those who saw Him, those who know Him, to witness for Him.
But why was there nobody with Jesus at that time? Not even the disciples were there. They ran away. Not even Peter was there.
This is the brilliance of John. While everything was happening in that trial,
John somehow shifts the lens to a different perspective. And now he’s talking about Peter who is outside of the courtyard– and there is an interrogation happening.
At that side, a maid sees Peter and starts interrogating him.
Listen to this. This is going to shock you. The story relates that a maid sees Peter in the courtyard. And the servant girl at the door says to Peter: “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”
Peter says, “I am not.”
This is Peter– the disciple who said to Jesus, “I’m there. I’m not going to leave you.”
Jesus says, “I am He.” Peter says, “I am not.”
At one side you’ve got Jesus who’s revealing His identity at the cost of His life. Then you’ve got Peter who is rejecting and denying his identity to save his life.
You and I don’t have to admit it– but we’re all like Peter, aren’t we?
In the face of persecution, we run away. We give up our beliefs. We give up our principles. We’re all like Peter.
But I thank God that even though we are unfaithful, God remains faithful. That His mercies are always new in the morning and that His steadfast love never ceases.
I thank God that we’re all like Peter– that we all fall away. But thank God that Jesus is faithful.
Focal Point in the Middle
Let me just show you how Jesus is so much in control. This is something that’s going to be cool.
Do you want to do a little Bible study in the spirit of the Bible nerds?
This is something that they showed us.
It’s a pattern on how Bible authors use a device called chiasm.
It’s a tool that they use to mirror the patterns where they put the main focal point in the middle.
Think of a hamburger. We’re not going to give free hamburgers to you but just look at this illustration:
A hamburger has two buns. One bun on top and one bun at the bottom.
In between, there are layers.
The first layer could be a mayo. The second layer could be lettuce.
The middle part would be the meat or patty which is the best thing about the hamburger.
Now, you could say that A and A are the buns.
B is the mayo. C is the lettuce.
John’s Pattern
Now, let’s look at John’s verses:
So, here’s the pattern: Letter B is the mayo. Letter C is the lettuce.
Do you see the pattern? Yes, Pilate went out.
Pilate went inside. Pilate went out.
All hail, King of the Jews!
Pilate went outside. Pilate went inside.
Make up your mind, Pilate!
There’s a pattern there. I have two reflections.
- This is a symbol of our fickle mindedness. Sometimes we’re for Jesus. Sometimes, we’re not for Sometimes, we believe. Sometimes, we doubt.
- Just like how Pilate went in and out, people will always come and
Civilizations will always come and go. Leaders will always come and go. Structures will always come and go.
But in the end, Jesus will always be King.
Isn’t that good? In the end, Jesus is always going to be King. At the end of your life, Jesus will still be King. At the end of your children’s life, Jesus will still be King. He’ll be King forever.
That’s why we worship Him because He is the Lord forever.
Act 3: 
By this time, only a few people were with Jesus. They were Mama Mary, a few women disciples, and the author himself — John.
I love this quote that I found from T.F. Kenny: “Jesus fed 5,000 but only 500 followed Him after lunch. He had 12 disciples but only 3 went further in the Garden and only one stood with Him at the Cross.”
What is the point? The closer you get to the Cross, the smaller the crowd becomes. It was true then and I believe that it’s still true now.
Sometimes, in the moment of great trials, very few people really follow Jesus to the Cross. But I’m glad that John did not fall away because he gets to write the next part of the story. He’s the one who sees what happens next when Jesus is about to do something very important:
What is Jesus doing here?
Is he just merely making sure that Mama Mary has another home to go to so nobody sends her to Anawim? Is that what’s happening? Making sure that she’s all protected and provided for? It could be possible.
But we all know that Jesus is always doing something deeper. Jesus was forming His new family.
This is the promise of God.
When you call Jesus as your Lord, you will be adopted by Christ. Ultimately, you become children of God.
Does that make you happy? You become part of God’s family not by blood nor birth but by belief.
Because you believe in God, the Father, you are brothers and sisters.
This guy never believed in Jesus but the moment that he stood by the Cross, he started believing in Jesus. From that moment on, he was a witness to Jesus.
The same is also true with Joseph of Arimathea. Do you know who he was? Joseph was a wealthy guy. Wealthy people were the only ones who could own tombs because tombs were very expensive. But Joseph was a secret disciple and a secret admirer of Jesus.
When he stood at the foot of the Cross, he said, “Jesus will use my tomb.”
He was going to give it to Jesus. But giving up his tomb really wouldn’t matter. Why? Because Jesus was going to use it only for a weekend– just three days.
That’s it.
Whenever we face the Cross, we become a family. You become a child of God.
Jesus was so in control the whole time.
The funny thing is that the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities all thought that they were holding Jesus against His will.
Only to find out that Jesus wanted to be there in the first place– because He’s doing the will of His Father.
I pray that this will make you fall in love with Jesus even more. Jesus was held on to the Cross not because of the nails but because of His love for you. He truly loved you and me– that’s why he hung on the Cross.
It was His love.
Let me close with a story.
I asked permission to share this story from a dear friend of mine.
Chances are some of you might know him. He’s a pillar here in our Community.
He has been serving the Lord with his family. He is such a loving husband and a good father. His name is Tom Yokingco. He’s our Pastoral Coordinator here in our morning session. Here he is with his wife Rita.
He shared the story with me in one of our fellowship nights, in our Light Group. He said that the Lord changed him when he joined the Community.
If you knew Bro. Tom before he joined the Community, you know he was not living a righteous life because he was in a business involving unpaid taxes.
But when he joined the Community, it’s as if God told him to get rid of that sin and to be right in the eyes of God. So, he stopped doing that. But Bro. Tom admitted that there was something still left in his life that he never surrendered to the Lord. He still did not declare his taxes correctly.
But God moves in mysterious ways. Sometimes, He kind of forces you into a position where you don’t have any choice but change your ways.
Because the business that he was in it collapsed. It went bankrupt.
To him, it was a message from the Lord saying: “You got to do right by me.
You got to do things right and walk a straight path.”
Now his business is about importing motorcycle units, equipment, and parts. Before he started the business, he told his partners: “I will enter into this business only if we do everything above board. Otherwise, I’m not going to do it.”
But was it easy? It’s not easy. It hasn’t been easy.
We know that when we resort to shortcuts, the process becomes easier. There’s a reason they call it “Stairway to Heaven” and “Highway to Hell.”
It’s hard to get up to Heaven but it’s easy to ride on the highway. You can go 120 km per hour on that highway.
Many go through that wide road towards sin because it’s easy. But the narrow path, very few people find it because it’s hard.
Surrender
I’m glad that Bro. Tom made that decision. He told me that a few months ago, his business got affected by a typhoon. They got flooded. All the motorcycles were submerged. They couldn’t save anything. Not even one motorcycle.
But they knew that it was God operating through their relief — because
the supplier they have been working for the longest time with integrity and honesty told them to bring back the units to them and they would rehabilitate each unit.
Bro. Tom’s company was able to sell each one successfully.
That’s when you know God is moving.
What is my point? A lot of us like to tell the Lord: “Save Me. You are my Savior. You are a God who saves.”
But all the while, we want to remain in control of our life. That’s not real salvation. If you’re going to call God as your Savior, He needs to save you– but it should not end there.
You need to call God as your Lord. If you’re going to call God your Lord, He needs to Lord over everything in your life.
Fr. Albert Garong said, “You need to be all in. You need to go all in.”
You can’t say, “I’m going to worship you Lord but I’m going to keep this darkness for myself.”
That needs to go. Everything must go. God needs to Lord over your sin.
He needs to Lord over your fear. He needs to Lord over your unbelief. He needs to Lord over your woundedness.
If there’s something in your life right now that you have not given to God, we’re going to give you the opportunity to surrender that to Him and say: “Lord, take it all.”
At the foot of the Cross, you need to surrender that to King Jesus– and then watch how everything
will bow down to the lordship of Jesus.
Lift your hands in the Presence of God and say:
“Lord I’m all in. I’m all in. I’m all in. I surrender all of me, my past, my present, and my future. Today, I stand at the foot of your Cross, and I declare that Your love for me is unmatched and uncontrollable. Thank You, Jesus. Amen
