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I am using readings from the 49 Week Bible Challenge as the basis for these devotions. I encourage you to join me in this discipline. Today’s readings are John 18; 2 Samuel 15; 19; 2 Chronicles 11.
John 18:1-14
When 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. 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.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.
Jesus. Peter. Judas. Malchus. Caiaphas. Annas. Pilate. Each of these names evoke different feelings as I read this account of Jesus’ arrest, and the rest of John 18.
The Good: Jesus. He alone is good, as he himself attests. He says to the young man, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18). But Jesus is God in the flesh. He is the Good Shepherd. He is good and his mercy endures forever. No one else should claim that attribute.
The Bad: Line them up: Was Judas the worst? Or Caiaphas and Annas, scheming behind the scenes? What about Pilate, who caved under pressure, condemning Jesus whom he knew to be innocent? And what of Malchus – stuck in the middle. He was only doing his job and gets his ear cut off! Does he belong on the list of the bad?
And then there is Peter, struggling between good intentions and tragic failure. Poor Peter. You hate to call him bad, for he was so devoted to Jesus. He made plenty of mistakes. He will deny Jesus tonight as Jesus’ trial unfolds – cowered by a slave girl. Peter has plenty of flaws. But he knows it. When he encounters Jesus after the miraculous catch of fish, he falls before him saying, “Depart from me. I am a sinner” (Luke 5:8).
There is one more: Barabbas. He had been thrown into prison for murder and insurrection, but he was released, and Jesus took his place. Where does he fit in this list of the good, the bad, and the sinner? We don’t really know what happened to Barabbas after his release. But theologically, the Gospels preserve his story as a striking illustration of Jesus taking the place of the guilty. We might see him as representing all humanity: the guilty one set free while the innocent One (Jesus) is condemned.
At the end of the day, every name in this account – whether betrayer, coward, conspirator, soldier, or criminal – points us back to Jesus. He alone is good. He alone takes the place of the guilty. Whether it’s Judas, Peter, Barabbas, or you and me, Jesus is the One who bears our sin and gives us his righteousness. That is the heart of the Gospel: the innocent condemned so that the guilty may go free.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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