Jesus’ Words in Red "Who is it you want?"

Jesus’ Words in Red

"Who is it you want?" 

When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus

Jesus asked the question

"Who is it you want?" 

Do you want Jesus to surrender to you?

Or, do you want to surrender to Him?

Surrendering to Jesus will mean

“…anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it,

and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Matthew10:38-39 NIV

You will struggle for what you want in life

But your struggle without following Jesus will be meaningless

"Who is it you want?" 

Jesus was in an olive grove that

He and His disciples went to often.

Judas guided a detachment of soldiers and

some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees.

“They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.”

Jesus with full knowledge of

what was happening ask them…

"Who is it you want?" 

They said they wanted “Jesus of Nazareth”.

And Jesus answered…

"I am He"

Twice Jesus asked…

"Who is it you want?"

 

This question is the hardest question

and the most important question there is.

What is it the soldiers really wanted?

What is it the religious

officials really wanted?

They wanted more than a man.

So what did they want?

Everyone who comes to

Jesus is asked this question.

You may not hear the words…

 "Who is it you want?" 

But the question is still asked…

Most of us answer the question very ubiquitous.

 

Everybody wants what feels good.

Everyone wants to live a carefree, happy and easy life,

to fall in love and have amazing relationships,

to look perfect and make money and be popular

and well-respected and admired and a total baller

to the point that people part like the Red Sea

when you walk into the room.

Everyone would like that—

it’s easy to like that.

We answer the question…

“I want to be happy and have

a great family and a job I like.”

It’s so ubiquitous that it

doesn’t even mean anything.

We all want the same thing

in life, we want to be happy.

Happiness requires struggle.

In the olive garden Judas, the soldiers

and officials wanted to lead Jesus.

They bound Him.

 

For many, they see Jesus as a

hindrance to what they want.

Jesus brings conviction to sin.

Conviction does not make us happy.

So we change the question from…

 "Who is it you want?" 

to

“What do we want?”

Like a child who can’t wait till they

are old enough to be on their own.

We don’t want a “Who”

we want a “What”.

You and I may not want

to remove Jesus from our lives.

But we may be removing Him

by how we answer the question.

"Who is it you want?"

Oswald Chambers wrote the classic,

“My Upmost for His Highest”.

He says…

 Are you seeking great things for yourself, instead of seeking to be a great person? God wants you to be in a much closer relationship with Himself than simply receiving His gifts— He wants you to get to know Him. Even some large thing we want is only incidental; it comes and it goes. But God never gives us anything incidental. There is nothing easier than getting into the right relationship with God, unless it is not God you seek, but only what He can give you.

If you have only come as far as asking God for things, you have never come to the point of understanding the least bit of what surrender really means. You have become a Christian based on your own terms. You protest, saying, “I asked God for the Holy Spirit, but He didn’t give me the rest and the peace I expected.” And instantly God puts His finger on the reason– you are not seeking the Lord at all; you are seeking something for yourself. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you…” (Matthew 7:7). Ask God for what you want and do not be concerned about asking for the wrong thing, because as you draw ever closer to Him, you will cease asking for things altogether. “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). Then why should you ask? So that you may get to know Him.

The question is…

"Who is it you want?" 

Do you want Jesus to surrender to you?

Or, do you want to surrender to Him?

Scripture Reading

John 18:1-9 NIV

18:1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.

2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them,  

"Who is it you want?" 

5 "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.

"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said,  

"I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.

7 Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?"

And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."

8 "I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go."  9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."