Crossing the Kidron

After Jesus gave the great intercessory prayer, John recorded, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples” (John 18:1).  This is the only gospel to mention that Christ crossed over a stream into the garden of Gethsemane.  Cedron is the same as Kidron, and the Kidron Valley ran between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives to the east.  The word Kidron comes from the Hebrew word Qidron and “is derived from the root qadar, ‘to be dark.’”  Surely that meaning is symbolic and John may have meant for his readers to see that: As the night had set, Jesus was headed into the dark experiences that He would have in Gethsemane.  Jesus was soon to be enveloped in darkness, both literally and figuratively, after crossing the Kidron Valley.  John highlighted the darkness in mentioning that those who came for Jesus came “with lanterns and torches” (John 18:3).  Ironically they brought lights with them to find He who was the Light of the World, and yet they still could not see Him for who He really was.

             The inability to see of those who came for Jesus that night was further highlighted in the rest of John’s account.  In one of the most powerful scenes of all scripture, the band of men came before Jesus and requested “Jesus of Nazareth.” He replied, “I am,” and when He said this, “they went backward, and fell to the ground.”  His response of course was really a declaration of His divinity, for as He had said to Moses, “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:14).  So when Jesus told them it was He, He was really telling them that He was Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament.  “I Am” was His name  After they fell to the ground, He said again, “Whom seek ye?” and He declared again “I have told you that I am,” repeating again the powerful declaration that He was the Christ.  And yet, despite the fact that they clearly felt something as they fell back to the ground, they still could not (or would not) see the Savior for who He was, the God of Israel.  They brought lights with them, but it did them no good in seeing the Savior for their God and Redeemer.  This scene also highlighted the fact that Jesus gave His life voluntarily—even this one incident shows that He had more power than the whole group combined.  He had the power to stop what they were doing, to not let them take Him to be scourged, and yet He willingly went.  The Light of the World was taken by dark deeds of Judas and the other chief priests, and He willingly offered His life to bring light to all mankind.  And one day He shall again cross the Kidron Valley at the second coming and come back to reign as king, and that time it will not be done in darkness but in the light for all to see.