The problem with reading straight through the gospels is that Jesus gets crucified four times in a row, and it breaks my heart every time. I've made it through Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and I'm getting tense as I near the end of John, because I know it's coming.
Thoughts from John 18: When the mob came to arrest Jesus, they said hey, we're looking for Jesus, and Jesus said, "I am he." At those three tiny words, the whole murderous crowd was blasted to the ground, and yet they popped back up and continued their mission as if nothing unusual had just happened. I had to stop and ponder that for awhile.
Then Peter cut off Malchus' ear and Jesus miraculously made him a brand new ear, and still the soldiers arrested Him. I wonder...was Malchus among them? In my imagination, he felt his new ear and was so amazed and thankful that he dropped his weapons and ran off to do something different with his life.
Then Jesus was being questioned by Pilate, who asked Him this humdinger: "What is truth?" and Jesus didn't reply. I wonder why. It seemed like a great teaching opportunity, but He remained silent. Maybe because He knew that Pilate wouldn't listen? Maybe He was too tired to get into it after a whole day of dealing with the disciples and the events of the night?
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