"Let These Go Their Way."

This statement, "Let these go their way" (John 18. 8), is connected with the words of John 17. 12, "I guarded them," and its context shows that the Lord Jesus protected His disciples at a perilous moment by His words and what was involved in them.

In studying the speakings of the Lord Jesus, it is helpful to select any one of them, and search through the Gospels for further words of His related to the chosen saying, to see how it came to be fulfilled. It is exercises of this kind-noting not only what things spoken have been fulfilled, but also the particular manner of their fulfilment-that lead to a fuller understanding of the utterances of One, Who in speaking had no equal, and consequently bring about an increased knowledge of God.

Take for example the two references named. In the John 17. prayer, the Lord said of His eleven disciples, "While I was with them I kept them ... I guarded them, and not one of them perished." John 18. takes us to the garden of Gethsemane, where the Lord is with those disciples. Judas, knowing that oft-times they went there, comes with the soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, with lanterns and torches and weapons. The Lord meets them. Twice He asks, "Whom seek ye? "and twice they reply, "Jesus of Nazareth." To the first answer He responds, "I AM," and backward they go, falling to the ground; but to their second reply He says, "I told you that I AM," adding, "if therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way." This was said, John testifies, to fulfil the word "which He spake, Of those whom Thou hast given Me I lost not one" (verse 9).

When the Lord uttered, "I AM," there was unseen power in His words by reason of His Deity, so that His enemies were bound to fall as they did, just as surely as the stormy lake of Galilee became suddenly calm because the Lord told winds and waves to lie still. Equally so, in saying, " Let these go their way," were soldiers and officers compelled to obey His words, and thus were the disciples preserved when enemies were longing to kill their Master.

What a memorable scene for the disciples to think of in the time of the Acts of the Apostles! See chapter 4. and verse 20.

unknown | Jan 1933
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