Once Satan knew that Jesus was the Messiah, he dogged Jesus even more. There were many instances of the Jewish leaders trying to kill Jesus before "the appointed time" ( Jn. 7:6) But, because God is sovereign over Satan and men, they could not succeed in taking Jesus' life. In fact, Jesus says that He will lay down his life by His own choice, and then take it up again ( Jn. 10:18) Although a mere man could choose to be martyred or killed in particular circumstances, this verse is not talking about such a decision. It is meaning that Jesus, as the divine Son of God has the authority and power to not allow His life to be taken from Him before the appointed time and also to rise again from the dead. This only God can do. Jesus is saying that He is God here in a subtle way. No one took His life from Him. He laid it down, gave it up on the cross. He was in complete control of when, where, and what circumstances He would release His life to death. So even in the laying down of His life in this sense, He was the VICTOR, robbing Satan of taking credit for killing Jesus.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced the severe temptation in His human nature to not go through with the plan to die within a day's time. Humans are fearful of death and have instincts to preserve their own life. Jesus' human nature overcame these things. By overriding natural human tendencies for self-preservation He won the Victory over the weakness of His human nature within Himself. He tenaciously held on to His perfectly lived life in the face of what He new would soon occur. He did not compromise this perfection in this, His weakest hour. He resolutely chose the will of His Father over His own human will (His divine will was one with the Father) and humbled Himself even further, knowing the cruel, painful way He will die and knowing that He will take upon Himself the sins of the world on the cross, receiving in His body the wrath of God for sins He never committed. See Pt. 8
Pt. 7
Once Satan knew that Jesus was the Messiah, he dogged Jesus even more. There were many instances of the Jewish leaders trying to kill Jesus before "the appointed time" ( Jn. 7:6) But, because God is sovereign over Satan and men, they could not succeed in taking Jesus' life. In fact, Jesus says that He will lay down his life by His own choice, and then take it up again ( Jn. 10:18) Although a mere man could choose to be martyred or killed in particular circumstances, this verse is not talking about such a decision. It is meaning that Jesus, as the divine Son of God has the authority and power to not allow His life to be taken from Him before the appointed time and also to rise again from the dead. This only God can do. Jesus is saying that He is God here in a subtle way. No one took His life from Him. He laid it down, gave it up on the cross. He was in complete control of when, where, and what circumstances He would release His life to death. So even in the laying down of His life in this sense, He was the VICTOR, robbing Satan of taking credit for killing Jesus.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced the severe temptation in His human nature to not go through with the plan to die within a day's time. Humans are fearful of death and have instincts to preserve their own life. Jesus' human nature overcame these things. By overriding natural human tendencies for self-preservation He won the Victory over the weakness of His human nature within Himself. He tenaciously held on to His perfectly lived life in the face of what He new would soon occur. He did not compromise this perfection in this, His weakest hour. He resolutely chose the will of His Father over His own human will (His divine will was one with the Father) and humbled Himself even further, knowing the cruel, painful way He will die and knowing that He will take upon Himself the sins of the world on the cross, receiving in His body the wrath of God for sins He never committed. See Pt. 8
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