John 18

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

1When Jesus had spoken these words, #Matt. 26:30, 36; Mark 14:26, 32; Luke 22:39 he went out with his disciples across #See 2 Sam. 15:23the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew #Luke 22:40 the place, for #[Luke 21:37; 22:39]Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3#For ver. 3-11, see Matt. 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-50; Luke 22:47-53So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4Then Jesus, #ch. 13:1 knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, #ver. 7; ch. 1:38; 20:15“Whom do you seek?” 5They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.”#18:5 Greek I am; also verses 6, 8 Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6#[ch. 10:18; Matt. 26:53; Rev. 1:17]When Jesus#18:6 Greek he said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7So he asked them again, #[See ver. 4 above]“Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9#ch. 17:12This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10Then Simon Peter, #[Luke 22:38]having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant#18:10 Or bondservant; twice in this verse and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; #Matt. 20:22; 26:39, 42; [Isa. 51:22]shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Jesus Faces Annas and Caiaphas

12So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews#18:12 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verses 14, 31, 36, 38 arrested Jesus and bound him. 13First they #[Matt. 26:57] led him to #ver. 24; Luke 3:2; Acts 4:6 Annas, for he was the father-in-law of #ver. 24, 28; See Matt. 26:3Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews #ch. 11:50that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

Peter Denies Jesus

15 # Matt. 26:58; Mark 14:54; Luke 22:54 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16#For ver. 16-18, see Matt. 26:69, 70; Mark 14:66-68; Luke 22:55-57but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17#Acts 12:13The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18Now the servants#18:18 Or bondservants; also verse 26 and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. #ver. 25; Mark 14:54Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

19 # For ver. 19-24, [ Matt. 26:59-68; Mark 14:55-65; Luke 22:63-71 ] The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20Jesus answered him, “I have spoken #ch. 7:26; [Matt. 26:55] openly #[ch. 8:26] to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. #Isa. 45:19; 48:16; [ch. 7:4]I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, #[Acts 23:4]“Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” 24#ver. 13Annas then sent him bound to #ver. 13Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter Denies Jesus Again

25 # For ver. 25-27, see Matt. 26:71-75; Mark 14:69-72; Luke 22:58-62 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of #ver. 10 the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you #ver. 1in the garden with him?” 27Peter again denied it, and #ch. 13:38at once a rooster crowed.

Jesus Before Pilate

28 # Matt. 27:2; Mark 15:1; Luke 23:1 Then they led Jesus #ver. 24 from the house of Caiaphas to #ver. 33; ch. 19:9; See Matt. 27:27 the governor’s headquarters.#18:28 Greek the praetorium It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, #Acts 10:28; 11:3; [ch. 11:55] so that they would not be defiled, #[ch. 19:14]but could eat the Passover. 29#For ver. 29-38, see Matt. 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:2, 3So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31Pilate said to them, #[ch. 19:6]“Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” 32#[ch. 13:18] This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken #ch. 12:32, 33; Matt. 20:19; 26:2; Mark 10:33; Luke 18:32to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

My Kingdom Is Not of This World

33 # ch. 19:9 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, #[ch. 19:12]“Are you the King of the Jews?” 34Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36Jesus answered, #[ch. 6:15; Dan. 2:44; 7:14, 27; Luke 17:21] “My kingdom #ch. 8:23; [ch. 15:19; 17:14, 16; 1 John 2:16; 4:5] is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, #[Matt. 26:53] my servants would have been fighting, that #ch. 19:16I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, #See Luke 22:70 “You say that I am a king. #[ch. 12:27; Rom. 14:9] For this purpose I was born and for this purpose #ch. 16:28 I have come into the world—#ch. 3:11, 32; 5:31; 8:13, 14, 18 to bear witness to the truth. #1 John 4:6; [ch. 8:47] Everyone who is #1 John 2:21; 3:19 of the truth #ch. 10:16, 27listens to my voice.” 38Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, #ch. 19:4 he went back outside to the Jews and told them, #ch. 19:4, 6; See Luke 23:4“I find no guilt in him. 39#For ver. 39, 40, see Matt. 27:15-18, 20-23; Mark 15:6-14; Luke 23:18-23But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40They cried out again, #Acts 3:14“Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.#18:40 Or an insurrectionist

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John 18: ESV

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John 18

Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested

1After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. 2Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. 3The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.

4Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked.

5“Jesus the Nazarene,”#18:5a Or Jesus of Nazareth; also in 18:7. they replied.

“I Am he,” # 18:5b Or “The ‘I Am’ is here”; or “I am the Lord”; Greek reads I am; also in 18:6, 8. See Exod 3:14. Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) 6As Jesus said “I Am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! 7Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?”

And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

8 “I told you that I Am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” 9He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.”#18:9 See John 6:39 and 17:12.

10Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 11But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”

Jesus at the High Priest’s House

12So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. 13First they took him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time.#18:13 Greek that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “It’s better that one man should die for the people.”

Peter’s First Denial

15Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. 16Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. 17The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?”

“No,” he said, “I am not.”

18Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

19Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. 20Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people#18:20 Greek Jewish people; also in 18:38. gather. I have not spoken in secret. 21Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”

22Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded.

23Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”

24Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Peter’s Second and Third Denials

25Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?”

He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.”

26But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” 27Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

28Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor.#18:28 Greek to the Praetorium; also in 18:33. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. 29So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”

30“We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.

31“Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them.

“Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied. 32(This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.#18:32 See John 12:32-33.)

33Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him.

34Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”

35“Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?”

36Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”

37Pilate said, “So you are a king?”

Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

38“What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. 39But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”

40But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)

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