The Gospel According to John Chapter 18

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The Gospel According to John Chapter 18

The Bible Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/JHN.18.NIV

The Arrested Lord

Jesus Arrested

1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden (1,Gethsemane), and he and his disciples went into it. (Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane with the disciples.)

2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. (They'd been going there time to time. So Judas knew where they might be during the night.)

3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. (Judas brought there some armed soldiers to arrest Jesus.)

4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,”Jesus said. (Jesus actively identified Himself to the soldiers. He didn't resist or avoid the arrest.) (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)

6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (He had power to defeat the soldiers and avoid the arrest.)

7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” (Jesus identified again and surrendered Himself to them. Otherwise, nobody can do anything to harm Him. 10:18)

9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” (He also secured the safety of the disciples as it is foretold in 6:39.)

10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) (Peter resisted the soldiers cutting a ear of one of them for Jesus.)

11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (But the situation can not be taken care of with a sword. It's been designed by God to be like this, the suffering and death of the Messiah, from the very beginning for the salvation of human race. Gen. 3:15)

12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas (a high priest, AD 6-15), who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. (Because of the Jesus' permission, the soldiers arrested Jesus, and took Him to Annas, who was the father of Caiaphas, the hight priest of the year.)

14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people. (They were the group which had been trying to kill Jesus. 11:49)

Peter’s First Denial

15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in. (Peter sneaked in to the place to see what's going on with Jesus. He was a consistent man for Jesus.)

17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” (A woman asked Peter if he is a disciple of Jesus but Peter denied.)

18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself. (Peter mingled with the soldiers who were warming around a fire.)

The High Priest Questions Jesus

19 Meanwhile, the high priest (Annas) questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. (The high priest, who was one of the most influential among the people, questioned Jesus about His disciples and teaching.)

20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.

21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.” (But Jesus insisted that His people and teaching had been open to public, so no repetition is necessary.)

22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded. (Some one slapped Jesus, who is the Son of God, but because He came as the Son of Man, for His boldness against the highest authority.)

23 “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” (Jesus who speaks truth didn't honor any worldly authority or reputation.)

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

Peter’s Second and Third Denials(2)

25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.”

26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. (Peter denied Jesus and his relationship with Jesus two more times as Jesus foretold of it.)

Jesus Before Pilate

28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. (The Jewish leaders surrendered Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, expecting the death penalty which was not permitted to the Jewish court.) By now it was early morning (of the Good Friday), and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. (It was near to the Passover. So the Jews didn't go to the Roman palace since the Gentile palace was considered not to be clean.)

29 So Pilate came out (from the palace) to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” (Pilate began the trial asking the cause.)

30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” (The Jewish crowd insisted the guilty of Jesus by mass without specific accusation.)

31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” (Pilate denied the trial due to the trial is a ethnic complaint.) “But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. (But the crowd led by the leaders insisted Roman trial for the death penalty of Jesus.)

32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. (The execution on the cross was the way to carry the death penalty in Roman Empire.)

33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (Pilate brought Jesus inside the palace and asked if He was the king of the Jews. The Israelites were under the rule of the Roman Empire at the time. Ac. 16:20-21)

34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” (Jesus asked Pilate if the question is from him or from a rumor that he had heard.)

35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” (Pilate was wondering why the people accuse Jesus.)

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (Jesus admitted that He is the true king but not of this world but the other world, which is the Kingdom of God. God's to God, emperor's to emperor. Mt. 22:21)

38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. (Pilate had asked a critical question about the truth to Jesus but didn't hear the answer.) With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. (And he claimed the "not guilty" of Jesus to the crowd.)

39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” (And asked the crowd whom he might pardon in the Jewish holyday. He tried to avoid the tricky situation handing over the judgement to the crowd.)

40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising. (Jesus was the reason of the question but the fooled crowd, who might once followed Jesus and ate from the five loaves of bread and two fish, asked to release not Jesus but Barabbas who got caught due to his participation in a revolt against the Roman rule. Pilate must not hand over his duty to the fooled crowd. Ex. 23:2)

(1,Garden of Gethsemane) (Google AI)

The Garden of Gethsemane, located at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (0.5-1 mile east from Jerusalem), is the sacred site where Jesus Christ prayed in agony and was arrested the night before his crucifixion. Meaning "olive press," it represents the place of Jesus's profound spiritual, mental, and physical suffering, marking his submission to God's will.

(2,Peter's Denials)

Peter, who was consistently passionate and loyal to Jesus, denied Jesus three times. Peter didn't mean to deny Jesus. But it happened to Peter. He might be embarrassed, overwhelmed, and frustrated, maybe because of his uselessness for the situation, not knowing what and how to do to change the situation.

Meanwhile, Jesus, knew Peter's loyalty, but also his weakness. But more importantly, Jesus knew the salvific suffering and death on the cross should be the duty that exclusively belongs to Jesus only. No one else can be in the place of Jesus. Nobody else can be a messiah. Nobody else is a messiah. (Pay attention to the anti-christs, or idols, who will pretend to be the one.)

All are fallible, and all fallen, and all failed, but Jesus.

Jesus never relied on anyone from the beginning. (2:24-25)

We can't pity or condemn Peter because we all are the same.

And we will see soon how Jesus reinstates Peter, and us, so that Peter will be renewed up to the point that dying on the cross upside down, according to the early church tradition.