John 18

John 18:1

John tells the Good News about Jesus An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Gospel of John www.easyenglish.info Marion Adams This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 18 Judas *betrays Jesus 18:1-11 v1 After Jesus had said this prayer, he left with his *disciples. They crossed the valley called Kidron Valley. They entered a garden. v2 Jesus had gone there many times with his *disciples. So Judas knew about this garden. Judas had agreed to *betray Jesus. v3 So Judas went to the garden. He took with him a group of *Roman soldiers and some guards from the *Temple. The chief priests and the *Pharisees sent them. They carried torches, lamps and weapons (objects, like swords and knives, that people use to hurt other people).

v4 Jesus knew about everything that would happen to him soon. But he stepped forward. He asked, ‘Whom are you looking for?’

v5 ‘We are looking for Jesus from Nazareth’, they answered.

‘I am (Jesus)’, said Jesus.

Judas, who *betrayed Jesus, was standing there with them. v6 When Jesus said these words, they all moved back. They fell onto the ground.

v7 Jesus asked again, ‘Whom are you looking for?’

‘We are looking for Jesus from Nazareth’, they said again.

v8 ‘I am Jesus. I have told this to you already’, said Jesus. ‘I am the man whom you are looking for. So let these other men go.’

v9 (Jesus had said before, ‘*Father! I have not lost even one of those that you gave to me.’)

v10 Simon Peter had a sword. He took it out. And he cut off the right ear of Malchus, the *High Priest’s servant.

v11 Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put away your sword! I must drink from the cup that the *Father has given to me.’ [See note.]

Verses 1-2 Then Jesus took his *disciples to a garden where there were *olive trees. They often went to this garden when they were in *Jerusalem. They probably went there when Jesus wanted to speak to them in private.

Verse 3 The *Romans ruled the *Jews. But they allowed the *Jews to arrest people because of minor crimes. So Judas brought guards from the *Temple to arrest Jesus. Probably, the *Roman soldiers came with the guards to help them if they had trouble.

Verse 4 Jesus knew that the guards had come to arrest him. He did not try to escape. He knew that soon he would die. But still he stepped forward to meet the guards. This showed that it was his choice to die. It seemed that he had no control over the situation. But, in fact, he was controlling events. These events were in God’s plan to *save people from their *sins.

Verses 5-7 Jesus said, ‘I am (Jesus).’ Actually, the word ‘Jesus’ is not there in the *Greek language. Jesus said ‘I am.’ These words had a strange effect on the guards and soldiers. They moved back and then they fell on the ground! Perhaps God’s power made this happen because Jesus was using God’s special name again. God’s special name was ‘I am’. He was saying in public that he really was God (see note on John 6:35).

Verses 8-9 Jesus told the guards to let his *disciples go free. Jesus died so that we can be free from the results of our *sins. His words remind us about this. He took the punishment for our *sins on our behalf. The *Gospel reminds us about the words of *prophecy that he had spoken earlier (John 6:39 and 17:12).

Verse 10 Simon Peter tried to protect Jesus. He attacked the *High Priest’s servant with a sword. But Jesus did not want this. Peter was trying to stop God’s plan, although he did not realise this. Also, Peter had hurt somebody on purpose. Peter’s behaviour was wrong. So Jesus told him to put away his sword. (Luke’s *Gospel tells us that then Jesus cured the servant’s ear, Luke 22:51.)

‘I must drink from the cup that the *Father has given to me’ (verse 11). The ‘cup’ was a *symbol. It referred to all the pain that Jesus had to suffer. He had to suffer so that he could *save us. The soldiers take Jesus to Annas 18:12-14 v12 Then the *Roman soldiers, their leader, and the guards from the *Temple arrested Jesus. They bound him. v13 Firstly, they took him to Annas. Annas was the father of Caiaphas’ wife. Caiaphas was the *High Priest during that year. v14 Caiaphas had advised the *Jewish leaders what to do about Jesus. Caiaphas had told them that it was better for one man to die on behalf of all the people.

Verses 12-14 Immediately, the soldiers and the guards took Jesus to the *High Priest’s home. The *Jewish leaders were in a hurry. They wanted to *execute Jesus quickly, before the *Sabbath. But firstly, the *High Priest had to say that Jesus was guilty.

Annas had been the *High Priest before Caiaphas. So many *Jews considered that he had the same authority still as a *High Priest. Simon Peter says that he does not know Jesus 18:15-18 v15 Simon Peter and another *disciple followed Jesus. The *High Priest knew the other *disciple. Because of this, the other *disciple was able to enter the yard outside the *High Priest’s home. So this *disciple went in as Jesus entered. v16 But Peter had to wait outside the yard, by the gate. So the other *disciple, whom the *High Priest knew, came out again. He spoke to the woman who was on duty. She was guarding the gate. She let Peter enter the yard. v17 But she asked him, ‘Are you one of Jesus’ *disciples?’

Peter answered, ‘No, I am not.’

v18 It was cold. The servants and the guards had made a fire. They were standing near to it in order to keep themselves warm. Peter stood with them in order to warm himself.

Verses 15-17 Some experts think that the other *disciple was John, the author of this *Gospel. Other experts think that it was a different person. Perhaps he was a *follower from *Jerusalem rather than from *Galilee. However, this *disciple knew the *High Priest. And so he was able to enter the yard of the *High Priest’s home.

The woman who was guarding the gate probably knew this *disciple, too. So she allowed Peter to enter with him.

Verse 18 But she recognised Peter as one of Jesus’ *disciples. Peter denied this. The leaders had arrested Jesus already. They would want to arrest his *followers, too. Peter was afraid of what would happen to him. So he lied to the woman. He wanted to stay near to Jesus. Peter wanted to know what would happen to Jesus. But Peter was not brave enough to say that he knew Jesus. Annas speaks to Jesus 18:19-24 v19 Meanwhile, the *High Priest was asking Jesus questions about his *disciples. Also, the *High Priest asked Jesus about the things that he (Jesus) taught. v20 Jesus answered, ‘I have spoken in public always, to everybody. And always I have taught in the *synagogues or at the *Temple, where all the *Jews meet. I have not said anything in secret. v21 So do not ask me these questions. Ask those people who heard me speak. They know what I said.’

v22 When Jesus said this, one of the guards slapped Jesus’ face. The guard said, ‘You should not speak to the *High Priest in this manner!’

v23 Jesus answered, ‘I have said nothing wrong. But you think that I have said something wrong. Then you must prove it! You must not hit me if I have told you the truth!’

v24 Then Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas, the *High Priest. But the guards did not untie Jesus.

Verses 19-24 Before his *trial in front of the *Jewish leaders (Mark 14:53-65), Annas asked Jesus questions. Many *Jews considered that Annas was still the *High Priest. This was because the *High Priest’s job should have lasted for his whole life (see note on John 18:12-13).

Jesus was not afraid of Annas. Jesus told the truth to Annas. But, outside in the yard, Peter was not telling the truth. He was afraid, so he lied. Jesus was polite when he spoke to the *High Priest. But one of the guards became angry and he hit Jesus. However, Jesus remained calm. He told them to prove it if he had said something wrong. Of course, they could not prove it, because Jesus was telling the truth. So they sent him to Caiaphas, the official *High Priest. Peter says again that he does not know Jesus 18:25-27 v25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still warming himself by the fire. Somebody asked him, ‘Are you one of that man’s *disciples?’

Peter denied it. He said, ‘No, I am not.’

v26 One of the *High Priest’s servants was there. He was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. This servant asked, ‘Did I see you with Jesus in the garden?’

v27 Again, Peter denied this. Immediately, a *cockerel *crowed.

Verses 25-27 Peter had tried to defend Jesus when the guards came to arrest him. Most of Jesus’ *disciples had run away. But Simon Peter, with the other *disciple, had followed Jesus to the *High Priest’s home. Peter could have run away at any time. But instead, he waited outside to see what would happen to Jesus.

However, he was very afraid. So, twice more, he said that he did not know Jesus. Jesus had said already that Peter would do this (John 13:38).

Sometimes, we may want to say that we do not know Jesus. This is because we are afraid. People may laugh at us or they may become angry with us. In some countries, it is not legal to be a *Christian. In such places, *Christians may go to prison because they *believe in Jesus.

It is a *sin for a *Christian to say that they do not *believe in Jesus. But there is no *sin that is too bad for God to forgive. We must remember that Jesus forgave Peter (John 21:15-17). Jesus’ *trial in front of Pontius Pilate 18:28-37 v28 The guards led Jesus away from Caiaphas. They took him to the *Roman ruler’s palace. It was early in the morning. So the *Jewish leaders and officials did not go inside the palace, because then they would become *unclean. And they wanted to eat the special meal for the *Passover.

v29 So Pilate came outside to speak to them. He said, ‘Explain why you are accusing this man. What crimes has he done?’

v30 They answered, ‘He is a criminal! That is why we have brought him to you.’

v31 Pilate said, ‘Then you must take him back with you. Use your own law to *judge him!’

But the *Jewish leaders said, ‘We do not have the authority to *execute anybody.’ v32 (So what Jesus had said about his death would happen soon.)

v33 Then Pilate went back inside. He ordered his soldiers to bring Jesus. Then Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the *Jews?’

v34 Jesus answered, ‘Was it your idea to ask me this question? Or did other people tell you about me?’

v35 Pilate answered, ‘I am not a *Jew! Your own people and the chief priests brought you to me. What have you done?’

v36 Jesus answered, ‘My *kingdom is not from this world. If it was from this world, my servants would have fought to defend me. They would have prevented my arrest. No! My *kingdom is not from this world.’

v37 Pilate said, ‘So you are a king!’

Jesus answered, ‘You call me a king. And you are right. I was born into this world for this purpose: to speak about the truth. Everybody who loves the truth listens to me.’

Verses 28-31 Pontius Pilate ruled *Judea *province on behalf of the *Roman government. He had the authority to *execute criminals. The *Jewish leaders did not have this authority. So they took Jesus to Pilate’s palace, because they wanted Jesus to receive this punishment.

But the *Jewish *Law did not allow them to enter a *Gentile’s house. If they did, then they would become *unclean. And they would not be able to *worship in the *Temple or to eat the special meal at the *Passover. The *Jewish leaders were trying to arrange Jesus’ murder. But they were worried about the minor rules of their religion! This showed that they did not really know God.

Verse 32 The *Romans killed criminals (except criminals who were *Roman citizens) by means of a punishment called the ‘*cross’. First, the *Roman soldiers would force the criminal to lie on a wooden *cross. Then the soldiers hammered nails into the criminal’s hands and feet. Then the soldiers lifted up the *cross and they fixed it in the ground. The criminal hung there until he died. It was extremely painful.

Jesus had said that people would lift him above the earth (John 12:32-33). This was a *prophecy about the manner in which he would die.

Verses 33-35 Immediately, Pilate asked Jesus if he (Jesus) was the king of the *Jews. Jesus wanted to know why Pilate had asked this question. Perhaps somebody had told Pilate that Jesus said this. Or perhaps it was Pilate’s own idea to ask this question.

The word ‘king’ had different meanings for different people. The *Romans allowed only people that they chose themselves to be kings. For example, they had chosen Herod to be a king. But for the *Jewish leaders, the word ‘king’ could have meant a leader of their religion: the *Messiah. Jesus did not deny that he was a king.

Verses 36-37 But Jesus was not the sort of king that Pilate was referring to. Jesus’ *kingdom was not a physical region or country. He was king over everybody who *believed in him. And he is still. He is our king when we allow him to rule every part of our lives. Everybody who obeys him belongs to his *kingdom. We live in the world still, so his *kingdom is also in the world, too. It is in the world, but it does not belong to the world. (See note on John 17:6-12.) Jesus came into the world to show to people and to tell to people the truth about God. When we believe this, we belong to his *kingdom. And so we do not belong to the world. The *Jewish leaders ask Pilate to let Barabbas go free 18:38-40 v38 Pilate said to Jesus, ‘I do not know what truth is.’

Then Pilate went back outside to the *Jewish leaders. He said, ‘I cannot find any reason to *condemn this man. v39 But you *Jews have a custom. The custom is that you ask me to let one prisoner go free during the *Passover. Do you want me to let the king of the *Jews go free?’

v40 They shouted, ‘No! Not him! Free Barabbas!’ Barabbas was a criminal.

Verses 38-40 The word ‘truth’ means more than just what is morally right or wrong. ‘Truth’ means everything that is true about the nature of God and of men and women. The ‘truth’ is about why we exist. It is about God’s plan and purpose on our behalf. Jesus did not just speak about this truth. He showed this truth to us by means of his life, death and *resurrection.

But Pilate did not understand what Jesus meant by the word ‘truth’. Perhaps he did not really want to understand. We think this because he did not wait for Jesus to explain about truth. Instead, Pilate went back outside.

Pilate could not find any reason to *execute Jesus. Probably, Pilate thought that Jesus would not cause trouble for the *Roman government. So Pilate wanted to let Jesus go free. And Pilate wanted the *Jewish leaders to request this. Then, he could agree, because of their custom.

But the *Jewish leaders refused. Instead, they wanted Barabbas to go free. The other three *Gospels also mention Barabbas. From their descriptions, we know that Barabbas had led some *Jews in *Jerusalem to fight against the *Romans. He was also guilty of murder. Because the *Jews hated the *Romans, Barabbas was probably popular with them. So Jesus died instead of Barabbas. Barabbas deserved his punishment. But he became free because Jesus took his punishment.

We are like Barabbas, because we all deserve God’s punishment because of our *sins. But Jesus has taken the punishment that we deserve. His death has freed us from the results of our *sins.

© 2006, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

November 2006

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var w0 = new Array;w0[0]=’<b%3Ebetray</b%3E ~ to give information about a friend to their enemy.’;w0[1]=’<b%3Edisciple</b%3E ~ a person who wants to do the same things as another person and to learn from them. Jesus had disciples. John the Baptist had disciples, too.