John 18

John 18:1

Leaving the area of the temple, where, following the Upper Room discourse of John 13-14, He very likely prayed His High Priestly prayer of John 17, Jesus and His disciples made their way down the side of the small valley wherein flowed a small river called the Kidron. Crossing the Kidron, I wonder if Jesus wasn’t deeply moved by what He saw at His feet. When David numbered the people to ascertain the strength of the nation, the result was great punishment because their strength was to be in God alone. (2 Samuel 24). Therefore, when the Romans wanted to know how many people were in Jerusalem during Passover, they could only do it by counting the sheep offered as sacrifices. Josephus tells us that during this particular Passover, 256,000 sheep were counted. The Kidron, meaning, “Murky” River, the river flowing at the foot of the temple mount, would be flowing blood-red from the blood of a quarter-million sheep. I wonder if Jesus’ mind went back to how David, centuries before, crossed the very same brook when there was a rebellion launched against him by his own son, Absalom (2 Samuel 15)for even as David was rejected by the people of Jerusalem, so the Son of David would be rejected as well. On the side of the Mount of Olives were many private enclosed gardens, where the well-to-do people of Jerusalem would go to escape the heat of the city. Jesus had access to one such garden. Named, “Gethsemane,” or “Oil Press,” it was a site where olives grew and were crushed by a press in order to produce oil. In Gethsemane, the place of the Oil Press, Jesus would Himself be crushed as, submitting to the will of the Father, He sweat great drops of blood (Luk_22:44). In another Garden, called Eden, the first Adam rebelled against the Father’s will. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesusthe Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15)submitted to the Father’s will. In the Garden of Eden, Adam hid from God. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is transparent before God. In the Garden of Eden, man was driven out because of his sin. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prepares to die for sin. In the Garden of Eden, a sword was unsheathed (Gen_3:24). In the Garden of Gethsemane, a sword is put away (Joh_18:11). That which was lost in the Garden of Eden will be reclaimed in the Garden of Paradiseall because of the Garden of Gethsemane.

John 18:2

About to betray Jesus, Judas knew right where to find Him in time of trouble. He knew Jesus would be found in the place of prayer. Do people know where you would be in troublesome times or difficult days? Would they look for you at church, studying the Scriptures, in the place of prayeror would they look somewhere else first?

John 18:3

“A band of men” speaks of a cohort, which was one-tenth of a legion, or six thousand soldiers. Think about this. Here comes Judas with six hundred soldiersnot including the contingent of chief priests and Phariseesall to confront the Lamb of God. Passover took place under a full moon, so what would be the need for torches and lanterns? No doubt, the thinking was that Jesus would be hiding and His disciples positioned for an ambush.

John 18:4

Jesus disarms the mob by coming out to meet them, saying, “Who are you looking for?” You see, Jesus is not caught off guard, surprised by what is happening. No, He’s in complete control of the entire situation.

John 18:5

The word “he,” in italics, Jesus is actually saying, “I AM,” “Ego Eimi"a declaration of deity.

John 18:6

With torches flying, armor clanking, and swords falling, these guys go down under the sheer power of Jesus’ proclamation.

John 18:7

With His captors sprawled on the ground, Jesus could have walked away. Instead, He waited until they came to, and repeated His question. I bet this time, the mob answered a whole lot more cautiouslyand braced themselves for His answer.

John 18:8

“If you want Me, here I am. But let My disciples go,” Jesus said. Indeed, the disciples scattered at that pointall except for Peter and John.

John 18:10

Why did Peter have a sword? Because Jesus had previously said, “Times are changing. Be prepared for hostility. Buy a sword” (see Luk_22:36). Perhaps Jesus spoke figuratively, but Peter must have taken Him literally. It was Thomas who had said, to Jesus, “We’ll die with You if necessary” (see Joh_11:16)but it’s Peter, here, who was ready to do just that. While commendable, Peter’s zeal was misdirected because it was not based on knowledge. Why didn’t Peter understand what was happening? Why didn’t he see clearly that everything was transpiring according to pattern? Because instead of praying, Peter had been sleeping (Mat_26:40). Consequently, Peter wakes up groggy, sees a battle, whips out his sword, and swings it wildly. So, too, many times we as disciples hurt people unnecessarily as we whip out the Scriptures and let them fly, all the while thinking, Others may be carnal and weak, but not me, Lord. You can count on me. I’ll stand up for You. Like Peter, we cause pain and hurt whenever our zeal is not based on the knowledge that can only come from spending time in prayer. Luke tells us at this point, Jesus reached down, picked up Malchus’ ear, and placed it back on his head (Luk_22:51). Had Jesus not done so, there would have been four crosses on Calvary a few hours later because Peter would have been crucified for such an offense. The last recorded miracle of our Lord was to heal a wound inflicted by one of His right hand men who was flailing the sword indiscriminately and inappropriately.

John 18:11

“Do this in remembrance of Me,” Jesus said (see Luk_22:19). If we would take more often the cup, we would lay down more easily the sword. What’s in your hand? A sword causing pain or the cup of suffering that brings about humility and unity in the body of Christ?

John 18:12

It was not the chains, the ropes, or the soldiers that bound Jesus. It was love.

John 18:13

High Priest from A.D. 5 to A.D. 16, Annas turned his position over to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, in favor of the temple concessions that needed his full attention and were making him a wealthy man. So here is Jesus, standing before the one whose livelihood He had dared to threaten when He overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and drove the oxen out of His Father’s house (John 2).

John 18:14

Although Caiaphas didn’t realize it, he spoke profound truthfor one Man must indeed die for the salvation of mankind.

John 18:15

Matthew tells us Peter followed from afar (Mat_26:58). I like Peter because, although all but John had scattered, he continued to follow Jesus. But at the same time, I learn from Peter that if I follow Jesus from a distance, I’m going to get in trouble. The disciple spoken of here is John. There is a spot in Jerusalem traditionally and historically identified as Zebedee’s fish stand. With boats and servants, Zebedee was a successful entrepreneur. According to history and tradition, it would seem as though this is how John knew the high priest, for, you see, Zebedee and his boys would sell the fish they caught in the Sea of Galilee to the wealthy folks in Jerusalemsalted fish from the north was considered a delicacy in the days before refrigeration. With the revenue from their thriving temple concessions, the priestly family could afford to eat at Zebedee’s fish shop, where, according to tradition, John worked as a young boy or teenager.

John 18:16

Uh-oh, Peter, not only are you following Jesus from afar, but now you’re warming yourself at the fires of His enemies. When you feel cold, where do you go to get warm? If you go to the fires of the world when you’re confused, hurting, or lonely, you’re sure to get burned. Ask Peter.

John 18:19

The high priest is completely out of line here in asking Jesus of His doctrine. You see, Jewish law had a stipulation, much like our Fifth Amendment, in which it was considered illegal to ask the accused anything that might implicate him. Thus, at the very outset, the illegality of the trial of Jesus is evident.

John 18:20

“Ask some witnesses,” said Jesus. And in so saying, He was reminding the high priest of the illegality of the proceedings.

John 18:22

Understanding Jesus’ implication that the high priest was in violation of the law, the officer struck Jesus.

John 18:23

It was during His religious trial that the intense suffering of Jesus began. You see, it was in the courtyard of the high priest where, with a bag over His head, Jesus was punched in the face by the religious guards and challenged to prophesy who it was that hit Him. Think about this. When someone is about to strike you, you usually see it coming out of the corner of your eye. And even though you might take the blow, you’re able to instinctively move in its direction. But when you’re blindsided, the result is excruciating pain. No wonder He became marred beyond recognitionmore than any other man (Isa_52:14).

John 18:25

The crowing of the rooster would have been a very penetrating sound, for, due to the mess they made, roosters were outlawed in the city of Jerusalem during the holy festivals. Thus, it was appropriate that Jesus would say, “You’ll hear the cock crow, Peter, because you’re going to mess up.” But I suggest to you there’s a bright side as wellfor the crow of a rooster also signifies the dawn of a new day. Thus, it’s as if Jesus said, “Yes, Peter, you’ve blown it. Yes, you’ve cursed and sworn and denied Me not once but thrice. But a new day is dawning. I’m not through with younot by a long shot.” Following His Resurrection, Jesus sought out Peter individually and specifically.

He dealt with Peter in chapter 21 and commissioned him back into ministry. On the Day of Pentecost, it was Peter who stood up and preached the Word and three thousand were saved. Peter became the most prominent apostle in Jerusalem. I tell you this because wherever Peter went, there were those who followed him around, crowing like roosters as a reminder of his failure. But they didn’t stop Peter. He kept preaching. “Brethren,” Paul would later write, “if any of you be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual restore such a one” (Gal_6:1). Notice Paul didn’t say, “remind,” “rebuke,” or “reveal.” He said, “restore.” We ought to always be looking for opportunities to see men and women continue on, to be restored, to not be held back because of a failure. Aren’t you glad our God is the God of the second chanceand the tenth chance, and the eight hundred eightieth chance? I am.

John 18:28

Here they are, about to kill the Son of God, yet worrying about defiling themselves by stepping on Gentile territory. Jesus said it’s crazy how people will strain at gnats but swallow camels (Mat_23:24). And yet we do the same thing in religious circles. We are so careful about certain issues, but we risk missing the big picture altogether.

John 18:29

When Herod the Great died, his three sons became Tetrarchs, ruling over Israel. So lousy a ruler was Herod Archelaus, however, that the Jews appealed to Rome to send someone else to reign in his place. Rome answered with Pontius Pilatea former slave who, through marriage and political maneuvering, became a Procurator, or overseer. The first time he came to Jerusalem, Pilate made a big mistake by bringing with him soldiers carrying busts of the emperor. As they approached the temple area with what the Jews considered to be idols, a riot broke out, and blood was shed. Rome sent a warning to Pilate, saying, “Get it together.

We don’t want this kind of ruckus.” Thinking he could appease the people by building them an aqueduct, Pilate diverted funds from the temple treasury to finance the project. The Jews were infuriated. Rome heard about it and issued yet another warning: “You have two strikes against you, Pontius. One more and you’re out.” So Pilate, already on the political hot seat, goes out to survey the situation.

John 18:30

Hoping to ward off yet another outburst, Pilate puts the ball back in the court of the religious leaders. In the year A.D. 30two years prior to these eventsthe Romans took away the Jewish right of capital punishment. In response, the rabbis ripped their clothes, donned sackcloth, threw dirt on their heads, and said, “God has failed us. God has failed us,” as they marched through the streets of Jerusalem. Why did they cry, “God has failed us”? Because in the Book of Genesis, the promise was given that the scepter would not depart from Judah until Messiah came (Gen_49:10). But the basic foundation of government was the ability to deal with lawbreakers, so the scepter had, indeed, departedwith Messiah seemingly nowhere in sight. Oh, but Messiah was thereright in their midst. They just didn’t recognize Him.

John 18:32

“Do you really want to know?” asked Jesus. As we have all discovered, a lot of times people ask questions without really wanting to know the answer. They just want to argue. You would be wise to learn whether people are asking for answers or asking to argue. If they’re asking to argue, don’t cast your pearls before swine. That way, you’ll avoid endless hours of argumentation that will get you nowhere.

John 18:35

In other words, Jesus said, “You’re right, Pilate. No matter where they live, no matter when they live, every person who wants to know the truth will hear God’s voice. “God’s not fair in choosing some and not choosing others,” some protest. Not true. Jesus said every one who wants to know the truth will hear His voice.

John 18:38

Notice that Pilate asks, “What is truth?“but doesn’t even stick around to hear the answer. How many of our prayers are like that? Finding Jesus faultless, Pilate yet hopes to appease the crowd…

John 18:39

“Barabbas” means “son of the father.” History tells us that his first name was Jesus. “Who do you want released,” asked Pilate, “Jesus Bar-AbbasJesus, son of the fatheror Jesus the Christ?” Barabbas will be set free because Jesus would go to the Cross in his place. And Jesus went to the Cross in my place as well. We’re all a bunch of sinners, gang. But the good news is that Jesus Christ truly went through all of this in our place. Therefore, there is no condemnation, no record kept of our sins or failures (Rom_8:1). This leaves us free to bask in God’s grace and express our appreciation to the One who was bound with cords of love.