John 18

CHAPTER 18THEME: Arrest and trial of Jesusthe arrest in Gethsemane; trial before Annas; first denial by Simon Peter; trial before high priest; second denial by Simon Peter; trial before PilateWe have now concluded the Upper Room Discourse which began in John 13 and was climaxed with this wonderful prayer of the Lord Jesus in John 17. Augustine made this statement about the discourse: “It is easiest in regards to words but most profound in regards to ideas.” That certainly is a true statement. We come now to the fifth division of this Gospel of John: the witness of Jesus to the world. It includes chapters 18 to 20. We will see in this chapter that He is arrested and taken before the high priest. The presentation here is different from that in the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). The emphasis in those three Gospels is upon the humanity of Christ, His human nature, and upon the sufferings of the Savior. In the first three Gospel records, as He approaches Jerusalem, He says He is going there to die. He mentions His death, His treatment, His abuse in the hand of the Gentiles, and then His bodily resurrection. In the Gospel of John, the emphasis is upon the deity of the Lord Jesus. He is the God-man in this Gospel, and the emphasis here is upon His glory. In His arrest, His death, His resurrection we will see His glory. Remember how often He stated in His discourse that He was returning to the Father. This is in accord with the emphasis on His glory.

John 18:1

THE ARREST IN GETHSEMANE; TRIAL BEFORE ANNASIn these passages we will find a blending of His majesty and His meekness. He seems to have spent His nights under the open sky. Why did He leave Jerusalem and cross the brook Cedron? Apparently He was accustomed to going there.

John 18:2

Luke tells us in chapter Luk_21:37, “And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.” And again, Luk_22:39: “And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives …” He would need to cross the brook Cedron. Our Lord crossed over the brook Cedron after Judas had made his agreement to betray Him. Perhaps you remember another crossing of this same brook by one who was betrayedKing David, when his son Absalom led in a rebellion and Ahithophel, his friend and counsellor, betrayed him. As far as we can tell, Jesus never spent a night in the city of Jerusalem, in the walled city. The last week of His life, He went to Bethany and stayed with His friends. Even on this last night, He left the walled city to go to the place called the Garden of Gethsemane. He is going to this quiet place in order to give His enemies an opportunity to take Him. They wanted to lay hands on Him but, because they were afraid of the people, they wouldn’t dare lay hands on Him in the temple or in the streets of Jerusalem. Notice that John does not include the agony in the garden. John does not record His praying and His extreme suffering. Rather he speaks of the glory. He is putting the emphasis on the deity of Christ, whereas the other Gospels emphasize His humanity. You will notice that Jesus will not resist arrest. He is the Lamb of God who offers no resistance. “…as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isa_53:7). The dignity of His person at this time is absolutely overwhelming. Remember in previous incidents, when the enemies of the Lord Jesus tried to close in on Him, He hid Himself. Apparently He could just disappear miraculously. Now, He lays Himself wide open to be taken. This is very important for us to note.

John 18:3

Luke tells us what He said: “…Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves?” (Luk_22:52). It says that a band of men came out. A band is the tenth part of a legion and would consist of approximately five hundred men. Matthew says that a great multitude came with Judas. Why would they come with such a multitude and with swords and clubs? That crowd knew that He had performed miracles, and they thought that, if they would bring along a big enough company of armed men, they could capture Him. Now notice the dignity of our Lord.

John 18:4

My friend, do you think this is just a poor, weak man who has been trapped by some clever religious rulers and the power of Rome? If He had not yielded Himself, all the weapons those men had would have been absolutely useless and worthless.

John 18:5

I don’t want to pass over this because I wouldn’t want you to miss this for anything in the world. They call Him “Jesus of Nazareth.” They do not accord Him the dignity that belongs to Him. They refuse to call Him the Christ. Well, it’s all right, because Jesus is a name that is above every name. The day is coming when those on earth and even those under the earth, in hell itself, will bow the knee to the name of Jesus. But now, this crowd would not acknowledge Him as the Savior, the Christ, the Son of the living God. They didn’t know Him. The thing that is strange above everything else is that Judas didn’t know Him at first. Why didn’t Judas know Him? Paul says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2Co_4:3-4). We are told that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. I believe that Judas did not know Him because He stood there as the Lord of glory.

John 18:6

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (Joh_1:14). Even in this dark hour when He was yielding Himself as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, He revealed His deityand they fell backwards! He revealed to these men that He was absolutely in charge, and they could not arrest Him without His permission. They didn’t fall forward to worship Him. They fell backward in fear and in absolute dismay. I think there was utter confusion for a moment there when they fell backward. They are seeing not simply Jesus of Nazareth but the God-man, the Lord of glory. This fulfills prophecy. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell” (Psa_27:1-2). This is the God-ward side. Then in Psa_35:4 we see the man-ward side. “Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.” Then listen to Psa_40:14: “Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.” What a fulfillment we have here when our Lord for a brief moment reveals His glory to them. They are seeking Jesus of Nazareth. Well, here He is, but He is the Lord of glory. My friend, whom do you see? Do you know who He is? The unsaved man doesn’t know Him. People may even read the Bible and be very religious and very moral and not see that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

John 18:7

Notice His dignity. He is in charge of everything. He is even telling them whom to arrest and whom not to arrest. There had been the prophecy that the Shepherd would be taken and the sheep scattered, and Jesus had said that He had lost none. The disciples would not be captured. Isn’t it interesting that they weren’t? One would think they would have been brought in as witnesses or accomplices, but they were not.

John 18:10

Why didn’t they arrest Simon Peter for this?

John 18:11

Dr. Luke tells us that Jesus touched the man’s ear and healed him. But why didn’t they arrest Peter? Because the Lord Jesus said, “You let these men go.” He is in command. Simon Peter, the poor, ignorant fisherman! He probably was really smarting inside. He had asked the Lord why he couldn’t go with Him where He was going. He had said he would lay down his life for the Lord, and he meant it. But the Lord had told him that he didn’t know himself, that he would deny his Lord that night. Oh, it’s so easy to get Christians to dedicate and rededicate their lives to the Lord.

Simon Peter would have come forward at every invitation, and he would have meant it. The problem is that we cannot produce this in our own strength. This was Paul’s experience, too. He said that to will was present with him, but he couldn’t find how to perform it. It is only the power of the Holy Spirit that can produce the life yielded to Christ. I think Peter was smarting inside and thinking, “I’ll show Him that I’ll die for Him.” Peter’s a good fisherman. He can throw a net expertly, but he makes a sorry swordsman. He got an ear when he meant to get a head. Our Lord tells Peter to put up his sword. Earlier, when Jesus advised them to have swords, it was for their protection, not for His defense. Our Lord is yielding Himself into the hands of His captors. He is getting ready, as He says, to drink the cup which His Father has given Him. There are several “cups” mentioned in the Scriptures. There is the cup of salvation: “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD” (Psa_116:13). Then there is the cup of consolation: “…neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother” (Jer_16:7). Also there is the cup of joy: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” (Psa_23:5). This cup which our Lord was to drink was given Him by the Father. It was a dreadful cup, and Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “…O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me …” (Mat_26:39).

This is the cup of judgment He bore for us on the Cross. Everyone who turns his back on Jesus Christ must drink that cup of judgment himself. Jesus drank it for us although it was totally repulsive to Him. Remember that He was perfect humanity, absolutely sinless, and yet He drank the hated cup because it was the cup of your sin and my sin. There is still another cup, the cup of judgment which is yet to come on this world. I believe the seven vials or bowls of wrath, which are to be poured upon the wicked as described in Revelation are the fulfillment of this. “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup” (Psa_11:6).

This is the cup of his anger. “For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it” (Jer_25:15). Notice again what our Lord says to Peter, “Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” It is not, “He is the judge, and I’m going to drink it by command,” but, “Shall I not drink this cup my Father gives me?” There is no willingness higher than that. Let us not get the idea that the Savior did this reluctantly. Heb_12:2 says, “…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

John 18:12

The religious rulers were the ones who had plotted all this. Because they were afraid of the people, our Lord went outside the city to give them the opportunity they needed to arrest Him. He is going forward in His dignity and in His glory. They took Him and bound Himwhich wasn’t necessary. He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He is the sheep before the shearers; He will not offer any resistance. They led Him away to Annas first. Only John gives us that detail, as apparently he was in a position to see something that the others didn’t see. Annas had been the high priest and was probably still in the quarters of the palace of the high priest. Secular history testifies to the fact that Annas was one of the most brilliant, one of the most clever, and one of the most satanic of all the high priests. Caiaphas was the one whom the Roman government accepted, but the real head of the religious group was old Annas. I believe that he was the real leader, a politician who knew how to handle Rome. It is my judgment that it was he who plotted the arrest, the trial, and the crucifixion of Jesus. The entire trial was a mockery, and I think Annas was behind it all. What an injustice has been done to the Jews down through the centuries. They have been blamed for the crime of men like Annas, Caiaphas, and Pilate. I do not take the responsibility for the crimes of Jesse James just because he happened to be an American, do you? Romanism for centuries has called the Jewish people the “Christ-killers,” which has been the basis for anti-Semitism in Europe. Yet they are not any more responsible than the Gentiles are. In the final analysis, we all are responsible for His death. He died for the sins of the world. There should be no pointing of the finger at any race or group of people.

John 18:14

I believe John puts this in here to show us that it had already been predetermined that the Lord Jesus was to die. They had already decided that. Old Annas knew how to forge a charge against Jesus to get the death penalty from the Roman authorities. The whole trial was nothing but a mockery.

John 18:15

FIRST DENIAL BY SIMON PETERThat other disciple was John, obviously. John apparently had an “in” with those in Jerusalem, and this enabled him to get a pass for someone else to come in. I want you to see that John apparently was known in these circles, and for John to go in there was no temptation at all. However, it was fatal for Simon Peter to go in there. He was standing on the outside when John got the permission for him to come into the inner court. I want you to see this little byplay at the palace of Caiaphas.

John 18:16

John had an entree, but Peter is a poor fisherman whom nobody knows, and he can’t get in. John tells the girl at the gate that this is a friend of his, and so he brought Peter in. Simon Peter was scared to death. You see, John was at home here, but Simon Peter had never been in that crowd before. Peter has a big mouth, and he just has to talk. Remember the other Gospels tell us that the girls spot him as a Galilean because his speech betrays him. He talks too much. He’s nervous in there. A little wisp of a girl makes him deny the Lord. There is an application for us here. You and I have no right to put our little ideas of separation down on another Christian. Another Christian may be able to go where you cannot go. It was wrong for Simon Peter to go in there, but it was not wrong for John.

John 18:17

She knows the followers of Jesus are there and assumes Peter is one of them. She just asks the question as he is about to go through the gate, “Aren’t you one of this man’s disciples?” He says, “I am not,” and walks on through.

John 18:18

Outside the palace grounds the people are gatherednot many at that time of morning, but the guards are there to keep order. They build a fire, and Peter stands with them warming himself.

John 18:19

TRIAL BEFORE HIGH PRIESTThe scene shifts back to the trial of the Lord Jesus. Notice the dignity of the Lord Jesus.

John 18:22

He is subject to this kind of humiliation. He is yielding Himself to die for your sin and my sin. However, He does call their attention to the fact that what they are doing is illegal and contrary to the Mosaic Law. They have no witness that He has done evil, and yet they smite Him. They are the ones who are breaking the Law. For one thing, no trial is to begin at night nor end at night. A trial is not to begin and end on the same day. They are not to strike a prisoner who has not yet been proven guilty.

John 18:24

John puts this little verse in to tell us again that it was Annas who bound Him. Annas is the one who plotted and planned all of this diabolical plot.

John 18:25

SECOND DENIAL BY SIMON PETERWe learn from the other Gospels how Peter went out and wept bitterly. I think that he caught a glimpse of the face of our Lord all bloody and beaten, and he caught His eye. That is when he went out and cried like a baby. You know that if he was arguing with a kinsman of Malchus, he must have been pretty vehement. He denied his Lord. But, thank God, the Lord was on His way to die for him and had already told him that He had prayed so that Peter’s faith would not fail. Why is it that Simon Peter, who did a deed as dastardly as Judas, could make his way back to the Lord? Because he was a child of God, and it broke his heart to know what he had done. A child of God may get far from God, but God is never far from him. You may be dead to God, but God is never dead to you. He is always there and He is always available. The Lord never said to Peter, “I’m sorry, but because you failed Me, I just can’t use you anymore.” No, He appeared personally to Peter after His resurrection, and He elected Peter to preach the first sermon on the day of Pentecost. There has never been a sermon like it! Thank God for a Savior and a Lord like that. He will always take you back!

John 18:28

TRIAL BEFORE PILATEThere is quite an interesting byplay here that I want you to see. Here we see “religion” and the person of Jesus Christ side by side. Here is the One who has come to fulfill the Passover. He is going to die on the Cross because they are bringing the death sentence against Him. But, because they want to eat the Passover, these men won’t go inside the judgment hall. That would pollute them. They will not do that. Are they meticulously religious! Yet they are plotting the death of the very One who is the fulfillment of the Passover! My friend, how this should cause you to search your heart at this time. Are you merely religious or are you joined to the Lord Jesus Christ? There is another interesting byplay to watch here. The Jews absolutely would not go into the judgment hall and thus contaminate themselves, but they brought Jesus to be taken into the judgment hall to be tried. Also there is a change of scene in this drama from outside to inside and inside to outside. Watch it: “Pilate then went out” (v. Joh_18:29). “Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again” (v. Joh_18:33). “And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews” (v. Joh_18:38). “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him” (Joh_19:1). “Pilate therefore went forth again” (Joh_19:4). “And went again into the judgment hall” (Joh_19:9). “He brought Jesus forth” (Joh_19:13). Pilate didn’t really like Jerusalem. He liked Caesarea which is on the seacoast and has a lovely beach, very much like Florida. During the feast, He would leave Caesarea and come up to Jerusalem, bringing his soldiers with him. Since he was the Roman governor, he was responsible for keeping order at this time when the Jews gathered from all over the world. That was the reason he was in Jerusalem at this time.

John 18:29

Pilate senses that something is wrong and he tries, as we would say, to get off the hook. He tells them to judge Jesus themselves. He couldn’t understand what was taking place. The problem was that they wanted the death penalty and they had to admit that they were no longer the rulers and no longer had the authority to exact the death penalty. It is interesting that these men were forced to admit this after they had so arrogantly stated in Joh_8:33: “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man.” John tells us that this fulfilled what Jesus had prophesied. He had told the disciples that the Jewish religious rulers would condemn Him to death and would deliver Him to the Gentiles. He had predicted this months earlier; now He was here, being brought to Pilate, the representative of gentile Rome, by the religious rulers who wanted a death sentence. If the Jews had taken Jesus and had put Him to death according to their law, He would have been stoned to death. Read Psalms 22 again and notice whether it is describing a death by stoning or a death by crucifixion. It is obviously crucifixion, with the piercing of the hands and feet and the agonies of hanging on a cross.

The only ones who executed by crucifixion were the Romans. Jesus had to be delivered to the Romans to fulfill Old Testament prophecy.

John 18:33

Jesus had appealed to the head of this man, Pilate. He asked him the logical question of where he got his evidence. Pilate sneered at that and said the Jews had brought the accusation. Now Jesus will appeal to this man’s heart. Jesus is dealing with him, man to man. Pilate was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe there was someone claiming to be the king of the Jews and that they would have the audacity to bring such a charge. Pilate is out on a limb and wants to get off. He would like to help Jesus. He is inside the court, alone with Jesus; the Jews are waiting outside because of their scruples about contaminating themselves. Pilate would be happy if Jesus would simply say He is not a king and that would get Pilate off the hook. Who is on trial? Pilate or Jesus?

John 18:36

“My kingdom is not of this world.” The preposition is the Greek ek, meaning “out of.” Literally, He said “My kingdom is out of this world.” He is not saying that His Kingdom is not going to be on this earth someday, as He is going to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords and “…the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Isa_11:9). But His Kingdom is not going to be of this world system. It will not be a power structure built on politics. It will not come through worldly measures. Jesus will not be elected King by either the Democrats or the Republicans or by the United Nations. It is not going to be built by war and turmoil and hatred and bitterness.

Pilate, himself, was a crooked politician who bought his job and was a puppet of Rome. He hated the Jews, but he was afraid to offend them because he might lose his job. But Jesus will not come to His Kingdom by political maneuvering. Jesus said, “If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight.” He was offering no resistance. Peter had tried to defend Him, and Jesus had told him to put his sword in the sheath. He is not building His Kingdom out of the present political system. Friend, the church cannot build His Kingdom either. The Bible teaches us clearly that in this present age Christ is gathering out a people for His name (see Act_15:14). These are the ekklesia or the called-out ones, the church. They are called out of the world to live in the world but not of the world. The time will come when the Lord will completely remove the church from the world. Then, when Christ comes in His Kingdom, He will establish it!

John 18:37

Pilate is definitely puzzled at this point. Jesus is still pleading with this man. He tells him that an essential of His Kingdom is truth. Listen to Psa_45:1-4: “…I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness….”

John 18:38

Was Pilate a cynic? Was he simply puzzled? He stood in the presence of the Lord Jesus who was and is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John tells us later in his Gospel that he has written all these things so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Friend, do you ask, “What is truth?” Is He truth to you? Have you faced reality in Him?Again he took Jesus outside and declared, “I find in him no fault at all!”

John 18:39

He was trying desperately to escape making a decision. “Let me release Jesus to you, and that will settle it.”

John 18:40

Pilate didn’t dream that these religious rulers would urge the people to demand that Barabbas be released. The contrast between them was too great. The Bible makes it clear that Pilate was assured that Jesus Christ was an innocent man. “He knew that for envy they had delivered him” (Mat_27:18). “…I am innocent of the blood of this just person …” (Mat_27:24). “For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy” (Mar_15:10). “Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them” (Luk_23:20). “…I have found no cause of death in him …” (Luk_23:22). “…I find in him no fault at all” (Joh_18:38). “…From thenceforth Pilate sought to release him …” (Joh_19:12). “…Pilate, when he was determined to let him go” (Act_3:13). In spite of all this, Pilate did not have the courage to release Him.