John 18: What the Passage Says

The Chapter in a Sentence

Judas leads soldiers and temple officers to a garden across the Kidron, where Jesus identifies himself and is arrested after telling them to let his disciples go; Peter cuts off a servant's ear and Jesus tells him to put the sword away. Jesus is taken first to Annas, questioned about his disciples and his teaching, struck by an officer, and sent bound to Caiaphas, while Peter, warming himself by a fire outside, denies three times that he is a disciple. In the morning Jesus is handed over to the Roman governor Pilate, who questions him about being King of the Jews and hears him say his kingdom is not from this world and that he came to testify to the truth. Pilate tells the crowd he finds no charge against Jesus and offers to release him under the Passover custom, but they call for Barabbas instead.

Claim by Claim

1. 18:1
   • Jesus had spoken these words
   • After speaking, Jesus went out with his disciples
   • They crossed the winter-flowing ravine of the Kidron
   • There was a garden at that place
   • Jesus entered the garden
   • His disciples entered the garden with him
2. 18:2
   • Judas was the one betraying Jesus
   • Judas also knew that place
   • Jesus had often gathered there with his disciples
3. 18:3
   • Judas took a cohort of soldiers
   • Judas took officers from the chief priests and from the Pharisees
   • Judas came to that place
   • Those who came carried lanterns
   • They carried torches
   • They carried weapons
4. 18:4
   • Jesus knew all the things that were coming upon him
   • Jesus went out to them
   • Jesus asked them whom they were seeking
5. 18:5
   • They answered him, Jesus the Nazarene
   • Jesus said to them, I am he
   • Judas, the one betraying him, was standing with them
6. 18:6
   • When Jesus said to them, I am he, they drew back
   • They fell to the ground
7. 18:7
   • Jesus asked them again whom they were seeking
   • They said, Jesus the Nazarene
8. 18:8
   • Jesus answered that he had told them he is he
   • Jesus said that if they were seeking him, they should let these men go
9. 18:9
   • This happened so that the word Jesus had spoken would be fulfilled
   • The word he had spoken was that of those the Father had given him he lost none
10. 18:10
    • Simon Peter had a sword
    • Peter drew the sword
    • Peter struck the servant of the high priest
    • Peter cut off the servant's right ear
    • The servant's name was Malchus
11. 18:11
    • Jesus told Peter to put the sword into its sheath
    • Jesus said the Father had given him a cup
    • Jesus asked whether he should not drink that cup
12. 18:12
    • The cohort seized Jesus
    • The commander of the cohort was there
    • The officers of the Jews were there
    • They bound Jesus
13. 18:13
    • They led Jesus to Annas first
    • Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas
    • Caiaphas was high priest that year
14. 18:14
    • Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews
    • His advice was that it is expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people
15. 18:15
    • Simon Peter was following Jesus
    • Another disciple was also following Jesus
    • That other disciple was known to the high priest
    • That disciple went in with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest
16. 18:16
    • Peter was standing outside at the door
    • The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out
    • That disciple spoke to the woman keeping the door
    • That disciple brought Peter in
17. 18:17
    • The servant girl who kept the door asked Peter whether he too was one of this man's disciples
    • Peter said, I am not
18. 18:18
    • The servants and the officers were standing there
    • They had made a charcoal fire
    • It was cold
    • They were warming themselves
    • Peter was also standing with them
    • Peter was warming himself
19. 18:19
    • The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples
    • The high priest questioned Jesus about his teaching
20. 18:20
    • Jesus answered that he had spoken openly to the world
    • Jesus said he had always taught in synagogue and in the temple
    • Jesus said all the Jews come together there
    • Jesus said he had said nothing in secret
21. 18:21
    • Jesus asked why the high priest was questioning him
    • Jesus told him to ask those who had heard what he spoke to them
    • Jesus said those people know what he said
22. 18:22
    • When Jesus had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck him a blow with his hand
    • The officer asked whether that was how Jesus answered the high priest
23. 18:23
    • Jesus said that if he had spoken wrongly, the officer should testify about the wrong
    • Jesus said that if he had spoken well, he asked why the officer struck him
24. 18:24
    • Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas the high priest
    • Jesus was still bound when he was sent
25. 18:25
    • Simon Peter was standing and warming himself
    • They asked him whether he too was one of Jesus' disciples
    • Peter denied it
    • Peter said, I am not
26. 18:26
    • One of the servants of the high priest spoke
    • That servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off
    • He asked whether he had not seen Peter in the garden with Jesus
27. 18:27
    • Peter denied it again
    • Immediately a cock crowed
28. 18:28
    • They led Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium
    • It was early morning
    • They themselves did not enter the praetorium
    • They stayed out so that they would not be defiled
    • They stayed out so that they might eat the Passover
29. 18:29
    • Pilate went outside to them
    • Pilate asked what accusation they were bringing against this man
30. 18:30
    • They answered Pilate
    • They said that if this man were not doing evil they would not have handed him over to Pilate
31. 18:31
    • Pilate told them to take Jesus themselves
    • Pilate told them to judge him according to their own law
    • The Jews said to him that it is not lawful for them to put anyone to death
32. 18:32
    • This happened so that the word of Jesus would be fulfilled
    • Jesus had spoken that word indicating by what kind of death he was about to die
33. 18:33
    • Pilate entered the praetorium again
    • Pilate summoned Jesus
    • Pilate asked him whether he is the King of the Jews
34. 18:34
    • Jesus asked whether Pilate said this of himself
    • Jesus asked whether others had told Pilate about him
35. 18:35
    • Pilate asked whether he is a Jew
    • Pilate said that Jesus' own nation and the chief priests had handed him over to Pilate
    • Pilate asked what Jesus had done
36. 18:36
    • Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world
    • Jesus said that if his kingdom were of this world his servants would fight
    • Jesus said they would fight so that he would not be handed over to the Jews
    • Jesus said that as it is, his kingdom is not from here
37. 18:37
    • Pilate asked him whether he is a king then
    • Jesus answered that Pilate says that he is a king
    • Jesus said he was born for this
    • Jesus said he came into the world for this
    • Jesus said the purpose was that he bear witness to the truth
    • Jesus said everyone who is of the truth hears his voice
38. 18:38
    • Pilate asked him what truth is
    • Having said this, Pilate went out again to the Jews
    • Pilate told them he finds no fault at all in Jesus
39. 18:39
    • Pilate said they have a custom that he release one man to them at the Passover
    • Pilate asked whether they wanted him to release to them the King of the Jews
40. 18:40
    • They all cried out again
    • They said, Not this man, but Barabbas
    • Barabbas was a bandit

Words Worth Explaining

Every language note in this chapter, gathered. These explain what a word meant, never what it means for the reader.

18:1

"The brook Cedron" is the Kidron, a steep ravine just east of Jerusalem, between the city wall and the Mount of Olives. It carried water only after heavy rain and was dry most of the year. John does not name the garden; the other Gospels call the place Gethsemane.

18:2

"Resorted thither" in 1611 English means only that he went there regularly. It carries none of the modern sense of a holiday resort.

18:3

"A band of men" translates a Greek word for a Roman military detachment from the garrison stationed in Jerusalem. The "officers" are a separate group: the temple police, who answered to the chief priests. The chief priests were the senior officials of the temple; the Pharisees were a religious party known for strict observance of the law.

18:5

The Greek is simply "I am"; the word "he" was supplied by the translators. It is an ordinary way of saying "that is me," but it is also the exact wording of the divine name in the Greek version of Exodus, and John's account leaves both readings open. Nazareth was a small town in Galilee, and naming a man by his hometown was the usual way of identifying him.

18:9

The saying quoted is from Jesus's prayer earlier that same evening, John 17:12.

18:10

"Servant" here translates the common word for a slave. Malchus belonged to the high priest's household staff, not to the temple police, and John alone among the Gospel writers gives his name.

18:11

"Put up" means put back. "The cup" is a standing figure of speech in Hebrew scripture for the portion a person is handed to drink, whether of suffering or of judgment.

18:12

"The captain" translates a Greek title meaning commander of a thousand, the rank of a Roman tribune. In passages like this, John's phrase "the Jews" means the Judean authorities acting against Jesus, not the Jewish people as a whole.

18:13

Annas had been high priest years before and had been deposed by the Roman governor, but he kept the title and considerable power; five of his sons and his son-in-law Caiaphas held the office after him. "High priest that same year" reflects the fact that Rome appointed and removed high priests at will, though the office had originally been held for life.

18:14

This points back to the council meeting described in John 11:49 to 50.

18:15

"Palace" translates a word meaning courtyard: the open enclosed yard at the center of a large house, with rooms around it. Peter is standing outdoors in a household yard, not in a throne room.

18:17

"Damsel" means a young female servant. It marks her age and position, not any rank.

18:18

"A fire of coals" is a charcoal fire, the ordinary way to heat an open space. Jerusalem sits about 2,500 feet above sea level, and spring nights there are genuinely cold.

18:19

"Doctrine" in 1611 English means simply teaching, with no suggestion of a formal system of beliefs. Which man is meant by "the high priest" is unclear here: Annas is doing the questioning, but Caiaphas holds the office.

18:20

A synagogue was a local gathering place where Jews met to read and discuss scripture and to pray; there were many of them, in towns everywhere. "The temple" was the single sanctuary in Jerusalem, whose broad outer courts were public space where teachers spoke openly. "Resort" again means gather.

18:21

Under Jewish legal practice a case was built from witnesses, not from getting the accused to talk. Jesus is not dodging the question; he is pointing out that the court is doing it backwards by interrogating the defendant instead of calling people who heard him.

18:22

The Greek verb can mean a slap with the open hand or a blow struck with a rod, and translators divide over which is meant. The King James chose "with the palm of his hand."

18:23

"Bear witness of the evil" is courtroom language: produce evidence of what was wrong. "Smitest" simply means strike.

18:24

The King James "had sent" turns this into a look back at something already done, which would make Annas the questioner in verses 19 to 23. The Greek verb is a plain past tense, and most modern translations read it as the next event in sequence, which would make Caiaphas the questioner. The wording does not settle it.

18:27

The crowing answers Jesus's warning to Peter in John 13:38. Cockcrow also served as a rough marker of time, the stretch of night shortly before dawn.

18:28

"The hall of judgment" is the praetorium, the Roman governor's residence and headquarters in the city, where he heard cases. Entering a Gentile's house would leave a Jew ritually unclean for the rest of the day and so unable to share in the Passover meal, the annual feast recalling Israel's escape from slavery in Egypt. John's timing places that meal still ahead at this point, which does not match the timing implied in Matthew, Mark and Luke; the difference has been debated for centuries.

18:29

Pontius Pilate was the Roman prefect of Judea from roughly AD 26 to 36, holding the power of life and death. He normally lived at Caesarea on the coast and came up to Jerusalem for the festivals, when the crowds made unrest likely.

18:30

"Malefactor" means an evildoer, a criminal. "Delivered him up" means handed him over.

18:31

Rome reserved the death penalty to the governor. Jewish courts could try cases under their own law but could not carry out an execution.

18:32

This points back to John 12:32 to 33, where Jesus spoke of being "lifted up." John takes that wording to indicate crucifixion, a Roman punishment, rather than stoning, the penalty a Jewish court would have used.

18:33

"King of the Jews" is a political title rather than a religious one. Under Roman rule, a claim to kingship was treason, which is the only charge Pilate would have jurisdiction over.

18:35

Pilate means he is a Roman and has no interest in Jewish religious arguments. He wants to know what crime Rome should care about.

18:36

The Greek reads "not from this world" and then "not from here": the statement is about where the kingdom originates, not about where it is located. "Servants" translates the same word rendered "officers" earlier in this chapter, the armed attendants who came to make the arrest.

18:37

"Thou sayest that I am a king" is deliberately ambiguous in Greek. It can mean "yes, just as you say," or "those are your words for it, not mine." Translators divide over which sense is intended.

18:38

"I find in him no fault at all" is a legal verdict, not praise of his character: Pilate is saying there is no basis for a charge.

18:39

No record of this release custom survives outside the Gospels, though a governor freeing a prisoner as a goodwill gesture at a crowded festival would fit known Roman practice.

18:40

"Robber" translates a Greek word for a bandit or armed raider, and in this period it was also the standard word for a rebel fighting Roman rule. It does not mean a thief or pickpocket. Mark and Luke say Barabbas was imprisoned for a killing committed during an uprising.