#john 18

Jesus' Betrayal and Arrest (Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53)

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Kidron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, himself and his disciples. 2 Now Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus oft-times resorted thither with his disciples. 3 Judas then, having received the band of soldiers, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon him, went forth, and saith unto them, Whom seek ye? 5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When therefore he said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. 7 Again therefore he asked them, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. 8 Jesus answered, I told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way: 9 that the word might be fulfilled which he spake, Of those whom thou hast given me I lost not one. 10 Simon Peter therefore having a sword drew it, and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant's name was Malchus. 11 Jesus therefore said unto Peter, Put up the sword into the sheath: the cup which the Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

12 So the band and the chief captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and bound him, 13 and led him to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was high priest that year. 14 Now Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

Peter's First Denial (Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62)

15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known unto the high priest, and entered in with Jesus into the court of the high priest; 16 but Peter was standing at the door without. So the other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, went out and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. 17 The maid therefore that kept the door saith unto Peter, Art thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not. 18 Now the servants and the officers were standing there, having made a fire of coals; for it was cold; and they were warming themselves: and Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

Jesus Before the High Priest (Isaiah 53:1-8; Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; 1 Peter 2:21-25)

19 The high priest therefore asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, I have spoken openly to the world; I ever taught in synagogues, and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and in secret spake I nothing. 21 Why askest thou me? ask them that have heard me, what I spake unto them: behold, these know the things which I said. 22 And when he had said this, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? 23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me? 24 Annas therefore sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter's Second and Third Denials

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore unto him, Art thou also one of his disciples? He denied, and said, I am not. 26 One of the servants of the high priest, being a kinsman of him whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? 27 Peter therefore denied again: and straightway the cock crew.

Jesus Before Pilate (Matthew 27:11-14; Luke 23:1-6)

28 They lead Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the palace: and it was early; and they themselves entered not into the palace, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. 29 Pilate therefore went out unto them, and saith, What accusation bring ye against this man? 30 They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evil-doer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee. 31 Pilate therefore said unto them, Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law. The Jews said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: 32 that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying by what manner of death he should die.

33 Pilate therefore entered again into the palace, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? 34 Jesus answered, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee concerning me? 35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? 36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find no crime in him. 39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 40 They cried out therefore again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. — John 18 | English Revised Version (ERVB) The English Revised Version of the Holy Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Exodus 3:14; Psalm 69:4; Isaiah 50:6; Isaiah 50:8-9; Daniel 2:44; Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 26:36; Matthew 26:39; Matthew 26:47; Matthew 26:51; Matthew 26:69-75; Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 14:53; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:60-62; Luke 22:66-71; John 1:14; John 7:14-26; John 10:17-18; John 11:49-52; John 12:32-33; John 13:19; John 13:38; John 14:6; John 17:12; John 19:4-6; John 19:9-11; Acts 23:2; Acts 24:5-6; Acts 25:18-20

Frank had taken his time perfecting the recipe, trying different concoctions and combinations of ingredients. He was confident that the cocktails he now placed in front of Alice and John were perfect. More importantly, he was confident they were delicious, and John would like them. “Ta da.” He said with a flourish of his hands.

“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” 

“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” 

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

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. 

Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

In my Bible study this week, one of the things we covered was Peter’s denial of knowing Jesus. For context, let’s look at the verses* that made me start thinking:

John 18:26-27 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Mark 14:70-72 But again [Peter] denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Matthew 26:73-75 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Luke 22:59-62 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

(Emphasis through bold text is mine)

How much shame do you think Peter felt in that moment to start crying like that? How much guilt? Two of the gospels use “wept bitterly” to describe Peter’s immediate reaction to his realization that he had denied knowing Christ. Other translations from the Matthew and Luke passages use “cried bitterly” and “cried painfully” (the verb form is changed on occasion, but the verb-adverb combination stays the same). The Message translation describes it this way: “[Peter] went out and cried and cried and cried.” The Voice translation of Luke’s account reads as follows: “so [Peter] left the courtyard and wept bitter tears.”

Personally, I like Luke’s account of this moment the best because it has the kind of details that I like to read. I like knowing how long Peter sat around that fire, how Peter was practically interrupted by the rooster, how the Lord turns and looks at Peter in a gesture that would have felt like an “I told you so” but was full of nothing but love. And, most of all, I like hearing how Peter is so distraught by his failures that he can do nothing but weep bitterly.

I like to imagine that Jesus turned and looked at Peter when He heard the rooster, causing Peter to look away in shame. I’d like to imagine that that awful heaviness sank into Peter’s chest as he stumbled away from the courtyard and that he started running to get away from it as so many people do with guilt. Maybe he tripped on something in the low light, a physical fall to correspond with the failure. Perhaps then is when he begins to weep, too overcome with shame to even consider getting up. Peter, a grown man who pays taxes to the Temple and to Caeser and who fishes for a living to support his family, cannot find it in himself to get up from the path and stop crying. And maybe that’s just speculation, but it’s how I would respond.

We are human just like Peter, and this helps us grasp how real he was. People don’t just cry over nothing; there is motivation behind each and every tear that falls. And, in this moment, let’s not forget that Jesus came to us as a human, too: Jesus Himself wept over Lazarus, and Peter weeps over guilt in this passage.

I’ve wept like that before. I’ve cried bitterly, disgusted with my own self. One verse that is particularly convicting to me is Ezekiel 6:8-9 “Yet I will leave some of you [the House of Israel] alive. When you have among the nations some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations” (emphasis is mine).

I think for as much grief as we give Peter, we should also take a hard look at ourselves and confess our guilt. Just as the rooster reminded Peter, may we be reminded by the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Photo by Owen.outdoors on Pexels.com Teaching Summary of John 17–18 🌿 Overall Themes in John 17–18 Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer — He prays for Himself, His disciples, and all future believers. Glory through obedience — Jesus glorifies the Father by completing His mission. Sanctification in truth — The Word sets disciples apart for God’s purposes. Unity rooted in divine love — Jesus prays…

Wednesday, 12/24/25

SCRIPTURE:

“So you are a king?” Pilate said.  Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king.  "I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth.  "Whoever accepts the truth listens to My voice.” ~ John 18:37

OBSERVATION:

It dawned me that here we are in John, at the end of Jesus's life (on earth), the day before and day that we celebrate His birth... That the timing of everything we've read so far has led up to these two days? And y'all know my Presbyterian upbringing and how I feel about coincidences, right...?

Okay... that said... 

Pilate asks if Jesus is a king...

The wise men came knowing Jesus was the King...

Pilate came from Rome - far to the west of Jerusalem...

The wise men came from the "Orient" - far to the east of Jerusalem...

Already the whole world is being - has been - drawn to Him...

APPLICATION:

Accept the truth...

Listen to His voice...

Testify to the truth - to the Truth!

PRAYER:

Father God Almighty - Thank You for the Kingship of Jesus - please forgive when I fail to listen or fail to testify to that truth, when I step away from following as I ought - May I direct others to Him when they ask Who He is and what He's done - for me and for others - and may I surrender my willful selfishness to Your purposes in the same way He did - In His Name, and for Your great and deserved glory and honor and praise...

Y'all's - in Him, through Him, and by Him...

𝖌

The World Hates the Disciples

18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’