The Arrest of Jesus (1-11)

After Jesus had finished comforting His disciples with promises, especially promises concerning the Holy Spirit, He crossed the Kidron Valley and entered a grove of olive trees. (It was while crossing the Kidron Valley, fleeing from Absalom, when David's friend and counselor Ahithophel betrayed David and supported Absalom's usurping of the throne in 2 Samuel 15:23, 30-31.)

It would have been close to this same site where Judas would betray Jesus. Judas knew this olive grove rendezvous site well and was also well aware of Jesus' habit to go to the grove to pray with His disciples when they visited Jerusalem. It is likely Jesus had permission from a wealthy olive orchard owner to enter the grove for prayer. Within the grove was an olive press named Gethsemane, meaning “oil or olive press.” Because John said they entered the grove, it is likely it was a walled grove complete with a press (1-2).

The chief priests sent with Judas a large unit of Roman soldiers and the arresting temple officers. Because it was Passover season, the city would have been bulging with people, and the arresting squad could have numbered in the one-hundreds. They carried sticks of wood wrapped in resinous cloth and lit as torches, along with terra-cotta cylinders with handles and lamps inside for lanterns. They were also armed with weapons to make the arrest of Jesus (3).

As the mass group of armed men moved through the grove, they could easily be heard so Jesus moved toward them. Once close enough, Mark recorded Judas kissed Jesus (Mark 14:45). After Jesus commented on the kiss, He asked the arresting party whom they were looking for (4).

The officers answered they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said, “I AM.” Judas was standing with the arresting party and against Jesus and His disciples (5).  

When Jesus said, “I AM,” they all stumbled backward and fell to the ground—John purposefully included Judas in the group. The term “I AM” could be taken either way, as referring to Jesus' deity or just a way to announce that it was Him they were looking for. In that the contingent of the arresting group fell to the ground, it's hard to miss which way Jesus meant what He said (6).

Jesus asked once again whom they sought, giving them the opportunity to change their minds. All, even Judas, were given a moment to reconsider. They persisted, “Jesus of Nazareth” (7). Jesus once again answered, “I told you ‘I am,’” this time without the divine-revelation sense of power to the answer. Jesus next appealed to allow the disciples, who were not mentioned in the arrest report, to go free (8). Jesus secured this fact so His word would be fulfilled that not one of them was lost (9).

The disciples were carrying two swords, according to Luke. The Greek word used for swords here indicates these were short swords or long knives. Peter drew his sword and went to attack the servant of the high priest, Malchus, cutting off his right earlobe. Peter had told Jesus he would go down fighting, but all he could muster in Jesus' defense was an earlobe. Jesus commanded Peter to sheath the blade and then told them all He was determined to drink the cup of suffering the Father had given Him to drink (10-11). Luke adds Jesus' loving touch to the servant's ear, healing the wound (Luke 22:51).

The Full Trial of Jesus in Stages 

1. The Informal Trial Before Annas (John 18:12-14; 19-24)

2. The Formal Trial Before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65)

3. Jesus Formally Charged Before Pilate (Matthew 27:1-2; Luke 22:66-71) 

4. Jesus Questioned by Pilate (Matthew 27:11-14; John 18:28-38)

5. Jesus Sent to Herod for Questioning (Luke 23:6-12)

6. Sentencing Stage of the Trial by Pilate (Matthew 27:15-31; John 18:38-19:16) 

The First Trial of Jesus (12-14)

The band of arresting soldiers, temple guards, and their officers led Jesus to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the High Priest that year. The High Priest calling was a lifetime position, but the Romans did not like such a concentration of power in one person, so they forced a frequent change of priests. Annas had five sons, each of whom had served as High Priest in his place. In this particular year, his son-in-law held the office. Obviously, Annas was the power behind the High Priest throne. 

Caiaphas, Annas' son-in-law, the current positional High Priest, was also the one who unconsciously prophesied the death of Jesus. He made the announcement not so much as a prophecy but as a political necessity to preserve their religious order and position among the Jews (12-14).

Peter Denies Jesus (15-18) 

John took a break in the story; while Jesus was being questioned, Peter was having a different experience. 

John, the writer of this Gospel, seems to have been a man of some means. John was known within the High Priest family, likely because he was related through his father's side. We know John's family were, to some degree, ambitious for position and rank, as his mother requested such (Matthew 20:20-28). We know John's father Zebedee had servants, so he was a man of means.

John entered the Hasmonean Palace courtyard, where Annas and likely his son-in-law lived in separate wings. The courtyard would have been some kind of an atrium connected to the palace. Peter did not enter into the palace atrium directly but let John go get permission for them both to enter. John spoke to the servant girl, who was watching the gate and whom John seems to have known. John secured permission for Peter to enter the courtyard with him (15-16).

Knowing John was a follower of Jesus, the servant girl keeping the door asked Peter if he was also a follower of Jesus with John; Peter declared he was not (17).

It was a cold spring evening in the city, which stood 2500 feet above sea level. Those who had arrested Jesus and were responsible for Him were warming themselves around a charcoal fire they had built. Peter was warming himself also, while it seems John was off getting a closer view of the happenings (18).

First Trial of Jesus Continued (19-24)

While Peter was outside denying Him, Jesus was inside with Annas, answering questions. They were probing Jesus for wrongdoing and criminal actions. 

First, they sought to accuse Jesus of creating a secret cult and revolutionary sect within Judaism. They accused Him of teaching secret things in an attempt to overthrow their authority (19).

Jesus was clear: nothing He had taught or done had been in secret, but everything was public and open for all to evaluate. He had taught so publicly that Annas could question those He had spoken to, those He had taught, to find out what He had been teaching. Not one ounce of conspiracy existed in anything Jesus had done, said, or taught (20-21).

An officer standing by Jesus then struck and accused Him of being disrespectful (22).

Jesus told the entire group that if He had misspoken or been disrespectful, they should bear witness or charge Him with what He had said that was so disrespectful. If, however, He was not being disrespectful, He asked them to explain why He had been mistreated and falsely accused.

Annas was stumped; he had no satisfactory answer for Jesus, so he sent Him on to Caiaphas (23-24).

Peter's Second Denial (25-27) 

While Jesus was being slapped, Peter was still in the courtyard, warming himself, when another servant girl identified him to a bystander as one of Jesus' disciples (Matthew 26:71). The bystander asked Peter if it was true, and Peter denied knowing Jesus with an oath (Matthew 26:72). A bit later, one of the slaves of the High Priest, a relative of Malchus, recognized Peter from the olive grove and his accent as Galilean, so again asked him in more certain terms if he was with Jesus (Matthew 26:73). Peter immediately denied it, swearing under a curse on himself that he did not know Jesus. While Peter was speaking this last denial, the rooster crowed for a third time (Luke 22:60). Just then, they were taking Jesus from Annas to Caiaphas through the courtyard and Jesus' eye caught Peter's eye. Peter then recalled Jesus' prediction (Luke 22:61). Peter left the courtyard (Matthew 26:74), following the trial no longer, and went out to weep bitterly (25-27).

Jesus’ Trial Before Pilate (28-32)

John skipped over Jesus' trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:55-64; Matthew 26:57) and followed Jesus to the governor's headquarters. It was early in the morning by the time Jesus got to Pilate's palace. Oddly, the Jewish leaders bringing Jesus to Pilate would not enter the palace. They remained outside so they would not defile themselves and render themselves unable to participate in the Feast of Weeks. Yes, how ironic: they could plan a murder and fabricate evidence to do so but could not enter the trial area of a Gentile (28).

Due to the Jews' religious objection to enter the hall of Pilate, he was forced to go out to them and respond to their informal accusation. In essence, Pilate was saying, “Come again? What is your lame charge against this man?” Pilate would have been well aware of Jesus' triumphal entry into the city. He would have known Jesus was getting under their skin, and he would also have known their charge of blasphemy would be a difficult one for them to prove (29).

Pilate did not like the Jewish leaders, and the Jewish leaders did not care for Pilate. He was a harsh man. By 36 A.D., the Jews managed to get Pilate called back to Rome. 

Pilate told the Sanhedrin to take Jesus and to judge Him themselves, according to their own law. The Jewish leaders would certainly stone a person for such an evil, but it had to be a person who was not beloved so his stoning would not risk a riot. 

The Sanhedrin, in Jesus' case, required the Romans to execute Him so they could appear blameless in the matter. Pilate immediately figured out the political intrigue, as the Jews told him they could not lawfully or legally put anyone to death. They needed a legal execution. The Jews would unlawfully put people to death all the time—Stephen would be a case in point (30-31).

Behind all of this demand to have Jesus executed by the Romans was something more, in John's mind. It was all in order to fulfill Jesus’ word concerning what kind of a death He would die. For the Jews to almost threaten a riot to get Pilate to execute Jesus, instead of just simply stoning Him themselves, was threading the prophetic needle perfectly in Jesus' case (32). The Crucifixion was necessary so none of Jesus' bones would be broken according to scripture (John 19:36-37). The Crucifixion was also necessary to include both Jew and Gentile in the guilt of crucifying Jesus (Acts 4:27). Finally, the Crucifixion was necessary to lift Jesus up on a wooden pole as Jesus had predicted (John 3:14) and to make Him a person to bear the curse for the whole world (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13). The crucifixion style of death was necessary to fulfill God's word (32). This was an essential theme to John. 

Pilate Questions Jesus (33-40) 

John left out the details of the other trials because he sought to concentrate on the questioning of Jesus before Annas and Pilate. The material here is not readily available in the other Gospels. 

Pilate took Jesus into his office area and asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews (33). 

Four basic charges were leveled at Jesus:

• Sedition

• Opposing Roman taxation

• Claiming to be the Jews' King

• Blasphemy

The blasphemy charge was a Jewish one, which the Jews were unable to prove.  

The only way Pilate could have Jesus crucified outside a criminal capital offense was to link Him to sedition. There was no capital offense, so Pilate was looking into sedition.

Sedition meant Pilate needed to prove Jesus was a part of a nationalist movement threatening a violent political uprising against Roman occupation. He was going to need to use the “king” claim and the taxation accusation as grounds to issue an execution order. 

Jesus answered Pilate's question about a king in this way: “Do you really think I am a seditious threat to Rome based on evidence, or have others put this thought into your head without evidence?” (34) 

Pilate responded to Jesus with mocking, “Am I some sort of Jew interested in what the Jews have to say about anything? Your own nation wants you dead for crimes against Rome, so tell me, Jesus, how about you tell me your side of the story?” (35)

Jesus assured Pilate that He was no threat. His Kingdom was not of this world; His Kingdom was not a militarily-armed kingdom. It did not thrive on rebellion or violence. If His Kingdom were of this world, then His arrest without a violent fight would not have happened that way.

Jesus then plainly told Pilate that His Kingdom was of a different realm (36).

Pilate jumped on the word “King” and asked Jesus to then agree with his question of whether or not He was a “king.” Jesus cleverly answered Pilate with the statement, “You say I am a king.” It is like Jesus was saying, “Are you saying I am a king?” Or even better, “You tell Me based on what I am about to say if you think I am a king.” 

Jesus then explained to Pilate the purpose of His birth: to bear witness to the truth so everyone who was of the truth would listen to His voice. Jesus asserted here His divine origin. He claimed a following of those who sought the truth about God and God's world. In essence, Jesus was asking Pilate, “Would you call Me a king knowing now the purpose for My having come into the world?” (37)

Pilate asked a rhetorical question, “What is truth?” No doubt the question was full of philosophical cynicism as Pilate turned from Jesus and went back outside to the Sanhedrin to announce that he could not find a charge of sedition to justify an order of execution (38). It is painfully clear that Pilate did not wait for Jesus to answer, “What is truth?” but instead cut Him off and went outside to announce his findings to the Jews.

John did not mention that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod (Luke 23:6-7) in order to buy more time to seek a remedy so he could release Him. After Jesus returned from Herod with no further accusation, Pilate landed on a plan he thought would get him out of a jam and make it the Sanhedrin's idea to release Jesus. 

The Passover season included a custom to release a prisoner the people requested as a show of political kindness to the Jews. This year Pilate gave them a choice: he would release Barabbas (guilty of insurrection, murder, and robbery) or Jesus. Barabbas would have been a true threat to the Sanhedrin. His violent and subversive ways could bring Rome down from a life of privilege and liberty, causing them to lose their precious power. 

Pilate offered Barabbas in exchange for Jesus' life. The offer was made in mockery as he referred to Jesus as the “King of the Jews.” 

Pilate miscalculated the Sanhedrin's fear and hatred of Jesus as they stirred up the whole crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released (39-40).