John 18

     18:1.  Arthur W. Pink, in The Life of David, connects this passage with its type in   

 2 Sam.15.  David is fleeing Jerusalem because of Absalom’s rebellion, and the betrayal of David by his “close friend” (Ps.41:9) and advisor, Ahithophel (2 Sam.15:12).  Commenting on 2 Sam.15:23 (“The king also passed over the brook Kidron….”), Pink says that “Kidron” means black.  Into it emptied the filth of sewage and the filth of the temple sacrifices.  “In a figure, it was the sins of the people which were being washed away….”

     18:2-3.  Apparently, John assumes his readers are aware of the other gospel accounts of the events in the garden, and so gets right to the arrest scene.

     18:4-11.  John makes it clear that Jesus is always in charge of events.  Jesus is Lord.  If he is arrested and crucified, it must be voluntary, and when the time is right.  He is the great “I AM” (5-6), before whose name all must fall.  In their minds, perhaps the soldiers feared that his shout was a signal for his followers to send spears and arrows their way, but it was in fact the command of Jesus that put them down.  Because of the fear on both sides, the disciples were allowed to escape (8), even though Peter foolishly tried to oppose the will of God with his sword.  Jesus does not need our puny defense (Mt.26:53).

     18:12-27.  See the second paragraph of these notes at the introduction to John.  So familiar is John with the high priest that he knows his slave’s name (10), and can gain admittance for Peter past the doorkeeper into his secure courtyard (15-16).  (This is assuming that the disciple in v.15 is John.)

     The Romans had deposed Annas as high priest, and had allowed his son-in-law, Caiaphas, to replace him.  But Annas evidently was still powerful enough that Caiaphas needed to get his support if he was to win support in the council for Jesus’ conviction (13-14).  Vv.19 and 22 may be referring to Annas by the title high priest, but probably Caiaphas led the interrogation before Annas, and then left ahead of Jesus to convene the council for the short trial which followed in another courtroom. (Note plural “chief priests,” v.35.) This would explain v.24, and corresponds nicely with Luke’s account, where Jesus is moved, and mocked, and beaten at just that point.  After a time, the council was convened, and Jesus was taken before them (Luke 22:60-66).

     18:28-40.  John leaves out any details of the main trial before the council, and takes up the story again as Jesus is taken to Pilate’s residence near the temple, a fortified complex called the Praetorium (28).

     The issue of why the Jews were worried about not being able to eat the Passover (28)

when Jesus had already eaten it the night before can be explained by the fact that John calls the entire eight day feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread by the name Passover.  He is consistent in this.  Please see notes at these places: Intro to Mt.26; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:1,7; Intro to John 13.

     18:38.  Pilate was way ahead of his time.  He knew that “truth” was only a “social construct,” a convergence of power and fate.  Today’s elites think that they were the first to realize that in a world created by chance, the powerful make their own truth.  But the cynical Pilate was on to the joke 2000 years ago.

     18:40.  Barabbas was a robber, but he also had been “imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder”  (Mark 15:7).  He was actually guilty of what Jesus was wrongly convicted of, and the crowd loved him.