JOHN
CHAPTER 18

Jesus Arrested

¹When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.
²Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. ³So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
⁴Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"
⁵"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
⁶"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
⁷Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?"
And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
⁸"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." ⁹This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."^[1]
10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)
¹¹Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

Jesus Taken to Annas

¹²Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him ¹³and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. ¹⁴Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Peter's First Denial

¹⁵Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, ¹⁶but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
¹⁷"You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter.
He replied, "I am not."
¹⁸It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

¹⁹Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
²⁰"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. ²¹Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."
²²When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded.
²³"If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" ²⁴Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.^[2]

Peter's Second and Third Denials

²⁵As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?"
He denied it, saying, "I am not."
²⁶One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove?" ²⁷Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

So far, in our journey through the tabernacle, there is only one place we have not been, a place so holy that only the High Priest could enter it, and only once a year, bringing sacrificial blood for his own sins and the sins of the people. This is the Holy of Holies, a room behind the veil that separated it from the Holy Place, in which was the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat, covered with solid gold. This is where God’s glory and presence specifically dwelt, in the days before the Temple, and, as the furniture in the room suggests, it was only because of divine mercy that the Holy God could even dwell among His people; and furthermore, it was only because of the divine covenant that He had made with them.

The one time a year that the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies was the Day of Atonement; and, if the Holy of Holies was the very pinnacle of the Tabernacle arrangement, so the Day of Atonement was the pinnacle of the Jewish year, and the highest expression of the symbolic intent of the Mosaic sacrificial system. Our most detailed description of the Day of Atonement comes from Leviticus 16. There, we read that this was a day of solemn holiness, when all the people would afflict themselves in sorrow for their sins. But the affliction would soon turn to joy: for in that day, God would forgive their sins, on the basis of sacrificial blood. The most telling ceremony of the day was the sacrifice of the two goats. The High Priest would lay his hands upon the head of one goat, and confess all the sins of the people upon it; then, he would kill the other goat, and send the first goat away into the wilderness, never to be seen again. Finally, he would take blood from the goat (after taking blood from a sacrificed bull, for his own sins), and place it upon the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies, together with incense from the altar of incense.

The events of this day were perhaps the clearest picture we have of Christ’s sacrifice anywhere in the Old Testament. Just as the one goat was killed, so Christ shed His blood for the sins of His people. Just as the other goat had the people’s sins placed upon it and was driven away to the wilderness, so Christ took our sins upon Him, and carried them far away. Just as the blood of the sacrifices and the incense covered the Mercy Seat of God’s presence, so that the priest did not die, so Christ’s blood and high-priestly plea for us cover God’s righteous anger against our sins, so that we might enter His presence without falling under His wrath. And finally, just as this sacrifice was only for those who afflicted themselves because of their sins, so Christ’s self-sacrifice is only for those who are afflicted over their sin, and repentant. In today’s lesson, we have the staggering privilege of observing, not just the typical Day of Atonement, but its true fulfillment, when Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, shed His own blood, took it behind the veil into God’s very presence, satisfied God’s just wrath against our sins, and permanently tore down the veil, having secured an eternal way into the very presence of God, even for the most sinful of men!

If we merely say that the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the central event and purpose of John’s gospel, we are vastly minimizing its importance. The very reason that God created the world in the first place; the reason for the formation of man, God’s image-bearer; the reason for man’s fall; the reason for all of history; the only reason you and I even exist and will forever, either in the eternal joy of God’s presence or the eternal torment of God’s holy wrath – the reason for all created things throughout all of time is nothing other than this event, the perfect and inexhaustible self-display of the character of God in Jesus Christ, the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). The only eternal joy we have is the true knowledge of God; and the only place where we can see God so clearly that all of eternity will only reveal new wonders is the cross of Calvary. Let us feast our eyes upon this place, as long as God leaves us in this fallen world! What is your trouble? I can promise you that the answer resides on Mount Calvary, where Jesus shed His precious blood.

1. V1-3 - After the last supper that Jesus celebrated with His disciples, He went out with them, marching to His death through the dark and gloomy Kidron Valley, into the Garden of Gethsemane. Although John does not record it, this is a time of deep and bitter agony for Jesus, a time when, knowing that He was about to undergo the most horrible ordeal ever encountered by mankind, taking upon Himself the abominable filth of our sins and suffering for them the unmitigated wrath of the Holy God, He poured out His heart to God in unspeakable anguish (Mark 14:32-42).

   But let us be grateful that His resolve was firm, that He never ceased to follow the Father’s will to perfection, and that, “having loved us, He loved us to the end” (John 13:1)! And note that John doesn’t record that this was difficult for Jesus. John’s focus has clearly been, throughout our study of his gospel, on the divinity of Jesus. Jesus is the Sovereign Lord. He has this situation completely under His control. He has proclaimed that the time has come, not because He merely foresees it coming, but because He will be the One to orchestrate the coming to pass of the course of His entire life.

   Judas arrives, having known the frequent meeting place of the disciples, with a detachment – a large group – of soldiers and officials. This fact shows the guilty conscious of Judas, for if he had thought he was innocent, he would not have needed to bring so large a brigade, complete with weapons to arrest one Man.

2. V4-9 - Instead of Jesus’ agony, John chooses to record for us Jesus’ mighty, divine power, even in this moment of greatest weakness. He depicts that reality by pointing out that Jesus knew all that was going to happen to Him. And He picks the fight, so to speak. Jesus went out, approaching the oncoming brigade in the night, and asked whom they wanted. All the might of Rome, all the rage of the Jewish leaders, and all the bitter deceit of treachery come out against this lone and deeply distressed Man – and yet, with a simple word, “I am” (the “He” is added in English but is not present in the original), all that ferocious power melts away into terror and helplessness. Isn’t it amazing that they all fall down when Jesus says, “I am.” I wonder if He said it in a surprisingly loud or deep tone. The point is that His voice is powerful. He is the Word of God, and it is by His word that we are regenerated unto eternal life. His powerful word can be deadening or gentle, and He speaks to us gently so often that we may forget the terror that can likewise be found in His words (Isaiah 11:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:8). These men received just a taste of His power; it didn’t stop them from doing what they came to do. But it wasn’t intended to do that, for Jesus came here to die. Nevertheless, this taste of His power, perhaps, may be for their benefit, so that after this episode, they may have all the more reason to repent and believe in Him.

   In a sense, Pilate, the Roman soldiers, and the Jews all crucified Jesus; but ultimately, it was God alone who could have done this thing. No mere creature can lift his hand against the almighty God unless it is by God’s very decree (Acts 2:24; 4:27-28). Ultimately, this was nothing other than Jesus’ own self-sacrifice. This is God Himself willingly offering up His own eternal life for His miserable creatures. No one takes the Son’s life from Him – He lays it down of His own accord (John 10:17-18; Psalm 27).

   How great is the contrast between Jesus and all mankind at this point: Jesus displays infinite power and infinite humility, which work together to accomplish an infinite victory – but when we look elsewhere, we see only the Jews, full of pride and rage against God, whom they profess to serve; we see the Roman soldiers, cruel and proud, refusing even to acknowledge the existence of the true God; we see the apostate Judas, with a heart full of the most vile treachery; we see impetuous Peter (v10-11), lashing out in kind against the enemies of Christ and reliant on his own strength, which will soon fail him and leave him so powerless that he despicably denies – not once, but three times – the Lord whom he loves. And if we do not see ourselves as one of these men, either a hypocritical professor still under the authority of Satan; a blaspheming pagan; a treacherous apostate; or a true Christian whose own strength is too weak to perform the slightest good, then we are certainly self-deceived. And perhaps that’s why John wraps up this segment in v9 with his own commentary, reminding us of Jesus’ power to do the work assigned to Him by the Father – to lose none of those given to Him. How good is that news!

3. V10-11 – I love what Calvin says here: “Boldly and courageously, indeed, he incurs great risk on Christ’s account; but as he does not consider what his calling demands, and what God permits, his action is so far from deserving praise, that he is severely blamed by Christ. But let us learn that, in the person of Peter, Christ condemns every thing that men dare to attempt out of their own fancy. This doctrine is eminently worthy of attention; for nothing is more common than to defend, under the cloak of zeal, every thing that we do, as if it were of no importance whether God approved, or not, what men suppose to be right, whose prudence is nothing else than mere vanity… Warned by so striking an example, let us learn to keep our zeal within proper bounds; and as the wantonness of our flesh is always eager to attempt more than God commands, let us learn that our zeal will succeed ill, whenever we venture to undertake any thing contrary to the word of God. It will sometimes happen that the commencement gives us flattering promises, but we shall at length be punished for our rashness. Let obedience, therefore, be the foundation of all that we undertake. We are also reminded, that those who have resolved to plead the cause of Christ do not always conduct themselves so skilfully as not to commit some fault; and, therefore, we ought the more earnestly to entreat the Lord to guide us in every action by the spirit of prudence.”

   Jesus healed this man, as another Gospel declares, but the focus is on Jesus’ words to Peter. This is not the place to fight, for “he who strikes with the sword shall die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). The time has come for the Son of Man to be delivered over to His enemies for death. Nothing will stand in the way of that coming to pass, as it is the cup the Father has given Jesus to drink. See Isaiah 51, which notably comes right before chapters 52-53. Jesus is determined to die in this way.

4. V12-14 – Now, Jesus, who beforehand had slain these men with His word and now yields to their heinous will, is taken to Annas, the father-in-law to Caiaphas, the high priest. It is interesting to note that Annas was “the peoples’” high priest. Rome had come down and replaced him with Caiaphas, who was not overly popular with the people. There were also sons and relatives who had taken turns in the high priestly role, but in the minds and hearts of the people, Annas was still the authority in religious matters. Caiaphas was merely the Roman-appointed high priest. Thus Annas gets to see Jesus first, as this is a religious trial before it turns into a civil trial. And as we’ll see, the issue is one of truth. Jesus spoke the truth, and the Jews denied it, thinking they had a grasp on the truth that Jesus could not have obtained.

   And then, once again, we are reminded that, as wicked and ill-motivated as the actions of these men were, they were still carrying out God’s purpose; for this Caiaphas is the one who unwittingly prophesied that Jesus would give His life for the sins of the people (John 11:49-53). John sees the doctrine of substitution. John sees the very heart of the gospel itself; that it is necessary for one man to die in the place of you and me, and he sees it as we do, in a way that unbelievers cannot comprehend (1 Corinthians 2:14).

5. V15-18 – First here, the other disciple is often thought to be John himself, but John was a mere fisherman, not a man with political connections, so in all likelihood, this disciple is not one of the Twelve, but rather a more secret follower of Jesus (Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemus?). Anyway, that unnamed disciple realizes that Peter didn’t get in with him, so he goes back and gets the servant girl to let Peter in as well. And as Peter walks through the door, the girl asks him (why not the unnamed disciple?) the question that makes his heart drop. He was hoping to avoid trouble, but he wanted to see what happened to Jesus. Isn’t it interesting that as soon as Peter denies Jesus for the first time, John recalls that it was cold? And Peter tried to get warm, but his trial was just beginning. He would remain miserably cold for a time.

   If this had happened to a young believer, we, in our own away-from-the-battle-courage, might be able to understand it. But Peter had been a disciple of Jesus for 3 years; he had heard all the words that Jesus had preached and taught and words that aren’t even recorded in the Scriptures. He’d sat and listened to the Sermon on the Mount. Peter had seen Jesus perform mighty miracles – healing the sick, the blind, and the lame. He sees, on one occasion, where they break through the roof of the house and lower someone down for Jesus to heal. He’d seen a dead man come to life again after being dead for 3 or 4 days. He’d been taken up to a mountain with two other disciples, including John, and there he had seen things that we can’t imagine. These are Peter’s own words, “We were eye witnesses of His majesty.” He’d seen Jesus’ glory. And yet it happens. And we know, deep down, that it would happen to us if we went in unprepared.

6. V19-24 – The high priest questions Jesus in regard to His doctrinal teaching. The reality was that Jesus had said nothing that remained secretive or conspiring. Jesus spoke the same words to everyone – words of repentance and justice and mercy. Thus Jesus responds, claiming that His own defense is unnecessary and that a better testimony, for the purposes of this mock trial, would come from those who heard Him teach. And then we read that a nearby official, apparently disgusted with Jesus’ reply, struck Him in the face. This event, notably with no recorded rebuke from the high priest, shows how brutishly the trial was conducted.

   Jesus responds appropriately to being struck by claiming innocence and demanding evidence against Him. No one is able to testify of any evil that Jesus has done, even though all people know the words He has said and the works He has performed, for He has taught openly, and has not changed any of His doctrine from the beginning of His public ministry until now. But without any legitimate reason, and, no doubt, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Psalm 69:4, “They hated Me without a cause,” the court dealt an unwarranted blow to an uncondemned Man (a similar thing happened to Paul). Then, having previously (note the verb tense) sent Him to Caiaphas, the assembly now sends Him to Pilate (John 18:28-40; 19:1-16), the Roman Proconsul, so that they can gain for Him the death sentence. A cursory reading of the synoptic gospels reveals a multitude of further ways in which Jesus’ trial was against the law and certainly against justice – but so it had to be, for, if He would be a spotless Lamb and a satisfactory sacrifice, there must be no cause of death found in Him; rather, every cause for His death should be sought in us sinners, even as every cause of our life is found in this unjustly condemned man alone!

7. V25-27 – The synoptic gospels record Peter’s denials getting more and more harsh each time, even leading to his swearing that he didn’t know Jesus. John doesn’t go there, but it’s appropriate to see how that downward spiral or slippery slope comes on quickly and is hard to avoid after that first slip.

   Peter lost his joy and fellowship with the Lord. He wasn’t cast out nor did he cease to be a child of God, but he lost the victory of discipleship. And more than that, I think Peter thought that his Christian life was over. You don’t hear anymore of Peter for awhile. The next time you see Peter he’s back up in Galilee. And what is he doing? He’s fishing. All night he’s fishing and catches nothing. As though Peter is saying, “I’ve miserably failed as a disciple, and I’m going back to do something I know something about.” And God doesn’t even give him one solitary fish, because He’s not done with teaching Peter this lesson—because there’s no way back. Notice three things:

   First, Peter fell even though he had been warned beforehand. It is one thing to fall, but it’s another to fall when you’ve been told beforehand that it is going to happen. And not that it’s going to happen three years from now and you’ve forgotten about it; it’s going to happen that night. That’s the wickedness of our hearts; that’s the measure of our unbelief. Second, notice how far Christians can fall. Christians are capable of committing the most heinous of sins. I’m not trying to make light of Christian profession. I’m not advocating an easy-believism, but Noah can be drunk and David can commit adultery, and Peter can deny his Lord three times within Jesus’ hearing, and, according to Luke, within Jesus’ sight. And there go I, but for the grace of God. And thirdly, notice the difference between Judas and Peter. There is no difference. There will come a difference, but it’s not recorded here. At this point, there is no difference between what Judas did and what Peter did. Do you see what John is saying? He’s saying that the assurance of our salvation does not lie in our sin; it lies in our repentance. Although we are capable of committing the most heinous of sins – and God, for His own purpose, allows us to fall into those sins – the assurance of our salvation lies in repentance. Every morning when Peter awoke and heard the rooster crow, it would remind him of the grace of God and the love of Jesus and the unrelenting determination of God not to lose any of His own.

   In the midst of this unjust trial and undeserved shame and mockery, Jesus is likewise dealt the bitter blow of denial from His own beloved disciple, one of those for whom He was suffering this reproach. Oh, how deep is Jesus’ love! Knowing how we would turn our backs on Him, in our weakness, even after having known the depths of His love and free favor, He was still resolute to die in our place. When we denied Him, He still loved us, and gave Himself for us – for we too, just as Peter, have at times trusted in our own strength and turned our back on our Lord. But Jesus, unchanging forever, loves us nonetheless, but rather hastens to restore us and bring us back to Him. How faithful is our Great Shepherd, and how safe in His care may we foolish sheep rest!

Jesus Before Pilate

²⁸Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. ²⁹So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
³⁰"If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
³¹Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law."
³²"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.
³³Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
³⁴"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"
³⁵"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?"
³⁶Jesus 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."
³⁷"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."
³⁸"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. ³⁹But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"
⁴⁰They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.

This portion of John’s gospel reads, as the word R-A-C-E-C-A-R, like a palindrome: (R) Pilate has opportunity to execute Jesus, (A) Pilate interrogates Jesus, (C) Pilate defends Jesus, (E) Jesus is abused, (C) Pilate defends Jesus, (A) Pilate interrogates Jesus, (R) Pilate has opportunity to execute Jesus.

1. V28-32 - Jesus had been tried before Annas and Caiaphas, and now He is taken to Pontius Pilate, who alone had the authority in this region to have a criminal executed. This is early in the morning on Good Friday. Jesus and His disciples had eaten the Passover meal the previous night, but Jewish leaders had yet to eat the meal. They would plan to eat their meal prior to the beginning of the Sabbath, which occurred Friday evening. Tradition allowed for the Passover meal to be celebrated anytime during the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Roman Palace, called the Praetorium, was a Gentile place of ceremonial uncleanliness, so the leaders refused to enter, thinking they were being pleasing to God – but they had no problem subjecting a fellow Jew, Jesus, to this unclean place, which was truly cleaner than their bodies and souls by far.

   Pilate asked the reason for their early morning visit, and they had no real crime against Jesus. Yet they show their own pride or arrogance in judgment of Pilate by claiming that the crime of Jesus need not be revealed, for surely they always do what is just and right. Shame on Pilate for failing to realize that! Offended by their comment, Pilate offends them by telling them to judge Jesus under their own religious laws; he mocks the laws of God, since they consider them to be superior to Roman law. And since they did not have the right to execute criminals under Roman law, they appealed to Pilate by demanding that he do his job; thus he would have to hear the case. John tells his audience, as He often points out throughout his gospel, that the events described, in this case, this entire exchange, happened according to God’s will, here that Jesus would be crucified according to the Scriptures (Matthew 20:19). How ironic that the infallible Judge of all humanity is here subjected to a wicked and unjust human judge!

2. V33-38 - Pilate takes the matter seriously and asks Jesus privately if He is the King of the Jews. Perhaps he heard rumors from the crowds; perhaps he took this cue from what the religious leaders had told him. But he thinks it’s silly, and desiring to acquit Jesus, he is sure that Jesus will deny guilt in the matter. But Jesus, knowing the Father’s will, provokes Pilate by questioning him in return. Angered, Pilate essentially tells Jesus that He can escape this madness by answering the simple question, “What have You done?” And Jesus responds by explaining His innocence in light of His spiritual, or heavenly, kingdom. In other words, Pilate has no jurisdiction in the matter of spiritual truth. This perks Pilate’s interest; now he thinks he’s dealing with a madman – someone who proclaims to be king of an imaginary kingdom. So he plays along, exclaiming that Jesus is a king.

   Jesus also implies in this dialogue that earthly kingdoms are to be defended by fighting. What do you think? Certainly, Christians are never to engage in physical combat in defending the Kingdom of God. We saw that example with Jesus’ response to Peter after he cut off the ear of one of the soldiers as Jesus was arrested. Calvin said, “The blood of martyrs strengthens the Kingdom of God more than the aid of arms.”

   Jesus responds by declaring that Pilate is correct to understand that He is a king. And then Jesus adds that He speaks the truth. In fact, Jesus can do nothing but speak the truth. He is the truth. Jesus proclaims that everyone on the side of truth listens to Him. And Pilate asks the famous question, “What is truth?” Some suggest that Pilate is genuinely curious, but more likely, he is offended that a Man put on trial by the Jews would dare to proclaim that everything He says is the truth. Pilate refuses to engage any further, as he might be inclined to change his mind about the verdict. Thus, Pilate cuts short the conversation and returns to the Jewish leadership to declare Jesus not guilty. There is no crime against Him. Calvin adds here, on a side note, “The principal articles of theology are: the curse pronounced on the human race, the corruption of nature, the mortification of the flesh, the renewal of the life, the reconciliation effected by free grace through the only sacrifice, the imputation of righteousness, by means of which a sinner is accepted by God, and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. These, being paradoxes, are disdainfully rejected by the ordinary understanding of men. Few, therefore, make progress in the school of God, because we scarcely find one person in ten who attends to the first and elementary instructions.”

   Having questioned Jesus, Pilate, despite some confusion on the truth, finds no fault in Him and certainly no cause for death. Jesus is no threat to Rome’s earthly kingdom, at this time – in fact, He is the one that gave to Caesar, and by extension to Pilate, political authority in the first place, as we will read later (John 19:11). Jesus is indeed a king – the King – but His present ministry is to testify to the truth, and His kingdom, although powerfully at work in changing the hearts and lives of men, is not a kingdom with a political presence in this world. And Pilate, although apparently blinded to the truth, at least recognizes that there is no cause for Jesus to be punished, as He has been delivered up merely because of the envy of the Jewish leaders (Matthew 27:18).

   So once again, Jesus is clearly determined to be faultless, and is condemned for no wrong of His own, but rather, according to the justice of God, for our wrongs which were upon Him. How ironic it is to note, in passing, that the Jews who were carrying out the most evil action in all of history attempted to do it in such a way as not to be defiled. How deceptive is false religion! Men who are deeply wicked may soothe their consciences with the meaningless and impotent observances of an outward form of religion; but when they deny its true power, and pour forth from their evil hearts only wickedness and shame, their religion is shown to be worthless indeed (2 Timothy 3:5). How many of us can love the world more than Jesus in every way, throughout every day of our lives, and think that we will be accepted before God because of such outwardly religious actions as regular church attendance, or a childhood profession of faith which never grew up into a vibrant love for Christ? If we are so blind, then how are we any different from these foolish priests?

3. V39-40 - As we prepare to enter chapter 19, Jesus is now finally condemned. The Jewish leaders who hate Him because He is from God condemn Him; and a weak and timid Roman ruler, who fears a riot among the people, condemns Him with his actions after acquitting Him with his mouth. Initially, Pilate tries in various ways to avoid this unjust condemnation of a righteous Man: first, he attempts to release Him according to the yearly custom, but the people demand instead that a murderous insurrectionist be released; and so we see, once again, that God uses the wicked actions of all the people involved to display His true intent – for in this act, the chief of sinners (Barabbas, which means “Son of the Father”) is freed from condemnation because Jesus, the Son of the Father, has taken his place. What a beautiful picture of how Christ was delivered up to death so that we, who deserve His punishment, might be released!

   If we could have asked Barabbas the next day, the next week, the next month, in the streets in Jerusalem, “Why, Barabbas, are you alive?” the only answer he could have given was that Jesus had died in his place. That’s the only answer. “Jesus died in my place.” It’s like an acted out parable. John gives us the gospel in this interlude. Do you see it? Furthermore, this custom of the Jews to have a prisoner released is a clear crime (Proverbs 17:15). Calvin says, “Nothing is more ridiculous, than to attempt to serve God by our inventions; for, as soon as men begin to follow their own imaginations, there will be no end till, by falling into some of the most absurd fooleries, they openly insult God. The rule for the worship of God, therefore, ought to be taken from nothing else than from his own appointment.”

Footnotes

1. 18:9 John 6:39
2. 18:24 Or (Now Annas had sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.)

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Bible text from Gospelcom.net.  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

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