18 1When Jesus finished praying, he left with his followers and went across the Kidron Valley. He went into a garden there, his followers still with him.2Judas, the one responsible for handing Jesus over, knew where this place was. He knew because Jesus often met there with his followers. 3So Judas led a group of soldiers to the garden, along with some guards from the leading priests and the Phariseesa. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons. 4Jesus already knew everything that would happen to him. So he went out and asked them, "Who are you looking for?" 5They answered, "Jesus from Nazareth." He said, "I am Jesus."b (Judas, the one responsible for handing Jesus over, was standing there with them.) 6When Jesus said, "I am Jesus," the men moved back and fell to the ground. 7He asked them again, "Who are you looking for?" They said, "Jesus from Nazareth." 8Jesus said, "I told you that I am Jesus. So if you are looking for me, let these other men go free." 9This was to show the truth of what Jesus said earlier: "I have not lost anyone you gave me." 10Simon Peter had a sword, which he pulled out. He struck the servant of the high priestc and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back in its place! I must drink from the cupd the Father has given me." Peter answered, "No, I am not!" 18It was cold, so the servants and guards had built a fire. They were standing around it, warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them. 22When Jesus said this, one of the guards standing there hit him. The guard said, "You should not talk to the high priest like that!" 23Jesus answered, "If I said something wrong, tell everyone here what was wrong. But if what I said is right, then why do you hit me?" 24So Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas the high priest. He was still tied. Peter denied it. He said, "No, I am not." 26One of the servants of the high priestc was there. He was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. The servant said, "I think I saw you with him in the garden!" 27But again Peter said, "No, I was not with him!" As soon as he said this, a rooster crowed. 30They answered, "He is a bad man. That is why we brought him to you." 31Pilate said to them, "You take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jewish leaders answered, "But your law does not allow us to punish anyone by killing them." 32(This was to show the truth of what Jesus said about how he would die.) 33Then Pilate went back inside the palace. He called for Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" 34Jesus said, "Is that your own question, or did other people tell you about me?" 35Pilate said, "I'm not a Jew! It was your own people and their leading priests who brought you before me. What have you done wrong?" 36Jesus said, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it did, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jewish leaders. No, my kingdom is not an earthly one." 37Pilate said, "So you are a king." Jesus answered, "You are right to say that I am a king. I was born for this: to tell people about the truth. That is why I came into the world. And everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me." 38Pilate said, "What is truth?" Then he went out to the Jewish leaders again and said to them, "I can find nothing against this man. 39But it is one of your customs for me to free one prisoner to you at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to free this 'king of the Jews'?" 40They shouted back, "No, not him! Let Barabbas go free!" (Barabbas was a rebel.) aPharisee A person who belonged to a Jewish religious group that claimed to follow carefully all Jewish laws and customs. b18:5 ¡°I am Jesus¡± Literally, ¡°I am,¡± which could have the same meaning here that it has in 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19. Also in verse 8. chigh priest The most important priest and leader of the Israelites or the Jews, God¡¯s people under the ¡°old agreement.¡± Under the ¡°new agreement¡± the high priest for God¡¯s people is Jesus Christ. Read Heb. 7:11-8:13. d18:11 cup A symbol of suffering. Jesus used the idea of drinking from a cup to mean accepting the suffering he would face in the terrible events that were soon to come. esynagogue A place in many cities where Jews gathered for prayer, study of the Scriptures, and other public meetings. fTemple The permanent building in Jerusalem that replaced the portable ¡°Holy Tent¡± that was used by the Israelites from the time of their wandering in the desert to the reign of King Solomon, when the first Temple was built. Like the Holy Tent, the Temple was the center of Israelite worship, although provision was made for it to be ¡°a house of prayer for all nations¡± (Isa. 56:7). g18:28 unclean Going into a non-Jewish place would ruin the special cleansing the Jews did to make themselves fit for worship. See Jn. 11:55. hPassover A very important holy day for the people of Israel and their descendants. They ate a special meal on this day every year to remember that God made them free from slavery in Egypt in the time of Moses. The name may come from the word in Ex. 12:13, 23, 27 that means ¡°to pass over¡± or ¡°to protect.¡± iPilate, Pontius The Roman governor of Judea, 26-36 a.d. Read Lk. 23:1-3. |