John 18

Jesus went to the garden with His disciples, and Judas came with a detachment of troops and officers. And Jesus, knowing why they came asked whom they sought, and they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said, "I am He." 

Twice He told them, and then He told them to let His disciples be, that it may be fulfilled that He lost none of them. (Jesus knows we are weak and without His protection, many of us would flee our faith.)

Here is where Peter struck the high priest's servant with a sword and cut off his ear, but Jesus told him to put it away and, "Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given to Me?"

Thence the troops and officers arrested Jesus and bound Him and took Him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest. Peter and another disciple (John) followed to where they took Jesus, and it was here that someone noticed Peter and confronted him for being a follower of Jesus; but he denied her, this being the first denial. And here it happened a second time, when the other disciple let Peter into the courtyard where Jesus was, but Peter denied knowing Jesus for the second time.

Meanwhile, Annas questioned Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. Jesus said He spoke openly and in public where the Jews always met; He rebuked Annas and told him to ask the Jews who heard and saw everything. That is why the officer then struck Jesus, knowing He knew the law that required witnesses during an interrogation. (See how they tried to work around the law?)

Jesus answered the officer who stuck Him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike me?"

Next, Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas. And this is when Peter denied knowing Jesus a third time after a relative of the servant (whose ear Peter cut off) confronted him. Immediately, a rooster crowed.

Caiaphas brought Jesus to Pilate, who asked what accusation they brought against Jesus. They called Jesus an evildoer. Pilate wanted them to judge Jesus according to their own law, but they reminded him that it was not lawful for them to put anyone to death (since Rome had taken jurisdiction of Judea).

Therefore, Pilate questioned Jesus and asked Him if He was the King of the Jews. Jesus asked Pilate if he asked for himself or the Jews? And Pilate got snarky and asked, "Am I a Jew?" Then Pilate asked Jesus to defend Himself. And Jesus replied,

My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now my Kingdom is not from here.

Pilate asked again, "Are you a king then?" And Jesus replied, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." 

Obviously, Pilate was not of the elect because not only did he not hear the truth, but he did not know truth, and asked, "What is truth?" Obviously, he was a progressive type who understood truth as whatever you want it to be. (There is nothing new under the sun.)

Finally, Pilate told the Jews that he found no fault in Jesus. But the Jews had a custom that Rome release one prisoner at Passover. Sarcastically, would they like him to release their "King of the Jews?" But they cried out again, "Not this Man, but Barabbas (the robber)!"

COMMENTARY

The Gospel of John emphasizes the deity of the Lord Jesus and His glory. John does not include His agony, praying in the garden.

When the officials arrived, Jesus could have made Himself disappear; but He does not resist arrest, "...as a sheep before her shearers is dumb..." (Isa 53:7).

The officials called Him "Jesus of Nazareth" because they refused to acknowledge who He truly was. But Jesus is the name above every name, and one day ALL will will bow the knee to Him. 

There was a part that was a bit confusing. First, Jesus asked whom they were looking for, and they said Jesus of Nazareth. He replied, "I am He." Suddenly, "they went backward, and fell to the ground." The men who asked for Jesus fell backward. Why? According to McGee, he believed Jesus revealed His deity to the men, including Judas who stood with them. By revealing His deity, they fell in fear and for a moment there was confusion. McGee included verses that would support this idea: Ps 27:1-2; Ps 35:4; Ps 40:14.

Another question: why was Peter not arrested for striking the servant with his sword? Because Jesus was in charge, and He asked that His disciples be let alone. 

Keep in mind that Jesus is willingly going to His death. He prepared to drink the cup of God's judgment for us. That means that if you reject Christ, then you are essentially going to have to drink that cup of judgment on your own. 

Now, back to the arrest: it was the religious rulers who plotted this night. Annas was the powerful high priest, but Caiaphas was the high priest that the Roman government acknowledged. While Jesus was before Annas, this was where Peter denied being a follower of Jesus, which Jesus told him he would. What makes Peter's denial different from Judas is that Peter felt grief and shame in his heart; Judas did not. Peter was a genuine believer; Judas was not. 

Finally, Jesus was brought to Pilate. Pilate knew this was a phony trial and that Jesus was an innocent man. He sought to "wash his hands" of the matter; but he lacked courage and did not want to upset the Jews and lose his position within the Roman government. 

Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world, and this is true today. The church cannot build the Kingdom on earth either. Christ is calling His people out of the world - "gathering out a people for His name" (Acts 15:14). Christ will establish His kingdom in His time.