JOHN 18
OPENS WITH JESUS' BETRAYAL IN THE GARDEN AND HIS ARREST AND TRIAL
ONCE AGAIN, JOHN MACARTHUR’S INTRODUCTION TO JOHN 18 IS POWERFUL. “The eighteenth chapter of the Gospel of John is one of the really thrilling chapters of the Bible because it is an historical narrative that reveals in depth the excellencies of Jesus Christ in a way that few others, if any, do. It is rich, powerful, and insightful. Beginning with chapter 18 are the FINAL events of the life of Jesus Christ. This is the climax. What has been doctrinal in chapters 13 to 17, is historic in chapters 18 to 21. We are about to enter into the historic narrative of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the CLIMAX of His life.
Jesus Christ was born to die. It greatly concerns me that the "Jesus movements" of today are based on human principles and not on divine principles. Many of these movements say that Jesus was a wonderful person who, through one or another series of circumstances, got Himself crucified. This is the idea that the movie Jesus Christ Superstar and the book The Passover Plot advocate. This is the kind of thing constantly parroted by critics and liberals alike. But the Word of God clearly tells us that Jesus Christ was NEVER trapped, tricked, or surprised -- He was NEVER a victim. He went to the cross of His OWN design and His OWN will because He was born for that express purpose.
Jesus Christ came into the world to die. That was the purpose for which He was born.
As we begin John 18, we come to the climax -- the ascent to the cross. If you are a Christian, this is YOUR moment. For every Old Testament and New Testament saint, the cross is the pinnacle -- the PEAK of history. Every redeemed man looks to this peak for his salvation.
In the life of any man, there could be no more debasing, shaming situation than to be arrested as a common criminal, to be betrayed by a friend, to be marched off, to be beaten, and then to be crucified. But we know that even though this is the account of the betrayal and the arrest of Jesus, John will give conclusive evidence that Jesus is God because this is HIS purpose. And guess what we discover as we begin to study the eighteenth chapter?
What should be shame, what should be a pathetic, degrading, humiliating, brutal kind of narrative turns out to be an unequaled presentation of the MAJESTY of Jesus Christ.
There are FOUR preeminent features in John 18:1-11 that show us the supremacy of Christ. What could be a humiliating thing, as He is arrested as a common criminal, turns out to be glory.
The FOUR features that I want you to see are:
1. His Supreme Courage.
2. His Supreme Power.
3. His Supreme Love.
4. His Supreme Obedience.
The wretchedness, injustice, and hellishness of Satan's plot to kill Jesus begins to unfold in chapter 18. But instead of Christ being degraded as the devil intended, we will see Him exalted to the highest heavens. We will see His unbounded magnificence burst open in a series of tremendous truths concerning His incomparable person.
HIS SUPREME COURAGE
His courage is seen in His determination to go to the cross. It is a very courageous thing when a man is willing to die for a cause -- to be martyred for a truth that will not be rejected by people. That is noble. But to purpose in His mind to go to a cross knowing it means that all His purity and sinlessness will be violated, that He will bear the sin of every man who ever lived, and that He will be abandoned by the God with whom He has been face to face throughout all eternity, that kind of courage is infinite and supreme beyond anything a mere human being could accomplish. As Jesus sets His face to go to the cross, He is undaunted, and without hesitation He moves directly in that direction. He is not trapped, He is not tricked, and He is not surprised; He purposes to do this because He has to die for those who will receive and believe Him. So we see infinite courage -- not a cowering Christ, not a hiding Christ, not a running Christ, but One who sets Himself to die.
Verse 1 tells us Jesus enters the garden.
“When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.”
Over the Brook Kidron...
When Jesus went from the city of Jerusalem, and crossed the Brook Kidron, the brook was red from the blood of thousands of Passover lambs. This would have been a vivid reminder to Jesus of His soon sacrifice.
There was a garden...
The last time there was a battle like this in a garden, it was the garden of Eden. Jesus enters this garden as a second Adam, ready to do battle with Satan. The first Adam waited for Satan to come to him, but this Adam takes the initiative.
DID YOU KNOW...
It had been Jesus' custom throughout the years of His ministry to spend His evenings on the Mount of Olives in this Garden. The gardens on the Mount of Olives belonged to the rich people of the city because the dwellings in the city were situated very close together -- there wasn't any room for gardens. Evidently, Jesus had known an individual who perhaps had given Him the key to the gate of this Garden. So, He retired frequently at the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. John 7:53-8:1 says, "And every man went unto his own house. Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives." This was HOME to Jesus -- where He could be alone with the Father and rest from the trials and the conflicts of the people. And on this occasion He again went to the Mount of Olives and gathered His disciples and took them with Him.
DID YOU KNOW...
As Jesus was leaving Jerusalem on this night, it was Passover season. And at the Passover season, thousands of pilgrims would move into the city from all over the land. So Jerusalem was bulging with people. And they were all there to offer sacrifices in the Temple. Lambs were being slain incessantly during those days. In fact, thirty years after Christ, historians tell us that there were 256 thousand lambs slain at the Passover in Jerusalem. You can imagine the mess that slaughtering that many lambs on one altar in the Temple would create -- blood running everywhere.
Well, the Jews had provided for this problem. They had built a channel which ran from the Temple ground, which sat immediately above the valley of Kidron, down into the brook Kidron. All of the blood would run down this channel into the brook. Undoubtedly, as Jesus was leaving the city of Jerusalem on that last night, He stepped across the brook and saw that brook red with the blood of all the lambs that were being slain for the sins of the people. His own coming sacrifice must have become very vivid in His mind.
So, Jesus continued up the other side of the valley and came to the little Garden called Gethsemane (meaning "oil press"). Since it was the Mount of Olives, one would expect to find an olive press there, and there was -- a wooden olive press.
Jesus and His disciples gathered to this place where they had been many times before, Judas also knew where they were gathered. But Jesus knew that Judas knew this, and Jesus knew that Judas knew He would go there because He had gone there EVERY night for the last few nights. It was His place of prayer and retirement. So, as Jesus entered the Garden with His disciples, Judas has already betrayed Him and is gathering the force to confront Him.
TWO TYPES/KINDS OF PROPHECY:
There are two kinds of prophecy in the Old Testament: Verbal predictive prophecy and typical prophecy. An example of verbal predictive prophecy is Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given...." This verse gives a detailed verbal prophecy of Christ's coming. Typical predictive prophecy is a prophecy in types. In other words, every Old Testament sacrifice was a picture of Jesus Christ -- a prophecy that a final sacrifice would come. That is typical prophecy.
There are some men in the Old Testament who are TYPES of Christ (i.e., by their very life they typified Christ). One such man was David, which we have already studied in 1 & 2 Samuel. REMEMBER In 2 Samuel 15:12-14, David was betrayed by his own friend Ahithophel, and David had to escape. When David escaped, he went out of the gate in Jerusalem, down the slope, across the Kidron, and up to the Mount of Olives with his faithful followers (vv. 23, 30). Ahithophel and David in this incident become a perfect picture in the Old Testament of what was to come when the true Christ -- the real King, David's greater Son -- arrived. So, Jesus Christ fulfills the typical Old Testament prophecy seen in the incident involving David and Ahithophel. And Judas becomes one even more treacherous than Ahithophel.
THINK ABOUT THIS:
The main reason Jesus went AGAIN TO THE GARDEN was to make it easy for Judas and the soldiers to arrest Him. He mapped out this scene before the world began. The Old Testament details what Judas was going to do not only in the typical prophecy of Ahithophel's situation, but in very accurate verbal prophecy (e.g., Ps. 41:9; 55:12-14). Zechariah 11:13 even prophesies the fact that the chief priests would use the thirty pieces of silver to buy the potter's field. Jesus went to that Garden because He was FORCING the confrontation that would result in His death.
ALSO...
1. If Jesus had allowed Himself to be arrested in the middle of Jerusalem, there would have been an insurrection and a revolution that would have torn apart the city and perhaps might have ended in the killing of the disciples, because Jesus was popular. Jesus wanted to make it easy.
2. Jesus also wanted to prove to the disciples that He was NOT a victim. He could have gone by Himself to the Garden, had the disciples stay in Jerusalem, and by word of mouth they could have heard Jesus had been captured. But their faith would have gone down the drain and they would have seen Him as a victim. So Jesus says, "Come with Me. You are going to see how it really is." So He gathers them together and takes them with Him to the Garden of Gethsemane so that in the quiet and solitude of that place the arrest can occur without any disturbance and revolution. As a result, the disciples can stand there in that calmer atmosphere and watch what happens and see that Jesus is NO victim, but a victor. In addition, they can also be protected by Jesus.
3. The leaders of Israel had wanted to get Jesus many times, but they FEARED the people. Jesus, by going to the Garden, eliminated the problem of their fear and made it very easy to arrest Him. And He took His eleven along just so they would see that it was a voluntary surrender.
Verses 2-6 tells us An arresting army confronts Jesus.
“And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples. Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth. " Jesus said to them, "I am He. " And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground.”
A detachment of troops...
DID YOU KNOW...
Judas went to the chief priests and Pharisees, worked out his deal, and they in turn brought the police and the Romans into the picture. So here comes the mob -- Jewish leaders, Gentile soldiers, and Jewish Temple police. Now, you wonder how many there were altogether. It's hard to know exactly, but we do have an idea.
The Roman Cohort...
The Greek word speira referred to a Roman cohort, which contained a MINIMUM of SIX HUNDRED men. There are some historians who feel that as many as twelve hundred could be in a cohort, yet a detachment from a cohort might have been as small as TWO hundred men. But let's assume that there were six hundred Roman soldiers. They all came from Fort Antonia, which was butted right up against the Temple ground. And they were professional soldiers -- like none other in the world.
The Temple Police
In addition to the Roman cohort, there was a large group of the Temple police, perhaps ONE OR TWO hundred.
In addition, there were the chief priests and the Pharisees. They ALL came after Christ with Judas out front. What a compliment that was to Jesus when they had to send that MANY to pick up one Galilean carpenter and His friends. Now, they were also aware of the popularity of Jesus, and I'm sure that the Jewish leaders wanted these forces to be sure that if they were attacked, they would be able to defend themselves.
Then there was their Equipment...
"...cometh there with lanterns and torches and weapons."
Historians tell us that at that time of the month, there was a full moon. Jerusalem would have been brilliantly lit up by that full moon and they would have had NO need for the torches and the lanterns to see their way up the Mount of Olives. Historians say that this indicates that they evidently felt they would have to search for Jesus who would be hiding somewhere in the nooks and crannies of the hillside. So, they came with torches to search for the Light of the world and with swords to fight the Prince of peace. What an insult! What a cruel misinterpretation of who He was! And Judas was leading the mob. What a vile, sick, tragic, sinful person he was!
In recent years, people have said, "Well, Judas was REALLY a good guy. He just made a mistake in trying to force Christ into setting up the Kingdom and freeing them from Roman slavery & rule. He was trying to do a good thing, but he was just misguided."
THAT IS A LIE.
The Bible says that Satan entered into him (John 13:27). Jesus said, "...Good were it for that man if he had never been born" (Mark 14:21b). He was vile, he was the lowest of the low, he was a hypocrite beyond the bounds of hypocrisy.
As Judas approaches Jesus leading this huge mob, he feels secure. After all, he didn't believe that Jesus was God. And when Judas arrives in the Garden, the Bible tells us in the other Gospels that Judas went up to Jesus and (according to the Greek construction) kissed Him REPEATEDLY (Matthew 26:49; Mark 14:45; Luke 22:47-48).
Now, you can fathom a betrayer pointing out the victim, and you might be able to conceive that he might quickly give the victim a kiss and then take off, but to believe that he would linger and repeatedly kiss Jesus Christ and remain is absolutely inconceivable. There is no way that you could conceive of a man being that debased and unfeeling to do something like that...but he does. All he had to do was point to Jesus, but not Judas. The same spirit of mental confusion and sin and the same kind of possessive control by Satan that made him a traitor, also added to this devilish refinement of a kiss. And this is an unheard-of combination. In all of history you will never find a disciple's kiss coupled with a traitor's sign. It does NOT exist. This combination occurs to forever make Judas alone stand out as the black spot on humanity.
DID YOU KNOW...
Judas's cunning mind degenerated into brutal stupidity. Inferiors kiss the foot or the hand. Servants, slaves, and suppliants asking for pardon kiss the foot and worshipers kiss the hem of a garment. But familiarity is revealed when someone kisses the face of another. It reveals the warmth of love and affection. So, Judas's evil is intensified by the kiss. His feigned innocence was a weak attempt to conceal the reality of what he was, and possibly to let Jesus think that he had just gone out of the upper room for a little while and now was back with them again. It is bad enough to betray a friend; it is even worse to sell Jesus Christ. But the most foolish thing in the world is to think you can kiss God in mockery and get away with it.
The saddest part of Jesus' betrayal is not that He endured only one Judas kiss, but He has endured a million since then. People who exalt Him to the skies with their public lips, but WILL NOT live for Him in their hearts or lives. People who talk about all of His greatness NEVER receive Him as their Savior. What is that but a Judas kiss -- polluting the Son of Man's face today as Judas did two thousand years ago.
"Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth..."
John WILL NOT let an opportunity go by that shows us that Jesus is God. He is omniscient -- He knows everything. He knew exactly what was going to happen, and He did NOT wait for His enemies to get Him. He was NOT hiding behind an olive tree; he went out the gate and met them when they were on their way in. Christ was so humble and so willing in His self-sacrifice. Jesus initiated the confrontation, not Judas. Judas did NOT even have an opportunity to open his mouth.
Jesus went out of the gate to meet them as they were coming to get Him. In His omniscience, He had seen Judas make his deal, He had seen them all leave Jerusalem, go down the hill, and then up the Mount of Olives. Then He walked right out and met them. This is the majestic courage of Jesus Christ. What magnificent boldness He displayed in going to the cross for us!
Whom are you seeking …
They answered Him, Jesus, of Nazareth...."
They are just simply parroting their orders. They have NO recognition of Him as Christ, or Messiah, or God. They just give His name and where He's from in order to identify Him. They only know that they have been commissioned to GET Jesus of Nazareth.
Now when He said to them, "I am He,".
DID YOU KNOW...The "He" isn't present in the Greek. So Jesus just says, "I am." Whose name is that? It is God's name.
"...And Judas also, who betrayed Him, stood with them."
Why is Judas still there?
He has his money, why doesn't he just go? I think he is still there for TWO reasons:
1) Revealing Satan's Rule: Judas remains in order to show what happens when Satan rules an individual. The activity of sin is senseless, incoherent, and stupid.
2) Revealing Judas's Reversal: Jesus wanted us TO KNOW that Judas was there because Judas was in on this arrest. Judas was also part of the plan, and he had NO power over Jesus. There might be a tendency to think Judas was a big hero because he marched in with the army to capture Christ. But Jesus wants us all to know that Judas is just a part of the plan, standing there with the soldiers.
So we have seen the supreme courage of Christ. In a moment that Jesus could have been debased, He is revealed as having majestic courage. He is determined to go to the cross, so He goes right out and meets His foe.
“They drew back and fell to the ground...”
Jesus wanted us to know Judas was there to show that Judas had no power. All Jesus had to do was say His name and they all went down. The other Gospels dwell on Jesus' agony -- on His knees on the ground in anguish. But NOT in John's Gospel. Jesus is standing and the whole Roman army is on the ground.
The disciples saw that Jesus had power over them. He wanted them to know, He wanted us to know, He wanted Judas to know, the whole Roman army to know, and all the Jews to know that HE WAS IN CONTROL. He was laying His life down; nobody was taking it away from Him. He just said, "I am," and a thousand people went down.
Now, one Bible commentator said, "Well, evidently someone fell in the front and everyone else lost their balance." That is a typical line of reasoning. Jesus said, "I am," and the entire group went down. Now, they were soldiers. They weren't stupid, standing one inch behind each other. They were in some kind of formation. They knew what they were doing. They fell down because of THE POWER of His word. All He had to do was say His name, the name of God, and they collapsed on the spot.
There He was, a single, unarmed, lonely figure, and they were an army, equipped and manned for war, and He simply spoke His name and they collapsed. There flowed from Jesus such commanding power and authority that they could not even stand up in His presence.
This was another sign recorded by John to show us that Jesus Christ was NO victim; He was the majestic victor in control of everything. And I think He revealed His power most of all for the delight and faith of the disciples, who would see that He was NOT a victim.
When Jesus declares who He is (I Am), the soldiers fall back. While it is impressive, it is still a pretty humble display of Jesus' power - after all He could have destroyed them all with fire from heaven. He could have destroyed them to dust with a word. Jesus often shows His majesty in ways that speak of humility.
AND THINK ABOUT THIS...Revelation. 19:15a tells us it is the word of God that is powerful; it is the word of God that will judge and condemn men; and it is the word of God that is incisive. So the Bible says He will judge by the word out of His mouth. And this army, this mob, these priests, tasted just a sample of His judgment power and they fell helpless at His feet.
Verses 7-11 tells us Jesus WILLINGLY goes with the arresting army.
Then He asked them again, "Whom are you seeking?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth. " Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way," that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none. " Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?"
They have just picked themselves up off the ground and they say, "Jesus, of Nazareth" again, like nothing ever happened. Unbelievable is the stupidity and the blindness of sin!
DO YOU NOTICE...The Bible does NOT even indicate that anything entered their minds about what Jesus had done. Perhaps they thought that someone fell in front. Even the Jews make NO comment about the fact that He named the name of God when He said, "I am." The stupidity of sin is unbelievable!
BUT ARE WE ANY BETTER THAN THEY?
Look at our life. How many times did Jesus knock US down and still WE did NOT believe? Now, as a Christian, how many times have we been belted to the ground because of sin, and picked ourself up and done the same thing again?
The same thing goes on today. People come to church, hear the Word of God, walk out, and forget it. They might go through trauma, tragedy, and disasters in their lives, but when those are over, they still have the same unbelief they had before.
So, the cohort parrots their orders: "Jesus, of Nazareth." And Jesus wants them to state their orders emphatically. Why do you think He asked them TWICE?
The JEWISH PRIESTS AND LEADERS would have loved to have gotten their hands on ALL of the disciples, so Jesus makes the MILITARY cohort repeat their orders twice so that from their own mouths they state that they have NO RIGHT right to the disciples. This was His master plan. In order to make sure of the disciples' safety, He had them repeat their orders twice that they were after Him alone and had no business with the disciples. So Jesus PROTECTS His own.
“Let these go their way...”
This is a SUCH A LOVING, PROTECTIVE AND powerful scene. The enemy is on one side, the disciples are on the other side, and Christ is in the middle. Jesus Christ is NOT the kind of shepherd who rescues the lamb when it is half eaten by the wolf. He is the kind of shepherd who gets IN FRONT to meet the wolves before they attack the flock. In John 10:12, He talked about the true shepherd MEETS the wolves.
Take Me, let these go....is ALSO the same sacrificial love that takes Jesus to the cross for us all. In bearing our judgment for sin, He said the same thing to the Father's justice.
"Then Simon Peter, having a sword [Gk. machaira = dagger], drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus."
Here is impetuous Peter. It is not enough that Christ has protected him; now Peter draws a knife and starts cutting into the crowd. You can imagine the Lord saying, "After all I have just gone through to get you off the hook, and now you are doing this!" The Bible says that Peter cut off his right ear, but you should know Peter well enough to know that he was NOT aiming for an ear. Nothing would have made him happier than to see the man's head rolling down the hill. So, Peter wanted to move into the army -- he felt invincible. After all, Christ was right beside him. He probably figured, "If I get into trouble, the Lord will just say, `I am.'" So he felt secure and invincible in the presence of Christ and drew the sword and whacked off an ear. Fortunately, Malchus had fairly good reactions. And then, in a beautiful demonstration of His protective love, Jesus recreated his ear -- gave him a new one (Luke 22:51).
"Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath; the cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?"..."
In other words, "Peter, put that thing away. Don't you realize what I'm trying to do?" Now, I admire Peter's courage, but I can't say much for anything else he does. Peter found out later that night that he wasn't as great as he thought. By the time the night was over, he was crying his heart out after having denied Jesus.
I wonder how many times the Lord has had to say to us in effect, "Why don't you get out of My way so I can do My work?" He says, "Peter, this is what we have been planning since the beginning of eternity. Now just stand aside for a minute and let it happen."
Verses 12-14 tells us Jesus is lead away to Annas.
“Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.”
Annas was not the official High Priest; but as father-in-law to Caiaphas, he was the "power behind the throne."
Jesus had two trials -- a religious trial and a civil trial. His religious trial was with Israel, His civil trial was with Rome. In terms of Jesus' execution, nothing could be done without Rome. Israel could decide that He should die, but Rome had to execute Him because the Jews had no right to take a life since they were under Roman bondage.
According to John 18:19, Annas is called the "high priest." Now, the question that always arises is: "How come Annas is called the high priest and so is Caiaphas? Can there be two high priests?" Technically, according to God's design, no. But by this time, Israel had deteriorated so much that they had problems of this nature. There were not only one or two high priests, there may have been others who had the right to be called high priests. But Annas was THE POWER behind everything.
It is very likely that Annas legitimately had the right to be high priest. He may well have been in the line of Aaron. If that was true, then he did have the right to be high priest. In fact, he was officially high priest during the years A.D. 6 to 15 -- the childhood years of Jesus. But in the year A.D. 15 he was pressured by the Romans to bail out of the office of high priest because they wanted it to be a puppet office, and Annas was too powerful to be used as a puppet. I suppose that Rome felt somewhat threatened and insecure with a man as powerful as Annas running the show permanently until his death, because in the Old Testament, a man was high priest for life. In order to work with the Jews, Rome felt they needed to put a puppet in as high priest, so they would appoint the high priests. Technically, they weren't legitimate.
Annas was so powerful that when he was removed from office, seven of his successors were relatives: Five were his sons, one was his grandson, and Caiaphas was his son- in-law. So he may not have been high priest officially, but he WAS running the show.
The office was bought. It was a matter of intrigue, corruption, contention, and bribery. Annas was so rich that he just continued to buy the office of high priest. Consequently, he was always in control. So this was why Annas was involved in Christ's arrest. Caiaphas was simply Annas's puppet.
You say, "Why did they have concessions in the Temple?" They were concessions for the sale of animals for sacrifices. When people came to make their sacrifices, they first entered into the outer court of the Temple called "The Court of the Gentiles." In this court, concession booths had been set up for the exchange of money because the people had to pay a Temple tax. Anyone who possessed foreign currency had to have it exchanged. Annas also had a monopoly in the sale of sacrificial animals because the Old Testament law required that any sacrifice be without spot and blemish in Exodus 12:5).
So a man would leave his field and go to the Passover bringing his own sacrifice -- carrying a little lamb under his arm. Annas had stationed inspectors of sacrifices in the court. Each sacrifice had to pass the inspection before it could be offered. Naturally, nobody's sacrifice ever passed. As a result, the suggestion was made to obtain an approved sacrifice for sale at a certain booth in the Court of the Gentiles. And it would usually be sold at five times its actual value. In addition, anyone attempting to change their money found themselves cheated about five to one. So, Annas had a real good thing going. As history has indicated to us, at least one Passover time they sacrificed a quarter of a million lambs. That was a lot of money. Annas made his money in extortion. In fact, the entire Temple ground became known as "The Bazaar of Annas."
The Jews hated Annas. The Talmud says of Annas: "Woe to the house of Annas! Woe to their serpent's hiss! They are High Priests; their sons are keepers of the treasury; their sons-in-law are guardians of the Temple; and their servants beat the people with staves." They had a monopoly; they were in control of everything. So, the Talmud gives us an indication of the Jewish hatred of Annas and his house.
WHY AM I INCLUDING ALL THIS? TAKE A GUESS who had twice messed up Annas's operation? None other than Jesus. At the beginning of His ministry, He entered the court and chased everyone out (John 2:13-17), and then did it AGAIN at the close of His ministry (Matthew 21:12- 13). This did not make Him very popular with Annas.
If the Jews wanted to get an indictment of Jesus, they naturally would go to Annas for these two reasons: one, he was the brains behind the machinery even though he wasn't officially the high priest; and two, he had a DEEP HATRED for Jesus. If anyone could come across with some powerful indictments, Annas certainly could.
But Annas was about to meet his infinitely superior match. Annas hated Jesus because he had been hit right where it hurt -- in the moneybags. He hated Jesus because He represented to him something threatening to the security of his office. Caiaphas was scared that Jesus was going to take over, start a revolution, and he would lose his job. He was purely a paid politician.
NOW CAIAPHAS...
“Caiaphas, who was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he who gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people."
Now, Caiaphas had been plotting Jesus' death all along. These purchased politicians are scared all the time. They know that they never obtained the office by their ability to begin with, and they know that they only hang on by a thread. So Caiaphas is scared to death, but he loves the prestige of his office. Then Jesus moves in and sways the people. He is popular. It was less than a week ago that the people were screaming, "Hosanna!"
In John 11:47, Caiaphas met with his cronies and they talked about the tremendous problem of Jesus just prior to Jesus' triumphal entry. They had heard about Him raising Lazarus from the dead. Verses 49-50 Caiaphas is saying, "If we don't get rid of this Jesus, He's going to mess up the nation, we're going to have a revolution, and the Romans will come down and wipe out all of us. So what we ought to do is kill Jesus and save the nation."
Caiaphas HATED Jesus too. And of course Judas had already consulted with them and set up the arrest. So we have seen the beginning of Jesus' mock trial.
Verses 15-18 tells us Peter's first denial.
“And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not. " Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.”
At this point, John and Peter are the only TWO of the eleven who follow Jesus at his arrest. John who knows the high priest gains entrance for them both, and follows Jesus inside, but Peter remains outside the gates. Peter is full of contradictions. He was bold with a sword in his hand, but a coward before a servant girl.
Verses 19-24 tells us Jesus stands before Annas.
“The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. Jesus answered him, "I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said. " And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, "Do You answer the high priest like that?" Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?" Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”
Annas asks about Jesus' disciples, perhaps because out of fear or jealousy. Jesus does not mention His disciples at all, protecting them to the end.
“Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them...”
In saying this, Jesus was NOT being uncooperative, only asserting His legal right. There was to be NO formal charge until witnesses had been heard and been found to be truthful.
DID YOU KNOW...It was the High Priest's duty to call forth the witnesses first, beginning with those for the defense. He was innocent until proven guilty. In a sense, their law was like the Fifth Amendment, in which NO man could condemn himself by his own word. The burden of proof was on the court. These basic legal protections for the accused under Jewish law were NOT observed in the trial of Jesus.
There also was a rule that there was NEVER to be any striking of a prisoner -- no display of emotion before the judge. Well, they violated all of that in His entire trial.
There was another rule that from the end of the trial until the execution, there had to be an interval of at least two days. And that rule was broken.
Another rule was that a trial could not be held at night, and they broke that one.
The ENTIRE trial was rotten from beginning to end. Historically, the Jews have claimed that the trial of Jesus was legal. It was NOT legal; it was illegal in EVERY way you look at it. They wanted His death so it was decided that He would be murdered. For them, it was only a matter of trying to figure out how they could justify it.
This begins the mockery of this indictment and arraignment before Annas. He had no right to ask Jesus that question. Annas says, "Well, why don't You tell us about Your disciples and Your doctrine." He wanted Jesus to talk about a planned insurrection or about heresy. Then they could say, "You're planning a revolution," or, "You're a heretic," and they would have justification for the trial.
Maimonides, the great Jewish medieval scholar, said, "Our true law does not inflict the penalty of death upon a sinner by his own confession." That was part of the Jewish law, and the Roman law agreed. They had to have witnesses. Jesus did not have to prove Himself innocent, they had to prove Him guilty. So Annas violated the principles of Jewish justice when he questioned Jesus.
"Jesus answered him, I spoke openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, where the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why asketh thou Me? Ask them who heard Me, what I have said unto them; behold, they know what I said."
In other words, "Where are your witnesses, Annas? This is not how the trial is supposed to be conducted." Jesus probed and found the core, and in dynamic, devastating words, indicted Annas. They wanted to finish the trial in the middle of the night when there weren't any witnesses.
Eventually they did come up with some witnesses, but they were false witnesses (Matthew 26:60-61). Jesus said, "I haven't taught any secret doctrine to any small group who would want to cause a revolution. Everything I've said has been for public consumption." Jesus is not being uncooperative; He is simply saying, "I want a legal trial."
"And when He had thus spoken, one of the officers [Temple police] who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest Thou the high priest so?"
Here is a typical henchman looking for a promotion from Annas. Now, the Greek word for "struck...with the palm of his hand," is rhapisma, and can also be translated, "struck with a stick." Since it is evident that the Temple police carried sticks or clubs, it is more likely that he hit Jesus across the side of His face with a club. Again, this was not only unkind and ruthless, but illegal. Never was it legal for someone to strike a prisoner.
But there is something even more significant about this verse. Micah 5:1 says, "...they shall smite the Judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek." That officer was fulfilling prophecy. Micah called Jesus, "the Judge of Israel." Annas was playing judge, but Jesus Christ was the real judge.
"Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou Me?"
It was an outrage to strike a prisoner, but Jesus calmly, with no anger or vengeance, says, "If I've done something wrong, where are the witnesses? If I haven't, why are you hitting Me?" That is powerful. He was so calm, so dignified, and so much in control in comparison to the frustrated henchman and the frustrated Annas.
"Now Annas had sent Him bound unto Caiaphas, the high priest."
Annas now sent Him to Caiaphas. Now the trial before Caiaphas was a mockery. It also took place in the middle of the night. During the time that Jesus was before Annas, the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas gathered together to carry on the mock trial. They wanted it at night before the people would know about it so they could have Him convicted and turned over to the Romans by morning. Then they would all later mingle in the crowd when Jesus stood before Pilate and cry, "Crucify Him," and bring about His death. It was an illegal gathering in every way -- a gathering of false witnesses, and just a part of the plot.
They couldn't find any evidence against Him, so finally two men agreed He said that He was going to destroy the Temple (Matthew 26:60- 61). They tried to convict Him on that, but they could not. Finally, they asked Him, "Are you the Messiah?" And He said, "Yes, I am the Messiah" (Mark 14:61-62). Then the high priest tore his clothes and screamed, "Blasphemy!" The people began to spit all over Jesus, and they pushed, shoved, and slapped Him in the face and said, "Tell us who slapped You, Prophet?" So they abused Him (Matthew 26:65-68).
Verses 25-27 tells us Peter denies Jesus twice more.
“Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not!" One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.”
Peter is in the same place he had been in verse 18. What is Peter still doing there? John has stayed close to Jesus and watched everything that is happening, but all through this time Peter has been denying Jesus while standing with unbelievers. Once you become enmeshed in the world, it is hard to leave.
It is Luke 22:60-62 who brings these two scenes together. For as they led Jesus out from Caiaphas, He passed Peter just at the moment the **** crowed. Luke 22:60-61 says, "And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spoke, the **** crowed. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter...."
If you have reached a place in your life where you are fooling around in the world, you need to look into the face of Jesus Christ and remember what life was like when you were abiding in Him. This message is the look of Jesus Christ at you. You ought to go out and weep bitterly and make your relationship with Him right if it's wrong.
There are so many things that Peter teaches us. We learn that the believer is weak. We learn the danger of self-confidence. We learn the consequence of prayerlessness (Peter should have been praying in the Garden instead of sleeping -- he might have been ready for the danger of evil company; Matthew 26:40-41). We learn the power of fear. We also see the beauty and the majesty of Jesus Christ.
Other gospels emphasize Jesus' trials before the Jewish Sanhedrin; John emphasizes His trial before the Roman authority - Pontius Pilate.
Pilate was characterized in his day as "naturally inflexible and ruthless in his conceit" and he was charged with corruption, violence, and extortion.
In times past he had shown great insensitivity to Jewish religious traditions and concerns, and the Jews had complained to Rome about him before.
The emperor Tiberius was suspicious of conspiracy, and not in any mood to tolerate any kind of disloyalty, so Pilate the governor was on thin ice.
Now, the Roman court opened at sunrise and closed at sunset. The Jews brought Jesus there as soon as they could.
John 18:28 says, "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment; and it was early...."
This was the place where the Roman garrison was kept (likely Fort Antonius, which ***** up against the Temple in Jerusalem). Now, the Holy Spirit indicates that "it was early" in order to remind us that this was a hurry-up operation. The Jews wanted to get Jesus into the hands of the Romans for execution before the people could find out what was going on because many of the people were enamored with Jesus Christ. So the whole mob arrives at the hall of judgment just as the dawn is breaking, and they are ready to hand Jesus over for a judgment on execution.
An interesting insight is in verse 28b: "...And they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover."
The Jews were hypocrites. Here they were NOT willing to enter this Gentile hall so they would not be defiled, yet at the same time they WERE ready to execute the Messiah. They had their priorities a little backwards.
Beginning in verse 29, John introduces to us SEVEN magnificent characteristics of Christ and weaves them through the narrative. We see Christ exalted in SEVEN ways:
1. The Perfect Man.
2. The Prophetic God.
3. The Preternatural King.
4. The Preincarnate One.
5. The Proclaimer of Truth.
6. The Personal Savior.
7. The Proven Faultless.
All of these things exalt Christ. And all the way through this would-be humiliating situation, Christ is constantly exalted. So, let's see the majestic Jesus in Pilate's judgment hall presented.
Verses 28-32 tells us Jesus is brought to Pilate.
“Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?" They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you. " Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law. " Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.”
You take Him and judge Him according to your law...
Pilate would rather not take the case; yet the Jews want him to take it so that they can lawfully have Jesus killed.