Arrest in the Garden (18:1-14)

CHAPTER 18

1 Jesus, having said these things, went out with his disciples beyond the torrent Cedron, where was a garden, into which he entered, he and his disciples. 2 And Judas also, who delivered him up, knew the place, because Jesus was often there, in company with his disciples. 3 Judas therefore, having got the band, and officers of the chief priests and Pharisees, comes there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that were coming upon him, went forth and said to them, Whom seek ye? 5 They answered him, Jesus the Nazaraean. Jesus says to them, I am he. And Judas also, who delivered him up, stood with them. 6 When therefore he said to them, I am he, they went away backward and fell to the ground. v.6 This is one of the great “I am” statements of John’s gospel.

7 He demanded of them therefore again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus the Nazaraean. 8 Jesus answered, I told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go away; 9 that the word might be fulfilled which he spoke, As to those whom thou hast given me, I have not lost one of them. 10 Simon Peter therefore, having a sword, drew it, and smote the bondman of the high priest and cut off his right ear; and the bondman’s name was Malchus. 11 Jesus therefore said to Peter, Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it? 12 The band therefore, and the chiliarch, and the officers of the Jews, took Jesus and bound him: 13 and they led him away to Annas first; for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 But it was Caiaphas who counselled the Jews that it was better that one man should perish for the people.

Jesus on Trial Before the Jews (18:15-32)

15 Now Simon Peter followed Jesus, and the other disciple. But that disciple was known to the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest; 16 but Peter stood at the door without. The other disciple therefore, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the porteress and brought in Peter. 17 The maid therefore, who was porteress, says to Peter, Art thou also of the disciples of this man? He says, I am not. 18 But the bondmen and officers, having made a fire of coals (for it was cold), stood and warmed themselves; and Peter was standing with them and warming himself. 19 The high priest therefore demanded of Jesus concerning his disciples and concerning his doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, I spoke openly to the world; I taught always in the synagogue and in the temple, where all the Jews come together, and in secret I have spoken nothing. 21 Why demandest thou of me? Demand of those who have heard, what I have spoken to them; behold, they know what I have said. 22 But as he said these things, one of the officers who stood by gave a blow on the face to Jesus, saying, Answerest thou the high priest thus? 23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me? 24 Annas then had sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25 But Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore to him, Art thou also of his disciples? He denied, and said, I am not. 26 One of the bondmen of the high priest, who was kinsman of him whose ear Peter cut off, says, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? 27 Peter denied therefore again, and immediately the cock crew. 28 They lead therefore Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium; and it was early morn. And “they” entered not into the praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but eat the passover. 29 Pilate therefore went out to them and said, What accusation do ye bring against this man? 30 They answered and said to him, If this man were not an evildoer, we should not have delivered him up to thee. 31 Pilate therefore said to them, Take him, ye, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said to him, It is not permitted to us to put any one to death; 32 that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled which he spoke, signifying what death he should die.

Jesus on Trial Before Pilate (18:33 – 19:16)

33 Pilate therefore entered again into the praetorium and called Jesus, and said to him, Thou art the king of the Jews? 34 Jesus answered him, Dost thou say this of thyself, or have others said it to thee concerning me? 35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thy nation and the chief priests have delivered thee up to me: what hast thou done? 36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants had fought that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from hence. 37 Pilate therefore said to him, Thou art then a king? Jesus answered, Thou sayest it, that I am a king. I have been born for this, and for this I have come into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice. 38 Pilate says to him, What is truth? And having said this he went out again to the Jews, and says to them, I find no fault whatever in him. 39 But ye have a custom that I release some one to you at the passover; will ye therefore that I release unto you the king of the Jews? 40 They cried therefore again all, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.

CHAPTER 19

1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers having plaited a crown of thorns put it on his head, and put a purple robe on him, 3 and came to him and said, Hail, king of the Jews! and gave him blows on the face. 4 And Pilate went out again and says to them, Lo, I bring him out to you, that ye may know that I find in him no fault whatever. 5 (Jesus therefore went forth without, wearing the crown of thorn, and the purple robe.) And he says to them, Behold the man! 6 When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him they cried out saying, Crucify, crucify him. Pilate says to them, Take him ye and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. 7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die, because he made himself Son of God. 8 When Pilate therefore heard this word, he was the rather afraid, 9 and went into the praetorium again and says to Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Pilate therefore says to him, Speakest thou not to “me”? Dost thou not know that I have authority to release thee and have authority to crucify thee? 11 Jesus answered, Thou hadst no authority whatever against me if it were not given to thee from above. On this account he that has delivered me up to thee has the greater sin. 12 From this time Pilate sought to release him; but the Jews cried out saying, If thou releasest this man, thou art not a friend to Caesar. Every one making himself a king speaks against Caesar. 13 Pilate therefore, having heard these words, led Jesus out and sat down upon the judgment-seat, at a place called Pavement, but in Hebrew Gabbatha; 14 (now it was the preparation of the passover; it was about the sixth hour;) and he says to the Jews, Behold your king! v.14 john reckons time as the romans… this is our 6:00 AM.

15 But they cried out, Take him away, take him away, crucify him. Pilate says to them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16 Then therefore he delivered him up to them, that he might be crucified; and they took Jesus and led him away.

The Crucifixion Scene (19:17-37)

17 And he went out, bearing his cross, to the place called place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha; 18 where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on this side, and one on that, and Jesus in the middle. 19 And Pilate wrote a title also and put it on the cross. But there was written: Jesus the Nazaraean, the King of the Jews. 20 This title therefore many of the Jews read, for the place of the city where Jesus was crucified was near; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, Latin. 21 The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, Do not write, The king of the Jews, but that “he” said, I am king of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written. 23 The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified Jesus, took his clothes, and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and the body-coat; but the body-coat was seamless, woven through the whole from the top. 24 They said therefore to one another, Let us not rend it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall be; that the scripture might be fulfilled which says, They parted my garments among themselves, and on my vesture they cast lots. The soldiers therefore did these things. 25 And by the cross of Jesus stood his mother, and the sister of his mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. 26 Jesus therefore, seeing his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, says to his mother, Woman, behold thy son. 27 Then he says unto the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now finished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, says, I thirst. 29 There was a vessel therefore there full of vinegar, and having filled a sponge with vinegar, and putting hyssop round it, they put it up to his mouth. 30 When therefore Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished; and having bowed his head, he delivered up his spirit. 31 The Jews therefore, that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for it was the preparation, (for the day of that sabbath was a great day,) demanded of Pilate that their legs might be broken and they taken away.

32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first and of the other that had been crucified with him; 33 but coming to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead they did not break his legs, 34 but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. 35 And he who saw it bears witness, and his witness is true, and he knows that he says true that ye also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, Not a bone of him shall be broken. 37 And again another scripture says, They shall look on him whom they pierced. vv.32-37

In Exodus 12:46 we read; “Neither shall ye break a bone thereof…” and in Psalms 34:20 we read "He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken." Not a bone of the Passover lamb was to be broken, and so with the Messiah when He died. This scripture is quoted in John 19:33-36 in connection with the Lord being dead before the soldiers reached Him with their clubs. This shows the Passover was completely filled by Christ. Scripture doesn't say exactly why it was important that a bone of the Messiah would not be broken. Here are several possible reasons. (1) To break a bone of the Lamb would introduce the thought of “crushing” or forcibly ending life. It was imperative that Christ lay down His own life in obedience to His Father’s will (John 10:18). No man took it from Him. And yet, while no man took His life from Him, God holds man responsible for their intentions... murder. Accordingly, in the book of Revelation, Jesus appears as "a lamb as it had been slain" (Rev. 5:6). The symbol of a "slain lamb" has the idea of an innocent victim subjected to a violent death. It says in Zech. 12:10 that Israel "shall look upon me whom they have pierced". God holds them responsible. (2) Bones are the frame of a person, and the Person of our Lord was not affected by the sufferings of the cross. His sufferings did not make Him less than He was. (3) We are not saved by his walk (leg bones) by by his blood (pierced side).

It is beautiful to see the connection of Zechariah 12:10 with the crucifixion. It speaks of a time when Israel will own their guilt in crucifying the Lord. Even here at the cross, the Spirit is looking forward to Israel’s restoration!

Scripture only records believers seeing the Lord Jesus after this time. No unbeliever saw Him after His body was taken down from the cross. Man’s time with Him was done. It was God’s time. But the world will see Christ again as in Zech. 12:10; Rev. 1.

The Burial Scene (19:38-42)

38 And after these things Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly through fear of the Jews, demanded of Pilate that he might take the body of Jesus: and Pilate allowed it. He came therefore and took away the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus also, who at first came to Jesus by night, came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 They took therefore the body of Jesus and bound it up in linen with the spices, as it is the custom with the Jews to prepare for burial. 41 But there was in the place where he had been crucified a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 There therefore, on account of the preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was near, they laid Jesus. vv.38-42 God allowed the Lord Jesus to be buried according to the custom of the Jews. Practices in funerals, weddings, etc. vary from culture to culture, and the Word of God gives Christian’s liberty to practice in accordance with their customs, so long as it doesn’t go against scripture. However, there are customs that are against scripture. Cremation might be an example of a burial practice which, while it may be necessary at times, is not an intelligent use of the body.

Bk Sec Outline Sec Bk