John 18–19

Jesus Is Arrested

18When Jesus had finished praying, he left with his disciples. They crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a grove of olive trees. Jesus and his disciples went into it.

²Judas knew the place. He was going to hand Jesus over to his enemies. Jesus had often met in that place with his disciples. ³So Judas came to the grove. He was guiding a group of soldiers and some officials. The chief priests and the Pharisees had sent them. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

⁴Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him. So he went out and asked them, “Who is it that you want?”

⁵“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said.

Judas, who was going to hand Jesus over, was standing there with them. ⁶When Jesus said, “I am he,” they moved back. Then they fell to the ground.

⁷He asked them again, “Who is it that you want?”

They said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁸“I told you I am he,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” ⁹This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken would come true. He had said, “I have not lost anyone God has given me.”

¹⁰Simon Peter had a sword and pulled it out. He struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

¹¹Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shouldn’t I drink the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”

Jesus Is Taken to Annas

¹²Then the group of soldiers, their leader and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They tied him up ¹³and brought him first to Annas. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time. ¹⁴Caiaphas had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Peter Says He Is Not Jesus’ Disciple

¹⁵Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. The high priest knew the other disciple. So that disciple went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. ¹⁶But Peter had to wait outside by the door.

The other disciple came back. He was the one the high priest knew. He spoke to the woman who was on duty there. Then he brought Peter in.

¹⁷The woman at the door spoke to Peter. “You are not one of Jesus’ disciples, are you?” she asked him.

“I am not,” he replied.

¹⁸It was cold. The servants and officials stood around a fire. They had made it to keep warm. Peter was also standing with them. He was warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

¹⁹Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus. He asked him 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 didn’t say anything in secret. ²¹Why question me? Ask the people who heard me. They certainly know what I said.”

²²When Jesus said that, one of the officials nearby hit him in the face. “Is this any way to answer the high priest?” he asked.

²³“Have I said something wrong?” Jesus replied. “If I have, give witness to it. But if I spoke the truth, why did you hit me?”

²⁴While Jesus was still tied up, Annas sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Peter Again Says He Is Not Jesus’ Disciple

²⁵Simon Peter stood there. He was warming himself. Then someone asked him, “You aren’t one of Jesus’ disciples, are you?”

He said, “I am not.”

²⁶One of the high priest’s servants was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. He said to Peter, “Didn’t I see you with Jesus in the olive grove?”

²⁷Again Peter said no.

At that very moment a rooster began to crow.

Jesus Is Brought to Pilate

²⁸Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning. The Jews did not want to be made “unclean.” They wanted to be able to eat the Passover meal. So they did not enter the palace.

²⁹Pilate came out to them. He asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

³⁰“He has committed crimes,” they replied. “If he hadn’t, we would not have handed him over to you.”

³¹Pilate said, “Take him yourselves. Judge him by your own law.”

“But we don’t have the right to put anyone to death,” the Jews complained. ³²This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken about how he was going to die would come true.

³³Then Pilate went back inside the palace. He ordered Jesus to be brought to him. Pilate 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 have you done?”

³⁶Jesus said, “My kingdom is not part of this world. If it were, those who serve me would fight. They would try to keep the Jews from arresting me. My kingdom is from another place.”

³⁷“So you are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You are right to say I am a king. In fact, that’s the reason I was born. I came into the world to give witness to the truth. Everyone who is on the side of truth listens to me.”

³⁸“What is truth?” Pilate asked.

Then Pilate went out again to the Jews. He said, “I find no basis for any charge against him. ³⁹But it is your practice for me to set one prisoner free for you at Passover time. Do you want me to set ‘the king of the Jews’ free?”

⁴⁰They shouted back, “No! Not him! Give us Barabbas!” Barabbas had taken part in an armed struggle against the country’s rulers.

Jesus Is Sentenced to Be Crucified

19Then Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. ²The soldiers twisted thorns together to make a crown. They put it on Jesus’ head. Then they put a purple robe on him. ³They went up to him again and again. They kept saying, “We honor you, king of the Jews!” And they hit him in the face.

⁴Once more Pilate came out. He said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁵Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Then Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

⁶As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. I myself find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁷The Jews replied, “We have a law. That law says he must die. He claimed to be the Son of God.”

⁸When Pilate heard that, he was even more afraid. ⁹He went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus.

But Jesus did not answer him.

¹⁰“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you understand? I have the power to set you free or to nail you to a cross.”

¹¹Jesus answered, “You were given power from heaven. If you weren’t, you would have no power over me. So the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

¹²From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free. But the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are not Caesar’s friend! Anyone who claims to be a king is against Caesar!”

¹³When Pilate heard that, he brought Jesus out. Pilate sat down on the judge’s seat. It was at a place called The Stone Walkway. In the Aramaic language it was called Gabbatha. ¹⁴It was about noon on Preparation Day in Passover Week.

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

¹⁵But they shouted, “Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!”

“Should I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

¹⁶Finally, Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be nailed to a cross.

Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. ¹⁷He had to carry his own cross. He went out to a place called The Skull. In the Aramaic language it was called Golgotha. ¹⁸There they nailed Jesus to the cross. Two other men were crucified with him. One was on each side of him. Jesus was in the middle.

¹⁹Pilate had a notice prepared. It was fastened to the cross. It read, Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews. ²⁰Many of the Jews read the sign. The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. The sign was written in the Aramaic, Latin and Greek languages.

²¹The chief priests of the Jews argued with Pilate. They said, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews.’ Write that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

²²Pilate answered, “I have written what I have written.”

²³When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes. They divided them into four parts. Each soldier got one part. Jesus’ long, inner robe was left. It did not have any seams. It was made out of one piece of cloth from top to bottom.

²⁴“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s cast lots to see who will get it.”

This happened so that Scripture would come true. It says,

“They divided up my clothes among them.

They cast lots for what I was wearing.”

So that is what the soldiers did.

²⁵Jesus’ mother stood near his cross. So did his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

²⁶Jesus saw his mother there. He also saw the disciple he loved standing nearby. Jesus said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” ²⁷He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, the disciple took her into his home.

Jesus Dies

²⁸Later Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” He knew that everything was now finished. He knew that what Scripture said must come true. ²⁹A jar of wine vinegar was there. So they soaked a sponge in it. They put the sponge on a stem of the hyssop plant. Then they lifted it up to Jesus’ lips.

³⁰After Jesus drank he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and died.

³¹It was Preparation Day. The next day would be a special Sabbath. The Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath. So they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³²The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus. Then they broke the legs of the other man.

³³But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. So they did not break his legs. ³⁴Instead, one of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus’ side. Right away, blood and water flowed out. ³⁵The man who saw it has given witness. And his witness is true. He knows that he…