John 18 - Truth Defined
- Chad Werkhoven
- Dec 27, 2022
- 3 min read
The world can't handle truth, but you can fully depend on it.
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John 18 (ESV)
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.
2 Now Judas,
who betrayed him,
also knew the place,
for Jesus often met there with his disciples.
3 So Judas,
having procured
a band of soldiers
and some officers from
the chief priests
and the Pharisees,
went there with
lanterns
and torches
and weapons.
4 Then Jesus,
knowing all that would happen to him,
came forward and said to them,
“Whom do you seek?”
5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus said to them, “I am he.”
Judas, who betrayed him,
was standing with them.
6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,”
they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?”
And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
8 Jesus answered,
“I told you that I am he.
So,
if you seek me,
let these men go.”
9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken:
“Of those whom you gave me
I have lost not one.”
10 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.)
11 So Jesus said to Peter,
“Put your sword into its sheath;
shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
12 So
the band of soldiers and their captain
and the officers of the Jews
arrested Jesus and bound him.
13 First they led him to Annas,
for
he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year.
14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews
that it would be expedient
that one man should die for the people.
15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.
Since that disciple was known to the high priest,
he entered
with Jesus
into the courtyard of the high priest,
16 but Peter stood outside at the door.
So the other disciple,
who was known to the high priest,
went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.
17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter,
“You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”
He said, “I am not.”
18 Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire,
because it was cold,
and they were standing and warming themselves.
Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.
19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
20 Jesus answered him,
“I have spoken openly to the world.
I have always taught
in synagogues
and in the temple,
where all Jews come together.
I have said nothing in secret.
21 Why do you ask me?
Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.”
22 When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying,
“Is that how you answer the high priest?”
23 Jesus answered him,
“If what I said is wrong,
bear witness about the wrong;
but if what I said is right,
why do you strike me?”
24 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself.
So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?”
He denied it and said, “I am not.”
26 One of the servants of the high priest,
a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off,
asked,
“Did I not see you in the garden with him?”
27 Peter again
denied it,
and at once a rooster crowed.
28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters.
It was early morning.
They themselves
did not enter the governor’s headquarters,
so that
they would not be defiled,
but could eat the Passover.
29 So Pilate went outside to them and said,
“What accusation do you bring against this man?”
30 They answered him,
“If this man
were not doing evil,
we would not have delivered him over to you.”
31 Pilate said to them,
“Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
The Jews said to him,
“It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”
32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
33 So Pilate
entered his headquarters again
and called Jesus and said to him,
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
34 Jesus answered,
“Do you say this of your own accord,
or did others say it to you about me?”
35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew?
Your
own nation
and the chief priests
have delivered you over to me.
What have you done?”
36 Jesus answered,
“My kingdom is not of this world.
If my kingdom were of this world,
my servants would have been fighting,
that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.
But my kingdom is not from the world.”
37 Then Pilate said to him,
“So you are a king?”
Jesus answered,
“You say that I am a king.
For
this purpose I was born
and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
After he had said this,
he went back outside to the Jews
and told them,
“I find no guilt in him.
39 But you have a custom
that I should release one man for you at the Passover.
So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
40 They cried out again,
“Not this man, but Barabbas!”
Now Barabbas was a robber.
Previous DIG DEEPER posts on John
John 18 Summary
We've seen how John effectively uses so many different literary devices throughout his books in the Bible. A favorite theme for him in this gospel narrative has been to contrast light and darkness. John makes reference to that in a very subtle way in v3, describing how the detachment of soldiers were carrying not only weapons, but also "torches and lanterns." How ironic is it that the soldiers come stumbling through the dark night, led only by the dim light of torches and lanterns, in order to arrest the light of the world.
Yet this entire brute squad drops to the ground, stunned by Jesus answering their call with two simple words: I AM (v6). These simple words of course are the name that God gave Himself when He appeared to Moses way back in Exodus 3. Jesus very properly appropriates that name for Himself.
The Jews desperately want to kill Jesus, and although they've already tried a couple of times, this time they decide to try and get the occupying Romans to their dirty work for them. So after getting embarrassed by Jesus' replies, Caiaphas, the high priest, sends Jesus to face the highest Roman authority in the region, Pontius Pilate.
Dig Deeper
Pilate asks Jesus one of the most profound questions ever asked in v38:
What is truth?
This is actually the perfect question for Pilate to ask of Jesus, and John is the perfect gospel writer to record Pilate asking it. Look at this word search done using BibleGateway. The Bible uses the word 'truth' 137 times, and 42 of those times (31%) come in a book John wrote. It's very clear that one of John's purposes in writing a gospel narrative and three letters (not to mention the book of Revelation), is to answer Pilate's question.
The tragedy is that Pilate asks this massive question to the single most qualified man in all of history to answer it, and then Pilate turns his back on Jesus and walks out before Jesus can give him the answer.
Pilate's question is hugely relevant in today's culture. Most people today would state that there is no such thing as absolute truth, rather, each person defines truth in their own way. After reading all of the verses in John's gospel referring to the Truth using the BibleGateway link above, how would you respond to Pilate's important question?
You're likely reading this very close to Christmas. There's no better time to reflect on this question. Use the comment box below to share your response.
AAA Prayer :
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God who has named Himself I AM (v5-6, Exodus 3:14)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to keep you firmly rooted in the Truth as presented in His Word.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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