Lesson 20: The Hour Arrives

Opening questions:

1. What do we learn about the King and His Kingdom in this text?
2. What questions do you have from the text?

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13.1). Our last few lessons have focused on Jesus’ final discourse with His apostles, the comfort and instructions He gave to them because He knew His hour had come. John 18-19 detail the events of that awful hour.

The approach of the lessons for John 18-19 will be different from the lessons for the earlier chapters. Those chapters were discourse heavy, while the events of Jesus’ trials and crucifixion feature more narrative. These lessons will show how John’s account fits with the synoptic records and provide explanatory notes.

In the garden (vs. 1; Matt 26.30,36-46; Mark 14.26,32-42; Luke 22.39-46).

• vs. 1: the Kidron Valley bordered the east side of Jerusalem, separating the city from the Mount of Olives. * Note that David crossed the Kidron when he fled from Absalom (2Samuel 15.23).
• 

Betrayed by Judas (vss. 2-11; Matt 26.47-56; Mark 14.43-52 Luke 22.47-53).

• Vs. 2: note that Jesus stayed on the Mount of Olives during the last week (see Luke 21.37).
• Vs. 3: likely refers to the Temple guard, and not to Roman soldiers. “Rome allowed local aristocracies to use local watchmen as their police force. Roman troops would not be used for a routine police action like this one, would not be lent to the chief priests, and Romans would not have taken Jesus to the house of Annas (18:13), whom they had earlier deposed from office” (ZIBBC).
• Vs. 9: see John 17.12.
• Vs. 11: note that Jesus had recently prayed that the Father would let the cup pass from Him (Matt 26.39). Jesus was resolved to do the Father’s will!

Trial before Annas (vss. 12-14, 19-23).

• Vs. 13: “The governor Quirinius installed Annas as high priest in AD 6, but Valerius Gratus deposed him in AD 15, some fifteen years or so before the present scene. According to Jewish law, the high priest was entitled to rule for life; thus some Jews no doubt considered this deposition invalid, and Annas continued to command great respect. He was father-in-law of Caiaphas, and all five of Annas’s sons became high priests at some point (Jos. Ant. 20.198). He retained enormous influence until his death in AD 35” (ZIBBC).
• Vs. 14: see John 11.49-51.
• Vs. 20: note John 7.26 where the people in Jerusalem affirmed that Jesus was “speaking openly, and they say nothing to him!”

Trial before Caiaphas (vs. 24; Matt 26.57-68; Mark 14.53-65; Luke 22.63-65).

• Note that it was during this trial that false testimony was brought in against Jesus and He confessed to being the Son of God (see Mark 14.53-65).
• Also note that Jesus was mocked and beaten during this trial (see Luke 22.63-65).

Peter denies Jesus (vss. 15-18, 25-27; Matt 26.69-75; Mark 14.66-72; Luke 22.54-62).

• Vs. 15: while some believe the “another disciple” refers to John, that seems unlikely. John was from Galilee and thus unlikely to be known by the high priest. This disciple was most likely from Jerusalem.
• Vs. 17: since the other disciple was known to the servant girl, her question is quite natural since Peter accompanied this nameless disciple.
• Vs. 26: Peter’s actions had drawn attention to himself, making his denial even more absurd (cf. vs. 10).
• Vs. 27: see John 13.38. “Both for John’s readers, and for the early church generally, this is not Peter’s final scene. As serious as was his disowning of the Master, so greatly also must we esteem the grace that forgave him and restored him to fellowship and service. And that means—both in John’s Gospel and in our lives—that there is hope for the rest of us” (Carson).

First trial before Pilate (vss. 28-38; Matt 27.11-14; Mark 15.1-5; Luke 23.1-5).

• Vs. 28
  • Governor’s headquarters: “The Roman governor came to Jerusalem from Caesarea to maintain order during festivals. When he came, he stayed in Herod the Great’s old palace” (ZIBBC).
  • So they would not be defiled: Jews who entered the dwelling places of Gentiles were considered ceremonially unclean. “The Jews take elaborate precautions to avoid ritual contamination in order to eat the Passover, at the very time they are busy manipulating the judicial system to secure the death of him who alone is the true Passover” (Carson).
  • Passover: the best explanation is the Jews viewed the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread as one feast. Thus, their concern was that they would become unclean and unable to continue participating in the Passover festivities which extended through the week long Feast of Unleavened Bread.
• Vs. 29: Pilate was appointed as governor of Palestine in AD 26. He was notorious for disregarding Jewish customs and provoking them on numerous occasions. Significantly, one of Pilate’s offenses caused the Jewish leaders to send a letter to Emperor Tiberius, resulting in a reprimand of Pilate. Pilate may have hated the Jews, but his precarious position with Rome meant he would need to placate them.
• Vs. 31: “Rome apparently did not permit Jewish courts to exercise the death penalty, except in the case of a Gentile intruding into an inner court of the temple. They could flog and probably decree a person worthy of death; but executions not authorized by the Romans were illegal. The Romans had to try all other capital offenses” (IVPBBC).
• Vs. 32: See John 12.32-33.
• Vs. 33: now we see what charge the Jews made against Jesus (see vss. 29-30). Important to note that the Jews framed the charge as a political one.
• Vs. 35: “It is just possible that under Pilate’s question ‘Am I a Jew?’ the Evangelist finds lurking deeper ironies. Pilate despises and distrusts the Jews, yet in the course of the narrative he is eventually forced to adopt their position. Insofar as the Jews here represent the ‘world’, Pilate joins them. And in any case, the reader knows that in a profound sense Pilate’s question really means (though certainly not intended this way by Pilate), ‘Are you my king?’” (Carson).
• Vs. 36: while Jesus had earlier avoided the peoples’ attempt to make Him king (John 6.15), He had already revealed that He came to establish a Kingdom not of this world (John 3.3; 8.23; see Daniel 2.44; 7.14).
• Vs. 37: what “truth” did Jesus bear witness to in the world? Recall that while on earth men were able to see “his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1.14). Furthermore, while “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1.18). Jesus revealed the Father (John 14.9); no greater truth could be revealed! Those who honestly desire the truth listen to Jesus (see John 3.16-17).
• Vs. 38: “Pilate abruptly terminates the interrogation with a curt and cynical question: What is truth?—and just as abruptly turns away, either because he is convinced there is no answer, or, more likely, because he does not want to hear it. He thus proves he is not amongst those whom the Father has given to the Son” (Carson).

Trial before Herod Antipas (Luke 23.6-12).

• We cannot be certain where Jesus’ trial before Herod Antipas fits in John’s account, but this is a likely place. Pilate’s statement that “I find no guilt in him” (vs. 38) parallels with Luke 23.4 and shows his reluctance to condemn Jesus.
• When the crowd responded that Jesus was teaching throughout Galilee (Luke 23.5), Pilate seized on the opportunity to have Jesus examined by Herod.

Second trial before Pilate (18.39-19.16; Matt 27.15-26; Mark 15.6-15; Luke 23.13-15).

• Vs. 39: “During local festivals Romans sought to show particular benevolence to local populations even with respect to executions (Philo Flaccus 83). Roman governors were not obligated to follow local (or other) customs, but out of political prudence often did so, especially at crowded festivals, and especially well-liked precedents such as pardons” (Carson).
• Vs. 40: the term “robber” refers to an insurrectionist (see Mark 15.7). Thus, Barabbas was the type of person the Romans would have wanted to execute. “The irony here cuts deeply: the people preferred a real revolutionary to Jesus, who was denounced for treason as a would-be king but had no actual record of participation in insurrection” (IVPBBC).
• The lesson covering John 19 will cover the rest of Jesus’ trial before Pilate.