Discovery BoxJohn 18:15-32 
Context18:15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed them as they brought Jesus to Annas. 1 (Now the other disciple 2 was acquainted with the high priest, and he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard.) 3 18:16 But Simon Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple who was acquainted with the high priest came out and spoke to the slave girl who watched the door, 4 and brought Peter inside. 18:17 The girl 5 who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You’re not one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” 6 He replied, 7 “I am not.” 18:18 (Now the slaves 8 and the guards 9 were standing around a charcoal fire they had made, warming themselves because it was cold. 10 Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.) 11
18:19 While this was happening, 12 the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 13 18:20 Jesus replied, 14 “I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues 15 and in the temple courts, 16 where all the Jewish people 17 assemble together. I 18 have said nothing in secret. 18:21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said. 19 They 20 know what I said.” 18:22 When Jesus 21 had said this, one of the high priest’s officers who stood nearby struck him on the face and said, 22 “Is that the way you answer the high priest?” 18:23 Jesus replied, 23 “If I have said something wrong, 24 confirm 25 what is wrong. 26 But if I spoke correctly, why strike me?” 18:24 Then Annas sent him, still tied up, 27 to Caiaphas the high priest. 28
18:25 Meanwhile Simon Peter was standing in the courtyard 29 warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” 30 Peter 31 denied it: “I am not!” 18:26 One of the high priest’s slaves, 32 a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, 33 said, “Did I not see you in the orchard 34 with him?” 35 18:27 Then Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed. 36
18:28 Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s residence. 37 (Now it was very early morning.) 38 They 39 did not go into the governor’s residence 40 so they would not be ceremonially defiled, but could eat the Passover meal. 18:29 So Pilate came outside to them and said, “What accusation 41 do you bring against this man?” 42 18:30 They replied, 43 “If this man 44 were not a criminal, 45 we would not have handed him over to you.” 46
18:31 Pilate told them, 47 “Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him 48 according to your own law!” 49 The Jewish leaders 50 replied, 51 “We cannot legally put anyone to death.” 52 18:32 (This happened 53 to fulfill the word Jesus had spoken when he indicated 54 what kind of death he was going to die. 55 )
1 tn The words “them as they brought Jesus to Annas” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify who Peter and the other disciple were following. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
2 tn Grk “that disciple.”
sn Many have associated this unnamed other disciple with the beloved disciple, that is, John son of Zebedee, mainly because the phrase the other disciple which occurs here is also used to describe the beloved disciple in John 20:2, 3, 4, and 8. Peter is also closely associated with the beloved disciple in 13:23-26, 20:2-10, 21:7, and 21:20-23. But other identifications have also been proposed, chiefly because v. 16 states that this disciple who was accompanied by Peter was known to the high priest. As C. K. Barrett (St. John, 525) points out, the term γνωστός (gnwstos) is used in the LXX to refer to a close friend (Ps 54:14 LXX [55:14 ET]). This raises what for some is an insurmountable difficulty in identifying the “other disciple” as John son of Zebedee, since how could the uneducated son of an obscure Galilean fisherman be known to such a powerful and influential family in Jerusalem? E. A. Abbott (as quoted in “Notes of Recent Exposition,” ExpTim 25 [1913/14]: 149-50) proposed that the “other disciple” who accompanied Peter was Judas, since he was the one disciple of whom it is said explicitly (in the synoptic accounts) that he had dealings with the high priest. E. A. Tindall (“Contributions and Comments: John xviii.15,” ExpTim 28 [1916/17]: 283-84) suggested the disciple was Nicodemus, who as a member of the Sanhedrin, would have had access to the high priest’s palace. Both of these suggestions, while ingenious, nevertheless lack support from the text of the Fourth Gospel itself or the synoptic accounts. W. Wuellner (The Meaning of “Fishers of Men” [NTL]) argues that the common attitude concerning the low social status and ignorance of the disciples from Galilee may in fact be a misconception. Zebedee is presented in Mark 1:20 as a man wealthy enough to have hired servants, and Mark 10:35-45 presents both of the sons of Zebedee as concerned about status and prestige. John’s mother appears in the same light in Matt 20:20-28. Contact with the high priestly family in Jerusalem might not be so unlikely in such circumstances. Others have noted the possibility that John came from a priestly family, some of which is based upon a statement in Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History 3.31.3) quoting Polycrates that John son of Zebedee was a priest. For further information on possible priestly connections among members of John’s family see L. Morris (John [NICNT], 752, n. 32). None of this is certain, but on the whole it seems most probable that the disciple who accompanied Peter and gained entry into the courtyard for him was John son of Zebedee.
3 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
4 tn Grk “spoke to the doorkeeper”; her description as a slave girl is taken from the following verse. The noun θυρωρός (qurwro") may be either masculine or feminine, but the article here indicates that it is feminine.
5 tn Grk “slave girl.” Since the descriptive term “slave girl” was introduced in the translation in the previous verse, it would be redundant to repeat the full expression here.
6 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).
7 tn Grk “He said.”
8 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
9 tn That is, the “guards of the chief priests” as distinguished from the household slaves of Annas.
10 tn Grk “because it was cold, and they were warming themselves.”
11 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
12 tn The introductory phrase “While this was happening” is not in the Greek text. It has been supplied in the translation to clarify the alternation of scenes in the narrative for the modern reader.
13 sn The nature of this hearing seems to be more that of a preliminary investigation; certainly normal legal procedure was not followed, for no indication is given that any witnesses were brought forth at this point to testify against Jesus. True to what is known of Annas’ character, he was more interested in Jesus’ disciples than in the precise nature of Jesus’ teaching, since he inquired about the followers first. He really wanted to know just how influential Jesus had become and how large a following he had gathered. This was of more concern to Annas that the truth or falsity of Jesus’ teaching.
14 tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”
15 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:59.
16 tn Grk “in the temple.”
17 tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people generally, for whom the synagogues and the temple courts in Jerusalem were important public gathering places. See also the note on the phrase “Jewish religious leaders” in v. 12.
18 tn Grk “And I.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
19 tn Grk “Ask those who heard what I said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated since they are redundant in English.
20 tn Grk “Look, these know what I said.”
21 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn Grk “one of the high priest’s servants standing by gave Jesus a strike, saying.” For the translation of ῥάπισμα (rJapisma), see L&N 19.4.
23 tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”
24 tn Or “something incorrect.”
25 tn Grk “testify.”
26 tn Or “incorrect.”
27 tn Or “still bound.”
28 sn Where was Caiaphas the high priest located? Did he have a separate palace, or was he somewhere else with the Sanhedrin? Since Augustine (4th century) a number of scholars have proposed that Annas and Caiaphas resided in different wings of the same palace, which were bound together by a common courtyard through which Jesus would have been led as he was taken from Annas to Caiaphas. This seems a reasonable explanation, although there is no conclusive evidence.
29 tn The words “in the courtyard” are not in the Greek text. They are supplied for the benefit of the modern reader, to link this scene to the preceding one in John 18:15-18.
30 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).
31 tn Grk “That one denied it and said”; the referent of the pronoun (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
33 sn This incident is recounted in v. 10.
34 tn Or “garden.”
35 tn This question, prefaced with οὐκ (ouk) in Greek, anticipates a positive answer.
36 tn It seems most likely that this refers to a real rooster crowing, although a number of scholars have suggested that “cockcrow” is a technical term referring to the trumpet call which ended the third watch of the night (from midnight to 3 a.m.). This would then be a reference to the Roman gallicinium (ἀλεκτοροφωνία, alektorofwnia; the term is used in Mark 13:35 and is found in some
sn No indication is given of Peter’s emotional state at this third denial (as in Matt 26:74 and Mark 14:71) or that he remembered that Jesus had foretold the denials (Matt 26:75, Mark 14:72 and Luke 22:61), or the bitter remorse Peter felt afterward (Matt 26:75, Mark 14:72, and Luke 22:62).
37 tn Grk “to the praetorium.”
sn The permanent residence of the Roman governor of Palestine was in Caesarea (Acts 23:35). The governor had a residence in Jerusalem which he normally occupied only during principal feasts or in times of political unrest. The location of this building in Jerusalem is uncertain, but is probably one of two locations: either (1) the fortress or tower of Antonia, on the east hill north of the temple area, which is the traditional location of the Roman praetorium since the 12th century, or (2) the palace of Herod on the west hill near the present Jaffa Gate. According to Philo (Embassy 38 [299]) Pilate had some golden shields hung there, and according to Josephus (J. W. 2.14.8 [2.301], 2.15.5 [2.328]) the later Roman governor Florus stayed there.
38 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
39 tn Grk “And they.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
40 tn Grk “into the praetorium.”
41 tn Or “charge.”
42 sn In light of the fact that Pilate had cooperated with them in Jesus’ arrest by providing Roman soldiers, the Jewish authorities were probably expecting Pilate to grant them permission to carry out their sentence on Jesus without resistance (the Jews were not permitted to exercise capital punishment under the Roman occupation without official Roman permission, cf. v. 31). They must have been taken somewhat by surprise by Pilate’s question “What accusation do you bring against this man,” because it indicated that he was going to try the prisoner himself. Thus Pilate was regarding the trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin as only an inquiry and their decision as merely an accusation.
43 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
44 tn Grk “this one.”
45 tn Or “an evildoer”; Grk “one doing evil.”
46 tn Or “would not have delivered him over.”
47 tn Grk “Then Pilate said to them.”
48 tn Or “judge him.” For the translation “pass judgment on him” see R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:848).
49 sn Pilate, as the sole representative of Rome in a troubled area, was probably in Jerusalem for the Passover because of the danger of an uprising (the normal residence for the Roman governor was in Caesarea as mentioned in Acts 23:35). At this time on the eve of the feast he would have been a busy and perhaps even a worried man. It is not surprising that he offered to hand Jesus back over to the Jewish authorities to pass judgment on him. It may well be that Pilate realized when no specific charge was mentioned that he was dealing with an internal dispute over some religious matter. Pilate wanted nothing to do with such matters, as the statement “Pass judgment on him according to your own law!” indicates. As far as the author is concerned, this points out who was really responsible for Jesus’ death: The Roman governor Pilate would have had nothing to do with it if he had not been pressured by the Jewish religious authorities, upon whom the real responsibility rested.
50 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12.
51 tn Grk “said to him.”
52 tn Grk “It is not permitted to us to kill anyone.”
sn The historical background behind the statement We cannot legally put anyone to death is difficult to reconstruct. Scholars are divided over whether this statement in the Fourth Gospel accurately reflects the judicial situation between the Jewish authorities and the Romans in 1st century Palestine. It appears that the Roman governor may have given the Jews the power of capital punishment for specific offenses, some of them religious (the death penalty for Gentiles caught trespassing in the inner courts of the temple, for example). It is also pointed out that the Jewish authorities did carry out a number of executions, some of them specifically pertaining to Christians (Stephen, according to Acts 7:58-60; and James the Just, who was stoned in the 60s according to Josephus, Ant. 20.9.1 [20.200]). But Stephen’s death may be explained as a result of “mob violence” rather than a formal execution, and as Josephus in the above account goes on to point out, James was executed in the period between two Roman governors, and the high priest at the time was subsequently punished for the action. Two studies by A. N. Sherwin-White (Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament, 1-47; and “The Trial of Christ,” Historicity and Chronology in the New Testament [SPCKTC], 97-116) have tended to support the accuracy of John’s account. He concluded that the Romans kept very close control of the death penalty for fear that in the hands of rebellious locals such power could be used to eliminate factions favorable or useful to Rome. A province as troublesome as Judea would not have been likely to be made an exception to this.
53 tn The words “This happened” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
54 tn Or “making clear.”
55 sn A reference to John 12:32.
