Comments John 18:1 This verse itself tells the way the beloved Son of God is traveling. Wherever He goes, He will take all His disciples with Him; in that way, the disciples also, had learned and developed the knowledge which they should have about how the beloved Son of God is spending His life on earth, and this will give them the benefit when the beloved Son of God has departed from earth, all His disciples will cherish the time that they had spent with Him, and they will remember all His teachings in their hearts.
The event in this verse, John 18:1, synchronizes with Matthew 26:36. To connect this verse with the other events, we should remember that in John 13:36-38 the Lord Jesus foretells Peter’s denial, and also in the Gospel of Matthew, Peter’s and other disciples’ denial are given (See Matthew 26:30-35).
From John 18:1 to John 19:42, John’s Gospel presents Jesus’ arrest, trial, death, and burial. Specifically, in John 18:1-11, we have Jesus’ betrayal by Judas; in John 18:12-27 we have Jesus’ hearing before Annas; from John 18:29 to John 19:16, we have Jesus’ Roman trial before Pilate; and from John 19:16b to John 19:42 we have Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.
Q: The Lord Jesus and His disciples had the Passover supper at the house (upper room within the city walls); they prayed, ate, and the Lord washed their feet, and the Lord taught them. Then in Matthew 26:30, it says, “and when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives,” and then in Matthew 26:36, it says, “then Jesus comes with them to a place called Gethsemane,” and in this verse John 18:1, it says, “Jesus went out together with His disciples beyond the winter stream of Kidron, where was a garden.” So, we can have many questions about the events around the Lord's crucifixion time. For example, where did the Lord’s teaching given in John chapters 14 to 17 occur?
A: The distance (from the upper room to the garden) does not look far, but many purposes during that traveling time have happened as well. The beloved Son does not have much time left over now, so in every minute He has left on earth, He has given all in teaching His disciples. The teaching started from the upper room, and at some distance, the Lord stopped and sat down to teach His disciples. The gospels have also mixed out all the events; some parts may look like they do not belong together, but during this traveling time, the beloved Son of God has told them many things that are not even written down. Still, if you link the gospels' events well, you will get the overall picture of what happened.

Comments John 18:2 As the verse has told, let all the believers think as well; Judas is one of the Lord’s disciples and has known the place full well, and this has given him the opportunity to betray the Lord Jesus because Judas also has been following the beloved Son of God for sometimes. The betrayer has used this knowledge to benefit himself in leading the people to capture the beloved Son of God. The people had known the way the life of the beloved Son of God, but by the law of this area, they needed an accuser to point out whom that does wrong against the law; and Judas was the witness that the beloved Son of God did things against the law of humans; the children of God had no law of themselves because they let themselves be ruled by humans laws (they were under the Roman empire rule). God’s law does not fit with humans' laws. Still, even if they are the children of God, in order to accommodate themselves with humans, they must accept the humans’ law; they need to compromise and use the Roman law to capture Jesus, and now is the time for them to achieve that by agreeing in capturing the beloved Son of God. They bring a simple accusation that the beloved Son of God is the king of humans, and that is against the law already because they are under the law of humans, which accepts the human king as a leader, but not the King that is God Himself, that is not fitting with the lifestyle in that time. Because they have already accepted the human king to have authority over their nation when God has sent the beloved Son to be the King of humans, that will not fit with what they had already accepted, the human king now; if they agree to accept the beloved Son of God as their earthly king, they themselves will be in trouble with the Roman empire, so the best way for them is to give up the beloved Son of God and give Him to be punished by the ruler they have at that time (See Comments Luke 23:1-2).

Comments John 18:3 For verses 3-11, also see Comments Matthew 26:47-56, Comments Mark 14:43-50, and Comments Luke 22:47-53.
Judas, as His own disciple, has betrayed the master of life with the help from the darkness; he has come up with the soldiers of humans to capture the beloved Son of God; the religious leaders of humans had put the plot with the betrayer and reached to the same mind, only one thing they want, to eliminate the beloved Son of God from leading humans to glorify the Father.

Comments John 18:4 The beloved Son of God had known full well the purpose of the people that were coming, but as the verse has told all readers, He did not stay hiding, but He Himself went forth and asked them what and whom they wanted. The people came with arms to capture the beloved Son of God and have taken Him as a criminal and dangerous to them. If they had no fear in the beloved Son of God, they would not come fully armed as going into the war, but they feared Him and the human power that always surrounded the beloved Son of God, but that did not make them think again about whom they are really coming to capture.

Comments John 18:5 “They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth.” The news among humans about where the beloved Son of God came from, the majority have spread the word as He belongs to Nazareth town; so, the soldiers also have put it that the beloved Son of God is a leader of the Nazareth people, and in their minds, they came to capture the leader of that town. Judas, the betrayer himself, doesn’t know who Jesus really is either; he has reported to the soldier the same way, even though he had followed the beloved Son of God for some time, but in his mind, he has never absorbed any knowledge.
“He says to them, I am.” Let all true believers also take notice here; the beloved Son of God did not fear being captured. On the contrary, He has stepped out and let them know He is the One they are seeking. By coming out and telling them “I am,” it had also told all humans that if you want the beloved Son of God in any way, just come and seek Him, and you will see He will never stay hiding, but He Himself will come and face you, you can end your search at this time, just come. When they searched for Him, Jesus did not hide and made Himself known to them. It is the same for us; if we search for the Lord Jesus, He will not hide from us but will make Himself known to us.
“And Judas …them.” Judas, the betrayer, knew whom he would capture. Still, he has also come there to be the true witness to point out which criminal the soldiers should capture because Judas, as accuser, had to fulfill his duties for humans’ law in capturing and pointing to the criminal (See Luke 22:47-48).

Comments John 18:6 “When therefore He said to them, I am.” The beloved Son of God always identifies Himself as “I am who I am,” the existing One, the same as the Father. Now they are seeking to find Him, and He has come forward, and He has told them, “I am” is the One whom you are seeking; also, when saying this, He let them know, you do not need to look further, I am the One you are seeking for.
“they went backward and fell on the ground.” When the beloved Son of God acknowledged His identity to humans, the power and authority manifested out; the humans in front of Him could not stand but had to go down to the ground where they belonged. When lifting themselves equally with the beloved Son of God, when He has shown His authority, humans cannot withhold their strength but fall to the ground. This testifies to His Deity.

Comments John 18:7 In this verse, the beloved Son of God wants to remind all true believers that He will never back away from trouble. These come to seek and destroy the beloved Son of God in human form, but even the beloved Son of God knows full well the purpose they had come to seek for Him, but that does not make Him stay back and hide. By asking them again whom they seek, the beloved Son of God also wants them to think about whom truly they are seeking because, in their human minds, they want to come and follow the order, the order they have received to capture the beloved Son of God, but they do not think who truly He is.
Even with fear, these soldiers must fulfill the job, which is why the beloved Son of God asked them the second time. Soldiers received the order from the commander, and even though fear came upon them, they still must do the job. But many believers do not have a full understanding of the power of God; even though the Lord speaks in their hearts, they don’t keep until the end of life walking following the commands of the Lord; that is why many had failed before the time of end life comes, and some instead of listening to the voice of the Lord in their heart have turned away and listened to the voice of humans in their ears; as the betrayer has listened to the voice of darkness, it is the same as the believers, that have the Holy Bible, and try to change it; however, the God Most High never changes His Word, so the Holy Bible cannot be changed any further as well.

Comments John 18:8 “Jesus answered, I have told you that I am.” Let all believers pay attention to this answer, the beloved Son of God in human form has not denied His identity. Even though He knows what will happen to Him, that did not make the beloved Son of God turn away from the difficult time ahead.
“if then you seek Me.” If you come to seek Him, it doesn’t matter what the purpose you are seeking is, you will find Him, and then it is up to you to listen to Him or not. Many have disobeyed the teaching of the Lord, walked out from the true teaching, and accepted and received the liar of this world that penetrates in and teaches. If all believers pay attention to what truly the Holy Bible teaches, they will not go astray and damage their own faith in the end.

Comments John 18:9 “permit these to go away; so that … not one.” When the beloved Son of God came forward and told all the people, who is that they are seeking, this also fulfilled what order the beloved Son has received from the Father, which is “lose of them not one”; even He has to die for them it is still the will of the beloved Son of God to fulfill that order in saving His disciples. The true believers in Him at that time who had the duty to further the teaching to the world, their life will be spared until they have spread what the beloved Son of God has been teaching; it is in the Father’s will for humans to be saved, but the humans that reject the beloved Son of God will not be saved.
This saying, “Of those whom Thou have given Me I lost of them not one,” can be applied to all true believers at that time and future as well; their souls have not perished but will be with the beloved Son of God, after the judgment day they will be with Him in Paradise if they have kept the faith until the end. The reader should also give attention; you cannot just know the Holy Bible; you must believe, meditate, and trust that what the Holy Bible tells will be fulfilled until the last iota (See Matthew 5:18). His Word still continues on. After the apostles told the Word, many came and had faith as well, and they became true believers of the teaching; even though they did not hear from the beloved Son of God Himself, they believed the word that the apostles told.

Comments John 18:10 See also Comments Luke 22:51, which tells us that the Lord Jesus heals Malchus’ ear.
Let all true believers pay attention to this action as well. For example, the servant of the high priest is innocent; as a servant, he comes and does his duty, but Peter as the Lord’s disciple, his deed goes before thinking; before he withdrew the sword, he should think that there in that place is not him who makes decisions, the Master will be the One who makes decisions. In this way, let all true believers think as well; before you do anything bad to someone, stop and pray and seek advice from the beloved Son of God. If in your heart you truly consider the beloved Son of God as your true Master, seek His advice before hurting someone. The hurt here is not only physical hurting; even the emotional hurting has never been in the will of God for any of His followers to do to someone.
“And the servant’s name was Malchus.” The innocent has his name put down in the Bible; this servant was there but did not do anything yet, so he does not need to get hurt for being there. The Lord’s disciple has done things before thinking and did not seek the Lord’s advice first. Before hurting someone, think as well, do you want yourself to be hurt? If you don’t want anything bad to happen to yourself, do not do it to anyone; regardless of the situation, there is no need to hurt anyone. (See Mathew 7:12).
Q: But did Peter do this because he was concerned for the Lord? A: Regardless of what that person wanted to do; however, the person was a servant; he has done what his master has told him, and all believers should also do as their Master and Lord teaches them.

Comments John 18:11 “… Put up the sword into the sheath.” Let all readers think first at this answer of the Lord; the beloved Son of God did not come on earth to hurt anyone, and when His disciple has hurt this servant in front of Him, the beloved Son of God has told His disciple, put away your sword. However, putting away the sword did not mean surrender or being defeated, but it tells all humans the purpose of the beloved Son of God to be here on earth. Therefore, the way to fight back against all temptations, at first, before striking back at anyone, think of the teaching that the beloved Son of God has taught. The Father has everything in the plan, and even the smallest action has already been planned, but that depends on the person to listen to the little voice in their heart or not; accept what is coming to you, but be strong and trust in the loving care of the Father.
“the cup which the Father has given Me, should I not drink it?” Give attention to the action and the answer; everything the Father has in the plan, the beloved Son of God has shown obedience to all humans. All trials the Father has for humans, even for the beloved Son of God Himself, He has accepted those trials with obedience and gladness. So, why does everyone try to fight back for what is no need to fight for? All things, even those not looking good or easy, will pass away, and your reaction will show to the Father whether you have surrendered your trust to His care. The Father never gives more than how much you can take as well. Now the beloved Son of God Himself will take His trial and challenge, and in the end, also, humans will benefit when the beloved Son of God has gone through all sufferings; the Father’s heart will do according to the wish of the beloved Son of God when He asks mercy for anyone.
Q: Are we Christians always supposed to be humble and never fight back? A: If people say bad words, do not reply with bad words; instead, show love. If they have hurt you physically, suffer until the end, but also remember where, whom, and what situation it was, so, in the future, you can avoid what happened to you but never fight back in return. Violence is not the way the Lord has taught; look at the cross and remember, the beloved Son of God did not strike down anyone that hurt Him; even the ones that crucified Him, the beloved Son of God did not strike them to death but had let them continue their life and be bad if they wish. As the Bible has told, on the cross, the beloved Son of God has begged the Father to forgive them for what they did, that is not only the teaching but an example to remember as well. Nowadays, all some people do is talk and hurt others; remember as well, when they curse you because you have faith and obey the teaching, the things they do to you are not you alone who receive, when they do bad because you glorify the Trinity of God those actions they do, they do it to the Trinity of God, but not to you alone. Still, God is watching, and they will receive the payment at a later time; however, pray for them and beg the mercy of God to change them, and in that way, you have followed the teaching of the beloved Son of God.
Q: Should a Christian participate in war? A: First, think of the purpose of that war. When the country and the faith must be protected, the Lord allows participating in a war that will also end up killing. However, can you avoid being part of the war or not? If you can avoid it, as a true believer, you should not participate in war. But sometimes, for protecting your own life, the Lord allows you to fight back, but do not take life from any; you can hurt them, but your intention cannot have murder in it. If you are a soldier, the killing cannot be avoided; the Lord allows it if that is your job, but also there are many kinds of soldiers; some soldiers will never have to kill anyone, so as a true believer, choose the path that does not need to kill.

Comments John 18:12 “Then the military guard, and the commander.” Remember as well, the Lord’s people are under the command of the outsiders. The Lord’s people themselves have no military guard; this military guard and the commander are not the children of God, the outsiders had control over the children of God, and this time, the children of God had led them to capture the beloved Son of God; but also the children of God which are under their commander had come with them and be the ones that had seized the beloved Son of God and laid hands on Him, not the outsiders that laid hands on the beloved Son of God, His own people are the ones that laid hands on the beloved Son of God under the control of the outsiders.
“the servants of the Jews.” A unit that is from the Lord’s people but under the commandment of another nation; imagine as well, the group of Jews under another nation; another nation will send a small group and have power and control over them, the children of God have become as slave soldiers, had no authority or any decisions power, they were entirely under the control of the outsiders. The Jews themselves still have duties, and some also have become officials, but under the command of a different nation that controls them. Servants of the Jews but serving the outsiders; the commander above them is not of the Lord’s people.

Comments John 18:13 See Comments Luke 3:2.
For being a father-in-law, Annas can have an influence on the law itself. In that time, the father-in-law will have power by using the daughter to influence; in this way, he can have power in controlling, as this verse has told, when they have captured the beloved Son of God, first, they seek advice from Annas expecting that he will be the voice in helping them to punish the beloved Son of God; it is just the way humans in power are doing things.

Comments John 18:14 Before this time, Caiaphas prophesied from the Lord as holding the position of the high priest (See Comments John 11:49-53). The beloved Son of God will give His life for His children, by the will of the Father Himself to save them, and the beloved Son of God will fulfill the duty for that purpose, and the time has come now that all prophecies regarding the beloved Son of God will also be fulfilled.

Comments John 18:15 “And following Jesus …” From concern about the Master and the curiosity of the human mind, they have followed to see what will happen and what the beloved Son of God’s reaction is about being captured by all the soldiers. Peter came with love towards the Lord, and the other disciples also came hoping that he may be able to help the beloved Son of God in his way. Still, these two will be used for spreading the word as well, and what they have seen will be told, and everyone will know what the end with the beloved Son of God as a human was. (See also Comments Matthew 26:58).
“Now that disciple was known …”; The Holy Bible does not tell specific details about this disciple regarding the relationship with the high priest, but this disciple was known well enough to be able to enter the courtyard of the high priest. Regardless of his relationship with the beloved Son of God, his relationship with the high priest has covered the accusation questions. Therefore, no accusations were made against this disciple, even though he followed the beloved Son of God, and it was well known to the high priest. However, what the high priest has benefited from this disciple was valuable enough for the high priest to keep this disciple safe. Annas’ and Caiaphas’ living quarters were close to one another, and this disciple has been known to both.
See also Comments Luke 22:54).

Comments John 18:16 For verses 16 to 18 see Comments Matthew 26:69-70, Mark 14:66-72, and Luke 22:55-62.
The meaning is clear here. To bring Peter into the courtyard was not a big problem because that disciple could enter the courtyard without any questions; when that disciple came out to get Peter, also it has been well known that he was a friend of Peter, and to bring a friend to enter into the courtyard of the high priest was a common thing to do.

Comments John 18:17 Verse 17 is correlated to Matthew 26:71-72 and Mark 14:69-70a; the denial of Peter given in this verse is the denial given to the other maid of the high priest (See Comments Comments Luke 22:59-62 and Comments Mark 14:66-72). The high priest's personal maid was a different class of maid, so she would not keep the door. The high priest's personal maid is the one mentioned in Luke 22:56-57, Mark 14:66-68, and Matthew 26:69.
Let all readers pay attention to the answer Peter has given. Fear has power over the human heart, and in this place, Peter, a common man, also has fear; even though he has followed the beloved Son of God for so long, the fear in his heart still has power.

Comments John 18:18 In order to blend in, Peter takes the same action as them. When it is cold, making a fire will help to socialize, and here Peter used human nature and blended in with the group of soldiers. Still, he did not understand that sometimes what you think is normal can also lead you to trouble, and here is the place of an example; Peter would lead himself through trouble by seeking the warmth of the fire.
This verse connects further with verse 25.

Comments John 18:19 Annas is not the high priest right now, but he also works with the high priest himself; his duty is not as a high priest but general duty as a helper. That was the way the high priest worked; they brought relatives to help, and in this way, the high priest secured his position by surrounding himself with relatives.
People in high positions also heard about the activity and the way the beloved Son of God has been teaching the people; for this high priest, people who followed the beloved Son of God were considered disciples of the beloved Son of God. For the high priest now, the beloved Son of God became a competition for ruling the people because a large number of people are following Him right now, and the high priest has fear at this time.

Comments John 18:20 The answer of the beloved Son of God also brings fear to them (fear in the sense of how they will be able to accuse Him and condemn Him in front of the people). He has done nothing in secret, which creates fear for the rulers; the simple Man, as the beloved Son of God, can gain popularity among people, and now in front of the authorities, He can also answer them without fear and trembling. So, right now, they have looked at this as a potential problem for themselves.

Comments John 18:21 “Question those having heard …”; When they asked the beloved Son of God a question, He also replied to them; He did not defend Himself regarding what He has talked to people. As the verse has told all readers, the beloved Son of God has talked with many people, teaching them and telling them the way to be saved. Therefore, if the leaders of religion have questions about the teaching of the beloved Son of God, they can find out from all the listeners. In the same way, people nowadays, if you want to know about the teaching of the beloved Son of God, you have the Holy Bible; the Lord has given us the Holy Word, use your eyes and read the Holy Bible, meditate on the teachings, pray and ask for understanding and you will receive it. Also, you must ask for the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart to understand the meaning as well. But here, these people have known what teachings the Lord has given; however, they ask here not to learn but to seek the reason to blame Him and want to use the teaching as the ground for condemning Him; that is the reason the beloved Son of God has told them, go and ask those that heard, but these leaders they already have all information. Still, now, they want to use the teaching of the beloved Son of God in condemning Him to receive the punishment.
“behold, these know what I said.” As the verse says, they all knew what the beloved Son of God had been teaching the people; if they truly want, they can find evidence for punishing Him by asking people around who heard because the beloved Son of God has taught many times already. Also, if they want to learn about His teaching, they can find testimonies around them, but they do not want to learn; instead, they want to find fault in punishing Him. They themselves do not want to be saved, and at the same time, they do not want anyone to be saved as well.

Comments John 18:22 “… struck Jesus with his hand”; For what the beloved Son of God has answered is no ground to hit Him, but this officer wanted to get the benefit. This officer expected to gain favor from the leader by striking the beloved Son of God. Even now, humans still do the same way; when someone goes against the believers, that person expects to receive the reward of favor from the people around and tries to make themselves stand out as going against the teaching of God from the Holy Bible.
“Is that how Thou answer the high priest?” This officer takes the answer of the beloved Son of God as insulting to their leader, but the beloved Son of God is just telling the truth, and the truth does not go with the dark mind. The officer wants to please the leader by raising his hand and striking the beloved Son of God; this officer does not follow his duty but does according to his own pride in striking the beloved Son of God to gain the favor of humans.

Comments John 18:23 “Jesus answered him, If I spoke badly, bear witness concerning the bad.” Look at the words themselves and what it says. The beloved Son of God asks a simple question to them; all those who have heard the beloved Son of God speaking, can anyone testify that the beloved Son of God has spoken badly against God Himself in their hearing or not? The beloved Son of God has always lifted up and glorified the Father. The ear of the listener has heard the praising words of the beloved Son of God; if anyone has heard otherwise, let that person come out and be a witness against what the word they have heard by themselves. The priest has asked the question, and when the beloved Son of God has answered, the officer has struck Him; because of that answer, the officer has struck Him, but at this time also, they are asking about His authority in teaching the Word of God, and His teaching has no wrong to deserve any punishment.
“but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” So the beloved Son of God asks everyone's subconscious mind if He did nothing wrong against God, why should anyone be angry and want to punish Him for the right words He has spoken?

Comments John 18:24 Now, the evil one works with evil souls in using humans as a tool to do work against God in all directions; if the religious leaders agree to punish the innocent, the evil one has already conquered that soul. When the evil heart receives the evil word, it will have no good action coming out of it, and now, Annas has taken the beloved Son of God to the religious leader, the high priest. It is a collaboration between the two leaders; it has more power than one leader to do it; no other religious leader will come against it. At that time, Caiaphas, to gain more control, would have to keep people around silent. Now the religious leaders have made decisions, and the common people have learned to accept the religious leaders’ decisions as God’s will in this action.

Comments John 18:27 Verses 25 to 27 correlate to Matthew 26:73-75, Mark 14:70b-72, and Luke 22:59-61; all these conversations between Peter and those that stood by, culminated with Peter's final denial given in Matthew 26:74.
As we commented in Luke 22:61, Peter denied the Lord in truth (directly) three times, and the denial in these verses 25 to 27 is counted as the third denial made to those that stood by before the cock crowed (See Matthew 26:74 and Mark 14:71).
See Comments Luke 22:59-61 and Mark 14:66-72.

Comments John 18:28 When the verse has told “and it was early,” that also tells all readers that in order to succeed in their condemnation, they must do it before all the commoners acknowledge (discover) the deed they intend to do. In order to justify their action in condemning the beloved Son of God, these religious leaders must hurry in condemning the beloved Son of God to death, so they do not have too many problems with the commoners. The commoners have heard the deeds of the beloved Son of God, and some have been listening to the beloved Son of God’s teaching, and their hearts have been touched already, so they have regarded the beloved Son of God to a higher standard than most of the religious leaders.
“They are leading Jesus, therefore, from Caiaphas into the Praetorium.” The place they are going is not for His people to participate in the action because, in that place, they also worship the god of the unbelievers that worship the god of the dark side. The place they have led Him to is not the place for the Lord’s children where they should be because in that place also is the act of violence to each other, the people go in that place to enjoy the shedding blood of one another, shedding blood for no cause but for the pleasure of humans, so it is not the place where the children of God should be involved.
“and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium … the Passover.” The old law also has taught God’s children that shedding blood for pleasure is not the way that humans should do to one another. His children have been following the teaching of their God, but some of them have disobeyed the teaching and became part of shedding the innocent blood in that place; as in this time, the beloved Son of God, the Lamb of all glory, also will be delivered there for humans to make the decision in shedding His blood for the sin that He has not committed. This practice of humans has been too long due, and the Lord wanted to end it, and that is why the Lamb of God will be judged and punished along with the criminals of the world. Think this way, the One who has not committed sin, the beloved Son of God who never committed any sin neither by mouth nor by heart, had been crucified and died between the criminals of this world. The Lamb of God has shed His blood for the sinful world, with a few hearts that cried for Him; then and now, even after humans have known that the beloved Son of God has died for humans, not all appreciate and thank Him for the suffering that He has taken upon Himself; not all humans accept and thank Him, the dark mind has blinded their hearts as well, but to those that accept and believe, the reward will be waiting for them in heaven.

Comments John 18:29 For verses 29 to 38 see also Comments Matthew 27:11-14, Comments Mark 15:2-5, and Comments Luke 23:2-16.
It is not the outsiders that accuse the beloved Son of God, but His own people are the ones that want to use the outsiders to kill the innocent. As the verse tells all readers, Pilate does not know the true accusation that the people of God have for the outsiders to punish the innocent One. The question in this verse has told clearly as well.
In all the gospels, we are given some information related to the trial of Jesus, but to have a complete picture of the trial as given by all the gospels, we need to combine all the events. Furthermore, suppose we follow the trial sequence given in the Gospel of Luke. In that case, we can clearly connect the events that took place during Jesus’ trial, as shown below.
In Luke 22:54, Jesus was taken into the high priest’s house (Annas’ house, see John 18:19-23).
In Luke 22:63-65, Jesus was mocked by those that held Him (this happened when Jesus was taken from Annas and awaiting the council of the high priests and the elders to gather together at Caiaphas, the high priest; also, during this time was when Jesus looked at Peter when Peter denied Him).
In Luke 22:66-71, Jesus was tried by the council of the Jews (the elders, chief priests, and the scribes).
In Luke 23:1-2, the council of the Jews brought Jesus to Pilate and accused Him of “perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ a King” (See Comments John 18:2).
In Luke 23:3-6, Pilate questioned Jesus.
In Luke 23:7-11, Herod questioned Jesus, and the chief priests and the scribes accused Him.
In Luke 23:12-16, Jesus was returned to Pilate, but neither Pilate nor Herod found Him guilty.
The events from the gospels of John, Mathew, and Mark, given below, can now be easily related to the orderly sequence in the Gospel of Luke.
In John 18:13-14,19-23, we have that Annas, the priest, questioned Jesus.
In John 18:24, Jesus was sent to Caiaphas, the high priest (the council trial).
In John 18:28-38, Jesus was tried by Pilate.
In Matthew 27:1-2, Jesus was tried by the chief priests and the elders.
In Matthew 27:11-14, Jesus was tried by Pilate and accused by the chief priests and the elders of the Jews.
In Mark 15:1, Jesus was tried by the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes, and the whole council bound Him and sent Him to Pilate (the council of Jews trial).
In Mark 15:2-5, Jesus was tried by Pilate.

Comments John 18:30 His own people have accused Him of being an evil doer and took Him to a human ruler to be judged. However, among the deeds that the beloved Son of God has done among humans, there is nothing that anyone can claim as evil, but His own people have betrayed Him and delivered Him unfairly to be judged by humans.

Comments John 18:31 “… judge Him according to your law.” Even the outsiders do not want to be involved in this case. When His people have received this answer, they should stop and think as well; the ruler, which is not a good ruler, has denied being involved in deciding to punish the beloved Son of God. Everyone reading this verse should also think that the people of God have turned away and wanted the outsider to judge their God.
“The Jews said to him, It is not lawful for us to kill anyone.” The children of God know very well that even by human law, they should not kill anyone, but they want to seek someone to decide and condemn the beloved Son of God to death for them. They know the answer to what the law of the Lord has given them, that it is not right for them to put anyone to death, but to fulfill their wishes, they seek the outsider to do it. The reason to put to death has the limitation on whom and what they do, and also, in their law, a small window is opened in a specific action; if blaspheming the God of their nation, they can put that person to death, but the beloved Son of God has not committed any sin against the living God, but He has taught against their sins, by teaching the right way to serve the living God for His people, and that is not enough reason to put Him to death and, for them to succeed, they need the hand of the outsiders. Otherwise, they will commit sin against their own law, but if the outsiders do it for them, they will benefit but not take any blame if the right decision has not been made.

Comments John 18:32 “that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spoke.” When the beloved Son of God has come down on earth, the word which He spoke is not from Himself alone only; the Father which is in Him has spoken as well, and always the beloved Son of God will do according to the Father’s will. While He has spent time on earth as a human, He had only one purpose in life for Himself. It was to glorify the Father and show all humans the Father’s love for them to the point of sending His beloved Son of God to be a human, live completely as a human, face all life troubles as a human, and die in the hands of humans. Still, by sacrificing His life, the beloved Son of God has brought many souls to glorify the Father. The beloved Son of God has told all humans that He will die on the cross in order to carry all humans' sins upon His wounds; let all humans come and worship the Father through the beloved Son of God's sacrificial death on the cross.
“signifying by what death He was about to die.” This part of the verse tells all humans that the beloved Son of God Himself also was willing to take the suffering upon His shoulders, even though the sins that He carries are not His own sins. Still, with His love for humans, the beloved Son of God was willing to have all the sins of the world on His shoulders. However, He Himself also, at that moment when the sins of the world were on His shoulders, would feel the separation from the Father for a moment; the pain of that separation was more than the death point in the human form itself.
See Comments Matthew 17:22-23, 20:18-19, 26:2, Comments Mark 9:30-32, 10:33-34, Comments Luke 18:32-33, Comments John 12:20-36.

Comments John 18:33 The name of the beloved Son of God is not known only among His people; even Pilate knows about the beloved Son of God. Give attention, the beloved Son of God is known as the King of the Jews, but His own people have not accepted Him yet. Until they accept the beloved Son of God, their nation will not prosper. It is sad for the Trinity of God when His own people have rejected the beloved Son of God; the blessing for their nation will not come in full until they accept the beloved Son of God, not just as their King only, but as their own Savior as well.
The rumor about the beloved Son of God reached the ear of Pilate himself; the new King of the Jews had been born, and that was cause for the death of the beloved Son of God in their eyes. When the report of the new king was spread out, it created a problem for all of them, and it became the real reason for Pilate to eliminate the beloved Son of God. In the eyes of the outsiders, the religious leaders have brought the accusations, but for Pilate, this became only a rumor of new appearing; he did not believe in the beloved Son of God, for Pilate the beloved Son of God was just a common man that has gained power among people, He had no special meaning for them.

Comments John 18:34 The beloved Son of God did not deny or admit. Still, the beloved Son of God has asked their leader the question: Have you heard about the beloved Son of God, or have you inquired to get this knowledge? Pilate, as a leader of the people, has received many reports; he received reports regarding the beloved Son of God as well, making him try to find the answer. Now Pilate wants to know who truly is the beloved Son of God. Is He indeed the king of the Jews or just someone proclaiming themselves to be a king? For all outsiders, the position of the beloved Son of God to be King or to be God is not in their concern; as long as they don’t lose power in controlling people, they will not care, but Pilate as a leader must stop the rumor before the Jews rebel against them.

Comments John 18:35 Pilate has questions for the beloved Son of God, and he has doubted the same way for himself as well. From what he has heard regarding the beloved Son of God, it made his heart also doubt why the people had brought the beloved Son of God to him when He was their king. They should judge their own king. If the beloved Son of God truly is their king, people shouldn’t bring their king to him. However, he himself is also a leader of people, so it made his heart wonder if these people would do the same way to him if they had another king around him; the sword has two edges, and this also made him wonder what the beloved Son of God has done to people to make them send Him to be punished. So, Pilate, when he saw the beloved Son of God being delivered to him by His own people, it made him also worry about his own actions.
“what have Thou done?” When Pilate asked the beloved Son of God this question, let all believers also ask themselves what the beloved Son of God has done for you, and then why don’t you come to Him, glorify Him, and thank Him for the deed that He has done for you? If the ruler of the outsiders wanted to know what the beloved Son of God has done to make people angry, you as believers should want to know the answer of what the beloved Son of God has done for you to receive the freedom of your soul; it should be the point you should thank and glorify the beloved Son of God.

Comments John 18:36 “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world”; The beloved Son of God has told all humans where His kingdom is; He has come to this world of flesh, but this world is the world of flesh living; His kingdom is elsewhere.
“if My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, that I might not be delivered to the Jews.” As the verse tells, if His kingdom were of this world, His soldier servants would not let Him be delivered to the rulers of this flesh world, and His soldier servants would fight with His human nation, the Jews, to be unable to deliver Him to the outsiders. Remember as well, at the end time this earth will disappear, and the world of His kingdom is not here; the world of flesh and the world of holy are not in the same place.
“however, now My kingdom is not from here.” The beloved Son of God has told all humans, then and now, that the Holy Kingdom of the beloved Son of God is not here on this earth itself; the world of the flesh is not the same as the world of the holy beings.

Comments John 18:37 “Pilate, therefore, said to Him, So then, are Thou a King?” What the beloved Son of God has told Pilate made him understand that he is talking with the true King, which has a kingdom but not as the kingdom of this world. This world has the kingdom of this world, and Pilate himself also has his kingdom, but the beloved Son of God’s kingdom is much better than here.
“Jesus answered, You say that I am a King. … that I might bear witness to the truth.” Because Pilate asked the beloved Son of God, then, He received the answer; the beloved Son of God has told not just to them here but to the whole world that He did not claim Himself, but the people have lifted Him up to be King of this world as well (they accused Him and put Him as claiming to be the King of the Jews). The beloved Son of God is the true witness of the Father, the King of the true message from the Father is the beloved Son of God Himself, and His Word is the true Word from the Father, and every word the beloved Son has spoken in this world is not from Himself but from the Father. The Father Himself is the true King of the universe, but the beloved Son of God in human form also is the true King of all souls of the flesh that have been created, and the beloved Son of God has come down to tell all the true message, so all the living souls can have a chance to have true life in His kingdom; the souls that truly believe the Holy Word and glorify the Trinity of God, those souls have a place in His kingdom.
“Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” The souls of true believers have paid attention and listened to the teaching of the Holy Bible; those souls have taken the Holy Bible as true teaching from the Father, and the ears of those souls have heard the Father’s voice Himself. When those souls listen to the Father’s voice, they also have heard the beloved Son of God's voice, and all those souls that listen and obey in their hearts will feel the true relationship between themselves and the Trinity of God.

Comments John 18:38 As the verse has told to all true believers, Pilate himself wants to seek the truth as well, and he has asked many questions to the beloved Son of God, but the answers he received do not prove to him that the beloved Son of God has done anything wrong to the people. That is why the verse has told that he said to them, “I find no cause in Him.”
See also, Comments Luke 23:4, 14-16.

Comments John 18:39 For verses 39 to 40 see Comments Matthew 27:15-18, 20-23, Comments Mark 15:6-14, Comments Luke 23:17-19.
“However, a custom exists …”; It is a tradition for him to release one prisoner during the Passover festival; this tradition existed to gain favor with the people; Pilate also wanted to gain favor among people, which is why he asked them the question of whom they wanted him to release.
“wish you, therefore, I should set free to you the King of the Jews?” When Pilate asked and offered to release the beloved Son of God, his meaning was not because he saw the beloved Son of God having no guilt in anything but because he saw many people following the beloved Son of God. So, in his mind, if he released the beloved Son of God, he would gain favor from people. This offer to release the beloved Son of God was for his own benefit, but it was not in his heart to do well to the beloved Son of God; with his own wicked mind, he only wanted to benefit from everything he did.
Q: Many believe Pilate was not guilty of crucifying the Lord Jesus since he said in verse 38, "I find no cause in Him.” A: Many people have interpreted this saying as a good deed in this way, but remember as well, from the time the beloved Son of God was delivered to him, did he treat the beloved Son of God as guilty or not? Think how much he had already tortured the beloved Son of God with no cause. If in his heart he truly believed the beloved Son of God was not guilty, he had the authority not to torture the beloved Son of God. Think in this way as well; as a leader, one word from him could release the beloved Son of God, but he did not do it that way. Instead, he tortured the beloved Son, and besides torturing Him, he also blasphemed against the beloved Son of God to show people that he agreed with them and that the beloved Son of God is not truly all good and deserves punishment. Still, his mind also thought about fear of people, which made him offer to release the beloved Son of God, but not from his willing heart.

Comments John 18:40 “Then they cried out again, saying, Not this One, but Barabbas.” His own people have delivered the Lord Jesus to the outsiders, and now also, is still their chance to change their minds, but they still rejected Him until this point and are willing not to obey the voice of the Lord speaking into their hearts. The Father also has given them the last chance to repent, in front of their own eyes, the beloved Son of God or Barabbas; however, they still let the dark mind control them by not choosing the beloved Son of God. The punishment that will come upon their own nation will come upon themselves, and they cannot blame anyone, not even God. The help has come in their nation, and through many chances, the Father has shown mercy to them, but they have rejected the mercy of the Father Himself.
“Now Barabbas was a bandit.” Even if they do not believe in the beloved Son of God and take Him as a common Man, His own people still are willing to choose the criminal over a normal Man who has done no wrong to anyone. It was the darkest mind of His own people to choose Barabbas, which they have known full well what evil he has committed; but between the wrongdoer and the innocent, two people in front, they still rather take the wrongdoer. The time for them to be punished has come, and they must tell their own children that they have chosen the sinful man over the innocent Man when their own nation receives punishment; they themselves will cry for their own actions, and they cannot consider that is God’s punishment alone, their own actions have punished the whole nation to go down.