John 18:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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,

NIV: Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard,

NASB: Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest,

CSB: Simon Peter was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard.

NLT: Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus.

KJV: And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.

NKJV: And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.

When Jesus was under threat from an arresting crowd, Peter demonstrated bravery—or at least rage—by lashing out with a sword (John 18:10). Fortunately for him, Jesus had given the soldiers plenty of reasons to ignore the disciples (John 18:6–9). When Jesus submitted to His arrest, the disciples ran away (Matthew 26:56). Peter circles around to follow at a distance (Matthew 26:58), along with another of the disciples. Especially since Jesus had made it clear He wanted the disciples to stay out of harm's way, this is not a smart choice.

This disciple is almost certainly John himself. Referring to himself in the third person is John's pattern (John 1:35; 13:23–25). His relationship to the high priest's family is not clear. Scholars suggest that John's mother (Matthew 20:20) was Salome (Mark 15:40; 16:1; John 19:25) who may have been the sister of Jesus' mother, Mary. Luke indicates that Mary was related to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, who was a son of the priest Zechariah (Luke 1:13, 36). This creates a line of family relations which might have connected John to the family of the priests. John is the only one to mention the name of the servant injured by Peter (John 18:10–11), adding weight to the idea that he was familiar with the high priest's household.

Scripture does not tell us exactly what that relationship was. However, John is known well enough that he's able to enter the courtyard in the middle of the night, and convince the doorkeeper to let Peter in (John 18:16).

John 18:15–18 includes the first of Peter's predicted denials of Christ (John 13:36–38). Peter has followed the party who arrested Jesus, obviously at some distance, attempting to secretly see what will happen. Though Peter was brave in attempting to defend Jesus earlier, he shrinks in the face of danger here. Asked to admit his relationship with Christ, he lies. The unnamed disciple here is probably John, who may have been a relative of the priestly family.

Jesus is secretly, quietly arrested in the garden of Gethsemane and taken to a series of sham trials before Jewish leadership. This leads to His encounter with the local Roman governor. Jesus accepts being described as "King" but denies that His current purpose is earthly rule. A mob assembled by Jesus' enemies reject Pilate's attempt to free Jesus. In the meantime, Peter fulfills Christ's prophecy about a three-fold denial.

John's Gospel was written well after the other three, so he frequently chooses to present different details. Chapter 17 detailed Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, just before He entered the garden of Gethsemane. This chapter describes Jesus' arrest, sham trials before Jewish leadership, and the beginning of His trial before the Roman governor. In the following chapter, Jesus will be unfairly condemned, executed, and buried.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.