John 18:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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?"

NIV: One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?"

NASB: One of the slaves of the high priest, who was related to the one whose ear Peter cut off, *said, 'Did I not see you in the garden with Him?'

CSB: One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, "Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?"

NLT: But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, 'Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?'

KJV: One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?

NKJV: One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”

When Jesus was arrested, Peter attempted to make good on his earlier boast (John 13:37). Despite Jesus negotiating to have the disciples left unharmed (John 18:8), Peter struck back. Using a small sword, he lashed out and somehow struck a servant, cutting off the man's ear (John 18:10–11). Now, having followed Jesus at some distance, Peter is in a different kind of danger. He has already been asked, twice, about his relationship to the man being interrogated inside (John 18:17, 25). Both times, he's lied in order to avoid being caught.

John is the only one of the Gospel writers to mention the name of the servant Peter wounded in Gethsemane. That's likely because John—the unnamed disciple of this passage—had familiarity with the high priest's household (John 18:15–16). The man now speaking to Peter, it seems, wasn't merely present when violence occurred, it was one of his own relatives who was maimed. His memory of the event is both vivid and personal.

Unlike the previous two questions, which assumed the answer would be "no," this challenge about Peter's identity is more self-assured. The servant speaking is confident that the Galilean (Matthew 26:73) standing there is the same one who recently assaulted his relative and fellow servant. Peter is in deep trouble.

John 18:25–27 returns to Peter, who has attempted to secretly follow Jesus during His arrest and trial (John 18:15). Two men recognize him, one from the recent incident where Peter maimed a servant (Luke 22:50–51). After lying about his relationship to Christ earlier (John 18:15–18), Peter repeats the denial two more times. This is consistent with Jesus' prediction (John 13:36–38), including the sound of a rooster crowing.

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.