John 18:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.

NIV: Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him

NASB: So the Roman cohort, the commander, and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him,

CSB: Then the company of soldiers, the commander, and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus and tied him up.

NLT: So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up.

KJV: Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,

NKJV: Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.

The "band of soldiers" mentioned here is part of the Roman military, authorized for this purpose. They've been led to a private place by Judas (John 18:1–3), who has turned traitor against His former Master (John 11:57; 13:2–3; Matthew 26:14–16; Luke 22:47–48). When confronted, Jesus did not run or struggle. Despite showing divine power (John 18:4–9) and Peter's demonstrated willingness to fight (John 18:10–11), Christ is not interested in battle. On the contrary, this is the purpose for which He was born (John 18:37). This is part of the plan God has sent Him to complete (Matthew 16:21).

As in other portions of this Gospel, John uses the term "the Jews" in reference to Jewish religious leadership. This is primarily composed of the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees (Matthew 21:15; 23:1–3). Jerusalem's ruling class considered Jesus a threat, to their status (John 11:48), their national security (John 11:50), and their reputation (John 12:42–43).

This passage further shows the effects of John writing long after the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were in circulation. The encounter with Annas (John 18:13) and certain details about Pilate are found here, the other details are left to be covered by the other writings.

John 18:12–14 prefaces Jesus' interrogation in front of Jewish religious leaders. Rome artificially installed high priests, despite the Old Testament calling for a lifetime appointment. Annas was a former high priest who'd been replaced by a new Roman governor. This initial interview, before Jesus is taken to Caiaphas, suggests Annas was a major figure in Jewish leadership, despite not holding an official office.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.