John 18:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”

NIV: Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, 'You aren't one of his disciples too, are you?' He denied it, saying, 'I am not.'

NASB: Now Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they said to him, 'You are not one of His disciples as well, are you?' He denied it, and said, 'I am not.'

CSB: Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, "You aren't one of his disciples too, are you? "He denied it and said, "I am not."

NLT: Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, 'You’re not one of his disciples, are you?' He denied it, saying, 'No, I am not.'

KJV: And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.

NKJV: Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!”

Once again, John employs a "scene change" that almost mirrors techniques used in modern films. Previous verses explained how John and Peter followed the squadron arresting Jesus, entering the outer courtyard of the high priest (John 18:12–16). During that passage, Peter's earlier bragging (John 13:37) and reckless bravery (John 18:10) gave way to a self-preserving lie (John 18:17–18). The focus then shifted to Jesus, being interrogated by Jewish religious leaders (John 18:19–24).

Here, again, John "cuts" back to the outdoor courtyard, where Peter is standing with John and several strangers. Once again, he is questioned about his relationship with Jesus. Matthew explains that Peter's Galilean accent makes him stand out (Matthew 26:73). The question here is being asked in a way which expects a negative answer. To sneak into the high priest's courtyard while their master is being tried would be foolish, after all.

Just like he did with the doorkeeper, Peter lies and claims he is not a follower of Christ. This is as Christ predicted earlier in the evening (John 13:38).

Even worse for Peter, one of the men standing at the fire was an eyewitness to Jesus' arrest. In fact, the man is a relative of the person Peter maimed in his effort to defend the master he now denies knowing (Luke 22:50–51; Matthew 26:51; John 18:10).

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 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.