John 18:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

NIV: Again he asked them, 'Who is it you want?' 'Jesus of Nazareth,' they said.

NASB: He then asked them again, 'Whom are you seeking?' And they said, 'Jesus the Nazarene.'

CSB: Then he asked them again, "Who is it that you're seeking? ""Jesus of Nazareth," they said.

NLT: Once more he asked them, 'Who are you looking for?' And again they replied, 'Jesus the Nazarene.'

KJV: Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

NKJV: Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

When Judas arrives with heavily-armed men to arrest Jesus, Jesus responded with an overt display of His divine power (John 18:1–6). By tumbling the arresting soldiers onto the ground, He made it clear this arrest happens only if He chooses to allow it (John 10:17–18; Matthew 26:53). It was also the exclamation point on Jesus' active earthly ministry—from this point forward, His path will involve submission to others (John 19:15–16).

The prior show of power, and the repeated question, are also probably intended as a negotiation tactic. In the next verse, Jesus will imply that He's willing to be arrested, but wants His followers to be left alone (John 18:8). By clarifying that the soldiers are there for Him, and showing how much power He can command, Jesus makes it more likely that the disciples will be allowed to go free.

Famously, however, Peter will ignore this and try to make good on His promise to fight—even die—for Christ (John 13:37; John 18:10–11).

John 18:1–11 occurs after Jesus' High Priestly Prayer (John 17). The garden setting evokes both the beginning and end of human history (Genesis 2:8; Revelation 22:1–5). Christ's obedience contrasts with the disobedience of Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45; Philippians 2:8; Genesis 3:12). Writing after the other Gospels were in circulation, John skips over Jesus' prayers in the garden (Matthew 26:36–46). Judas arrives to identify Jesus so He can be arrested. Christ provides a last demonstration of power before submitting to His enemies. Peter's maiming of a servant is mentioned, along with Jesus' rebuke of Peter, but not the healing of the servant's ear (Luke 22:50–51), or the disciples retreat (Matthew 26:56). David, also, experienced betrayal by a close ally while crossing Kidron on the way to the Mount of Olives (2 Samuel 15:23–31).

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.

Accessed 5/3/2024 3:46:43 AM