John 5:36

5:36 “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds ¹  that the Father has assigned me to complete – the deeds ²  I am now doing – testify about me that the Father has sent me.

John 5:1

Healing a Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda

5:1 After this ³  there was a Jewish feast, ⁴  and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ⁵ 

John 13:1--14:31

Washing the Disciples’ Feet

13:1 Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time ⁶  had come to depart ⁷  from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. ⁸  13:2 The evening meal ⁹  was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart ¹⁰  of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray ¹¹  Jesus. ¹²  13:3 Because Jesus ¹³  knew that the Father had handed all things over to him, ¹⁴  and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 13:4 he got up from the meal, removed ¹⁵  his outer clothes, ¹⁶  took a towel and tied it around himself. ¹⁷  13:5 He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself. ¹⁸ 

13:6 Then he came to Simon Peter. Peter ¹⁹  said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash ²⁰  my feet?” 13:7 Jesus replied, ²¹  “You do not understand ²²  what I am doing now, but you will understand ²³  after these things.” 13:8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” ²⁴  Jesus replied, ²⁵  “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” ²⁶  13:9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, wash ²⁷  not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” 13:10 Jesus replied, ²⁸  “The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, ²⁹  but is completely ³⁰  clean. ³¹  And you disciples ³²  are clean, but not every one of you.” 13:11 (For Jesus ³³  knew the one who was going to betray him. For this reason he said, “Not every one of you is ³⁴  clean.”) ³⁵ 

13:12 So when Jesus ³⁶  had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table ³⁷  again and said to them, “Do you understand ³⁸  what I have done for you? 13:13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, ³⁹  for that is what I am. ⁴⁰  13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet. 13:15 For I have given you an example ⁴¹  – you should do just as I have done for you. 13:16 I tell you the solemn truth, ⁴²  the slave ⁴³  is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger ⁴⁴  greater than the one who sent him. 13:17 If you understand ⁴⁵  these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

The Announcement of Jesus’ Betrayal

13:18 “What I am saying does not refer to all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture, ⁴⁶  ‘The one who eats my bread ⁴⁷  has turned against me.’ ⁴⁸  13:19 I am telling you this now, ⁴⁹  before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe ⁵⁰  that I am he. ⁵¹  13:20 I tell you the solemn truth, ⁵²  whoever accepts ⁵³  the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” ⁵⁴ 

13:21 When he had said these things, Jesus was greatly distressed ⁵⁵  in spirit, and testified, ⁵⁶  “I tell you the solemn truth, ⁵⁷  one of you will betray me.” ⁵⁸  13:22 The disciples began to look at one another, worried and perplexed ⁵⁹  to know which of them he was talking about. 13:23 One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, ⁶⁰  was at the table ⁶¹  to the right of Jesus in a place of honor. ⁶²  13:24 So Simon Peter ⁶³  gestured to this disciple ⁶⁴  to ask Jesus ⁶⁵  who it was he was referring to. ⁶⁶  13:25 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved ⁶⁷  leaned back against Jesus’ chest and asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 13:26 Jesus replied, ⁶⁸  “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread ⁶⁹  after I have dipped it in the dish.” ⁷⁰  Then he dipped the piece of bread in the dish ⁷¹  and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. 13:27 And after Judas ⁷²  took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. ⁷³  Jesus said to him, ⁷⁴  “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 13:28 (Now none of those present at the table ⁷⁵  understood ⁷⁶  why Jesus ⁷⁷  said this to Judas. ⁷⁸  13:29 Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him to buy whatever they needed for the feast, ⁷⁹  or to give something to the poor.) ⁸⁰  13:30 Judas ⁸¹  took the piece of bread and went out immediately. (Now it was night.) ⁸² 

The Prediction of Peter’s Denial

13:31 When ⁸³  Judas ⁸⁴  had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. 13:32 If God is glorified in him, ⁸⁵  God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him right away. ⁸⁶  13:33 Children, I am still with you for a little while. You will look for me, ⁸⁷  and just as I said to the Jewish religious leaders, ⁸⁸  ‘Where I am going you cannot come,’ ⁸⁹  now I tell you the same. ⁹⁰ 

13:34 “I give you a new commandment – to love ⁹¹  one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ⁹²  13:35 Everyone ⁹³  will know by this that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another.”

13:36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, ⁹⁴  “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.” 13:37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” ⁹⁵  13:38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? ⁹⁶  I tell you the solemn truth, ⁹⁷  the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!

Jesus’ Parting Words to His Disciples

14:1 “Do not let your hearts be distressed. ⁹⁸  You believe in God; ⁹⁹  believe also in me. 14:2 There are many dwelling places ¹⁰⁰  in my Father’s house. ¹⁰¹  Otherwise, I would have told you, because ¹⁰²  I am going away to make ready ¹⁰³  a place for you. ¹⁰⁴  14:3 And if I go and make ready ¹⁰⁵  a place for you, I will come again and take you ¹⁰⁶  to be with me, ¹⁰⁷  so that where I am you may be too. 14:4 And you know the way where I am going.” ¹⁰⁸ 

14:5 Thomas said, ¹⁰⁹  “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 14:6 Jesus replied, ¹¹⁰  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. ¹¹¹  No one comes to the Father except through me. 14:7 If you have known me, you will know my Father too. ¹¹²  And from now on you do know him and have seen him.”

14:8 Philip said, ¹¹³  “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content.” ¹¹⁴  14:9 Jesus replied, ¹¹⁵  “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known ¹¹⁶  me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? ¹¹⁷  The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, ¹¹⁸  but the Father residing in me performs ¹¹⁹  his miraculous deeds. ¹²⁰  14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do not believe me, ¹²¹  believe because of the miraculous deeds ¹²²  themselves. 14:12 I tell you the solemn truth, ¹²³  the person who believes in me will perform ¹²⁴  the miraculous deeds ¹²⁵  that I am doing, ¹²⁶  and will perform ¹²⁷  greater deeds ¹²⁸  than these, because I am going to the Father. 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, ¹²⁹  so that the Father may be glorified ¹³⁰  in the Son. 14:14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Teaching on the Holy Spirit

14:15 “If you love me, you will obey ¹³¹  my commandments. ¹³²  14:16 Then ¹³³  I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate ¹³⁴  to be with you forever – 14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, ¹³⁵  because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides ¹³⁶  with you and will be ¹³⁷  in you.

14:18 “I will not abandon ¹³⁸  you as orphans, ¹³⁹  I will come to you. ¹⁴⁰  14:19 In a little while ¹⁴¹  the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me; because I live, you will live too. 14:20 You will know at that time ¹⁴²  that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. 14:21 The person who has my commandments and obeys ¹⁴³  them is the one who loves me. ¹⁴⁴  The one ¹⁴⁵  who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal ¹⁴⁶  myself to him.”

14:22 “Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot) ¹⁴⁷  said, ¹⁴⁸  “what has happened that you are going to reveal ¹⁴⁹  yourself to us and not to the world?” 14:23 Jesus replied, ¹⁵⁰  “If anyone loves me, he will obey ¹⁵¹  my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. ¹⁵²  14:24 The person who does not love me does not obey ¹⁵³  my words. And the word ¹⁵⁴  you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

14:25 “I have spoken these things while staying ¹⁵⁵  with you. 14:26 But the Advocate, ¹⁵⁶  the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you ¹⁵⁷  everything, ¹⁵⁸  and will cause you to remember everything ¹⁵⁹  I said to you.

14:27 “Peace I leave with you; ¹⁶⁰  my peace I give to you; I do not give it ¹⁶¹  to you as the world does. ¹⁶²  Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage. ¹⁶³  14:28 You heard me say to you, ¹⁶⁴  ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad ¹⁶⁵  that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. ¹⁶⁶  14:29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. ¹⁶⁷  14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, ¹⁶⁸  for the ruler of this world is coming. ¹⁶⁹  He has no power over me, ¹⁷⁰  14:31 but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know ¹⁷¹  that I love the Father. ¹⁷²  Get up, let us go from here.” ¹⁷³ 

John 17:1--18:40

Jesus Prays for the Father to Glorify Him

17:1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he looked upward ¹⁷⁴  to heaven ¹⁷⁵  and said, “Father, the time ¹⁷⁶  has come. Glorify your Son, so that your ¹⁷⁷  Son may glorify you – 17:2 just as you have given him authority over all humanity, ¹⁷⁸  so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. ¹⁷⁹  17:3 Now this ¹⁸⁰  is eternal life ¹⁸¹  – that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, ¹⁸²  whom you sent. 17:4 I glorified you on earth by completing ¹⁸³  the work you gave me to do. ¹⁸⁴  17:5 And now, Father, glorify me at your side ¹⁸⁵  with the glory I had with you before the world was created. ¹⁸⁶ 

Jesus Prays for the Disciples

17:6 “I have revealed ¹⁸⁷  your name to the men ¹⁸⁸  you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, ¹⁸⁹  and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed ¹⁹⁰  your word. 17:7 Now they understand ¹⁹¹  that everything ¹⁹²  you have given me comes from you, 17:8 because I have given them the words you have given me. They ¹⁹³  accepted ¹⁹⁴  them ¹⁹⁵  and really ¹⁹⁶  understand ¹⁹⁷  that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 17:9 I am praying ¹⁹⁸  on behalf of them. I am not praying ¹⁹⁹  on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you. ²⁰⁰  17:10 Everything ²⁰¹  I have belongs to you, ²⁰²  and everything you have belongs to me, ²⁰³  and I have been glorified by them. ²⁰⁴  17:11 I ²⁰⁵  am no longer in the world, but ²⁰⁶  they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe ²⁰⁷  in your name ²⁰⁸  that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. ²⁰⁹  17:12 When I was with them I kept them safe ²¹⁰  and watched over them ²¹¹  in your name ²¹²  that you have given me. Not one ²¹³  of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, ²¹⁴  so that the scripture could be fulfilled. ²¹⁵  17:13 But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so they may experience ²¹⁶  my joy completed ²¹⁷  in themselves. 17:14 I have given them your word, ²¹⁸  and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, ²¹⁹  just as I do not belong to the world. ²²⁰  17:15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe ²²¹  from the evil one. ²²²  17:16 They do not belong to the world ²²³  just as I do not belong to the world. ²²⁴  17:17 Set them apart ²²⁵  in the truth; your word is truth. 17:18 Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. ²²⁶  17:19 And I set myself apart ²²⁷  on their behalf, ²²⁸  so that they too may be truly set apart. ²²⁹ 

Jesus Prays for Believers Everywhere

17:20 “I am not praying ²³⁰  only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe ²³¹  in me through their testimony, ²³²  17:21 that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray ²³³  that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 17:22 The glory ²³⁴  you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one – 17:23 I in them and you in me – that they may be completely one, ²³⁵  so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.

17:24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, ²³⁶  so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world ²³⁷ . 17:25 Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men ²³⁸  know that you sent me. 17:26 I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, ²³⁹  so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them.”

Betrayal and Arrest

18:1 When he had said these things, ²⁴⁰  Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley. ²⁴¹  There was an orchard ²⁴²  there, and he and his disciples went into it. 18:2 (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, knew the place too, because Jesus had met there many times ²⁴³  with his disciples.) ²⁴⁴  18:3 So Judas obtained a squad of soldiers ²⁴⁵  and some officers of the chief priests and Pharisees. ²⁴⁶  They came to the orchard ²⁴⁷  with lanterns ²⁴⁸  and torches and weapons.

18:4 Then Jesus, because he knew everything that was going to happen to him, ²⁴⁹  came and asked them, “Who are you looking for?” ²⁵⁰  18:5 They replied, ²⁵¹  “Jesus the Nazarene.” He told them, “I am he.” (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, was standing there with them.) ²⁵²  18:6 So when Jesus ²⁵³  said to them, “I am he,” they retreated ²⁵⁴  and fell to the ground. ²⁵⁵  18:7 Then Jesus ²⁵⁶  asked them again, “Who are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 18:8 Jesus replied, ²⁵⁷  “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for ²⁵⁸  me, let these men ²⁵⁹  go.” ²⁶⁰  18:9 He said this ²⁶¹  to fulfill the word he had spoken, ²⁶²  “I have not lost a single one of those whom you gave me.” ²⁶³ 

18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the high priest’s slave, ²⁶⁴  cutting off his right ear. ²⁶⁵  (Now the slave’s name was Malchus.) ²⁶⁶  18:11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath! Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” ²⁶⁷ 

Jesus Before Annas

18:12 Then the squad of soldiers ²⁶⁸  with their commanding officer ²⁶⁹  and the officers of the Jewish leaders ²⁷⁰  arrested ²⁷¹  Jesus and tied him up. ²⁷²  18:13 They ²⁷³  brought him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. ²⁷⁴  18:14 (Now it was Caiaphas who had advised ²⁷⁵  the Jewish leaders ²⁷⁶  that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.) ²⁷⁷ 

Peter’s First Denial

18:15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed them as they brought Jesus to Annas. ²⁷⁸  (Now the other disciple ²⁷⁹  was acquainted with the high priest, and he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard.) ²⁸⁰  18:16 But Simon Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple who was acquainted with the high priest came out and spoke to the slave girl who watched the door, ²⁸¹  and brought Peter inside. 18:17 The girl ²⁸²  who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You’re not one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” ²⁸³  He replied, ²⁸⁴  “I am not.” 18:18 (Now the slaves ²⁸⁵  and the guards ²⁸⁶  were standing around a charcoal fire they had made, warming themselves because it was cold. ²⁸⁷  Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.) ²⁸⁸ 

Jesus Questioned by Annas

18:19 While this was happening, ²⁸⁹  the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. ²⁹⁰  18:20 Jesus replied, ²⁹¹  “I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues ²⁹²  and in the temple courts, ²⁹³  where all the Jewish people ²⁹⁴  assemble together. I ²⁹⁵  have said nothing in secret. 18:21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said. ²⁹⁶  They ²⁹⁷  know what I said.” 18:22 When Jesus ²⁹⁸  had said this, one of the high priest’s officers who stood nearby struck him on the face and said, ²⁹⁹  “Is that the way you answer the high priest?” 18:23 Jesus replied, ³⁰⁰  “If I have said something wrong, ³⁰¹  confirm ³⁰²  what is wrong. ³⁰³  But if I spoke correctly, why strike me?” 18:24 Then Annas sent him, still tied up, ³⁰⁴  to Caiaphas the high priest. ³⁰⁵ 

Peter’s Second and Third Denials

18:25 Meanwhile Simon Peter was standing in the courtyard ³⁰⁶  warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” ³⁰⁷  Peter ³⁰⁸  denied it: “I am not!” 18:26 One of the high priest’s slaves, ³⁰⁹  a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, ³¹⁰  said, “Did I not see you in the orchard ³¹¹  with him?” ³¹²  18:27 Then Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed. ³¹³ 

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

18:28 Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s residence. ³¹⁴  (Now it was very early morning.) ³¹⁵  They ³¹⁶  did not go into the governor’s residence ³¹⁷  so they would not be ceremonially defiled, but could eat the Passover meal. 18:29 So Pilate came outside to them and said, “What accusation ³¹⁸  do you bring against this man?” ³¹⁹  18:30 They replied, ³²⁰  “If this man ³²¹  were not a criminal, ³²²  we would not have handed him over to you.” ³²³ 

18:31 Pilate told them, ³²⁴  “Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him ³²⁵  according to your own law!” ³²⁶  The Jewish leaders ³²⁷  replied, ³²⁸  “We cannot legally put anyone to death.” ³²⁹  18:32 (This happened ³³⁰  to fulfill the word Jesus had spoken when he indicated ³³¹  what kind of death he was going to die. ³³² )

Pilate Questions Jesus

18:33 So Pilate went back into the governor’s residence, ³³³  summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” ³³⁴  18:34 Jesus replied, ³³⁵  “Are you saying this on your own initiative, ³³⁶  or have others told you about me?” 18:35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? ³³⁷  Your own people ³³⁸  and your chief priests handed you over ³³⁹  to me. What have you done?”

18:36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being ³⁴⁰  handed over ³⁴¹  to the Jewish authorities. ³⁴²  But as it is, ³⁴³  my kingdom is not from here.” 18:37 Then Pilate said, ³⁴⁴  “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to ³⁴⁵  my voice.” 18:38 Pilate asked, ³⁴⁶  “What is truth?” ³⁴⁷ 

When he had said this he went back outside to the Jewish leaders ³⁴⁸  and announced, ³⁴⁹  “I find no basis for an accusation ³⁵⁰  against him. 18:39 But it is your custom that I release one prisoner ³⁵¹  for you at the Passover. ³⁵²  So do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” 18:40 Then they shouted back, ³⁵³  “Not this man, ³⁵⁴  but Barabbas!” ³⁵⁵  (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. ³⁵⁶ ) ³⁵⁷ 

[5:36]  ¹ tn Or “works.”

[5:36]  ² tn Grk “complete, which I am now doing”; the referent of the relative pronoun has been specified by repeating “deeds” from the previous clause.

[5:1]  ³ sn The temporal indicator After this is not specific, so it is uncertain how long after the incidents at Cana this occurred.

[5:1]  ⁴ tc The textual variants ἑορτή or ἡ ἑορτή (Jeorth or Jh Jeorth, “a feast” or “the feast”) may not appear significant at first, but to read ἑορτή with the article would almost certainly demand a reference to the Jewish Passover. The article is found in א C L Δ Ψ Ë¹ 33 892 1424 pm, but is lacking in {Ì^66,75 A B D T W^s Θ Ë¹³ 565 579 700 1241 pm}. Overall, the shorter reading has somewhat better support. Internally, the known proclivity of scribes to make the text more explicit argues compellingly for the shorter reading. Thus, the verse refers to a feast other than the Passover. The incidental note in 5:3, that the sick were lying outside in the porticoes of the pool, makes Passover an unlikely time because it fell toward the end of winter and the weather would not have been warm. L. Morris (John [NICNT], 299, n. 6) thinks it impossible to identify the feast with certainty.

[5:1]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[13:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “his hour.”

[13:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “that he should depart.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause in Koine Greek frequently encroached on the simple infinitive (for the sake of greater clarity).

[13:1]  ⁷ tn Or “he now loved them completely,” or “he now loved them to the uttermost” (see John 19:30). All of John 13:1 is a single sentence in Greek, although in English this would be unacceptably awkward. At the end of the verse the idiom εἰς τέλος (eis telos) was translated literally as “to the end” and the modern equivalents given in the note above, because there is an important lexical link between this passage and John 19:30, τετέλεσται (tetelestai, “It is ended”).

[13:2]  ⁷ tn Or “Supper.” To avoid possible confusion because of different regional English usage regarding the distinction between “dinner” and “supper” as an evening meal, the translation simply refers to “the evening meal.”

[13:2]  ⁸ sn At this point the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray Jesus. C. K. Barrett (St. John, 365) thought this was a reference to the idea entering the devil’s own heart, but this does not seem likely. It is more probable that Judas’ heart is meant, since the use of the Greek article (rather than a possessive pronoun) is a typical idiom when a part of one’s own body is indicated. Judas’ name is withheld until the end of the sentence for dramatic effect (emphasis). This action must be read in light of 13:27, and appears to refer to a preliminary idea or plan.

[13:2]  ⁹ tn Or “that he should hand over.”

[13:2]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “betray him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:3]  ⁹ tn Grk “Because he knew”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:3]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “had given all things into his hands.”

[13:4]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and removed”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been left untranslated here for improved English style.

[13:4]  ¹² tn The plural τὰ ἱμάτια (ta Jimatia) is probably a reference to more than one garment (cf. John 19:23-24). If so, this would indicate that Jesus stripped to a loincloth, like a slave. The translation “outer clothes” is used to indicate that Jesus was not completely naked, since complete nudity would have been extremely offensive to Jewish sensibilities in this historical context.

[13:4]  ¹³ tn Grk “taking a towel he girded himself.” Jesus would have wrapped the towel (λέντιον, lention) around his waist (διέζωσεν ἑαυτόν, diezwsen Jeauton) for use in wiping the disciples’ feet. The term λέντιον is a Latin loanword (linteum) which is also found in the rabbinic literature (see BDAG 592 s.v.). It would have been a long piece of linen cloth, long enough for Jesus to have wrapped it about his waist and still used the free end to wipe the disciples’ feet.

[13:5]  ¹³ tn Grk “with the towel with which he was girded.”

[13:6]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:6]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “do you wash” or “are you washing.”

[13:7]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[13:7]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “You do not know.”

[13:7]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “you will know.”

[13:8]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “You will never wash my feet forever.” The negation is emphatic in Greek but somewhat awkward in English. Emphasis is conveyed in the translation by the use of an exclamation point.

[13:8]  ²⁰ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[13:8]  ²¹ tn Or “you have no part in me.”

[13:9]  ²¹ tn The word “wash” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Here it is supplied to improve the English style by making Peter’s utterance a complete sentence.

[13:10]  ²³ tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”

[13:10]  ²⁴ tn Grk “has no need except to wash his feet.”

[13:10]  ²⁵ tn Or “entirely.”

[13:10]  ²⁶ sn The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet. A common understanding is that the “bath” Jesus referred to is the initial cleansing from sin, which necessitates only “lesser, partial” cleansings from sins after conversion. This makes a fine illustration from a homiletic standpoint, but is it the meaning of the passage? This seems highly doubtful. Jesus stated that the disciples were completely clean except for Judas (vv. 10b, 11). What they needed was to have their feet washed by Jesus. In the broader context of the Fourth Gospel, the significance of the foot-washing seems to point not just to an example of humble service (as most understand it), but something more – Jesus’ self-sacrificial death on the cross. If this is correct, then the foot-washing which they needed to undergo represented their acceptance of this act of self-sacrifice on the part of their master. This makes Peter’s initial abhorrence of the act of humiliation by his master all the more significant in context; it also explains Jesus’ seemingly harsh reply to Peter (above, v. 8; compare Matt 16:21-23 where Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”).

[13:10]  ²⁷ tn The word “disciples” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb. Peter is not the only one Jesus is addressing here.

[13:11]  ²⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:11]  ²⁶ tn Grk “Not all of you are.”

[13:11]  ²⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[13:12]  ²⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:12]  ²⁸ tn Grk “he reclined at the table.” The phrase reflects the normal 1st century Near Eastern practice of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.

[13:12]  ²⁹ tn Grk “Do you know.”

[13:13]  ²⁹ tn Or “rightly.”

[13:13]  ³⁰ tn Grk “and I am these things.”

[13:15]  ³¹ sn I have given you an example. Jesus tells his disciples after he has finished washing their feet that what he has done is to set an example for them. In the previous verse he told them they were to wash one another’s feet. What is the point of the example? If it is simply an act of humble service, as most interpret the significance, then Jesus is really telling his disciples to serve one another in humility rather than seeking preeminence over one another. If, however, the example is one of self-sacrifice up to the point of death, then Jesus is telling them to lay down their lives for one another (cf. 15:13).

[13:16]  ³³ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:16]  ³⁴ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[13:16]  ³⁵ tn Or “nor is the apostle” (“apostle” means “one who is sent” in Greek).

[13:17]  ³⁵ tn Grk “If you know.”

[13:18]  ³⁷ tn Grk “But so that the scripture may be fulfilled.”

[13:18]  ³⁸ tn Or “The one who shares my food.”

[13:18]  ³⁹ tn Or “has become my enemy”; Grk “has lifted up his heel against me.” The phrase “to lift up one’s heel against someone” reads literally in the Hebrew of Ps 41 “has made his heel great against me.” There have been numerous interpretations of this phrase, but most likely it is an idiom meaning “has given me a great fall,” “has taken cruel advantage of me,” or “has walked out on me.” Whatever the exact meaning of the idiom, it clearly speaks of betrayal by a close associate. See E. F. F. Bishop, “‘He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me’ – Jn xiii.18 (Ps xli.9),” ExpTim 70 (1958-59): 331-33.

[13:19]  ³⁹ tn Or (perhaps) “I am certainly telling you this.” According to BDF §12.3 ἀπ᾿ ἄρτι (ap’ arti) should be read as ἀπαρτί (aparti), meaning “exactly, certainly.”

[13:19]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “so that you may believe.”

[13:19]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “that I am.” R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:555) argues for a nonpredicated ἐγώ εἰμι (egw eimi) here, but this is far from certain.

[13:20]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:20]  ⁴² tn Or “receives,” and so throughout this verse.

[13:20]  ⁴³ sn The one who sent me refers to God.

[13:21]  ⁴³ tn Or “greatly troubled.”

[13:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “and testified and said.”

[13:21]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:21]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “will hand me over.”

[13:22]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “uncertain,” “at a loss.” Here two terms, “worried and perplexed,” were used to convey the single idea of the Greek verb ἀπορέω (aporew).

[13:23]  ⁴⁷ sn Here for the first time the one Jesus loved, the ‘beloved disciple,’ is introduced. This individual also is mentioned in 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, and 21:20. Some have suggested that this disciple is to be identified with Lazarus, since the Fourth Gospel specifically states that Jesus loved him (11:3, 5, 36). From the terminology alone this is a possibility; the author is certainly capable of using language in this way to indicate connections. But there is nothing else to indicate that Lazarus was present at the last supper; Mark 14:17 seems to indicate it was only the twelve who were with Jesus at this time, and there is no indication in the Fourth Gospel to the contrary. Nor does it appear that Lazarus ever stood so close to Jesus as the later references in chaps. 19, 20 and 21 seem to indicate. When this is coupled with the omission of all references to John son of Zebedee from the Fourth Gospel, it seems far more likely that the references to the beloved disciple should be understood as references to him.

[13:23]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “was reclining.” This reflects the normal 1st century practice of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.

[13:23]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “was reclining in the bosom (or “lap”) of Jesus” (according to both L&N 17.25 and BDAG 65 s.v. ἀνάκειμαι 2 an idiom for taking the place of honor at a meal, but note the similar expression in John 1:18). Whether this position or the position to the left of Jesus should be regarded as the position of second highest honor (next to the host, in this case Jesus, who was in the position of highest honor) is debated. F. Prat, “Les places d’honneur chez les Juifs contemporains du Christ” (RSR 15 [1925]: 512-22), who argued that the table arrangement was that of the Roman triclinium (a U-shaped table with Jesus and two other disciples at the bottom of the U), considered the position to the left of Jesus to be the one of second highest honor. Thus the present translation renders this “a position of honor” without specifying which one (since both of the two disciples to the right and to the left of Jesus would be in positions of honor). Other translations differ as to how they handle the phrase ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ (en tw kolpw tou Ihsou; “leaning on Jesus’ bosom,” KJV; “lying close to the breast of Jesus,” RSV; “reclining on Jesus’ breast,” NASB; “reclining next to him,” NIV, NRSV) but the symbolic significance of the beloved disciple’s position seems clear. He is close to Jesus and in an honored position. The phrase as an idiom for a place of honor at a feast is attested in the Epistles of Pliny (the Younger) 4.22.4, an approximate contemporary of Paul.

[13:24]  ⁴⁹ sn It is not clear where Simon Peter was seated. If he were on Jesus’ other side, it is difficult to see why he would not have asked the question himself. It would also have been difficult to beckon to the beloved disciple, on Jesus’ right, from such a position. So apparently Peter was seated somewhere else. It is entirely possible that Judas was seated to Jesus’ left. Matt 26:25 seems to indicate that Jesus could speak to him without being overheard by the rest of the group. Judas is evidently in a position where Jesus can hand him the morsel of food (13:26).

[13:24]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “to this one”; the referent (the beloved disciple) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:24]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:24]  ⁵² sn That is, who would betray him (v. 21).

[13:25]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the disciple Jesus loved) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:26]  ⁵³ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[13:26]  ⁵⁴ sn The piece of bread was a broken-off piece of bread (not merely a crumb).

[13:26]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “after I have dipped it.” The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.

[13:26]  ⁵⁶ tn The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.

[13:27]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:27]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “into that one”; the pronoun “he” is more natural English style here.

[13:27]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “Then Jesus said to him.”

[13:28]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “reclining at the table.” The phrase reclining at the table reflects the normal practice in 1st century Near Eastern culture of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.

[13:28]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “knew.”

[13:28]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:28]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:29]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “telling him, ‘Buy whatever we need for the feast.’” The first clause is direct discourse and the second clause indirect discourse. For smoothness of English style, the first clause has been converted to indirect discourse to parallel the second (the meaning is left unchanged).

[13:29]  ⁶⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[13:30]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “That one”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:30]  ⁶² sn Now it was night is a parenthetical note by the author. The comment is more than just a time indicator, however. With the departure of Judas to set in motion the betrayal, arrest, trials, crucifixion, and death of Jesus, daytime is over and night has come (see John 9:5; 11:9-10; 12:35-36). Judas had become one of those who walked by night and stumbled, because the light was not in him (11:10).

[13:31]  ⁶³ tn Grk “Then when.”

[13:31]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:32]  ⁶⁵ tc A number of early mss (Ì⁶⁶ א* B C* D L W al as well as several versional witnesses) do not have the words “If God is glorified in him,” while the majority of mss have the clause (so א² A C² Θ Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï lat). Although the mss that omit the words are significantly better witnesses, the omission may have occurred because of an error of sight due to homoioteleuton (v. 31 ends in ἐν αὐτῷ [en autw, “in him”], as does this clause). Further, the typical step-parallelism found in John is retained if the clause is kept intact (TCGNT 205-6). At the same time, it is difficult to explain how such a wide variety of witnesses would have accidentally deleted this clause, and arguments for intentional deletion are not particularly convincing. NA²⁷ rightly places the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

[13:32]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “immediately.”

[13:33]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “You will seek me.”

[13:33]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem in general, or to the Jewish religious leaders in particular, who had sent servants to attempt to arrest Jesus on that occasion (John 7:33-35). The last option is the one adopted in the translation above.

[13:33]  ⁶⁹ sn See John 7:33-34.

[13:33]  ⁷⁰ tn The words “the same” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[13:34]  ⁶⁹ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause gives the content of the commandment. This is indicated by a dash in the translation.

[13:34]  ⁷⁰ sn The idea that love is a commandment is interesting. In the OT the ten commandments have a setting in the covenant between God and Israel at Sinai; they were the stipulations that Israel had to observe if the nation were to be God’s chosen people. In speaking of love as the new commandment for those whom Jesus had chosen as his own (John 13:1, 15:16) and as a mark by which they could be distinguished from others (13:35), John shows that he is thinking of this scene in covenant terminology. But note that the disciples are to love “Just as I have loved you” (13:34). The love Jesus has for his followers cannot be duplicated by them in one sense, because it effects their salvation, since he lays down his life for them: It is an act of love that gives life to people. But in another sense, they can follow his example (recall to the end, 13:1; also 1 John 3:16, 4:16 and the interpretation of Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet). In this way Jesus’ disciples are to love one another: They are to follow his example of sacrificial service to one another, to death if necessary.

[13:35]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “All people,” although many modern translations have rendered πάντες (pantes) as “all men” (ASV, RSV, NASB, NIV). While the gender of the pronoun is masculine, it is collective and includes people of both genders.

[13:36]  ⁷³ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[13:37]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “I will die willingly for you.”

[13:38]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “Will you die willingly for me?”

[13:38]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[14:1]  ⁷⁹ sn The same verb is used to describe Jesus’ own state in John 11:33, 12:27, and 13:21. Jesus is looking ahead to the events of the evening and the next day, his arrest, trials, crucifixion, and death, which will cause his disciples extreme emotional distress.

[14:1]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “Believe in God.” The translation of the two uses of πιστεύετε (pisteuete) is difficult. Both may be either indicative or imperative, and as L. Morris points out (John [NICNT], 637), this results in a bewildering variety of possibilities. To complicate matters further, the first may be understood as a question: “Do you believe in God? Believe also in me.” Morris argues against the KJV translation which renders the first πιστεύετε as indicative and the second as imperative on the grounds that for the writer of the Fourth Gospel, faith in Jesus is inseparable from faith in God. But this is precisely the point that Jesus is addressing in context. He is about to undergo rejection by his own people as their Messiah. The disciples’ faith in him as Messiah and Lord would be cast into extreme doubt by these events, which the author makes clear were not at this time foreseen by the disciples. After the resurrection it is this identification between Jesus and the Father which needs to be reaffirmed (cf. John 20:24-29). Thus it seems best to take the first πιστεύετε as indicative and the second as imperative, producing the translation “You believe in God; believe also in me.”

[14:2]  ⁸¹ tn Many interpreters have associated μοναί (monai) with an Aramaic word that can refer to a stopping place or resting place for a traveler on a journey. This is similar to one of the meanings the word can have in secular Greek (Pausanius 10.31.7). Origen understood the use here to refer to stations on the road to God. This may well have been the understanding of the Latin translators who translated μονή (monh) by mansio, a stopping place. The English translation “mansions” can be traced back to Tyndale, but in Middle English the word simply meant “a dwelling place” (not necessarily large or imposing) with no connotation of being temporary. The interpretation put forward by Origen would have been well suited to Gnosticism, where the soul in its ascent passes through stages during which it is gradually purified of all that is material and therefore evil. It is much more likely that the word μονή should be related to its cognate verb μένω (menw), which is frequently used in the Fourth Gospel to refer to the permanence of relationship between Jesus and the Father and/or Jesus and the believer. Thus the idea of a permanent dwelling place, rather than a temporary stopping place, would be in view. Luther’s translation of μοναί by Wohnungen is very accurate here, as it has the connotation of a permanent residence.

[14:2]  ⁸² sn Most interpreters have understood the reference to my Father’s house as a reference to heaven, and the dwelling places (μονή, monh) as the permanent residences of believers there. This seems consistent with the vocabulary and the context, where in v. 3 Jesus speaks of coming again to take the disciples to himself. However, the phrase in my Father’s house was used previously in the Fourth Gospel in 2:16 to refer to the temple in Jerusalem. The author in 2:19-22 then reinterpreted the temple as Jesus’ body, which was to be destroyed in death and then rebuilt in resurrection after three days. Even more suggestive is the statement by Jesus in 8:35, “Now the slave does not remain (μένω, menw) in the household forever, but the son remains (μένω) forever.” If in the imagery of the Fourth Gospel the phrase in my Father’s house is ultimately a reference to Jesus’ body, the relationship of μονή to μένω suggests the permanent relationship of the believer to Jesus and the Father as an adopted son who remains in the household forever. In this case the “dwelling place” is “in” Jesus himself, where he is, whether in heaven or on earth. The statement in v. 3, “I will come again and receive you to myself,” then refers not just to the parousia, but also to Jesus’ postresurrection return to the disciples in his glorified state, when by virtue of his death on their behalf they may enter into union with him and with the Father as adopted sons. Needless to say, this bears numerous similarities to Pauline theology, especially the concepts of adoption as sons and being “in Christ” which are prominent in passages like Eph 1. It is also important to note, however, the emphasis in the Fourth Gospel itself on the present reality of eternal life (John 5:24, 7:38-39, etc.) and the possibility of worshiping the Father “in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:21-24) in the present age. There is a sense in which it is possible to say that the future reality is present now. See further J. McCaffrey, The House With Many Rooms (AnBib 114).

[14:2]  ⁸³ tc A number of important mss (Ì^66c א A B C* D K L W Ψ Ë¹³ 33 565 579 892 al lat) have ὅτι (Joti) here, while the majority lack it (Ì^66* C² Θ Ï). Should the ὅτι be included or omitted? The external evidence is significantly stronger for the longer reading. Most Alexandrian and Western mss favor inclusion (it is a little unusual for the Alexandrian to favor the longer reading), while most Byzantine mss favor omission (again, a little unusual). However, the reading of Ì^66*, which aligns with the Byzantine, needs to be given some value. At the same time, the scribe of this papyrus was known for freely omitting and adding words, and the fact that the ms was corrected discounts its testimony here. But because the shorter reading is out of character for the Byzantine text, the shorter reading (omitting the ὅτι) may well be authentic. Internally, the question comes down to whether the shorter reading is more difficult or not. And here, it loses the battle, for it seems to be a clarifying omission (so TCGNT 206). R. E. Brown is certainly right when he states: “all in all, the translation without ὅτι makes the best sense” (John [AB], 2:620). But this tacitly argues for the authenticity of the word. Thus, on both external and internal grounds, the ὅτι should be regarded as authentic.

[14:2]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “to prepare.”

[14:2]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “If not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” What is the meaning of the last clause with or without the ὅτι? One of the questions that must be answered here is whether or not τόπος (topos) is to be equated with μονή (monh). In Rev 12:8 τόπος is used to refer to a place in heaven, which would suggest that the two are essentially equal here. Jesus is going ahead of believers to prepare a place for them, a permanent dwelling place in the Father’s house (see the note on this phrase in v. 2).

[14:3]  ⁸³ tn Or “prepare.”

[14:3]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “bring you.”

[14:3]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “to myself.”

[14:4]  ⁸⁵ tc Most mss (Ì^66* A C³ D Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï lat sy sa) read “You know where I am going, and you know the way” (καὶ ὅπου [ἐγὼ] ὑπάγω οἴδατε καὶ τὴν ὁδόν οἴδατε, kai {opou egw Jupagw oidate kai thn Jodon oidate). The difference between this reading and the wording in NA²⁷ (supported by Ì^66c א B C* L Q W 33 579 pc) is the addition of καί before τὴν ὁδόν and οἴδατε after. Either assertion on the part of Jesus would be understandable: “you know the way where I am going” or “you know where I am going and you know the way,” although the shorter reading is a bit more awkward syntactically. In light of this, and in light of the expansion already at hand in v. 5, the longer reading appears to be a motivated reading. The shorter reading is thus preferred because of its superior external and internal evidence.

[14:5]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “said to him.”

[14:6]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”

[14:6]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “I am the way, even the truth and the life.”

[14:7]  ⁹¹ tc There is a difficult textual problem here: The statement reads either “If you have known (ἐγνώκατε, egnwkate) me, you will know (γνώσεσθε, gnwsesqe) my Father” or “If you had really known (ἐγνώκειτε, egnwkeite) me, you would have known (ἐγνώκειτε ἄν or ἂν ἤδειτε [egnwkeite an or an hdeite]) my Father.” The division of the external evidence is difficult, but can be laid out as follows: The mss that have the perfect ἐγνώκατε in the protasis (Ì⁶⁶ [א D* W] 579 pc it) also have, for the most part, the future indicative γνώσεσθε in the apodosis (Ì⁶⁶ א D W [579] pc sa bo), rendering Jesus’ statement as a first-class condition. The mss that have the pluperfect ἐγνώκειτε in the protasis (A B C D¹ L Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï) also have, for the most part, a pluperfect in the apodosis (either ἂν ἤδειτε in B C* [L] Q Ψ 1 33 565 al, or ἐγνώκειτε ἄν in A C³ Θ Ë¹³ Ï), rendering Jesus’ statement a contrary-to-fact second-class condition. The external evidence slightly favors the first-class condition, since there is an Alexandrian-Western alliance supported by Ì⁶⁶. As well, the fact that the readings with a second-class condition utilize two different verbs with ἄν in different positions suggests that these readings are secondary. However, it could be argued that the second-class conditions are harder readings in that they speak negatively of the apostles (so K. Aland in TCGNT 207); in this case, the ἐγνώκειτε…ἐγνώκειτε ἄν reading should be given preference. Although a decision is difficult, the first-class condition is to be slightly preferred. In this case Jesus promises the disciples that, assuming they have known him, they will know the Father. Contextually this fits better with the following phrase (v. 7b) which asserts that “from the present time you know him and have seen him” (cf. John 1:18).

[14:8]  ⁹³ tn Grk “said to him.”

[14:8]  ⁹⁴ tn Or “and that is enough for us.”

[14:9]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”

[14:9]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “recognized.”

[14:10]  ⁹⁷ tn The mutual interrelationship of the Father and the Son (ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί ἐστιν, egw en tw patri kai Jo pathr en emoi estin) is something that Jesus expected even his opponents to recognize (cf. John 10:38). The question Jesus asks of Philip (οὐ πιστεύεις, ou pisteuei") expects the answer “yes.” Note that the following statement is addressed to all the disciples, however, because the plural pronoun (ὑμῖν, Jumin) is used. Jesus says that his teaching (the words he spoke to them all) did not originate from himself, but the Father, who permanently remains (μένων, menwn) in relationship with Jesus, performs his works. One would have expected “speaks his words” here rather than “performs his works”; many of the church fathers (e.g., Augustine and Chrysostom) identified the two by saying that Jesus’ words were works. But there is an implicit contrast in the next verse between words and works, and v. 12 seems to demand that the works are real works, not just words. It is probably best to see the two terms as related but not identical; there is a progression in the idea here. Both Jesus’ words (recall the Samaritans’ response in John 4:42) and Jesus’ works are revelatory of who he is, but as the next verse indicates, works have greater confirmatory power than words.

[14:10]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “I do not speak from myself.”

[14:10]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “does.”

[14:10]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “his mighty acts”; Grk “his works.”

[14:11]  ⁹⁹ tn The phrase “but if you do not believe me” contains an ellipsis; the Greek text reads Grk “but if not.” The ellipsis has been filled out (“but if [you do] not [believe me]…”) for the benefit of the modern English reader.

[14:11]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “because of the works.”

[14:12]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[14:12]  ¹⁰² tn Or “will do.”

[14:12]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “the works.”

[14:12]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Or “that I do.”

[14:12]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “will do.”

[14:12]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “greater works.”

[14:13]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “And whatever you ask in my name, I will do it.”

[14:13]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Or “may be praised” or “may be honored.”

[14:15]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “will keep.”

[14:15]  ¹⁰⁶ sn Jesus’ statement If you love me, you will obey my commandments provides the transition between the promises of answered prayer which Jesus makes to his disciples in vv. 13-14 and the promise of the Holy Spirit which is introduced in v. 16. Obedience is the proof of genuine love.

[14:16]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to reflect the implied sequence in the discourse.

[14:16]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklhto"). Finding an appropriate English translation for παράκλητος is a very difficult task. No single English word has exactly the same range of meaning as the Greek word. “Comforter,” used by some of the older English versions, appears to be as old as Wycliffe. But today it suggests a quilt or a sympathetic mourner at a funeral. “Counselor” is adequate, but too broad, in contexts like “marriage counselor” or “camp counselor.” “Helper” or “Assistant” could also be used, but could suggest a subordinate rank. “Advocate,” the word chosen for this translation, has more forensic overtones than the Greek word does, although in John 16:5-11 a forensic context is certainly present. Because an “advocate” is someone who “advocates” or supports a position or viewpoint and since this is what the Paraclete will do for the preaching of the disciples, it was selected in spite of the drawbacks.

[14:17]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “cannot receive.”

[14:17]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “he remains.”

[14:17]  ¹¹¹ tc Some early and important witnesses (Ì^66* B D* W 1 565 it) have ἐστιν (estin, “he is”) instead of ἔσται (estai, “he will be”) here, while other weighty witnesses ({Ì^66c,75vid א A D¹ L Θ Ψ Ë¹³ 33^vid Ï as well as several versions and fathers}), read the future tense. When one considers transcriptional evidence, ἐστιν is the more difficult reading and better explains the rise of the future tense reading, but it must be noted that both Ì⁶⁶ and D were corrected from the present tense to the future. If ἐστιν were the original reading, one would expect a few manuscripts to be corrected to read the present when they originally read the future, but that is not the case. When one considers what the author would have written, the future is on much stronger ground. The immediate context (both in 14:16 and in the chapter as a whole) points to the future, and the theology of the book regards the advent of the Spirit as a decidedly future event (see, e.g., 7:39 and 16:7). The present tense could have arisen from an error of sight on the part of some scribes or more likely from an error of thought as scribes reflected upon the present role of the Spirit. Although a decision is difficult, the future tense is most likely authentic. For further discussion on this textual problem, see James M. Hamilton, Jr., “He Is with You and He Will Be in You” (Ph.D. diss., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003), 213-20.

[14:18]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “leave.”

[14:18]  ¹¹² tn The entire phrase “abandon you as orphans” could be understood as an idiom meaning, “leave you helpless.”

[14:18]  ¹¹³ sn I will come to you. Jesus had spoken in 14:3 of going away and coming again to his disciples. There the reference was both to the parousia (the second coming of Christ) and to the postresurrection appearances of Jesus to the disciples. Here the postresurrection appearances are primarily in view, since Jesus speaks of the disciples “seeing” him after the world can “see” him no longer in the following verse. But many commentators have taken v. 18 as a reference to the coming of the Spirit, since this has been the topic of the preceding verses. Still, vv. 19-20 appear to contain references to Jesus’ appearances to the disciples after his resurrection. It may well be that another Johannine double meaning is found here, so that Jesus ‘returns’ to his disciples in one sense in his appearances to them after his resurrection, but in another sense he ‘returns’ in the person of the Holy Spirit to indwell them.

[14:19]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “Yet a little while, and.”

[14:20]  ¹¹⁵ tn Grk “will know in that day.”

[14:21]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “keeps.”

[14:21]  ¹¹⁸ tn Grk “obeys them, that one is the one who loves me.”

[14:21]  ¹¹⁹ tn Grk “And the one.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated to improve the English style.

[14:21]  ¹²⁰ tn Or “will disclose.”

[14:22]  ¹¹⁹ tn Grk “(not Iscariot).” The proper noun (Judas) has been repeated for clarity and smoothness in English style.

[14:22]  ¹²⁰ tn Grk “said to him.”

[14:22]  ¹²¹ tn Or “disclose.”

[14:23]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[14:23]  ¹²² tn Or “will keep.”

[14:23]  ¹²³ tn Grk “we will come to him and will make our dwelling place with him.” The context here is individual rather than corporate indwelling, so the masculine singular pronoun has been retained throughout v. 23. It is important to note, however, that the pronoun is used generically here and refers equally to men, women, and children.

[14:24]  ¹²³ tn Or “does not keep.”

[14:24]  ¹²⁴ tn Or “the message.”

[14:25]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “while remaining” or “while residing.”

[14:26]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklhto"). See the note on the word “Advocate” in v. 16 for a discussion of how this word is translated.

[14:26]  ¹²⁸ tn Grk “that one will teach you.” The words “that one” have been omitted from the translation since they are redundant in English.

[14:26]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “all things.”

[14:26]  ¹³⁰ tn Grk “all things.”

[14:27]  ¹²⁹ sn Peace I leave with you. In spite of appearances, this verse does not introduce a new subject (peace). Jesus will use the phrase as a greeting to his disciples after his resurrection (20:19, 21, 26). It is here a reflection of the Hebrew shalom as a farewell. But Jesus says he leaves peace with his disciples. This should probably be understood ultimately in terms of the indwelling of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, who has been the topic of the preceding verses. It is his presence, after Jesus has left the disciples and finally returned to the Father, which will remain with them and comfort them.

[14:27]  ¹³⁰ tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[14:27]  ¹³¹ tn Grk “not as the world gives do I give to you.”

[14:27]  ¹³² tn Or “distressed or fearful and cowardly.”

[14:28]  ¹³¹ tn Or “You have heard that I said to you.”

[14:28]  ¹³² tn Or “you would rejoice.”

[14:28]  ¹³³ sn Jesus’ statement the Father is greater than I am has caused much christological and trinitarian debate. Although the Arians appealed to this text to justify their subordinationist Christology, it seems evident that by the fact Jesus compares himself to the Father, his divine nature is taken for granted. There have been two orthodox interpretations: (1) The Son is eternally generated while the Father is not: Origen, Tertullian, Athanasius, Hilary, etc. (2) As man the incarnate Son was less than the Father: Cyril of Alexandria, Ambrose, Augustine. In the context of the Fourth Gospel the second explanation seems more plausible. But why should the disciples have rejoiced? Because Jesus was on the way to the Father who would glorify him (cf. 17:4-5); his departure now signifies that the work the Father has given him is completed (cf. 19:30). Now Jesus will be glorified with that glory that he had with the Father before the world was (cf. 17:5). This should be a cause of rejoicing to the disciples because when Jesus is glorified he will glorify his disciples as well (17:22).

[14:29]  ¹³³ sn Jesus tells the disciples that he has told them all these things before they happen, so that when they do happen the disciples may believe. This does not mean they had not believed prior to this time; over and over the author has affirmed that they have (cf. 2:11). But when they see these things happen, their level of trust in Jesus will increase and their concept of who he is will expand. The confession of Thomas in 20:28 is representative of this increased understanding of who Jesus is. Cf. John 13:19.

[14:30]  ¹³⁵ tn Grk “I will no longer speak many things with you.”

[14:30]  ¹³⁶ sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.

[14:30]  ¹³⁷ tn Grk “in me he has nothing.”

[14:31]  ¹³⁷ tn Or “may learn.”

[14:31]  ¹³⁸ tn Grk “But so that the world may know that I love the Father, and just as the Father commanded me, thus I do.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation to conform to contemporary English style.

[14:31]  ¹³⁹ sn Some have understood Jesus’ statement Get up, let us go from here to mean that at this point Jesus and the disciples got up and left the room where the meal was served and began the journey to the garden of Gethsemane. If so, the rest of the Farewell Discourse took place en route. Others have pointed to this statement as one of the “seams” in the discourse, indicating that the author used preexisting sources. Both explanations are possible, but not really necessary. Jesus could simply have stood up at this point (the disciples may or may not have stood with him) to finish the discourse before finally departing (in 18:1). In any case it may be argued that Jesus refers not to a literal departure at this point, but to preparing to meet the enemy who is on the way already in the person of Judas and the soldiers with him.

[17:1]  ¹³⁹ tn Grk “he raised his eyes” (an idiom).

[17:1]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Or “to the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context.

[17:1]  ¹⁴¹ tn Grk “the hour.”

[17:1]  ¹⁴² tc The better witnesses (א B C* W 0109 0301) have “the Son” (ὁ υἱός, Jo Juios) here, while the majority (C³ L Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï) read “your Son also” (καὶ ὁ υἱὸς σου, kai Jo Juio" sou), or “your Son” (ὁ υἱὸς σου; A D Θ 0250 1 579 pc lat sy); the second corrector of C has καὶ ὁ υἱός (“the Son also”). The longer readings appear to be predictable scribal expansions and as such should be considered secondary.

[17:2]  ¹⁴¹ tn Or “all people”; Grk “all flesh.”

[17:2]  ¹⁴² tn Grk “so that to everyone whom you have given to him, he may give to them eternal life.”

[17:3]  ¹⁴³ tn Using αὕτη δέ (Jauth de) to introduce an explanation is typical Johannine style; it was used before in John 1:19, 3:19, and 15:12.

[17:3]  ¹⁴⁴ sn This is eternal life. The author here defines eternal life for the readers, although it is worked into the prayer in such a way that many interpreters do not regard it as another of the author’s parenthetical comments. It is not just unending life in the sense of prolonged duration. Rather it is a quality of life, with its quality derived from a relationship with God. Having eternal life is here defined as being in relationship with the Father, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom the Father sent. Christ (Χριστός, Cristos) is not characteristically attached to Jesus’ name in John’s Gospel; it occurs elsewhere primarily as a title and is used with Jesus’ name only in 1:17. But that is connected to its use here: The statement here in 17:3 enables us to correlate the statement made in 1:18 of the prologue, that Jesus has fully revealed what God is like, with Jesus’ statement in 10:10 that he has come that people might have life, and have it abundantly. These two purposes are really one, according to 17:3, because (abundant) eternal life is defined as knowing (being in relationship with) the Father and the Son. The only way to gain this eternal life, that is, to obtain this knowledge of the Father, is through the Son (cf. 14:6). Although some have pointed to the use of know (γινώσκω, ginwskw) here as evidence of Gnostic influence in the Fourth Gospel, there is a crucial difference: For John this knowledge is not intellectual, but relational. It involves being in relationship.

[17:3]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Or “and Jesus the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[17:4]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Or “by finishing” or “by accomplishing.” Jesus now states that he has glorified the Father on earth by finishing (τελειώσας [teleiwsas] is best understood as an adverbial participle of means) the work which the Father had given him to do.

[17:4]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “the work that you gave to me so that I may do it.”

[17:5]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or “in your presence”; Grk “with yourself.” The use of παρά (para) twice in this verse looks back to the assertion in John 1:1 that the Word (the Λόγος [Logos], who became Jesus of Nazareth in 1:14) was with God (πρὸς τὸν θεόν, pro" ton qeon). Whatever else may be said, the statement in 17:5 strongly asserts the preexistence of Jesus Christ.

[17:5]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Grk “before the world was.” The word “created” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[17:6]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Or “made known,” “disclosed.”

[17:6]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Here “men” is retained as a translation for ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") rather than the more generic “people” because in context it specifically refers to the eleven men Jesus had chosen as apostles (Judas had already departed, John 13:30). If one understands the referent here to be the broader group of Jesus’ followers that included both men and women, a translation like “to the people” should be used here instead.

[17:6]  ¹⁵¹ tn Grk “Yours they were.”

[17:6]  ¹⁵² tn Or “have kept.”

[17:7]  ¹⁵¹ tn Or “they have come to know,” or “they have learned.”

[17:7]  ¹⁵² tn Grk “all things.”

[17:8]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk And they.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:8]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “received.”

[17:8]  ¹⁵⁵ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[17:8]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Or “truly.”

[17:8]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Or have come to know.”

[17:9]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Grk “I am asking.”

[17:9]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Grk “I am not asking.”

[17:9]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Or “because they are yours.”

[17:10]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Grk And all things.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:10]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Or “Everything I have is yours.”

[17:10]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Or “everything you have is mine.”

[17:10]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Or “I have been honored among them.”

[17:11]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Grk And I.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:11]  ¹⁶⁰ tn The context indicates that this should be translated as an adversative or contrastive conjunction.

[17:11]  ¹⁶¹ tn Or “protect them”; Grk “keep them.”

[17:11]  ¹⁶² tn Or “by your name.”

[17:11]  ¹⁶³ tn The second repetition of “one” is implied, and is supplied here for clarity.

[17:12]  ¹⁶¹ tn Or “I protected them”; Grk “I kept them.”

[17:12]  ¹⁶² tn Grk “and guarded them.”

[17:12]  ¹⁶³ tn Or “by your name.”

[17:12]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Grk And not one.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:12]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Grk “the son of destruction” (a Semitic idiom for one appointed for destruction; here it is a reference to Judas).

[17:12]  ¹⁶⁶ sn A possible allusion to Ps 41:9 or Prov 24:22 LXX. The exact passage is not specified here, but in John 13:18, Ps 41:9 is explicitly quoted by Jesus with reference to the traitor, suggesting that this is the passage to which Jesus refers here. The previous mention of Ps 41:9 in John 13:18 probably explains why the author felt no need for an explanatory parenthetical note here. It is also possible that the passage referred to here is Prov 24:22 LXX, where in the Greek text the phrase “son of destruction” appears.

[17:13]  ¹⁶³ tn Grk “they may have.”

[17:13]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Or “fulfilled.”

[17:14]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Or “your message.”

[17:14]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Grk “because they are not of the world.”

[17:14]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Grk “just as I am not of the world.”

[17:15]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Or “that you protect them”; Grk “that you keep them.”

[17:15]  ¹⁶⁸ tn The phrase “the evil one” is a reference to Satan. The genitive noun τοῦ πονηροῦ (tou ponhrou) is ambiguous with regard to gender: It may represent the neuter τὸ πονηρόν (to ponhron), “that which is evil,” or the masculine ὁ πονηρός (Jo ponhro"), “the evil one,” i.e., Satan. In view of the frequent use of the masculine in 1 John 2:13-14, 3:12, and 5:18-19 it seems much more probable that the masculine is to be understood here, and that Jesus is praying for his disciples to be protected from Satan. Cf. BDAG 851 s.v. πονηρός 1.b.β and 1.b.γ.

[17:16]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “they are not of the world.” This is a repetition of the second half of v. 14. The only difference is in word order: Verse 14 has οὐκ εἰσὶν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου (ouk eisin ek tou kosmou), while here the prepositional phrase is stated first: ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου οὐκ εἰσίν (ek tou kosmou ouk eisin). This gives additional emphasis to the idea of the prepositional phrase, i.e., origin, source, or affiliation.

[17:16]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Grk “just as I am not of the world.”

[17:17]  ¹⁷¹ tn Or “Consecrate them” or “Sanctify them.”

[17:18]  ¹⁷³ sn Jesus now compared the mission on which he was sending the disciples to his own mission into the world, on which he was sent by the Father. As the Father sent Jesus into the world (cf. 3:17), so Jesus now sends the disciples into the world to continue his mission after his departure. The nature of this prayer for the disciples as a consecratory prayer is now emerging: Jesus was setting them apart for the work he had called them to do. They were, in a sense, being commissioned.

[17:19]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “I sanctify.”

[17:19]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Or “for their sake.”

[17:19]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Or “they may be truly consecrated,” or “they may be truly sanctified.”

[17:20]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Or “I do not pray.”

[17:20]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Although πιστευόντων (pisteuontwn) is a present participle, it must in context carry futuristic force. The disciples whom Jesus is leaving behind will carry on his ministry and in doing so will see others come to trust in him. This will include not only Jewish Christians, but other Gentile Christians who are “not of this fold” (10:16), and thus Jesus’ prayer for unity is especially appropriate in light of the probability that most of the readers of the Gospel are Gentiles (much as Paul stresses unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians in Eph 2:10-22).

[17:20]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Grk “their word.”

[17:21]  ¹⁷⁹ tn The words “I pray” are repeated from the first part of v. 20 for clarity.

[17:22]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk And the glory.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:23]  ¹⁸³ tn Or “completely unified.”

[17:24]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Grk “the ones you have given me, I want these to be where I am with me.”

[17:24]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “before the foundation of the world.”

[17:25]  ¹⁸⁷ tn The word “men” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The translation uses the word “men” here rather than a more general term like “people” because the use of the aorist verb ἔγνωσαν (egnwsan) implies that Jesus is referring to the disciples present with him as he spoke these words (presumably all of them men in the historical context), rather than to those who are yet to believe because of their testimony (see John 17:20).

[17:26]  ¹⁸⁹ tn The translation “will continue to make it known” is proposed by R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:773).

[18:1]  ¹⁹¹ sn When he had said these things appears to be a natural transition at the end of the Farewell Discourse (the farewell speech of Jesus to his disciples in John 13:31-17:26, including the final prayer in 17:1-26). The author states that Jesus went out with his disciples, a probable reference to their leaving the upper room where the meal and discourse described in chaps. 13-17 took place (although some have seen this only as a reference to their leaving the city, with the understanding that some of the Farewell Discourse, including the concluding prayer, was given en route, cf. 14:31). They crossed the Kidron Valley and came to a garden, or olive orchard, identified in Matt 26:36 and Mark 14:32 as Gethsemane. The name is not given in Luke’s or John’s Gospel, but the garden must have been located somewhere on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives.

[18:1]  ¹⁹² tn Grk “the wadi of the Kidron,” or “the ravine of the Kidron” (a wadi is a stream that flows only during the rainy season and is dry during the dry season).

[18:1]  ¹⁹³ tn Or “a garden.”

[18:2]  ¹⁹³ tn Or “often.”

[18:2]  ¹⁹⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:3]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Grk “a cohort.” The word σπεῖραν (speiran) is a technical term for a Roman cohort, normally a force of 600 men (one tenth of a legion). It was under the command of a χιλίαρχος (ciliarco", v. 12). Because of the improbability of an entire cohort being sent to arrest a single man, some have suggested that σπεῖραν here refers only to a maniple, a force of 200. But the use of the word here does not necessarily mean the entire cohort was present on this mission, but only that it was the cohort which performed the task (for example, saying the fire department put out the fire does not mean that every fireman belonging to the department was on the scene at the time). These Roman soldiers must have been ordered to accompany the servants of the chief priests and Pharisees by Pilate, since they would have been under the direct command of the Roman prefect or procurator. It is not difficult to understand why Pilate would have been willing to assist the Jewish authorities in such a way. With a huge crowd of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Passover, the Romans would have been especially nervous about an uprising of some sort. No doubt the chief priests and Pharisees had informed Pilate that this man Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, or in the terms Pilate would understand, king of Israel.

[18:3]  ¹⁹⁶ tn The phrase “officers of the chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:32, 45; 18:3, 12, 18, 22; 19:6. They are different from the Levites who served as “temple police” according to K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 8:540). In John 7:32ff. these officers had made an unsuccessful attempt to arrest Jesus, and perhaps this is part of the reason why their leaders had made sure they were accompanied by Roman soldiers this time. No more mistakes were to be tolerated.

[18:3]  ¹⁹⁷ tn The words “to the orchard” are not in the Greek text but are repeated from v. 1 for clarity.

[18:3]  ¹⁹⁸ tn These were lamps that had some sort of covering to protect them from wind and rain. In earlier usage the word meant “torch” but by NT times it apparently meant a lamp designed to be used outdoors, so “lantern” is a good contemporary English equivalent.

[18:4]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Grk “knowing all things that were coming upon him.”

[18:4]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Grk “Whom do you seek?”

[18:5]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Grk “They answered.”

[18:5]  ²⁰⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Before he states the response to Jesus’ identification of himself, the author inserts a parenthetical note that Judas, again identified as the one who betrayed him (cf. 18:2), was standing with the group of soldiers and officers of the chief priests. Many commentators have considered this to be an awkward insertion, but in fact it heightens considerably the dramatic effect of the response to Jesus’ self-identification in the following verse, and has the added effect of informing the reader that along with the others the betrayer himself ironically falls down at Jesus’ feet (18:6).

[18:6]  ²⁰¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:6]  ²⁰² tn Grk “moved back” (but here a fairly rapid movement is implied).

[18:6]  ²⁰³ sn When Jesus said to those who came to arrest him “I am,” they retreated and fell to the ground. L. Morris says that “it is possible that those in front recoiled from Jesus’ unexpected advance, so that they bumped those behind them, causing them to stumble and fall” (John [NICNT], 743-44). Perhaps this is what in fact happened on the scene; but the theological significance given to this event by the author implies that more is involved. The reaction on the part of those who came to arrest Jesus comes in response to his affirmation that he is indeed the one they are seeking, Jesus the Nazarene. But Jesus makes this affirmation of his identity using a formula which the reader has encountered before in the Fourth Gospel, e.g., 8:24, 28, 58. Jesus has applied to himself the divine Name of Exod 3:14, “I AM.” Therefore this amounts to something of a theophany which causes even his enemies to recoil and prostrate themselves, so that Jesus has to ask a second time, “Who are you looking for?” This is a vivid reminder to the reader of the Gospel that even in this dark hour, Jesus holds ultimate power over his enemies and the powers of darkness, because he is the one who bears the divine Name.

[18:7]  ²⁰³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:8]  ²⁰⁵ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[18:8]  ²⁰⁶ tn Grk “if you are seeking.”

[18:8]  ²⁰⁷ tn The word “men” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The translation uses the word “men” here rather than a more generic word like “people” because in context Jesus referred only to the eleven remaining disciples who were loyal to him and were present at his arrest.

[18:8]  ²⁰⁸ sn A second time Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he,” identifying himself as the one they are seeking. Jesus also added, “If you are looking for me, let these men go.” Jesus successfully diverted attention from his disciples by getting the soldiers and officers of the chief priests to admit (twice) that it is only him they were after. Even in this hour Jesus still protected and cared for his own, giving himself up on their behalf. By handing himself over to his enemies, Jesus ensured that his disciples went free. From the perspective of the author, this is acting out beforehand what Jesus will actually do for his followers when he goes to the cross.

[18:9]  ²⁰⁷ tn The words “He said this” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. There is an ellipsis in the Greek text that must be supplied for the modern English reader at this point.

[18:9]  ²⁰⁸ sn This expression is similar to John 6:39 and John 17:12.

[18:9]  ²⁰⁹ tn Grk “Of the ones whom you gave me, I did not lose one of them.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.

[18:10]  ²⁰⁹ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[18:10]  ²¹⁰ sn The account of the attack on the high priest’s slave contains details which suggest eyewitness testimony. It is also mentioned in all three synoptic gospels, but only John records that the disciple involved was Peter, whose impulsive behavior has already been alluded to (John 13:37). Likewise only John gives the name of the victim, Malchus, who is described as the high priest’s slave. John and Mark (14:47) both use the word ὠτάριον (wtarion, a double diminutive) to describe what was cut off, and this may indicate only part of the right ear (for example, the earlobe).

[18:10]  ²¹¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:11]  ²¹¹ tn Grk “The cup that the Father has given me to drink, shall I not drink it?” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.

[18:12]  ²¹³ tn Grk “a cohort” (but since this was a unit of 600 soldiers, a smaller detachment is almost certainly intended).

[18:12]  ²¹⁴ tn Grk “their chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militaris, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[18:12]  ²¹⁵ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, who were named as “chief priests and Pharisees” in John 18:3.

[18:12]  ²¹⁶ tn Or “seized.”

[18:12]  ²¹⁷ tn Or “bound him.”

[18:13]  ²¹⁵ tn Grk “up, and brought.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[18:13]  ²¹⁶ sn Jesus was taken first to Annas. Only the Gospel of John mentions this pretrial hearing before Annas, and that Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who is said to be high priest in that year. Caiaphas is also mentioned as being high priest in John 11:49. But in 18:15, 16, 19, and 22 Annas is called high priest. Annas is also referred to as high priest by Luke in Acts 4:6. Many scholars have dismissed these references as mistakes on the part of both Luke and John, but as mentioned above, John 11:49 and 18:13 indicate that John knew that Caiaphas was high priest in the year that Jesus was crucified. This has led others to suggest that Annas and Caiaphas shared the high priesthood, but there is no historical evidence to support this view. Annas had been high priest from a.d. 6 to a.d. 15 when he was deposed by the Roman prefect Valerius Gratus (according to Josephus, Ant. 18.2.2 [18.34]). His five sons all eventually became high priests. The family was noted for its greed, wealth, and power. There are a number of ways the references in both Luke and John to Annas being high priest may be explained. Some Jews may have refused to recognize the changes in high priests effected by the Roman authorities, since according to the Torah the high priesthood was a lifetime office (Num 25:13). Another possibility is that it was simply customary to retain the title after a person had left the office as a courtesy, much as retired ambassadors are referred to as “Mr. Ambassador” or ex-presidents as “Mr. President.” Finally, the use of the title by Luke and John may simply be a reflection of the real power behind the high priesthood of the time: Although Annas no longer technically held the office, he may well have managed to control those relatives of his who did hold it from behind the scenes. In fact this seems most probable and would also explain why Jesus was brought to him immediately after his arrest for a sort of “pretrial hearing” before being sent on to the entire Sanhedrin.

[18:14]  ²¹⁷ tn Or “counseled.”

[18:14]  ²¹⁸ tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, specifically members of the Sanhedrin (see John 11:49-50). See also the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12.

[18:14]  ²¹⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:15]  ²¹⁹ tn The words “them as they brought Jesus to Annas” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify who Peter and the other disciple were following. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[18:15]  ²²⁰ tn Grk “that disciple.”

[18:15]  ²²¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:16]  ²²¹ tn Grk “spoke to the doorkeeper”; her description as a slave girl is taken from the following verse. The noun θυρωρός (qurwro") may be either masculine or feminine, but the article here indicates that it is feminine.

[18:17]  ²²³ tn Grk “slave girl.” Since the descriptive term “slave girl” was introduced in the translation in the previous verse, it would be redundant to repeat the full expression here.

[18:17]  ²²⁴ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).

[18:17]  ²²⁵ tn Grk “He said.”

[18:18]  ²²⁵ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[18:18]  ²²⁶ tn That is, the “guards of the chief priests” as distinguished from the household slaves of Annas.

[18:18]  ²²⁷ tn Grk “because it was cold, and they were warming themselves.”

[18:18]  ²²⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:19]  ²²⁷ tn The introductory phrase “While this was happening” is not in the Greek text. It has been supplied in the translation to clarify the alternation of scenes in the narrative for the modern reader.

[18:19]  ²²⁸ sn The nature of this hearing seems to be more that of a preliminary investigation; certainly normal legal procedure was not followed, for no indication is given that any witnesses were brought forth at this point to testify against Jesus. True to what is known of Annas’ character, he was more interested in Jesus’ disciples than in the precise nature of Jesus’ teaching, since he inquired about the followers first. He really wanted to know just how influential Jesus had become and how large a following he had gathered. This was of more concern to Annas that the truth or falsity of Jesus’ teaching.

[18:20]  ²²⁹ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[18:20]  ²³⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[18:20]  ²³¹ tn Grk “in the temple.”

[18:20]  ²³² tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people generally, for whom the synagogues and the temple courts in Jerusalem were important public gathering places. See also the note on the phrase “Jewish religious leaders” in v. 12.

[18:20]  ²³³ tn Grk “And I.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[18:21]  ²³¹ tn Grk “Ask those who heard what I said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated since they are redundant in English.

[18:21]  ²³² tn Grk “Look, these know what I said.”

[18:22]  ²³³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:22]  ²³⁴ tn Grk “one of the high priest’s servants standing by gave Jesus a strike, saying.” For the translation of ῥάπισμα (rJapisma), see L&N 19.4.

[18:23]  ²³⁵ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[18:23]  ²³⁶ tn Or “something incorrect.”

[18:23]  ²³⁷ tn Grk “testify.”

[18:23]  ²³⁸ tn Or “incorrect.”

[18:24]  ²³⁷ tn Or “still bound.”

[18:24]  ²³⁸ sn Where was Caiaphas the high priest located? Did he have a separate palace, or was he somewhere else with the Sanhedrin? Since Augustine (4th century) a number of scholars have proposed that Annas and Caiaphas resided in different wings of the same palace, which were bound together by a common courtyard through which Jesus would have been led as he was taken from Annas to Caiaphas. This seems a reasonable explanation, although there is no conclusive evidence.

[18:25]  ²³⁹ tn The words “in the courtyard” are not in the Greek text. They are supplied for the benefit of the modern reader, to link this scene to the preceding one in John 18:15-18.

[18:25]  ²⁴⁰ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).

[18:25]  ²⁴¹ tn Grk “That one denied it and said”; the referent of the pronoun (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:26]  ²⁴¹ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[18:26]  ²⁴² sn This incident is recounted in v. 10.

[18:26]  ²⁴³ tn Or “garden.”

[18:26]  ²⁴⁴ tn This question, prefaced with οὐκ (ouk) in Greek, anticipates a positive answer.

[18:27]  ²⁴³ tn It seems most likely that this refers to a real rooster crowing, although a number of scholars have suggested that “cockcrow” is a technical term referring to the trumpet call which ended the third watch of the night (from midnight to 3 a.m.). This would then be a reference to the Roman gallicinium (ἀλεκτοροφωνία, alektorofwnia; the term is used in Mark 13:35 and is found in some mss [Ì^37vid,45 ˹] in Matt 26:34) which would have been sounded at 3 a.m.; in this case Jesus would have prophesied a precise time by which the denials would have taken place. For more details see J. H. Bernard, St. John (ICC), 2:604. However, in light of the fact that Mark mentions the rooster crowing twice (Mark 14:72) and in Luke 22:60 the words are reversed (ἐφώνησεν ἀλέκτωρ, efwnhsen alektwr), it is more probable that a real rooster is in view. In any event natural cockcrow would have occurred at approximately 3 a.m. in Palestine at this time of year (March-April) anyway.

[18:28]  ²⁴⁵ tn Grk “to the praetorium.”

[18:28]  ²⁴⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:28]  ²⁴⁷ tn Grk “And they.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[18:28]  ²⁴⁸ tn Grk “into the praetorium.”

[18:29]  ²⁴⁷ tn Or “charge.”

[18:29]  ²⁴⁸ sn In light of the fact that Pilate had cooperated with them in Jesus’ arrest by providing Roman soldiers, the Jewish authorities were probably expecting Pilate to grant them permission to carry out their sentence on Jesus without resistance (the Jews were not permitted to exercise capital punishment under the Roman occupation without official Roman permission, cf. v. 31). They must have been taken somewhat by surprise by Pilate’s question “What accusation do you bring against this man,” because it indicated that he was going to try the prisoner himself. Thus Pilate was regarding the trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin as only an inquiry and their decision as merely an accusation.

[18:30]  ²⁴⁹ tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”

[18:30]  ²⁵⁰ tn Grk “this one.”

[18:30]  ²⁵¹ tn Or “an evildoer”; Grk “one doing evil.”

[18:30]  ²⁵² tn Or “would not have delivered him over.”

[18:31]  ²⁵¹ tn Grk “Then Pilate said to them.”

[18:31]  ²⁵² tn Or “judge him.” For the translation “pass judgment on him” see R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:848).

[18:31]  ²⁵³ sn Pilate, as the sole representative of Rome in a troubled area, was probably in Jerusalem for the Passover because of the danger of an uprising (the normal residence for the Roman governor was in Caesarea as mentioned in Acts 23:35). At this time on the eve of the feast he would have been a busy and perhaps even a worried man. It is not surprising that he offered to hand Jesus back over to the Jewish authorities to pass judgment on him. It may well be that Pilate realized when no specific charge was mentioned that he was dealing with an internal dispute over some religious matter. Pilate wanted nothing to do with such matters, as the statement “Pass judgment on him according to your own law!” indicates. As far as the author is concerned, this points out who was really responsible for Jesus’ death: The Roman governor Pilate would have had nothing to do with it if he had not been pressured by the Jewish religious authorities, upon whom the real responsibility rested.

[18:31]  ²⁵⁴ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12.

[18:31]  ²⁵⁵ tn Grk “said to him.”

[18:31]  ²⁵⁶ tn Grk “It is not permitted to us to kill anyone.”

[18:32]  ²⁵³ tn The words “This happened” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[18:32]  ²⁵⁴ tn Or “making clear.”

[18:32]  ²⁵⁵ sn A reference to John 12:32.

[18:33]  ²⁵⁵ tn Grk “into the praetorium.”

[18:33]  ²⁵⁶ sn It is difficult to discern Pilate’s attitude when he asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Some have believed the remark to be sarcastic or incredulous as Pilate looked at this lowly and humble prisoner: “So you’re the king of the Jews, are you?” Others have thought the Roman governor to have been impressed by Jesus’ regal disposition and dignity, and to have sincerely asked, “Are you really the king of the Jews?” Since it will later become apparent (v. 38) that Pilate considered Jesus innocent (and therefore probably also harmless) an attitude of incredulity is perhaps most likely, but this is far from certain in the absence of clear contextual clues.

[18:34]  ²⁵⁷ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[18:34]  ²⁵⁸ tn Grk “saying this from yourself.”

[18:35]  ²⁵⁹ sn Many have seen in Pilate’s reply “I am not a Jew, am I?” the Roman contempt for the Jewish people. Some of that may indeed be present, but strictly speaking, all Pilate affirms is that he, as a Roman, has no firsthand knowledge of Jewish custom or belief. What he knows of Jesus must have come from the Jewish authorities. They are the ones (your own people and your chief priests) who have handed Jesus over to Pilate.

[18:35]  ²⁶⁰ tn Or “your own nation.”

[18:35]  ²⁶¹ tn Or “delivered you over.”

[18:36]  ²⁶¹ tn Grk “so that I may not be.”

[18:36]  ²⁶² tn Or “delivered over.”

[18:36]  ²⁶³ tn Or “the Jewish leaders”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12. In the translation “authorities” was preferred over “leaders” for stylistic reasons.

[18:36]  ²⁶⁴ tn Grk “now.”

[18:37]  ²⁶³ tn Grk “said to him.”

[18:37]  ²⁶⁴ tn Or “obeys”; Grk “hears.”

[18:38]  ²⁶⁵ tn Grk “Pilate said.”

[18:38]  ²⁶⁶ sn With his reply “What is truth?” Pilate dismissed the matter. It is not clear what Pilate’s attitude was at this point, as in 18:33. He may have been sarcastic, or perhaps somewhat reflective. The author has not given enough information in the narrative to be sure. Within the narrative, Pilate’s question serves to make the reader reflect on what truth is, and that answer (in the narrative) has already been given (14:6).

[18:38]  ²⁶⁷ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12. The term also occurs in v. 31, where it is clear the Jewish leaders are in view, because they state that they cannot legally carry out an execution. Although it is likely (in view of the synoptic parallels) that the crowd here in 18:38 was made up not just of the Jewish leaders, but of ordinary residents of Jerusalem and pilgrims who were in Jerusalem for the Passover, nevertheless in John’s Gospel Pilate is primarily in dialogue with the leadership of the nation, who are expressly mentioned in 18:35 and 19:6.

[18:38]  ²⁶⁸ tn Grk “said to them.”

[18:38]  ²⁶⁹ tn Grk “find no cause.”

[18:39]  ²⁶⁷ tn The word “prisoner” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[18:39]  ²⁶⁸ sn Pilate then offered to release Jesus, reminding the Jewish authorities that they had a custom that he release one prisoner for them at the Passover. There is no extra-biblical evidence alluding to the practice. It is, however, mentioned in Matthew and Mark, described either as a practice of Pilate (Mark 15:6) or of the Roman governor (Matt 27:15). These references may explain the lack of extra-biblical attestation: The custom to which Pilate refers here (18:39) is not a permanent one acknowledged by all the Roman governors, but one peculiar to Pilate as a means of appeasement, meant to better relations with his subjects. Such a limited meaning is certainly possible and consistent with the statement here.

[18:40]  ²⁶⁹ tn Or “they shouted again,” or “they shouted in turn.” On the difficulty of translating πάλιν (palin) see BDAG 753 s.v. 5. It is simplest in the context of John’s Gospel to understand the phrase to mean “they shouted back” as a reply to Pilate’s question.

[18:40]  ²⁷⁰ tn Grk “this one.”

[18:40]  ²⁷¹ sn The name Barabbas in Aramaic means “son of abba,” that is, “son of the father,” and presumably the man in question had another name (it may also have been Jesus, according to the textual variant in Matt 27:16, although this is uncertain). For the author this name held ironic significance: The crowd was asking for the release of a man called Barabbas, “son of the father,” while Jesus, who was truly the Son of the Father, was condemned to die instead.

[18:40]  ²⁷² tn Or “robber.” It is possible that Barabbas was merely a robber or highwayman, but more likely, given the use of the term ληστής (lhsth") in Josephus and other early sources, that he was a guerrilla warrior or revolutionary leader. See both R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:857) and K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 4:258) for more information. The word λῃστής was used a number of times by Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]) to describe the revolutionaries or guerrilla fighters who, from mixed motives of nationalism and greed, kept the rural districts of Judea in constant turmoil.

[18:40]  ²⁷³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.