The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  16:24 joy may be full. In this case, the believer’s joy will be related to answered prayer and a full supply of heavenly blessing for everything consistent with the purpose of the Lord in one’s life. See note on 15:11.

  16:25 in figurative language. The word means “veiled, pointed statement” that is pregnant with meaning, i.e., something that is obscure. What seemed hard to understand for the disciples during the life of Jesus would become clear after His death, resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit (see vv. 13, 14; 14:26; 15:26, 27). They would actually understand the ministry of Christ better than they had while they were with Him, as the Spirit inspired them to write the gospels and epistles and ministered in and through them.

  16:26–28 I do not say. Christ was clarifying what He meant by praying in His name. He did not mean asking Him to ask the Father, as if the Father was indifferent to believers, but not to His Son. On the contrary, the Father loves Christ’s own. In fact, the Father sent the Son to redeem them and then return. Asking in Jesus’ name means simply asking on the basis of His merit, His righteousness, and for whatever would honor and glorify Him so as to build His kingdom.

  16:33 in Me you may have peace. See note on 14:27. tribulation. This word often refers to eschatological woes (Mark 13:9; Rom. 2:9) and to persecution of believers because of their testimony for Christ (cf. 15:18—16:4; Acts 11:19; Eph. 3:13). overcome. The fundamental ground for endurance in persecution is the victory of Jesus over the world (12:31; 1 Cor. 15:57). Through His impending death, He rendered the world’s opposition null and void. While the world continues to attack His people, such attacks fall harmlessly, for Christ’s victory has already accomplished a smashing defeat of the whole evil rebellious system. See notes on Rom. 8:35–39.

  John 17

  17:1–26 Although Matt. 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4 have become known popularly as the “Lord’s Prayer,” that prayer was actually a prayer taught to the disciples by Jesus as a pattern for their prayers. The prayer recorded here is truly the Lord’s Prayer, exhibiting the face to face communion the Son had with the Father. Very little is recorded of the content of Jesus’ frequent prayers to the Father (Matt. 14:23; Luke 5:16), so this prayer reveals some of the precious content of the Son’s communion and intercession with Him. This chapter is a transitional chapter, marking the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry and the beginning of His intercessory ministry for believers (Heb. 7:25). In many respects, the prayer is a summary of John’s entire gospel. Its principal themes include: 1) Jesus’ obedience to His Father; 2) the glorification of His Father through His death and exaltation; 3) the revelation of God in Jesus Christ; 4) the choosing of the disciples out of the world; 5) their mission to the world; 6) their unity modeled on the unity of the Father and Son; and 7) the believer’s final destiny in the presence of the Father and Son. The chapter divides into three parts: 1) Jesus’ prayer for Himself (vv. 1–5); 2) Jesus’ prayer for the apostles (vv. 6–19); and 3) Jesus’ prayer for all NT believers who will form the church (vv. 20–26).

  17:1 the hour has come. The time of His death. See note on 12:23. Glorify Your Son. The very event that would glorify the Son was His death. By it, He has received the adoration, worship, and love of millions whose sins He bore. He accepted this path to glory, knowing that by it He would be exalted to the Father. The goal is that the Father may be glorified for His redemptive plan in the Son. So He sought by His own glory the glory of His Father (13:31, 32).

  17:2 authority over all flesh. Cf. 5:27; see note on Matt. 28:18. as many as You have given Him. A reference to God’s choosing of those who will come to Christ (see notes on 6:37, 44). The biblical doctrine of election or predestination is presented throughout the NT (15:16, 19; Acts 13:48; Rom. 8:29–33; Eph. 1:3–6; 2 Thess. 2:13; Titus 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:2).

  17:3 eternal life. See notes on 3:15, 16; 5:24; cf. 1 John 5:20.

  17:5 glorify Me together with Yourself. Having completed His work (v. 4), Jesus looked past the cross and asked to be returned to the glory that He shared with the Father before the world began (see notes on 1:1; 8:58; 12:41). The actual completion of bearing judgment wrath for sinners was declared by Christ in the cry, “It is finished” (19:30).

  17:6–10 They were Yours. This phrase sums up all of Jesus’ ministry, including the cross that was just hours away. Again, the Son emphasized that those who believed in Him were given by the Father (see note on v. 2). “They were Yours” (cf. v. 9) is a potent assertion that before conversion, they belonged to God (cf. 6:37). That is true because of God’s election. They were chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), when their names were written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 17:8). Cf. Acts 18:10, where God says He has many people in Corinth who belong to Him but are not yet saved. See notes on 10:1–5, 16.

  17:8 they have believed. The Son of God affirmed the genuine saving faith of His disciples.

  17:11 I am no longer in the world. So sure was His death and departure back to the Father that Jesus treated His departure as an already accomplished fact. He prayed here for His disciples because they would have to face the world’s temptation and hatred without His immediate presence and protection (15:18—16:4). Based on the eternal nature of immutable God (“name”), He prayed for the eternal security of those who believed. He prayed that as the Trinity experiences eternal unity, so may believers. See Rom. 8:31–39.

  17:12 I kept them in Your name. Jesus protected them and kept them safe from the world as He said in 6:37–40, 44. One illustration of that can be seen in 18:1–11. Believers are secure forever because they are held by Christ and by God. See note on 10:28, 29. son of perdition. This identifies Judas by pointing to his destiny, i.e., eternal damnation (Matt. 7:13; Acts 8:20; Rom. 9:22; Phil. 1:28; 3:19; 1 Tim. 6:9; Heb. 10:39; 2 Pet. 2:1; 3:7; Rev. 17:8, 11). The defection of Judas was not a failure on Jesus’ part, but was foreseen and foreordained in Scripture (Pss. 41:9; 109:8; cf. 13:18).

  17:15 keep them from the evil one. The reference here refers to protection from Satan and all the wicked forces following him (Matt. 6:13; 1 John 2:13, 14; 3:12; 5:18, 19). Though Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was the defeat of Satan, he is still loose and orchestrating his evil system against believers. He seeks to destroy believers (1 Pet. 5:8), as with Job and Peter (Luke 22:31, 32), and in general (Eph. 6:12), but God is their strong protector (12:31; 16:11; cf. Ps. 27:1–3; 2 Cor. 4:4; Jude 24, 25).

  17:17 Sanctify. This verb also occurs in John’s gospel at v. 19; 10:36. The idea of sanctification is the setting apart of something for a particular use. Accordingly, believers are set apart for God and His purposes alone so that the believer does only what God wants and hates all that God hates (Lev. 11:44, 45; 1 Peter 1:16). Sanctification is accomplished by means of the truth, which is the revelation that the Son gave regarding all that the Father commanded Him to communicate and is now contained in the Scriptures left by the apostles. Cf. Eph. 5:26; 2 Thess. 2:13; James 1:21; 1 Pet. 1:22, 23.

  17:19 I sanctify Myself. Meaning only that He was totally set apart for the Father’s will (cf. 4:34; 5:19; 6:38; 7:16; 9:4). He did that in order that believers might be set apart to God by the truth He brought.

  17:21 they all may be one. The basis of this unity centers in adherence to the revelation the Father mediated to His first disciples through His Son. Believers are also to be united in the common belief of the truth that was received in the Word of God (Phil. 2:2). This is not still a wish, but it became a reality when the Spirit came (cf. Acts 2:4; 1 Cor. 12:13). It is not experiential unity, but the unity of common eternal life shared by all who believe the truth, and it results in the one body of Christ all sharing His life. See notes on Eph. 4:4–6.

  17:22 the glory which You gave Me. This refers to the believer’s participation in all of the attributes and essence of God through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (v. 10; cf. Col. 1:27; 2 Pet. 1:4), as v. 23 makes clear (“I in them”).

  17:23 made perfect in one. The idea here is that they may be brought together in
the same spiritual life around the truth that saves. That prayer was answered by the reality of 1 Cor. 12:12, 13; Eph. 2:14–22.

  17:24 be with Me. This will be in heaven, where one can see the full glory that is His (cf. v. 5). Someday believers will not only see His glory, but share it (Phil. 3:20, 21; 1 John 3:2). Until then, we participate in it spiritually (2 Cor. 3:18).

  17:25, 26 This summarizes the prayer of this chapter and promises the continuing indwelling Christ and His love. Cf. Rom. 5:5.

  John 18

  18:1–40 The events of Jesus’ arrest and trial receive emphasis in this chapter. Since John’s purpose was to present Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, he produced evidence to substantiate this purpose throughout his account of Jesus’ passion. Through all of the debasing, shameful acts that were directed toward Jesus, John skillfully shows that these events, rather than detracting from His person and mission, actually constitute decisive evidence confirming who He was and the reason for which He came (1:29; cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).

  18:1 He went out. Jesus’ supreme courage is seen in His determination to go to the cross, where His purity and sinlessness would be violated as He bore the wrath of God for the sins of the world (3:16; see note on 12:27). The time of “the power of darkness” had come (Luke 22:53; see notes on 1:5; 9:4; 13:30). Brook Kidron. “Brook” signifies that it was an intermittent stream that was dry most of the year but became a torrent during seasonal rains. This stream ran through the Kidron Valley between the temple mount on the E of Jerusalem and the Mt. of Olives further to the E. a garden. On the slopes of the Mt. of Olives, named for ever present olive groves, were many gardens. Matthew 26:36 and Mark 14:32 call this particular garden “Gethsemane,” which means “oil press.” entered. The wording here suggests a walled enclosure around the garden.

  18:3 a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. The term “detachment of troops” refers to a cohort of Roman troops. A full auxiliary cohort had the potential strength of 1,000 men (i.e., 760 foot soldiers and 240 cavalry led by a chiliarch or “leader of a thousand”). Usually, however, in practice a cohort normally numbered 600 men, but could sometimes refer to as little as 200 (i.e., a “maniple”). Roman auxiliary troops were usually stationed at Caesarea, but during feast days they were garrisoned in the Antonia Fortress, on the NW perimeter of the temple complex (in order to ensure against mob violence or rebellion because of the large population that filled Jerusalem). The second group designated as “officers” refers to temple police who were the primary arresting officers since Jesus’ destination after the arrest was to be brought before the High-Priest (vv. 12–14). They came ready for resistance from Jesus and His followers (“weapons”).

  18:4 knowing all things. John, in a matter-of-fact way, states that Jesus was omniscient, thus God.

  18:4–8 “Whom are you seeking?” By twice asking that question (vv. 4, 7), to which they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth” (vv. 5, 7), Jesus was forcing them to acknowledge that they had no authority to take His disciples. In fact, He demanded that they let the disciples go (v. 8). The force of His demand was established by the power of His words. When He spoke, “I am He” (v. 6), a designation He had used before to declare Himself God (8:28, 58; cf. 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5), they were jolted backward and to the ground (v. 6). This power display and the authoritative demand not to take the disciples were of immense significance, as the next verse indicates.

  18:9 I have lost none. Jesus was saying that He protected the disciples from being arrested, so He would not lose any of them, thus fulfilling the promises He made earlier (6:39, 40, 44; 10:28; 17:12). He knew that being arrested and perhaps imprisoned or executed was more than they could bear, and it could shatter their faith. So He made sure it did not happen. All believers are weak and vulnerable if not protected by the Lord. But He will never let them be tempted beyond what they can bear (1 Cor. 10:13), as evidenced here. Believers are eternally secure, not in their own strength, but by the gracious and constant protection of the Savior (cf. Rom. 8:35–39).

  18:10 Simon Peter. He surely aimed for Malchus’ head, ready to start the battle in defense of His Lord, but his was an ignorant love and courage. Christ healed his ear (Luke 22:51).

  18:11 drink the cup. Peter’s impetuous bravery in v. 10 was not only misguided, but exhibited failure to understand the centrality of the death that Jesus came to die. The “cup” in the OT is associated with suffering and especially judgment, i.e., the cup of God’s wrath (Ps. 75:8; Is. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15; Ezek. 23:31–34; see notes on Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42; cf. Rev. 14:10; 16:19).

  18:13 Annas first. Annas held the High-Priesthood office from A.D. 6–15 when Valerius Gratus, Pilate’s predecessor, removed him from office. In spite of this, Annas continued to wield influence over the office, most likely because he was still regarded as the true High-Priest and also because no fewer than 5 of his sons, and his son-in-law Caiaphas, held the office at one time or another. Two trials occurred: one Jewish and one Roman. The Jewish phase began with the informal examination by Annas (vv. 12–14, 19–23), probably giving time for the members of the Sanhedrin to hurriedly gather together. A session before the Sanhedrin was next (Matt. 26:57–68) at which consensus was reached to send Jesus to Pilate (Matt. 27:1, 2). The Roman phase began with a first examination before Pilate (vv. 28–38a; Matt. 27:11–14) and then Herod Antipas (“that fox”—Luke 13:32) interrogated Him (Luke 23:6–12). Lastly, Jesus appeared again before Pilate (vv. 38b–19:16; Matt. 27:15–31).

  18:13, 14 Caiaphas. See notes on 11:49. The examination under Caiaphas was not reported by John (see Matt. 26:57–68).

  18:15 another disciple…that disciple. Traditionally this person has been identified with the “beloved disciple” (13:23, 24), i.e., John the apostle who authored this gospel, but he never mentioned his own name (see Introduction: Author and Date).

  18:16–18 Peter. Here is the record of the first of Peter’s predicted 3 denials (see note on 18:25–27).

  18:16 known to the high priest. Apparently, John was more than just an acquaintance, because the term for “known” can mean a friend (Luke 2:44). The fact that he mentioned Nicodemus (3:1) and Joseph (19:38) may indicate his knowledge of other prominent Jews.

  18:19 At the core of their concern was Jesus’ claim that He was the Son of God (19:7). In a formal Jewish hearing, to question the defendant may have been illegal because a case had to rest on the weight of the testimony of witnesses (see note on 1:7). If this was an informal interrogation before the High-Priest emeritus and not before the Sanhedrin, Annas may have thought that he was not bound by such rules. Jesus, however, knew the law and demanded that witnesses be called (vv. 20, 21). An official knew Jesus was rebuking Annas and retaliated (v. 22).

  18:23 In essence, Jesus was asking for a fair trial, while His opponents, who had already decided on the sentence (see 11:47–57), had no intention of providing one.

  18:24 Annas recognized that he was not getting anywhere with Jesus and sent Him to Caiaphas because, if Jesus was to be brought before Pilate for execution, the legal accusation must be brought by the current reigning High-Priest (i.e., Caiaphas) in his capacity as chairman of the Sanhedrin (see also note on v. 13).

  18:25–27 Simon Peter. Here was the final fulfillment of Jesus’ prediction that Peter would deny Him 3 times (cf. Matt. 26:34).

  18:28—19:16 This section deals with Jesus’ trial before Pilate. Although Pilate appears in every scene here, Jesus Himself and the nature of His kingdom occupy center stage.

  18:28 Praetorium. The headquarters of the commanding officer of the Roman military camp or the headquarters of the Roman military governor (i.e., Pilate). Pilate’s normal headquarters was in Caesarea, in the palace that Herod the Great had built for himself. However, Pilate and his predecessors made it a point to be in Jerusalem during the feasts in order to quell any riots. Jerusalem became his praetorium or headquarters. early morning. The word is ambiguous. Most likel
y, it refers to around 6:00 a.m. since many Roman officials began their day very early and finished by 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. lest they should be defiled. Jewish oral law gives evidence that a Jew who entered the dwelling places of Gentiles became ceremonially unclean. Their remaining outside in the colonnade avoided that pollution. John loads this statement with great irony by noting the chief priests’ scrupulousness in the matter of ceremonial cleansing, when all the time they were incurring incomparably greater moral defilement by their proceedings against Jesus.

  18:29 What accusation. This question formally opened the Roman civil phase of proceedings against Jesus (in contrast to the religious phase before the Jews in v. 24). The fact that Roman troops were used at the arrest (see note on v. 3) proves that the Jewish authorities communicated something about this case to Pilate in advance. Although they most likely had expected Pilate to confirm their judgment against Jesus and order His death sentence, Pilate ordered instead a fresh hearing in his presence.

  18:31 It is not lawful. When Rome took over Judea and began direct rule through a prefect in A.D. 6, capital jurisdiction (i.e., the right to execute) was taken away from the Jews and given to the Roman governor. Capital punishment was the most jealously guarded of all the attributes in Roman provincial administration.

  18:32 the saying of Jesus…fulfilled. Jesus had said that He would die by being “lifted up” (3:14; 8:28; 12:32, 33). If the Jews had executed Him it would have been by throwing Him down and stoning Him. But God providentially controlled all the political procedures to assure that when sentence was finally passed, He would be crucified by the Romans and not stoned by the Jews, as was Stephen (Acts 7:59). The Jews may have preferred this form of execution based on Deut. 21:23.