The Last Supper
After Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover meal, they crossed the Kidron Valley and entered a garden called Gethsemane (meaning “oil press”), where they often spent time while visiting Jerusalem (cf. Luke 22:39).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:1–12:19 The Final Passover: The Ultimate Sign and the Aftermath. The raising of Lazarus constitutes the final and ultimate messianic “sign” of Jesus in this Gospel (see note on 2:11). This spectacular miracle (recorded only by John) anticipates Jesus’ own resurrection and reveals Jesus as “the resurrection and the life” (11:25). The raising of Lazarus also serves as a final event triggering the Jewish leaders’ resolve to have Jesus arrested and tried for blasphemy (11:45–57).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:1 Bethany. Identified in v. 18 as being 2 miles (3.2 km) from Jerusalem, this village is the Bethany most commonly mentioned in the Gospels (see Mark 11:1; 14:3 par.; also Luke 24:50), but it is different from the Bethany mentioned in John 1:28. This is almost certainly the modern village of El-Azariyeh (an Arabic place-name which likely recalls the name of Lazarus) on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives. A fourth-century chapel was built over a rock-cut tomb traditionally thought to have been the tomb of Lazarus. Other first-century tombs are found in the hillside around this chapel.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:4 Jesus could say that Lazarus’s illness does not lead to death in the sense that it did not lead ultimately to death, but it did lead through death to being raised from the dead a few days later. Jesus makes a similar statement in Mark 5:39. Jesus knew what was going to happen, and in John 11:11–14 he tells his disciples clearly that Lazarus has already died.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:5–6 So (Gk. oun, “so, therefore”) shows the reason why Jesus stayed two days longer: he allowed his friends to go through the sorrow and hardship of the death and mourning of Lazarus because he loved them and wanted them to witness an amazing demonstration of Jesus’ power over death, thus seeing “his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (1:14). The Lord does not always answer prayers as expected.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:9–10 If Jesus is the “light of the world” (8:12), then to walk in the day means to walk in the light that Jesus gives; that is, to walk in fellowship with him, believing and obeying his words. In contrast, walks in the night means to walk apart from Jesus, not believing him and not obeying him. This is an indication that the person has no spiritual life, for the light is not in him. Most people at this time worked as long as there was daylight; once it was dark, it was time to stop working. Jesus is divinely called to go to Judea; it is part of what constituted walking “in the day” for him, even though he is heading toward the cross (11:7–8).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:11 Fallen asleep means “died,” as the following conversation (vv. 12–14) makes clear. The OT equivalent is “slept with his fathers” (see, e.g., 1 Kings 2:10 and throughout 1–2 Kings and 1–2 Chronicles). Occasionally, death is compared to a deep sleep from which people will one day be awakened (e.g., Dan. 12:2).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:15 So that you may believe indicates that Jesus knows raising Lazarus from the dead will lead to deeper faith on the part of the disciples who witness this miracle.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:16 The Aramaic name Thomas means the Twin (cf. note on 1:38).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:17 four days. Though burial usually followed soon after death (see Acts 5:6, 10), some later Jewish sources indicate a belief that the soul hovered over the body for three days, hoping to reenter it, but then gave up and departed.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:18 Bethany. See note on v. 1.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:24 Martha’s affirmation of end-time resurrection was in keeping with the beliefs of the Pharisees (Acts 23:8) and the majority of first-century Jews, as well as the teaching of Jesus (John 5:21, 25–29; 6:39–44, 54). Martha misunderstood the full import of Jesus’ promise (11:23), thinking he was merely speaking of the final resurrection, while Jesus meant much more.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:25 Jesus does not merely say that he will bring about the resurrection or that he will be the cause of the resurrection (both of which are true), but something much stronger: I am the resurrection and the life. Resurrection from the dead and genuine eternal life in fellowship with God are so closely tied to Jesus that they are embodied in him and can be found only in relationship to him. Therefore believes in me implies personal trust in Christ. The preposition translated “in” (Gk. eis) is striking, for eis ordinarily means “into,” giving the sense that genuine faith in Christ in a sense brings people “into” Christ, so that they rest in and become united with Christ. (This same expression is found in 3:16, 18, 36; 6:35; 7:38; 12:44, 46; 14:12; 1 John 5:10.) The “I am” statement here represents a claim to deity.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:26 Lives refers to those who have spiritual life now (see note on 3:36). Those who believe shall never die, in that they will ultimately triumph over death.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:27 Martha’s reference to the one who is coming into the world takes up the messianic expression derived from Ps. 118:26 (cf. John 12:13 par.).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:28 The Teacher was a natural way of referring to Jesus for any disciple prior to his resurrection (1:38, 49; 3:2; 4:31; 6:25; 9:2; 11:8; cf. 20:16).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:33 The Greek word underlying deeply moved, embrimaomai (elsewhere in the NT only in v. 38; Matt. 9:30 [“sternly warned”]; Mark 1:43 [“sternly charged”]; and Mark 14:5 [“scolded”]), means to feel something deeply and strongly. Jesus was moved with profound sorrow at the death of his friend and at the grief that his other friends had suffered. In addition, this sorrow was intermixed with anger (see esv footnote) at the evil of death (the final enemy; see 1 Cor. 15:26; Rev. 21:4), and also with a deep sense of awe at the power of God that was about to flow through him to triumph over death (in anticipation of his voice summoning the whole world to the resurrection on the last day). In his spirit does not refer to the Holy Spirit but to Jesus’ own human spirit.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:35 Jesus wept. Jesus joins his friends’ sadness with heartfelt sorrow, yet underlying it is the knowledge that resurrection and joy will soon follow (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13). Jesus’ example shows that heartfelt mourning in the face of death does not indicate lack of faith but honest sorrow at the reality of suffering and death.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:38 deeply moved. See note on v. 33.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:43 come out. The voice of the omnipotent Creator (1:3, 10) speaks, and even Lazarus’s dead body obeys (cf. 4:50; 5:8).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:44 Remarkably, John does not record Lazarus’s reaction or any of the aftermath of his raising (cf. Luke 8:55–56), except for the fact that “many of the Jews … believed in him” (i.e., Jesus) as a result of seeing this miracle (John 11:45; see also 12:9–11). The focus is on Jesus, not Lazarus.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:45 Here John uses the phrase the Jews in a positive way, to refer to those Jews who believed in him (cf. note on 1:19).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:47 Council represents the Greek word synedrion (“Sanhedrin”); cf. 7:45–52 and note on 3:1.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:48 Our place almost certainly refers to the temple (cf. Acts 6:13–14; 21:28). Take away … our nation may refer to the feared removal of the Jews’ semiautonomous status by the Romans (cf. 1 Macc. 5:19). Ironically, what the Sanhedrin sought to prevent by killing Jesus still came to pass when the Romans razed the temple and captured Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (see note on John 2:13–22).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:49 that year. In fact, Caiaphas (see note on 18:24) was high priest for 18 years (A.D. 18–36), longer than any other high priest in the first century. You know nothing at all displays the rudeness allegedly characteristic of many Sadducees (as confirmed by Josephus).
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:50–51 Die for the people invokes the memory of the Maccabean martyrs (2 Macc. 7:37–38). With a typical Johannine double meaning (see notes on John 3:14; 4:10; 8:24; 19:19; cf. also 3:7–8), Caiaphas’s pronouncement anticipates Jesus’ substitutionary atonement.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:52 The children of God … scattered, as referred to here, are the Gentiles (cf. 10:16; see also note on 3:3–6). John is not suggesting that they are already God’s children but anticipates their future inclusion into God’s people.
JOHN—NOTE ON 11:55 This is the third and final Passover mentioned by John; see note on 2:13. People went up early to purify themselves from any ceremonial uncleanness that would have prevented them from celebrating the Passover (e.g., Num. 9:4–14; 19:11–12).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:1–11 The anointing of Jesus by Mary of Bethany (also recorded in Matt. 26:6–13 and Mark 14:3–9) casts a long shadow forward over Jesus’ imminent arrest, trial, condemnation, crucifixion, and burial (John 12:7–8). The story in Luke 7:36–50 involves a different woman, a different place, a different reaction from Jesus, and a different time in Jesus’ ministry.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:1 Therefore (Gk. oun) ties this verse to the previous one and is a reminder that John is constantly aware of God’s providential ordering of all these events and of Jesus’ obedience in following the path that he knew would lead to the cross. Regarding the Passover, cf. 11:55 and note on 2:13. Six days before the Passover most likely refers to Saturday, since the Passover began Friday evening at sundown. Bethany. See note on 11:1.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:2 Dinner (Gk. deipnon) refers to the main meal of the day, which was usually held toward evening (cf. Luke 14:12). Reclining … at table may imply a banquet rather than a regular meal (cf. John 13:2–5, 23). People at special feasts would lie with their heads near a low table and their feet pointing out away from it, resting on one elbow and eating with the other hand.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:3 Cf. 11:2. A pound (or half a liter) is a very large amount of fragrant oil or perfume. Pure and expensive nard was imported from northern India and used by the Romans for anointing the head. The Synoptics indicate that the perfume was kept in an alabaster jar (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3). It is recorded here that Mary anointed the feet of Jesus, while Matt. 26:7 and Mark 14:3 mention that she anointed Jesus’ “head.” Considering the large quantity of ointment, Mary apparently anointed both Jesus’ head and his feet. Attending to the feet was the work of servants (cf. John 1:27; 13:5), so Mary’s actions show humility and devotion. Her wiping of Jesus’ feet with her hair is also remarkable, since Jewish women rarely unbound their hair in public. Mary’s action indicates an expression of intense personal devotion to Christ, but no hint of immoral thoughts or conduct should be read into her actions.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:5 Three hundred denarii represents the equivalent of about a year’s wages (see note on 6:7).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:6 Judas’s motivation was anything but pure. Before he betrayed Jesus, he had already been a thief.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:7 So that she may keep it may mean “keep the rest of the perfume,” but Mark 14:3 says the flask was broken, and Judas complains that it was already wasted. Other interpretations are “so that she may keep (the memory of this)” or “Leave her alone, (for she has saved the perfume) so that she could keep it for the day of my burial.”
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:8 the poor. Jesus’ response alludes to Deut. 15:11, and therefore he is not discouraging helping the poor. You do not always have me foreshadows Jesus’ impending death on the cross and subsequent resurrection and ascension, as well as the shortness of time remaining for the disciples to have a part in his earthly ministry.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:10 When the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death, it betrayed an astounding refusal to allow their beliefs to be changed by undeniable facts. They would rather destroy the evidence than change their minds. This is not rational behavior, but sin produces irrational action.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:11 the Jews. John uses this expression in a positive way to speak of those who are coming to faith in Christ (cf. 11:45), indicating a hope that many of his Jewish readers will do the same.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:12–19 Jesus’ triumphal entry, with people waving palm branches to greet him, is celebrated in Christian tradition as “Palm Sunday.” His riding into Jerusalem mounted on a donkey fulfills OT Scripture (Zech. 9:9; see also Ps. 118:25–26). The waving of palm branches, which symbolically conveyed the notion of victory over one’s enemy, probably indicates that the people (mistakenly) thought that Jesus would then and there bring national deliverance from Israel’s political enemies, the Romans. Yet Jesus’ popular acclaim would not last; within a mere five days, the shouts of praise would turn to angry calls for his crucifixion.
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c128
| Day | Event | Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday/Saturday | Jesus arrives in Bethany | 12:1 | |||
| Mary anoints Jesus | 12:2–8 | ||||
| Crowd comes to see Jesus | 12:9–11 | ||||
| Sunday | Triumphal entry into Jerusalem | 21:1–11 | 11:1–10 | 19:28–44 | 12:12–18 |
| Some Greeks seek Jesus | 12:20–36 | ||||
| Enters temple | 11:11 | ||||
| Returns to Bethany | 21:17 | 11:11 | |||
| Monday | Jesus curses the fig tree | 21:18–19 | 11:12–14 | ||
| Clears the temple | 21:12–13 | 11:15–17 | 19:45–46 | ||
| Returns to Bethany with the Twelve | 11:19 | ||||
| Tuesday | Disciples see the withered fig tree on the return to Jerusalem | 21:20–22 | 11:20–21 | ||
| Temple controversies in Jerusalem | 21:23–23:39 | 11:27–12:44 | 20:1–21:4 | ||
| Olivet Discourse on the return to Bethany | 24:1–25:46 | 13:1–37 | 21:5–36 | ||
| Wednesday | Jesus continues daily teaching in the temple | 21:37–38 | |||
| Sanhedrin plots to kill Jesus | 26:3–5 | 14:1–2 | 22:1–2 | ||
| Wednesday/Thursday | Preparations for the Passover | 26:17–19 | 14:12–16 | 22:7–13 | |
| Thursday | Passover meal/Last Supper | 26:20–35 | 14:17–26 | 22:14–30 | |
| Upper Room Discourse | 13:1–17:26 | ||||
| Jesus prays in Gethsemane | 26:36–46 | 14:32–42 | 22:39–46 | ||
| Friday | Betrayal and arrest (after midnight?) | 26:47–56 | 14:43–52 | 22:47–53 | 18:2–12 |
| Jewish trial: | |||||
| —before Annas | 18:13–24 | ||||
| —before Caiaphas and part of the Sanhedrin | 26:57–75 | 14:53–72 | 22:54–65 | 18:19–24 | |
| —before full Sanhedrin (after sunrise?) | 27:1–2 | 15:1 | 22:66–71 | ||
| Roman trials: | |||||
| —before Pilate | 27:2–14 | 15:2–5 | 23:1–5 | ||
| —before Herod | 23:6–12 | ||||
| —before Pilate | 27:15–26 | 15:6–15 | 23:13–25 | 18:28–19:16 | |
| Crucifixion (approx. 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.) | 27:27–54 | 15:16–39 | 23:26–49 | 19:16–37 | |
| Burial (evening) | 27:57–61 | 15:42–47 | 23:50–54 | 19:38–42 | |
| Sunday | Empty-tomb witnesses | 28:1–8 | 16:1–8 | 24:1–12 | |
| Resurrection appearances | 28:9–20 | 16:9–20 | 24:13–53 | 20:1–21:25 |
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:12 The next day is probably Sunday of Passion Week, called “Palm Sunday” in Christian tradition. See note on v. 1. The feast is Passover.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:13 By waving palm branches (a Jewish national symbol) the people hail Jesus as the Davidic king and echo the language of Ps. 118:25–26, hoping that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Most of the crowd probably understood the title King of Israel in a political and military sense, still hoping that Jesus would use his amazing powers to resist Roman rule and lead the nation to independence. Like Caiaphas (John 11:49–52), however, they spoke better than they knew, as his disciples later understood (12:16).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:15 Jesus is depicted as the humble shepherd-king of Zech. 9:9, who comes to the Holy City to take his rightful place. An early messianic prophecy speaks of a ruler from Judah who, riding on a donkey, will command the obedience of nations (Gen. 49:10–11). Fear not may be taken from Isa. 40:9, where the reference is to the one who brings good tidings to Zion (cf. Isa. 44:2).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:16 An important verse on the misunderstanding motif in John, indicating that many of the things Jesus said and did were understood only after the cross and resurrection.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:19 The world is an obvious overstatement, highlighting the Pharisees’ exasperation (cf. Acts 17:6).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:20–50 The Approaching Gentiles and the Messiah’s Rejection by the Jews. The present section concludes the first major part of John’s Gospel, which narrates Jesus’ mission to the Jews. The arrival of some Greeks signals to Jesus that this mission is about to come to an end. But before Jesus can reach out to the Gentiles, he first must die (cf. 10:16; 11:52). His hour is now at hand (12:23–26; see notes on 2:4; 7:30).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:20 Greeks refers to Gentiles, not necessarily to people from Greece (see note on 7:35). They are “God-fearers,” non-Jews who had come to Jerusalem to worship at the Jewish festival.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:21 Bethsaida. See note on Luke 9:10.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:23 hour. See notes on 2:4 and 7:30.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:25 Here again Jesus speaks in absolute terms to emphasize a point: loves his life means “delights in his life in this world more than in God,” and hates his life in this world means, by contrast, “thinks so little of his life, and so much of God, that he is willing to sacrifice it all for God.” Following Christ entails self-sacrifice, shown supremely at the cross.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:27 Troubled (Gk. tarassō) means “to be stirred up, unsettled”; the word or a related compound is found in the Septuagint in Davidic psalms (such as Ps. 6:3; 42:11).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:28 This is one of three instances during Jesus’ earthly ministry where a heavenly voice attests to his identity (the other two are his baptism and the transfiguration; Matt. 3:17; 17:5).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:29 crowd … said that it had thundered. Events of eternal consequence are occurring in the unseen spiritual realm, but when unbelievers see or hear a manifestation of them (even the very voice of God speaking from heaven), they misinterpret them as natural events, showing their spiritual blindness.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:31 The ruler of this world in its present fallen, sinful state is Satan (cf. 14:30; 16:11; 1 John 5:19). Now, at the cross, the Devil will be cast out, that is, decisively defeated (cf. Luke 10:18; Col. 2:14–15; Heb. 2:14–15). Jesus’ triumph over Satan in his death and resurrection is the basis for his final triumph in the consummation (Rev. 20:10).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:32 This most explicit “lifted up” saying in John complements the earlier references in 3:14 (see note) and 8:28, and echoes Isa. 52:13. All people, in context, means “all kinds of people,” that is, both Jews and Gentiles (John 10:16; 11:52; cf. 12:20–21). The drawing, as in 6:44, is effective.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:33 what kind of death. Cf. 21:19.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:34 This is the final of several messianic misunderstandings featured in this Gospel (cf. 7:27, 31, 41–42). The people have some inkling here that Jesus is predicting his death. What is probably meant by the Law is the entire Hebrew Scriptures, in which there are several passages that speak of the perpetual existence of the Davidic Messiah (2 Sam. 7:13; Ps. 61:6–7; 89:3–4, 35–37; Isa. 9:7; Dan. 7:13–14; for later Jewish expectations see 1 Enoch 49.1; 62.14; Psalms of Solomon 17.4).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:35–36 Jesus’ answer is indirect; in view of the fact that the light will be with people only for a little while longer, his crucifixion is near (cf. v. 46; also 7:33; 16:16–19). He urges the people to believe in the light (see note on 8:12; see also 9:4 and 11:9–10) while there is still time. On the words walk while you have the light, see 9:4–5.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:36 When Jesus hid himself from them, he indicated God’s imminent judgment and the completion of his revelatory work to the people of Israel (1:18).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:37–40 John cites Isa. 53:1 and 6:10 to indicate that the Jewish rejection of Jesus as Messiah was predicted by Scripture and thus serves to confirm (rather than thwart) God’s sovereign plan. Isaiah 53:1 refers to the servant of the Lord who was rejected by the people but exalted by God; Isa. 6:10 attributes people’s hardening ultimately to God himself (similar to Pharaoh’s, see Rom. 9:17–18). The present verses are the first in a series of fulfillment quotations in the second half of John’s Gospel. Seen here is John’s emphasis on divine sovereignty and human responsibility. On the one hand, the people should have believed and are held guilty for disbelieving (“they still did not believe in him,” John 12:37). On the other hand, God blinded their eyes so that they did not have the spiritual ability to believe, and John can even say they could not believe (v. 39). (On the need for God to first give people the ability to believe, see 1:13; 6:44.) See note on Eph. 1:11.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:37 Though he had done so many signs … they still did not believe indicates the culpability of people who had seen these miracles but still did not believe. The purpose of the miracles was to lead them to faith, and the miracles provided abundant proof of Jesus’ deity and messiahship, but people in their hardness of heart still rejected this evidence.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:41 Isaiah said these things is a strong argument for the entire book of Isaiah being written by one person, the prophet Isaiah (see Introduction to Isaiah: Date). The plural “these things” most likely refers to the two specific passages that John quotes (Isa. 53:1 and Isa. 6:10), but the wider context of both passages is probably also in view. John seems to be claiming that when Isaiah saw the exalted King and the suffering servant, he saw Jesus’ glory.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:42–43 The opposition of the Jewish leaders to Jesus was not at all monolithic; an increasing number of the leaders themselves had come to faith, for many even of the authorities believed in him. However, their fear of the Pharisees was still strong, and hence they did not confess Jesus publicly. In v. 43 John penetrates the human heart, showing again that the desire for human commendation kept them from following Jesus in a public way. See notes on 5:44; 9:22. synagogue. See note on Luke 4:16.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:44 Believes not in me means “believes not only, not ultimately, in me.”
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:46 light. See note on 1:4–5.
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:47 I did not come to judge the world refers to Jesus’ first coming, for he will come to judge the world when he returns (see v. 48; 5:22, 27–30).
JOHN—NOTE ON 12:49 Not … on my own authority indicates again that supreme authority in the Trinity belongs to the Father, and delegated authority to the Son, though they are equal in deity.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:1–20:31 The Farewell Discourse and the Passion Narrative. The second half of John’s Gospel consists of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse (chs. 13–17) and the passion narrative (chs. 18–20). Now that Jesus has been rejected by the Jews, he turns his attention to his new messianic community. After the community is cleansed and instructed, Jesus prays, is arrested, and is subjected to Jewish and Roman trials, crucified, and buried. This is followed by the resurrection, resurrection appearances, and Jesus’ commissioning of his disciples. The section concludes with a purpose statement (20:30–31).
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:1–17:26 The Cleansing and Instruction of the New Messianic Community and Jesus’ Final Prayer. In the second major section of John’s Gospel, Jesus prepares his new messianic community, represented by the Twelve (minus Judas), for the time subsequent to his exaltation to the Father. The community is first cleansed both literally and symbolically through the footwashing (13:1–17), and then figuratively through the removal of the betrayer (13:18–30). The Farewell Discourse proper extends from 13:31 to 16:33 and contains Jesus’ final instructions to his followers before his arrest and crucifixion. The discourse (unique to John’s Gospel) concludes with Jesus’ final prayer (ch. 17).
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:1–17 With his crucifixion imminent, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet as a final proof of his love for them, setting an example of humility and servanthood and signifying the washing away of sins through his death. In a striking demonstration of love for his enemies, Jesus washes all of his disciples’ feet, including those of Judas. Jesus’ act is all the more remarkable, as washing people’s feet was considered to be a task reserved for non-Jewish slaves. In a culture where people walked long distances on dusty roads in sandals, it was customary for the host to arrange for water to be available for the washing of feet. Normally, this was done upon arrival, not during the meal.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:1 Jesus’ own are now the Twelve, the representatives of his new messianic community (cf. 1:11). Though Jesus was about to die an agonizing death, he continued to love his disciples. to depart out of this world. In several places John says that Jesus is leaving the world and going to the Father (see 13:3; also 7:33; 16:28; 17:11). Yet in other places Jesus can say that he will always be present with his disciples, even after his ascension into heaven (see 14:23; Matt. 18:20; 28:20; Rev. 3:20). Both are true: Jesus in his human nature is no longer here on earth but has returned to heaven and will come again one day, but in his divine nature Jesus is omnipresent and is with believers “always” (Matt. 28:20).
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:7 Another instance of misunderstanding (cf. notes on 6:52; 12:16).
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:8 To have no share with Jesus means that one does not belong to him. Here the footwashing symbolizes the washing necessary for the forgiveness of sins, in anticipation of Jesus’ death for his people, by which sins are washed away.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:9–11 Jesus applies the footwashing in another way. Those who have been washed through Jesus’ once-for-all death also need daily cleansing of their sins (symbolized by their frequent need to wash their feet). It is apparent that Jesus applies the footwashing figuratively since he says not all are clean, referring to Judas, but clearly he cleaned Judas’s feet as well. Because Judas is not spiritually cleansed, unlike Peter, he does not have a “share” (v. 8) with Jesus.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:12–17 The disciples will understand fully only after the cross, though they do grasp in part Jesus’ amazing humility, which serves as a model for all of his disciples.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:14 Footwashing continues as a regular ceremony in a number of modern denominations, which literally obey Jesus’ command, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. Others believe the language is figurative for the importance of serving one another, and that the act itself is not required.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:16 messenger (Gk. apostolos). This is one of a few places in the NT where this Greek word does not refer to the office of “apostle of Jesus Christ” but simply to a “messenger” in general (it is also used this way in 2 Cor. 8:23 and Phil. 2:25).
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:18 I know whom I have chosen does not refer to choosing for salvation but to Jesus’ choosing of the Twelve, including Judas, to be disciples (this is the same sense given to “choose” in 6:70, where it clearly includes Judas). Jesus cites Ps. 41:9, dealing with Absalom’s rebellion against King David; the “faithless friend” there may be Ahithophel (2 Sam. 16:23). Judas’s lifting his heel against Jesus brings out the treacherous and faithless nature of Judas’s deed.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:19 Jesus’ statement is one of several references to his foreknowledge in this section (cf. 14:29; 16:1, 4, 32, 33; see also previous note). The statement I am he very likely has overtones of a claim to deity (see note on 8:24; also 8:28, 58; 18:5, 6, 8).
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:20 The one I send refers first of all to the disciples whom Jesus would specifically send out at 20:22. But more broadly it applies to all messengers of Christ, in every age, who bring the gospel of Christ to others. receives. To truly “receive” such a messenger is to accept and believe the gospel and to trust in Christ. (The same word for “receive” [Gk. lambanō] is also used in 1:12; 3:32–33; 5:43; 12:48.) This and similar verses (e.g., 20:22; Luke 18:17; Rom. 3:25) give the basis for using the language of “receiving Christ as Savior” in reference to hearing the gospel message and believing it.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:21 troubled in his spirit. See note on 12:27; cf. also Ps. 31:9–10; 38:10; 55:2–14.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:22 uncertain of whom he spoke. Judas’s outward behavior conformed so nearly to that of the other disciples that they did not immediately assume that Jesus was talking about Judas.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:23 This is the first reference to the disciple whom Jesus loved (see Introduction: Author and Title). On reclining, see note on 12:2. In such a situation it would be easy for John to lean back a bit and whisper privately to Jesus, as he does in 13:25. See also 21:20.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:27 Satan entered into him. Though Satan had earlier put the desire to betray Christ into Judas’s heart (see v. 2), Satan himself now enters into Judas, suggesting a more dominant influence in the actions to follow.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:30 And it was night strikes an ominous note (cf. Luke 22:53: “this is your hour, and the power of darkness”). See also Matt. 26:20; Mark 14:17; 1 Cor. 11:23.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:31–32 The passage echoes Isa. 49:3. Again Jesus’ glorification is tied to his death.
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:34–35 Love must be the distinguishing mark of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus’ “new command” takes its point of departure from the Mosaic commands to love the Lord with all one’s powers and to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Lev. 19:18; cf. Deut. 6:5; Mark 12:28–33), but Jesus’ own love and teaching deepen and transform these commands. Jesus even taught love for one’s enemies (Matt. 5:43–48). The command to love one’s neighbor was not new; the newness was found in loving one another as Jesus had loved his disciples (cf. John 13:1; 15:13). In light of Jesus’ subsequent death, just as implies a love that is even willing to lay down one’s life for another (see 15:13).
JOHN—NOTE ON 13:38 the rooster will not crow. See also Matt. 26:34; Mark 14:30; Luke 22:34. In a number of manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel, though not all, Mark mentions the rooster crowing “twice” (Mark 14:30, 68, 72), but roosters could crow a number of times separated by a few minutes. Mark specifies the first two individual crowings (as evidently Jesus did), while Matthew, Luke, and John focus on the shameful fact of Peter’s denial. They therefore drop this detail and report Jesus as referring to the entire set of crowings as the time the rooster crows.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:1 Believe in God is translated as an imperative (or command), but the Greek could also be rendered as a statement, “You believe in God.” The imperative is probably better in light of the previous sentence. What troubles the disciples is Jesus’ imminent departure (see 13:36). “Believe,” in keeping with OT usage (e.g., Isa. 28:16), denotes personal, relational trust.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:2–3 In light of the context (Jesus going to the Father; 13:1, 3; 14:28), it is best to understand my Father’s house as referring to heaven. In keeping with this image, the many rooms (or “dwelling places,” Gk. monē) are places to live within that large house. The translation “rooms” is not meant to convey the idea of small spaces, but only to keep consistency in the metaphor of heaven as God’s “house.” In a similar passage, Jesus speaks of his followers being received into the “eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9; cf. 1 Cor. 2:9).
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:6 Jesus as the one way to the Father fulfills the OT symbols and teachings that show the exclusiveness of God’s claim (see note on 3:18), such as the curtain (Ex. 26:33) barring access to God’s presence from all except the Levitical high priest (Leviticus 16), the rejection of human inventions as means to approach God (Lev. 10:2), and the choice of Aaron alone to represent Israel before God in his sanctuary (Num. 17:5). Jesus is the only “way” to God (Acts 4:12), and he alone can provide access to God. Jesus as the truth fulfills the teaching of the OT (John 1:17) and reveals the true God (cf. 1:14, 17; 5:33; 18:37; also 8:40, 45–46; 14:9). Jesus alone is the life who fulfills the OT promises of “life” given by God (11:25–26), having life in himself (1:4; 5:26), and he is thus able to confer eternal life to all those who believe in him (e.g., 3:16). This is another “I am” saying that makes a claim to deity (see note on 6:35).
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:8–11 Philip apparently asks for some sort of appearance by God. In the OT, Moses asked for and was given a limited vision of God’s glory (Ex. 33:18; cf. Ex. 24:10). Isaiah, too, received a vision of God (Isa. 6:1; see note on John 12:41). Jesus is the greater fulfillment of these limited OT events (see also Ezek. 1:26–28). In keeping with OT teaching, Jesus denied the possibility of a direct vision of God (John 5:37; 6:46; cf. 1:18), yet he makes the stunning assertion that those who have seen him have seen the Father—a clear claim to deity. Philip’s request shows that he has not yet understood the point of Jesus’ coming, namely, to reveal the Father (1:14, 18).
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:10 I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Though there is a complete mutual indwelling of the Father and the Son, the Father and the Son remain distinct persons within the Trinity, as does the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14), and the three of them still constitute only one Being in three persons.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:11 The works themselves includes the miracles of Jesus and also the other actions and teachings that he did and gave (see note on v. 12).
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:12 the works that I do. In John’s Gospel, the term “works” (Gk. ergon), both in singular and in plural, is a broader term than “signs.” While “signs” in John are characteristically miracles that attest to Jesus’ identity as Messiah and Son of God, and that lead unbelievers to faith (see note on 2:11), Jesus’ “works” include both his miracles (see 7:21) and his other activities and teachings, including the whole of his ministry (see 4:34; 5:36; 10:32; 17:4). These are all manifestations of the activity of God the Father, for Jesus said, “The Father who dwells in me does his works” (14:10). Here Jesus is teaching his disciples to imitate the things he did in his life and ministry. The disciples’ greater works will be possible because Jesus is going to the Father, subsequent to his finished work on the cross (12:24; 15:13; 19:30); this indicates that the “greater works” will be possible because of the power of the Holy Spirit who would be sent after Jesus goes to the Father (see 16:7; also 7:39; 14:16, 26). The expression “greater works” could also be translated more broadly as “greater things,” since the Greek meizona is simply a neuter adjective and the noun “works” (Gk. erga, plural) is not included here as it is in the earlier part of the verse. These “greater works” include evangelism, teaching, and deeds of mercy and compassion—in short, the entire ministry of the church to the entire world, beginning from Pentecost. (E.g., on the day of Pentecost alone, more believers were added to Jesus’ followers than during his entire earthly ministry up to that time; cf. Acts 2:41.) These works are “greater” not because they are more amazing miracles but because they will be greater in their worldwide scope and will result in the transformation of individual lives and of whole cultures and societies.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:13 Praying in Jesus’ name means praying in a way consistent with his character and his will (a person’s name in the ancient world represented what the person was like); it also means coming to God in the authority of Jesus. Probably both senses are intended here. Adding “in Jesus’ name” at the end of every prayer is neither required nor wrong. Effective prayer must ask for and desire what Jesus delights in. See also note on 1 John 5:15.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:14 If you ask me gives warrant for praying directly to Jesus (but see esv footnote). Many other verses encourage prayer to God the Father (see 15:16).
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:15 Jesus’ words echo the demands of the Deuteronomic covenant (cf. Deut. 5:10; 6:5–6; 7:9; 10:12–13; 11:13, 22) and reflect his unique authority. True love manifests itself in willing obedience.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:16–17 The Holy Spirit (cf. v. 26), the Spirit of truth who will guide the disciples into all truth (16:13), will serve as another Helper (or “helping Presence”; see also esv footnote). He will indwell Jesus’ followers forever, functioning as Jesus’ emissary in his physical absence. The promise of the divine presence with Jesus’ followers in 14:15–24 includes the Spirit (vv. 15–17), Jesus (vv. 18–21), and the Father (vv. 22–24). he dwells with you and will be in you. This does not mean that there was no work of the Spirit of God within believers prior to this time (see note on 7:39) but rather that the Holy Spirit “will be in you” in a new and more powerful sense after Pentecost.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:18 I will come to you most likely means that Jesus will appear to the disciples after his resurrection (chs. 20–21). Some interpreters have taken this as a reference to the Holy Spirit’s coming, which Jesus does promise (14:16–17), but both Jesus and John always use precise wording in maintaining a distinction between Jesus and the Spirit.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:21 keeps (i.e., follows and obeys) them. Obedience to Christ is an indication of genuine love for him.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:22 The Judas referred to here is probably “Judas the son of James” mentioned in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13, not Judas the half brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3).
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:23 Home (Gk. monē, “room, dwelling place”) is the same word used in a different context in v. 2. Just as the Father and the Son now make their home with Christians in this age, Jesus is preparing for them a place in heaven where they will one day live with God (vv. 2–3). On the theme of God’s dwelling among his people, see note on 1:14.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:26 He will teach you uses the masculine Greek pronoun ekeinos (“he”) instead of the neuter pronoun ekeino (“it”), which would have been expected for grammatical agreement with the grammatically neuter antecedent Pneuma (Spirit). Many interpreters have seen this as a deliberate choice on John’s part, indicating an awareness of the distinct personhood of the Holy Spirit (though others disagree, suggesting that the pronoun is masculine in order to agree with the masculine noun Helper earlier in the sentence). John follows the same usage in 15:26 and 16:13–14. That he will teach the disciples all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you is an important promise regarding the disciples’ future role in writing the words of Scripture; see also 16:13–15. Jesus’ promise here is specifically to these disciples (who would become the apostles after Pentecost), though there is of course a broader teaching and guiding ministry of the Holy Spirit generally in the lives of believers, as is taught elsewhere in Scripture (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:16, 18). On the work of the Trinity, see chart.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:27 The expression peace (Hb. shalom) had a much richer connotation than the English word does since it conveyed not merely the absence of conflict and turmoil but also the notion of positive blessing, especially in terms of a right relationship with God (e.g., Num. 6:24–26; cf. Ps. 29:11; Hag. 2:9, and also, as a result, the idea that “all is well” in one’s life). This may be manifested most clearly amid persecution and tribulation; see also John 15:18–19; 16:33.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:28 In saying that the Father is greater than I, Jesus means that the Father as the one who sends and commands is “greater” (in authority or leadership) than the Son. However, this does not mean that Jesus is inferior in his being and essence to the Father, as 1:1, 10:30, and 20:28 clearly show.
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:30 On the ruler of this world, see note on 12:31. Those who do not follow Christ are not autonomous. They are serving Satan, whether they are aware of this or not. Satan is coming in the person of Judas and those with him (see ch. 18), and this is why in a short time Jesus will no longer talk much with them. But Jesus is not subject to Satan, for Satan has no claim on Jesus. Satan cannot force Jesus to do anything, but Jesus willingly submits to the suffering that is to come, out of obedience to his Father (see 14:31).
JOHN—NOTE ON 14:31 Jesus’ obedience to the Father signifies his love for the Father. The transition from 14:31 to 15:1 is at times viewed as a “literary seam” (i.e., an indication that John’s Gospel is pieced together from different sources). More likely, John is implying that Jesus and his followers are leaving the upper room, making their way to the Kidron Valley, and arriving in the Garden of Gethsemane (18:1).
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:1–17 Jesus’ allegory of the vine and the branches is at the very heart of the Farewell Discourse (13:31–16:33). The OT frequently uses the vineyard or vine as a symbol for Israel, God’s covenant people, especially in two “vineyard songs” in Isaiah (Isa. 5:1–7; 27:2–6). However, Israel’s failure to produce fruit resulted in divine judgment. Jesus, by contrast, is “the true vine,” and his followers abide in him and produce fruit.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:1 This is the last of Jesus’ seven I am sayings in this Gospel (see note on 6:35). True contrasts Jesus with OT Israel (see previous note), reinforcing John’s theme that Jesus is the true Israel. The vinedresser refers back to Isaiah’s first vineyard song, where God is depicted as tending his vineyard, only to be rewarded with wild grapes (Isa. 5:1–7; cf. Ps. 80:8–9). The fruitfulness of those in Christ contrasts with the fruitlessness of Israel.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:2 The divine vinedresser does two things to ensure maximum fruit production: (1) he removes unfruitful branches, and (2) he prunes all the others (cf. Heb. 6:7–8). Does not bear fruit seems to indicate that the person symbolized by such a branch is not a true believer (see John 15:6, 8). In that case, in me is just a loose connection needed to make the metaphor of a vine work, reflecting a claim to be Christ’s that is not genuine and not implying actual regeneration or true belief. This then would be one of several verses in John showing that not all who follow Jesus for a time and hear his teaching are genuine believers (cf. 6:66; also 13:10–11 on Judas). Others understand these branches to represent true believers who are “unfruitful” for various reasons. In favor of this view is the fact that Jesus says such branches are “in me,” and that seems parallel to being “in Christ,” as only believers are. However, these unfruitful branches appear to be the same branches that are “thrown away” and “burned” in 15:6, which seems clearly to be a picture of final judgment. Fruit is an image for good results coming from the life of a believer, probably in terms of bringing benefit to the lives of others and advancing the work of God in the world (see Matt. 13:8; cf. Gal. 5:22–23 for a different image of “fruit” as changed character). he takes away. The Greek verb airō can also mean “lifts up” in certain contexts, and some use this to argue that this means God “lifts up” unfruitful branches from the ground so that they will become more fruitful. This interpretation is taken by those who think the branches represent true believers who are not fruitful. But this sense seems less likely because the unfruitful branches in John 15:6 are “thrown into the fire, and burned,” which is an image of final judgment. “He prunes” gives a picture of painful but necessary removal of some interests and activities in order that the remaining branches may bear even more fruit. The word translated “prunes” (Gk. kathairō) often means “to clean,” and has the same root as the adjective katharos, translated “clean” in 15:3.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:3 clean. See 13:10–11.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:4 Abide in me means to continue in a daily, personal relationship with Jesus, characterized by trust, prayer, obedience (see v. 10), and joy. And I in you is a phrase without an explicit verb, but it probably is an abbreviated way of saying, “See that I abide in you”; that is, “Safeguard your relationship with me so that I continue to abide fully in you.” (See notes on 8:31; 1 John 2:6.) The “in” terminology in the present passage refers back to OT covenant theology, including prophetic texts regarding a future new covenant (see Ex. 25:8; 29:45; Lev. 26:11–12; Ezek. 37:27–28; 43:9). The repeated references to fruit bearing (also John 15:5, 8) underscore that this is God’s primary purpose in creation (Gen. 1:11–12, 22, 28) and in redemption (cf. John 15:8, 16). The OT prophets envisioned a time when God’s people would “blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit” (Isa. 27:6; cf. Hos. 14:4–8).
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:5 Apart from me you can do nothing does not mean “nothing at all,” for unbelievers of course carry on their ordinary activities of life apart from Christ. Rather, it means “nothing of eternal value,” or an inability to produce spiritual fruit.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:6 The person who does not abide in me is an unbeliever who does not have a personal faith in Christ (see note on v. 4). The verse echoes Ezek. 15:1–8, where a vine failing to produce fruit is said to be good for nothing but the fire (see Heb. 6:7–8). Fire is a common Jewish and biblical symbol for divine judgment (e.g., Isa. 30:27; Matt. 3:12 par.; 5:22; 18:8; 25:41). Some take this “fire” to imply loss of reward for true believers, not eternal judgment for unbelievers, but this does not fit as well with the image of branches being entirely burned up by a fire. See also note on John 15:2.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:7 Two conditions are given for answered prayer: abiding in Jesus, and his words abiding in believers (thus transforming their thinking). Elsewhere Jesus says that believers must ask in his name (i.e., in accord with his character and for his glory; see 14:13–14; 16:23–24). If God’s people truly abide in Jesus (see note on 15:4), they will desire what he desires and will pray according to his words, and those prayers will be pleasing to him.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:8 God is glorified not by praise and worship alone but by his followers also bearing much fruit for the advancement of his kingdom on earth. Here again, fruit bearing is evidence of being true believers, or being Jesus’ disciples.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:9 Abide in my love. Mutual love between believers and Christ is another element of this “abiding” relationship (see note on v. 4).
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:10–11 Obedience is not to be equated with drudgery; it is all about joy. The OT prophets envisioned a period of great end-time rejoicing (e.g., Isa. 25:9; 35:10; 51:3; 61:10; 66:10; Zeph. 3:14–17; Zech. 9:9). God threatened judgment if his people would not serve him “with joyfulness and gladness of heart” (Deut. 28:47–48). that my joy may be in you. Just as Jesus had great joy in obeying his Father even in the midst of opposition, so Christians will have joy in obedience.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:12 love one another. On Jesus’ “love commandment” (vv. 12–17), see note on 13:34–35.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:13–14 You are my friends implies a stunning level of comfortable personal interaction with one who is also the eternal, omnipotent Creator of the universe (see 1:1–3, 10). In the OT, only Abraham (2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8) and by implication Moses (Ex. 33:11) are called “friends of God.” Here Jesus extends this privilege to all obedient believers.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:16 You did not choose me does not negate the disciples’ willing decision to follow Jesus when he called them. Jesus is emphasizing that the ultimate factor in determining who would follow him was Jesus’ own choice. The Greek eklegomai has the sense of “to choose or pick out from a group,” and it clearly has that sense also in v. 19. That you should go and bear fruit implies that the purpose of Christ’s choosing people is not merely that their sins be forgiven and they have eternal life but also that their lives be fruitful and productive in fulfilling God’s purposes. For key passages on the doctrine of election, see Romans 9 and Ephesians 1.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:19 therefore the world hates you. Christians should not be surprised that unbelievers in the world hate them. It follows a pattern seen in the world since Cain murdered Abel (see Gen. 4:8; Heb. 11:4; 1 John 3:12), and it is seen in the world’s reactions to Christ himself (see John 15:18).
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:22 They would not have been guilty of sin does not mean all sin (see Rom. 3:23), but the specific sin of rejecting the supreme revelation of God that came in Christ himself, a sin that is particularly manifested in hating Christ (see John 15:18, 23, 24). their sin. See note on 5:31–47.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:25 Jesus declares that the Jews’ hatred of him fulfills OT Scripture, specifically Ps. 69:4 (cf. Ps. 35:19; also note on Isa. 6:9–10). This Davidic psalm depicts the figure of a righteous sufferer who is zealous for God but is persecuted by God’s enemies for no good reason. Thus Jesus found a precedent for his enemies’ hatred toward him in the antagonism encountered by David. Without a cause reminds believers that hatred and persecution against Jesus and his followers is often not because of any wrong that they have done but simply because of irrational evil in the hearts of the persecutors.
JOHN—NOTE ON 15:26 The Helper is the Holy Spirit; see notes on 14:16–17; 14:26. Whom I will send indicates that the Holy Spirit will come in new power into the world in obedience to God the Son. But who proceeds from the Father indicates that the Holy Spirit will also come in obedience to the directions of God the Father. Both the Father and the Son will send the Holy Spirit into the world in new fullness at Pentecost (see Acts 2:1–33; also notes on John 7:39; 14:16–17). He will bear witness about me reminds believers that when they bear witness about Christ, the Holy Spirit is working silently and invisibly through their words. On “he” as masculine and personal, see note on 14:26.
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:1 Jesus uses his words (now recorded in Scripture) as the means to keep believers from falling away.
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:2 Whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God implies a deep deception, ultimately inspired by Satan, who is a murderer and the father of lies (see 8:44). Not all “religions” are good, for some religions will teach their followers that they are doing good when in fact they are doing the horribly evil act of murdering true followers of the Son of God. The apostle Paul himself, prior to his conversion, thought he was serving God by persecuting Christians (see Acts 8:1–3 [where Paul is called Saul]; Gal. 1:13–14; 1 Tim. 1:13).
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:4 Believers may think opposition means that God opposes them, but Jesus emphasizes that persecution is to be expected (see also v. 1).
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:5 none of you asks me. But Peter did ask this exact question in 13:36 (cf. 14:5), so the present tense of “asks” probably has the sense, “none of you at the present time is asking me” (this was some time after 13:36; see the indication of change of location in 14:31).
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:7 it is to your advantage that I go away. This is because while Jesus was on earth he could be in only one place at a time, but the Holy Spirit would carry on Jesus’ ministry over the entire world at all times. In addition, in God’s sovereign plan for the unfolding of history, the Holy Spirit would not come in new covenant power and fullness until Jesus returned to heaven (see notes on 7:39; 14:16–17; 15:26). The Helper (see notes on 14:16–17; 14:26) refers back to the anticipation of the pouring out of the Spirit and the inauguration of the kingdom spoken of in OT prophetic literature (e.g., Isa. 11:1–10; 32:14–18; 42:1–4; 44:1–5; Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 11:17–20; 36:24–27; 37:1–14; Joel 2:28–32).
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:8 He will convict the world gives hope that many who are in “the world” (and currently opposed to Jesus) will not be part of “the world” forever but will repent of their sins and believe in Christ.
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:10 Because I go to the Father means that Jesus will no longer be in the world to teach about true righteousness, and so the Holy Spirit will come to carry on that function, through illumination (v. 13) and through the words of believers who bear witness to the gospel.
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:11 Because the ruler of this world (i.e., Satan; see notes on 12:31; 14:30) is judged could also be translated “has been judged”; the perfect-tense verb kekritai (Gk.) has the sense of “has been judged and continues in the state resulting from that judgment.”
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:13 On the Spirit of truth, see note on 14:16–17. The Spirit’s ministry of guiding Jesus’ followers into all the truth is a promise especially directed toward these 11 disciples, and it finds particular fulfillment in the subsequent work of these disciples in personally writing or overseeing the writing of the books of the NT (see note on 14:26). The promise, like the other things that Jesus says in these chapters, also has a broader application to all believers as the Holy Spirit leads and guides them (see Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18). The activity of the Holy Spirit in declaring the things that are to come suggests that he knows the future, something that is true of God alone; this gives evidence of the full deity of the Holy Spirit. The word declare (Gk. anangellō) occurs over 40 times in the Septuagint translation of Isaiah, where declaring things to come is said to be the exclusive domain of God (Isa. 48:14) and where God challenges anyone to declare the things that are to come (Isa. 42:9; 44:7; 46:10; cf. 41:21–29, esp. vv. 22–23; 45:19).
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:16–19 A little while … again a little while (v. 16). The first reference is plainly to the brief period between the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus, and the second reference is to the resurrection appearances (the “little while” after which the disciples will see Jesus again). The phrase is repeated by both Jesus and the disciples (vv. 17–19), recalling four previous instances of “a little while” in John’s Gospel (cf. 7:33; 12:35; 13:33; 14:19).
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:23 In that day (that is, after Jesus’ resurrection) you will ask nothing of me probably means that Jesus’ disciples will not have to ask him questions about the meaning of his death and resurrection, because they will understand and because the Holy Spirit will be present to guide them “into all the truth” (v. 13).
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. While Jesus was on earth the disciples had not prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus. But now he was saying that they should do so. Regarding the meaning of praying “in Jesus’ name,” see notes on 1:12–13; 14:13. Ask, and you will receive reminds believers that frequent answers to prayer will give Jesus’ followers great joy as they see God actively at work in the world in answer to their prayers.
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:25 The hour is coming refers to the time after Jesus’ resurrection when he would explain much more directly to them the meaning of all that he had done (see Luke 24:27; Acts 1:3).
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:28 Now I am leaving the world and going to the Father might have an initial reference to Jesus’ spirit returning to heaven when his body died and remained on the earth, prior to his resurrection (see Luke 23:43, 46; John 19:30), but more likely refers to his ascension into heaven 40 days after his resurrection (Luke 24:50–51; Acts 1:3, 9). The parallel truths that Jesus was going to leave the world and go to the Father but also that he promised to come and dwell with all who love him (see John 14:21, 23) reflect Jesus’ humanity (which is in one place at one time) and his deity (which is everywhere present)—both of which are true of Jesus as one divine-human person.
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:32 Jesus’ prediction of a coming hour at which each of his followers will be scattered, each to his own home (cf. 19:27) probably alludes to Zech. 13:7 (quoted in Matt. 26:31 par.; cf. Matt. 26:56b). The shepherd will be deserted by his sheep.
JOHN—NOTE ON 16:33 On peace, see note on 14:27. In the midst of the suffering and hardship that was to come, Jesus’ disciples, and all following them, can have such “peace” in fellowship with Christ. Fittingly, Jesus’ Farewell Discourse (13:31–16:33) ends on a note of triumph (cf. 1 John 2:13–14; 4:4; 5:4–5).
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:1–26 In his final prayer, Jesus gives an account of his earthly mission to the Father who sent him. He prays, first for himself (vv. 1–5), then for his disciples (vv. 6–19), and finally for later believers (vv. 20–26).
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:1 Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven, striking a customary posture in prayer (cf. Ps. 123:1; Mark 7:34; Luke 18:13). the hour has come. See notes on John 2:4; 7:30. The opening petition glorify your Son implies a claim to deity, since the OT affirms that God will not give his glory to another (e.g., Isa. 42:8; 48:11; on Jesus as the sent Son, see also John 3:16–18). As usual in John, God is glorified particularly through the cross of Christ.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:2–3 Eternal life comes from knowing God and Jesus the sent Son (cf. 1:4; 5:26; 20:31). Knowing God is not confined to intellectual knowledge but entails living in fellowship with him. That they know you implies an intimate relationship that involves actually knowing God as a person. That God is the only true God is affirmed supremely in Deut. 6:4 (cf. John 5:44; 1 John 5:20). Jesus, in turn, is the “one-of-a-kind” Son sent by the Father (cf. John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18) and the only way to him (14:6).
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c154
| The Father Gave the Son . . . | John 17 |
|---|---|
| authority to give eternal life | v. 2 |
| people out of this world | vv. 2, 6, 9, 24 |
| work to accomplish | v. 4 |
| words | v. 8 |
| his name | vv. 11, 12 |
| glory | vv. 22, 24 |
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c154
| The Son Gives Believers . . . | John 17 |
|---|---|
| eternal life | v. 2 |
| the Father’s word | vv. 8, 14 |
| manifestation of the Father’s name | vv. 6, 26 |
| glory | v. 22 |
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c154
| The Son Asks the Father to . . . | John 17 |
|---|---|
| glorify him | vv. 1, 5 |
| keep believers in the Father’s name | v. 11 |
| keep believers from the evil one | v. 15 |
| sanctify believers in the truth | v. 17 |
| make believers one | v. 21 |
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c154
| Jesus’ Followers and the World | John 17 |
|---|---|
| they are sent into the world | v. 18 |
| they are in the world | v. 11 |
| they are not of the world | v. 16 |
| the world has hated them | v. 14 |
| their unity with each other and union with God may cause the world to believe the Father sent the Son | v. 21 |
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:2 The Father’s granting of authority over all flesh to Jesus (cf. 5:27) marks the start of a new era (cf. Isa. 9:6–7; Dan. 7:13–14; see also Matt. 11:27; 28:18). “All flesh” means the whole human race.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:5 Jesus again claims that he existed before the world existed (or “before the world was”; cf. 1:1, 14; 3:13; 6:62; 8:58; 16:28; 17:24). This implies that the material universe is not eternal but was brought into being by God. Before that, nothing material existed. But God existed eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and here Jesus speaks of a sharing of glory between the Father and the Son prior to creation, implying that there was mutual giving of honor in the interpersonal relationships of the Trinity from all eternity.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:6 Jesus’ revelation of God’s name entails making known the Father in his whole person, both his works and words (cf. 1:18; 8:19, 27; 10:38; 12:45; 14:9–11).
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:9 Those whom you have given me are those who have believed or who would come to believe in Christ (see vv. 2, 6, 12; also 6:37, 39; 10:29).
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:11 I am no longer in the world. See note on 16:28. keep them. Jesus asks that those who have been specially given to him will be kept to the end (i.e., preserved from denying Christ). And since it is Jesus who intercedes for his disciples, his petition will most certainly be answered. The word “holy” in Holy Father echoes the assertion of God’s awesome purity as described in Lev. 11:44 (cf. Ps. 71:22; 111:9; Isa. 6:3); this is the only time in the NT that this form of address is used with reference to the first person of the Godhead. that they may be one, even as we are one. Jesus shows the kind of profound unity that should be the norm among genuine believers. As the following verses indicate (through John 17:26), this is to be a reflection of the unity that has existed eternally between the Father and the Son (v. 11), namely, the unity of a common mind and purpose, an unqualified mutual love, and a sustained comprehensive togetherness in mission, as revealed in the Father-Son relationship characterized by Jesus’ own ministry. Such unity is the result of Jesus’ active work of “keeping” (vv. 12, 15) and “guarding” (v. 12); it results in believers being filled with joy (v. 13; see also 3:29; 15:11; 16:24; 1 John 1:4); it is rooted in the truth of God’s word (John 17:14, 17, 20); it involves “sanctification,” that is, in the sense of consecration to serve (vv. 17, 19); it becomes a witness to the world so that “the world may believe” (v. 21); it is for the revelation of God’s glory (v. 24); and it results in the experience of the indwelling love of God and the presence of Christ (v. 26). The kind of unity that is central to Jesus’ high priestly prayer is not organizational but is an all-encompassing relational reality that binds believers together with each other and with their Lord—a unity that can be achieved only through the regenerating and sanctifying work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Although individual Christians, and the church in general, tend to fall short of the fullness of unity that the Lord intends, whenever such unity is even partially realized (never at the expense of truth or holiness; v. 17) the result will always be deep joy (v. 13), a persuasive witness to the world (vv. 21, 23), and a display of God’s glory (v. 22).
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:12 name. See note on 5:43. fulfilled. Even Judas’s betrayal took place in fulfillment of Scripture. The antecedent passage is primarily Ps. 41:9 (applied to Jesus in John 13:18; cf. note). Other Scriptures fulfilled through Judas are Ps. 69:25 and 109:8 (both are cited in Acts 1:20).
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:14 your word. Not the OT Scriptures, but Jesus’ own teachings, and more broadly, the whole of his life, which is the revelation of himself as the Word of God (1:1, 14). the world has hated them. See note on 15:19.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:15 Even though God’s people in the midst of hardship may sometimes want to be taken out of the world (see Num. 11:15; 1 Kings 19:4; Jonah 4:3, 8), Jesus does not ask for that. The place of believers during this lifetime is not to withdraw from the world but to remain in the world and to influence it continually for good, as difficult as that may be. keep them. The central request of the prayer is repeated again (see John 17:11). Jesus prays that his own will be guarded from the evil one, that is, Satan, who would attack them to destroy their lives and their ministries. But the Greek phrase ek tou ponērou can also mean “from evil” (see esv footnote), since Greek nouns denoting abstract qualities often take a definite article, in which case it would be a prayer that their lives and ministries not be overcome by Satan or by any other kind of evil, and that they be kept from doing evil as well (see 1 John 5:19).
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:16 Those who believe in Christ are not of the world, meaning that they have an entirely different nature (see 3:3–8), including different heart desires, different fundamental goals, and ultimately a different God. The common saying that Christians are “in the world but not of the world” is not found exactly anywhere in Scripture, but the idea is true and is taken from 17:15–16.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:17 Sanctify them. The sanctification of Christians is a lifelong process. It involves both a relational component (separation from participating in and being influenced by evil) and a moral component (growth in holiness or moral purity in attitudes, thoughts, and actions). This occurs in the truth, that is, as Christians believe, think, and live according to “the truth” in relation to God, themselves, and the world. This truth comprises the entire Bible, for Jesus says, your word is truth. The Greek word is surprisingly not an adjective (meaning “your word is true”) but a noun (alētheia, “truth”). This implies that God’s Word does not simply conform to some other external standard of “truth,” but that it is truth itself; that is, it embodies truth and it therefore is the standard of truth against which everything else must be tested and compared.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:18 I have sent them into the world probably refers to the teaching that Jesus had just been giving to his disciples, teaching that assumed that they would remain in the world and minister to the world and bear fruit for the kingdom (see 13:16, 20, 35; 14:12–13, 26; 15:2, 5, 8, 16, 20, 27; 16:2, 8, 33), although Jesus would more formally declare that he is sending them in 20:21, and would repeat that commission at his ascension into heaven (Matt. 28:19–20; on the timing see also Acts 1:4, 8).
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:20–26 Jesus does not stop at praying for himself (vv. 1–5) and his disciples (vv. 6–19) but now prays for those who will believe in me in the future. Jesus’ concern is for his followers’ unity (vv. 21–23) and love (v. 26). The vision of a unified people of God has previously been expressed in 10:16 and 11:52. Believers’ unity results from being united in God (cf. 10:38; 14:10–11, 20, 23; 15:4–5). Once unified, they will be able to bear witness to the true identity of Jesus as the Sent One of God.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:21 that they may all be one. Concerning the unity that Jesus prays for and that he intends for his own, see note on v. 11 (cf. v. 22). In us refers to spiritual union with God and also the personal fellowship resulting from that union.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:22 Glory probably refers to the manifestation of the excellence of God’s entire character in Jesus’ life (see 1:14). Jesus has given this to all believers (see 17:20): his entire life revealed the glory of God and therefore he imparted it to his followers, and Christians now reflect God’s excellency in their own lives, in imitation of Christ.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:23 The Father’s love for believers is comparable to his love for Jesus Christ.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:24 The whole purpose of salvation is communicated in this verse. The foretaste of this is now, but the fullness of it lies beyond this present age. See represents the Greek word theōreō, “to observe with sustained attention,” and includes the idea of entering into and experiencing something. You loved me before the foundation of the world implies that love and interpersonal interaction among the members of the Trinity did not begin at any point in time but has existed eternally (cf. v. 5).
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:25 The OT teaches that God is righteous and just (e.g., Ps. 116:5; 119:137; Jer. 12:1). With Jesus’ betrayal and innocent suffering imminent, he affirms the righteousness of God his Father.
JOHN—NOTE ON 17:26 your name. See note on 5:43. The phrase I in them is filled with covenantal overtones (cf. 14:20; 17:23). After the giving of the law at Sinai, God came to dwell in the midst of Israel in the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34). As they moved toward the Promised Land, God frequently assured his people that he was in their midst (Ex. 29:45–46; Deut. 7:21; 23:14).
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:1–19:42 Jesus’ Arrest, Trials, Death, and Burial. The familiar sequence of events starts with Jesus’ betrayal by Judas (18:1–11), his informal hearing before Annas (18:12–27), his Roman trial before Pilate (18:28–19:16a), and his crucifixion and burial (19:16b–42). Only John features Jesus’ appearance before Annas, and the Roman trial is covered in more detail. John does not provide an account of Jesus’ formal Jewish trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. John particularly highlights that everything in the passion fulfills Scripture and occurs in accordance with God’s plan.
After Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover meal, they crossed the Kidron Valley and entered a garden called Gethsemane (meaning “oil press”), where they often spent time while visiting Jerusalem (cf. Luke 22:39).
The path from Jesus’ arrest to his crucifixion (part of which is often called the Via Dolorosa, “Way of Sorrows”) is difficult to retrace with certainty; the traditional route was fixed by Franciscan monks in the fourteenth century. The Bible records that after the Passover meal, Judas led a contingent of soldiers to Gethsemane to arrest Jesus (1). From there Jesus was led to Annas (location unknown), who sent him to his son-in-law Caiaphas, the high priest (2). The Jewish leaders then appealed to the Roman governor Pilate to have Jesus put to death (3). Luke records that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod Antipas (4), who questioned Jesus but returned him to Pilate without rendering any judgment (5). Pilate then sent Jesus to be crucified at Golgotha (6).
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:1 The brook Kidron is mentioned frequently in the Septuagint (though in the Gospels only in John; see 2 Sam. 15:23; 1 Kings 2:37; 15:13; 2 Kings 23:4, 6, 12). The Greek text indicates a wadi (sporadic brook) named Kidron, which occasionally runs during the rainy season in the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem between the city and the Mount of Olives. The garden is likely to be identified with the orchard of “Gethsemane” on the Mount of Olives (see note on Matt. 26:36), which is how it is identified in the Synoptics (Matt. 26:36; Mark 14:32). The verse mentions that Jesus and his disciples entered, which may suggest Gethsemane was a walled garden.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:3 The band of soldiers was dispatched to prevent a riot during the festival. The officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees (i.e., the temple police) were the primary arresting officers (cf. notes on 7:32; 7:45–46). Lanterns and torches were needed to track down a suspect thought to be hiding in the dark corners of the garden, and weapons were needed to overcome any armed resistance.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:4 Jesus, confident of God’s sovereign control, hands himself over to his captors. See also vv. 7–8.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:5 Jesus’ self-identification, “I am he,” has connotations of deity (see notes on 6:20; 6:35; 8:24; 8:58). This is suggested by the soldiers’ reaction in the following verse.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:6 Falling to the ground is a common reaction to divine revelation (Ezek. 1:28; 44:4; Dan. 2:46; 8:18; 10:9; Acts 9:4; 22:7; 26:14; Rev. 1:17; 19:10; 22:8).
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:8–9 Jesus’ statement summarizes 17:12, which in turn refers back to 6:39 and 10:28. Jesus is portrayed as the “good shepherd” who voluntarily chooses death to save the life of his “sheep” (cf. 10:11, 15, 17–18, 28). Their physical preservation symbolizes their spiritual preservation.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:10 Peter’s sword was likely the Roman short sword (gladius) that could be hidden under a person’s garment (cf. Luke 22:38). ear. The short sword was for stabbing, not slicing, thus Peter probably intended to kill the soldier with a lethal blow to the head, but the servant was able to evade the sword, suffering only the loss of his ear. Luke adds that Jesus immediately healed the ear (Luke 22:51). Malchus. The name of this slave is recorded only in John’s Gospel (cf. Luke 22:50–51 par.). However, the name Malchus is known in Josephus (from an earlier period) and in Nabatean and Palmyrene inscriptions. These occurrences make it likely that it was an Arab name.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:11 Drink the cup serves as a metaphor for death and symbolizes God’s wrath (see Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15–17, 28–29; 49:12; also Rev. 14:10; 16:19). Note that the cup given to Jesus is from the Father, and hence Jesus is prepared to drink it. In addition to the physical suffering of the cross, Jesus suffered the agony of bearing God’s wrath, which was poured out on him as a substitute sacrifice and in payment for sins (see also notes on Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2; cf. Heb. 2:17; 1 John 4:10).
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:13 Under the Roman procurators three wealthy priestly families largely controlled the extremely important position of high priest. Annas (also known as “Ananus”) was the patriarch of one of these powerful families of high priests (cf. Acts 4:6). He served as high priest during A.D. 6–15, and the high priesthood was subsequently held by five of his sons, including his son-in-law Caiaphas (see note on John 18:24). Annas’s past stature merited his continued designation as “high priest” (Acts 4:6), and even after his deposition he retained significant control over his family’s exercise of this position (so that Luke 3:2 can speak of “the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas”). Josephus mentions a monument of Annas (Jewish War 5.506), which has been plausibly identified with a highly decorated tomb found near the Kidron Valley.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:14 Caiaphas. See 11:49–52.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:15–16 The court (Gk. aulē) was an enclosed space open to the sky (i.e., a “courtyard”). The other disciple is probably none other than John himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (cf. 20:2; 21:24; see also 13:23).
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:19 The high priest is Annas (see note on v. 13). Questioning Jesus about his disciples and his teaching suggests that the primary concern is theological, though political charges are later lodged as well (cf. 19:7, 12).
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:20 nothing in secret. Jesus’ reply echoes God’s words in the book of Isaiah (e.g., Isa. 45:19; 48:16). Jesus’ point is not that he never spoke in private with his disciples but that his message was the same in private as in public; he was not guilty of a sinister conspiracy. John records instances of Jesus’ teaching both in synagogues (cf. John 6:59) and in the temple area (Gk. hieron; cf. 2:14–21; 7:14, 28; 8:20; 10:23; see also note on 2:14).
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:22 One of the officers standing by was probably one of those who took part in Jesus’ arrest (cf. vv. 3, 12). The striking was likely a sharp blow with the flat of the man’s hand (cf. Isa. 50:6 in the Septuagint; Matt. 26:67; Acts 23:1–5). The rebuke may echo Ex. 22:28 (quoted by Paul in Acts 23:5; see also note on John 18:23).
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:23 When challenged regarding his response to the high priest, Jesus alludes to the law of Ex. 22:28 and denies having violated it. Truthful self-defense is not sinful but righteous.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:24 Before Jesus can be brought to the Roman governor, charges must be confirmed by the official high priest, Caiaphas, who presided over the Sanhedrin (see note on 3:1). Caiaphas managed to retain control of the high priesthood for nearly 18 years (c. A.D. 18–36)—longer than anyone else in the first century (cf. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 18.35, 95). He was certainly the high priest during Jesus’ ministry, although he also consulted frequently with his father-in-law Annas (John 18:13; cf. Luke 3:2). Josephus’s depiction of a high priestly house in the “upper city” of Jerusalem (Jewish War 2.426) has suggested to some scholars the possibility of identifying Caiaphas’s house with some residence amid the wealthy Roman-era houses excavated atop Mount Zion. Others contend for the traditional site of Caiaphas’s house beneath Saint Peter of the Cockcrow Church toward the base of Mount Zion. An archaeological find in 1990 raised the possibility that an elaborately decorated ossuary (a box for reburying the bones of the dead), which has the name “Joseph Caiaphas” crudely etched into its side, once contained Caiaphas’s bones. This ossuary was found in a relatively modest tomb complex south of Jerusalem.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:26 the man whose ear Peter had cut off. Cf. v. 10 and note.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:27 rooster crowed. Cf. 13:38.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:28 governor’s headquarters. The location of this praetorium (the residence of a Roman governor) has long been identified with the Antonia Fortress on the northwest corner of the Temple Mount; this large fortress allowed immediate access to the temple in order to suppress any disturbance. Only portions of the walls of the original Antonia Fortress remain. However, many argue that the Palace of Herod (once the Jerusalem home of Herod the Great, but later in Roman hands—see Philo, Embassy to Gaius 299) was more lavish and afforded better accommodations for the Roman governor. It was used later by the governor Florus (Josephus, Jewish War 2.301). This palace fortress (today called the Citadel), which was located at the prominent Jaffa Gate at the western entrance to the old city, has since Jesus’ day been through many rounds of destruction and rebuilding (beginning with the capture of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and continuing until after the Crusader period [11th–13th centuries]). However, some original Herodian portions of the palace do still exist. Early morning probably means shortly after sunrise, when the Sanhedrin met in formal session and pronounced its verdict on Jesus (Matt. 27:1–2 par.). not be defiled. Jews could go inside a Gentile courtyard open to the sky (see John 18:15), but they could not go into a Gentile building or home with a roof on it without becoming ceremonially unclean. The reference to Passover may be to the entire Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasted seven days (cf. Luke 22:1: “the Feast of Unleavened Bread … called the Passover”), and so “eat the Passover” probably means “continue to celebrate the ongoing feast” (cf. 2 Chron. 30:21). See also note on John 18:39. The other Gospels state that Jesus had already eaten the Passover Feast with his disciples (Matt. 26:17–29; Luke 22:1–23; see also John 13:1), but the current verse seems to refer to the Jewish leaders’ desire to continue in the ongoing celebrations.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:29 Pilate was appointed by the emperor Tiberius and served as governor of Judea A.D. 26–36 (see note on Luke 23:1). The famous “Pilate inscription,” found in Caesarea in 1961, identifies Pilate as “prefect” (a senior Roman governmental official) of Judea. Pilate went outside, respecting the religious sensitivities of the Jews (see John 18:28). This sets up a dramatic sequence in which Pilate goes outside to face the Jews and the crowds (v. 29), then goes inside to speak to Jesus (v. 33), then goes outside to the Jews again (v. 38), then goes back inside to Jesus (19:1), then goes outside again to the Jews and the crowds, bringing Jesus with him (19:4–5), then goes back inside with Jesus to speak to him privately (19:9–11), then comes back outside once again with Jesus (19:13), then finally yields to the Jews and gives Jesus to them to be crucified (19:16). Therefore many of Jesus’ statements about himself in this section are uttered “backstage,” out of the hearing of his Jewish opponents.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:31 Like Gallio after him (Acts 18:14–15), Pilate is not interested in judging internal Jewish disputes. It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death. Prior to Jesus’ execution, the Romans reportedly revoked the Sanhedrin’s right to impose capital punishment (see Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 1.1; 7.2; Palestinian Talmud, Sanhedrin 41a). Known exceptions to this judicial restraint on the Sanhedrin are explicable either as unofficial mob actions (cf. Stephen in Acts 7 and also previous attempts to stone Jesus) or as official Jewish actions when Roman oversight was weak (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20.200ff.). Aside from these events, the one other execution in Palestine reported in the NT was based on regal authority rather than on the authority of the Sanhedrin (Acts 12:1–2). The Sanhedrin clearly desired that Jesus’ execution be done officially in keeping with Roman law. Therefore the Jewish leaders had to get approval from Pilate. But this presented a problem for them, since Pilate would not be interested in condemning someone for a religious crime such as blasphemy or claiming to be God (see Matt. 26:64; Luke 22:69–71; John 8:58–59; 10:33; 19:7). This meant they needed to bring a political charge against Jesus, so they essentially accused him of treason by saying that he claimed to be king in opposition to Caesar (see 18:33, 37; 19:3, 12, 15, 19).
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:32 By what kind of death he was going to die is reminiscent of the wording in 12:33 (regarding the death of Jesus) and is later echoed in 21:19 (regarding the death of Peter). Crucifixion was looked upon with horror by the Jews. It was considered the same as hanging (Acts 5:30; 10:39), for which Mosaic law enunciated the principle, “A hanged man is cursed by God” (Deut. 21:23; cf. Gal. 3:13). If Jesus had been put to death by the Sanhedrin, he would have been stoned, the OT sanction for blasphemy (Lev. 24:16; cf. John 10:33; Acts 7:57–58).
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:33 Regarding the headquarters, see note on v. 28. King of the Jews has clear political overtones. Pilate’s question aims to determine whether Jesus constitutes a threat to Rome’s imperial power.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:36 Jesus’ description of the nature of his kingdom echoes similar passages in Daniel (e.g., Dan. 2:44; 7:14, 27). See also John 6:15.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:37 On the truth, see note on 14:6.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:38 What is truth? Ironically, the one charged with determining the truth in the matter glibly dismisses the relevance of truth in the very presence of the one who is truth incarnate (see note on 14:6). Pilate apparently decides that Jesus is a teacher of abstract philosophical questions to which no one can find an answer, and thus decides that Jesus poses no threat to the Roman government. He seeks no answer from the only one who could give him the answer. he went back outside. See note on 18:29. I find no guilt in him. Pilate’s exoneration of Jesus, repeated three times (cf. 19:4, 6; cf. Luke 23:4), sharply contrasts with the death sentence later pronounced on Jesus due to extensive Jewish pressure (cf. John 19:12–16) and is an example of John’s skillful use of irony. See also note on 5:31–47.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:39 As in v. 28 (see note), at the Passover refers to the entire festival.
JOHN—NOTE ON 18:40 Barabbas means “son of the father” (Gk. bar-abbas). Ironically, the people wanted Barabbas released rather than the true Son of the Father, Jesus. The word translated robber (Gk. lēstēs) sometimes means “insurrectionist,” but the meaning “robber” is much more common in the NT (see 10:1, 8; also Matt. 21:13; 27:38; Luke 10:30; 2 Cor. 11:26). Each Gospel contributes something to the picture of Barabbas as a man who had committed multiple crimes, including robbery, insurrection, and murder (see Matt. 27:16; Mark 15:7; Luke 23:18–19).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:1 After the Jewish phase of the trial and the interrogation by Pilate, Jesus’ sentencing begins. On “Pilate,” see note on 18:29. flogged him. Jesus was beaten both before being sentenced (19:1) and after being sentenced to death (e.g., Matt. 27:26; Mark 15:15). Some interpreters think this first beating is the same as the severe “scourging” that Jesus received in Matt. 27:26 and Mark 15:15. However, it seems unlikely that Pilate would have administered so violent and severe a punishment to someone who had not yet been condemned to death (see John 19:16) and whom Pilate was still trying to release (see vv. 4, 10, 12). It seems more likely, therefore, that this flogging was what the Romans called fustigatio, the lightest form of flogging administered for minor crimes. Thus John 19:1 and Luke 23:16 use the verbs mastigoō and paideuō (respectively) to refer to this lighter flogging, whereas Matt. 27:26 and Mark 15:15 use a different word, phragelloō (“scourged”) to refer to the much more severe beating that Jesus received after Pilate pronounced the sentence of death (the Roman verberatio, which was the most horrible kind of beating, administered in connection with capital punishments, including crucifixion).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:2 The crown of thorns represents a mock crown ridiculing Jesus’ claim of being a king. The thorns would sink into the victim’s skull, causing blood to gush out and distorting a person’s face. The purple robe (cf. Matt. 27:28; Mark 15:17) similarly represents a mock royal robe. Purple is the imperial color (1 Macc. 8:14). The soldiers’ actions are in stark, ironic contrast to the fact that Jesus truly is the King.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:3 Hail, King of the Jews! mimics the “Ave Caesar!” (“Hail, Caesar!”) extended to the Roman emperor.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:4 went out. See note on 18:29.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:5 Behold the man! (Latin Ecce homo!) probably conveys the sense, “Look at the poor fellow!” (In other words, “What possible threat could this man pose to the government or to anyone else?”) In his mock regal garments, Jesus must have been a heartrending sight. But in the context of John’s Gospel, the statement may also highlight Jesus’ identity as one who is truly the perfect man, and in that case Pilate’s words are recorded to show the irony of the situation. Traditionally the location of this event has been identified with the Ecce Homo Arch, which marks the traditional site for the Antonia Fortress on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. However, most scholars believe the pavement in this locale to be later than the time of Jesus and the arch to be Hadrianic (i.e., 2nd century). See also note on v. 13.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:6 Crucify him, crucify him. On crucifixion, see note on Matt. 27:35. Take him yourselves. Pilate uses sarcasm, being fully aware that the Jews do not have the authority to impose the death penalty (see note on John 18:31).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:7 The Jews’ comment recalls Lev. 24:16: “when he blasphemes the name, [he] shall surely be put to death.” See also note on John 5:18, as well as 8:59; 10:31, 33.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:8 Pilate was even more afraid. Cf. the reference to Pilate’s wife’s dream (Matt. 27:19).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:9 his headquarters. See note on 18:28. Where are you from? Jesus’ origins were frequently at issue in his dealings with his opponents (e.g., 7:27–28; 8:14; 9:29–30). For John, there are clear spiritual overtones to Pilate’s question (cf. 18:36–37). Jesus’ silence before Pilate is reminiscent of the depiction of the servant of the Lord in Isa. 53:7 (cf. Mark 14:61; 15:5; 1 Pet. 2:22–23).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:11 In typical Jewish fashion, Jesus uses from above as a circumlocution for God (see note on 5:32). Jesus instructs Pilate that God rules over all, and that Pilate’s authority is derived from God. He who delivered me over to you probably refers to Caiaphas, the high priest (see 18:24, 28). Greater sin implies that there are also lesser sins (cf. Lev. 4:2, 13; 5:17; Num. 15:30; Ezek. 8:6, 13; Matt. 5:19; 23:23).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:12 Pilate remained unconvinced of Jesus’ guilt and sentenced him to die only after intense Jewish pressure (vv. 13–16). Caesar’s friend. “Friend” here is likely a technical term suggesting that Pilate, in his role as an imperial procurator, was not responding as a good “client” to his “patron” Caesar. “Caesar,” originally the last name of Gaius Julius Caesar (d. 44 B.C.), became the title of subsequent Roman emperors (cf. v. 15; Matt. 22:17, 21).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:13 The Greek for judgment seat here (bēma) implies a raised area used for official judgments (cf. Matt. 27:19); also, the name Gabbatha plausibly indicates a “raised place.” The exact locations of the Stone Pavement and the judgment seat, however, are uncertain.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:14 The day of Preparation of the Passover may refer to the day preceding the Sabbath of Passover week (cf. Matt. 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; see notes on John 18:28; 18:39). Thus all four canonical Gospels concur that Jesus’ Last Supper was a Passover meal eaten on Thursday evening (by Jewish reckoning, the onset of Friday). About the sixth hour means about noon, but it is only an approximate statement since people did not keep precise time. Mark 15:25 has “the third hour” for the crucifixion, and various solutions have been proposed. The answer may simply be that the actual time was around 9:30–10:00 A.M. and John knew this, but his intention here was not to pinpoint the exact time but to note that it was nearing the time (“about” the middle of the day on “the day of Preparation”) when the Passover lambs would begin to be sacrificed in Jerusalem, thus highlighting a direct connection with Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Behold your King! Pilate’s words again show the stark irony of the situation (cf. note on 19:5).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:15 By professing to acknowledge Caesar alone as their king, the Jewish leaders betray their national heritage (in which God himself is their ultimate King; cf. Judg. 8:23; 1 Sam. 8:7) and deny their own messianic expectations based on the promises of Scripture. See also note on John 19:12.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:16 Upon pronouncement of the sentence, the person was first scourged (see note on v. 1) and then executed.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:17 Jesus set out carrying his own cross until he collapsed on the way, whereupon Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service (cf. Matt. 27:32 par.). He went out is in keeping with the Jewish requirement that executions take place outside the camp or city (Lev. 24:14, 23; Num. 15:35–36; Deut. 17:5; 21:19–21; 22:24; cf. Heb. 13:12). Place of a Skull translates the Aramaic Gulgulta; the Latin equivalent used in the Vulgate is “Calvary.” See also note on Matt. 27:33.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:18 On crucifixion, see notes on 18:32; Matt. 27:35. Jesus’ crucifixion between two criminals is reminiscent of Ps. 22:16 (“a company of evildoers encircles me”) and Isa. 53:12 (“numbered with the transgressors”).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:19 The purpose of the inscription was to indicate a person’s specific crime, presumably to deter others from committing similar acts. the King of the Jews. Pilate’s words again are true in a much more profound way than he or the Jewish people realized, which is another example of John’s frequent use of double meaning and irony (see notes on 3:14; 4:10; 8:24; 11:50–51; cf. also 3:7–8).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:20 the place … was near the city. See note on v. 17. Aramaic was the language most widely understood by the Jewish population of Palestine; Latin was the official language of the Roman occupying force; and Greek was the “international language” of the empire, understood by both Jews and Gentiles. The trilingual nature of the inscription thus ensured the widest possible awareness of the official reason why Jesus was being crucified.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:23 Similar to several later events related to the crucifixion (see vv. 28–37), the soldiers’ actions fulfilled Scripture (see note on v. 24; cf. note on 12:37–40).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:24 John quotes Psalm 22 (the psalm most frequently quoted in the NT), in which the psalmist David provides numerous prophetic details of the execution scene that are fulfilled in Jesus’ crucifixion nearly 1,000 years later. This is the first of several references to Jesus as the righteous sufferer in keeping with the experience of the psalmist (cf. John 19:28, 36, 37). By dividing Jesus’ garments among them and by casting lots for his tunic, the Roman soldiers unwittingly fulfilled Scripture, continuing John’s theme of Jesus’ enemies unknowingly participating in God’s plan of redemption. The soldiers’ reasoning was that they did not want to tear Jesus’ tunic, which was formed out of one piece of cloth (vv. 23–24). John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion reflects several details of Ps. 22:15–18, which mentions the sufferer’s thirst (v. 15), his “pierced … hands and feet” (v. 16), and his bones (v. 17). (Cf. Matt. 27:35–43.) This cluster of references strikes a strong note of prophetic fulfillment.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:25 On Jesus’ mother, see vv. 26–27 and 2:1–5. His mother’s sister may be Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee mentioned in Matthew and Mark. On Mary the wife of Clopas, cf. Luke 24:18. Regarding Mary Magdalene, see John 20:1–18 (cf. Luke 8:2–3).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:26–27 In keeping with biblical injunctions to honor one’s parents (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16), Jesus made provision for his mother, who was almost certainly widowed and probably in her late 40s or early 50s, with little or no personal income. On the address Woman, see note on John 2:4.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:28–29 The reference to Scripture being fulfilled builds on v. 24 (see note there), most likely in allusion to Ps. 69:21: “for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink” (cf. Matt. 27:34, 48; see also Ps. 22:15). The sour wine (Mark 15:36) Jesus is offered here was used by soldiers to quench their thirst and is different from the “wine mixed with myrrh,” a sedative that Jesus was offered (and refused) on the way to the cross (Mark 15:23). Hyssop was a plant classified in 1 Kings 4:33 as a simple shrub that could grow from the crack of a wall. It was used for the sprinkling of blood on the doorposts at the original Passover (Ex. 12:22).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:30 Jesus received the sour wine, probably to moisten his parched throat in order to be able to proclaim a loud cry of triumph at the end of his suffering. It is finished proclaims that all the work the Father had sent him to accomplish (cf. 4:34; 9:4) was now completed, particularly his work of bearing the penalty for sins. This means there was no more penalty left to be paid for sins, for all Jesus’ suffering was “finished” (see Heb. 1:3; 9:11–12, 25–28). The term gave up, which emphasizes the voluntary nature of Jesus’ self-sacrifice (see notes on John 2:19; 10:17), echoes the description of the death of the suffering servant in Isa. 53:12. His spirit does not mean the Holy Spirit but Jesus’ own human spirit, which he voluntarily released from his body that it might return to the presence of God the Father (see Luke 23:43, 46). His spirit would remain in heaven with the Father until it returned to his body at his resurrection “on the first day of the week” (John 20:1).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:31 On the day of Preparation, see note on v. 14. That Sabbath was a high day (i.e., a special Sabbath) because it was the Sabbath of Passover week. The Jews’ request was based on Deut. 21:22–23 (cf. Josh. 8:29), according to which bodies of hanged criminals were not to defile the land by remaining on a tree overnight. legs might be broken. The Romans typically left decaying bodies on crosses long after death (see note on crucifixion on Matt. 27:35). However, on certain ceremonial occasions (such as the emperor’s birthday, see Philo, Against Flaccus 83), they could take the bodies down early, and breaking the legs would facilitate a quick death by preventing a person from prolonging his life by pushing himself up with his legs to be able to breathe. Arm strength soon failed, and asphyxiation ensued. The excavated bones of a crucified man from Givat ha-Mivtar (discovered near Jerusalem in 1968), whose legs had been broken, provide confirmation of this practice.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:34 The flow of blood and water indicates that Jesus truly died as a fully human being with a genuine human body (cf. 1 John 5:6–8). The spear (Latin hasta) was about 6 feet (1.8 m) in length and was made up of an iron point or spearhead joined to a shaft of light wood, such as ash. See also note on John 19:36.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:35 See notes on 5:31–47; 13:23; 21:24.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:36 Not one of his bones will be broken. After vv. 24, 28 (see notes), this is now the third scriptural proof cited by John to indicate that Jesus’ death fulfills Scripture (Ps. 34:20; also Ex. 12:46, reiterated in Num. 9:12). Jesus escaped the breaking of his legs, and the spear piercing his body likewise failed to break any bones.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:37 The second of two texts fulfilled by the Roman soldiers’ actions in v. 34 is Zech. 12:10: They will look on him whom they have pierced (also cited in Rev. 1:7).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:38 Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the Jewish ruling council (Matt. 27:57), asks Pilate for Jesus’ body, fulfilling another Scripture: “they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death” (Isa. 53:9). On Arimathea, see note on Luke 23:50–51.
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:41 Regarding the place where Jesus was crucified, see notes on vv. 17, 20. Garden points to an elaborate structure (cf. note on 18:1); a gardener is mentioned in 20:15. tomb. See note on Mark 15:46.
For many centuries, Christians have worshiped at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the belief that this was the place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead. This view was challenged in 1883 by General Charles Gordon, who argued that the Garden Tomb, a site just north of the Old City of Jerusalem, was the true site of Calvary.
According to the biblical writers, the requirements of the site were that it was outside the walls of Jerusalem at the time (Heb. 13:12), in a garden (John 19:41), near the city (John 19:20), and called Golgotha, meaning “place of a skull” (Matt. 27:33).
In the 1960s, excavations were carried out below the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, showing that it was built on an isolated mass of rock in the middle of an extensive quarry (which was in use from the eighth until the first century B.C.). This spur of rock was left unquarried in ancient times, because of the poor quality of the limestone. In the sides of the quarry and of this rock, a series of rock-cut tombs of the style of the first century A.D. were found.
This would indicate that the area was not then included within the city walls, as the dead were always buried outside the city. In support of the second and third points, some fortified remains found in the northern part of the nearby Jewish Quarter excavations have been identified as the Gennath (Garden) Gate mentioned by Josephus in his description of the Second Wall (Jewish War 5.146). It is assumed that this gate derived its name from a garden which lay just to the north outside the gate. Indeed, a layer of arable soil was found above the quarry fill.
The claim that the site could have been known as “the place of the skull” is said to be based on an ancient Jewish tradition reported by early Christian writers, such as Origen and Epiphanius, that the skull of Adam is preserved in this hill.
General Gordon’s identification of the Garden Tomb with that of Christ was based on his discernment of the shape of a skull in the contours of the hill on the western escarpment of which the Garden Tomb is located. It has since been proven that this tomb was, in fact, a typical tomb of the First Temple period and could never have been called a “new tomb” in the time of Christ. Because of its tranquility, however, and its contrast to the bustle of the Holy Sepulcher, the site is today still regarded by many as the tomb of Christ.
The reconstruction drawing shows the traditional site of the crucifixion (i.e., the Holy Sepulcher). Three crosses are shown on the Hill of Golgotha. The Second Wall of Jerusalem was built above the quarry face. The Temple Mount forms the backdrop to this view, with the Antonia Fortress on the left, the temple in the center, and the Royal Stoa on the far right.
• •
• •
• •
• •
The Gospel writers tell us that after his death, Jesus’ body was taken to a garden and laid in a newly hewn tomb (Matt. 27:60; Luke 23:53; John 19:41). This is important archaeological information. Tombs from this period usually consisted of several burial chambers, which had loculi (burial niches) cut in the side walls in which to place the body of the deceased, and also arcosolia (arched niches) where ossuaries (chests for bones) were placed.
The fact that some women saw where the body of Jesus was laid (Mark 15:47) and that also, after the resurrection of Jesus, the disciple John could see the grave clothes lying and the face cloth folded (John 20:5–6), indicates that the body of Jesus was laid on a bench opposite the tomb opening.
The truth of this information can be confirmed by archaeology, in particular by tomb architecture. Newly hewn tombs usually consisted of a simple chamber which had three benches around an excavated pit. This pit allowed the workmen to stand upright while working.
Additional chambers with loculi and arcosolia were added later after the initial benches were removed. A newly hewn tomb could be used for the “primary burial,” which is the first part of the ritual of ossilegium. (This simply means that the body of the deceased, after having been wrapped in linen grave clothes, was placed on a shelf, a bench, or in a niche. About a year later, after the soft tissues had decomposed, the bones were placed in an ossuary. This is called the “secondary burial.”) It would appear, therefore, that the body of Jesus was indeed laid in a tomb that was newly hewn out of the rock.
The entrance to the tomb would have been low, causing the disciples to stoop down in order to look inside and enter it (cf. Luke 24:12; John 20:5). Only very few of the almost 1,000 excavated tombs of this period in and around Jerusalem had rolling stones to close off the entrance to the tomb. This luxury was restricted to the wealthy. Usually, tomb entrances had square or rectangular closing stones. These stones fit like a cork in a bottle in the tomb opening. The narrow part fit exactly in the inner opening, while the wider part closed off the outer opening.
However, the biblical record does say that the stone was rolled away (Matt. 27:60; Mark 15:46; Luke 24:2), and therefore a massive rolling stone (4.5 feet/1.4 m in diameter) is shown in this reconstruction drawing. The rare rolling stone entrance would be consistent with the idea that Joseph of Arimathea was “a rich man” (cf. Matt. 27:57).
JOHN—NOTE ON 19:42 Regarding the Jewish day of Preparation, see note on v. 14. The Sabbath was rapidly approaching, when all work must cease, including that of carrying spices or transporting a corpse. The use of a rich man’s tomb (cf. Matt. 27:57) fulfills Isa. 53:9.
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:1–29 Jesus’ Resurrection, Appearances, and Sending of His Disciples. Chapter 20 covers the aftermath of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial: the empty tomb, the risen Jesus’ encounter with Mary Magdalene, and Jesus’ appearances to his disciples and their commissioning (v. 21).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:1 The first day of the week is Sunday morning, which from then on has been the day that believers set aside as the normal day of worshiping the Lord (see Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). Mary Magdalene left before dawn to go to Jesus’ tomb to complete the burial preparations (Luke 24:1), which had to be left undone due to the beginning of the Sabbath (see note on John 19:42). The Synoptic parallels indicate that other women were with her, as is also implied by the “we” in 20:2. while it was still dark. Cf. the slightly different points in time of the process depicted in Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; and Luke 24:1. Matthew’s Gospel explains that the stone had been “rolled back” by “an angel of the Lord” (Matt. 28:2). On the identity of Mary Magdalene, see also note on John 19:25.
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:2 At this point Mary has no thought of resurrection. The plural we suggests the presence of other women besides Mary. On the other disciple, see vv. 3–4 and note on 18:15–16.
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:5 stooping to look in, he saw. Apparently by now there is enough daylight to see inside the burial chamber through the small, low opening in the cave tomb. He (the “other disciple,” vv. 2–4) did not go in, presumably in deference to the status of Simon Peter among the Twelve (e.g., 6:67–69).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:6 The linen cloths lying there are clear evidence that Jesus’ body had not been taken by grave robbers (cf. Matt. 28:11–15) or by his disciples attempting to steal the body (cf. Matt. 27:62–66) or by his enemies, who would not have taken the time to remove these cloths (see John 19:40). The Greek text simply says that the cloths were “lying” (keimai, a common word). Though it is sometimes suggested otherwise, nothing in the text indicates that Jesus’ body passed through the cloths or that the cloths were lying in the shape of Jesus’ body. The NT elsewhere affirms the real physical materiality of Jesus’ resurrection body (see Matt. 28:9; Luke 24:30, 39, 42; John 20:17, 20, 27; Acts 10:41). Most likely Jesus unwrapped these cloths from his body when he awakened from death and left them behind.
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:7 The reference to the face cloth being folded up in a place by itself suggests that Jesus himself had taken it off and folded it neatly.
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:8–9 The presence of two male witnesses rendered the evidence admissible under Jewish law (cf. Deut. 17:6; 19:15). As yet they did not understand the Scripture proves that the disciples did not fabricate a story to fit their preconceived notions of what was predicted. Rather, they were confronted with certain facts, which they were initially unable to relate to Scripture. Only later, aided by the Spirit’s teaching ministry (see notes on John 14:26; 16:13), were they able to do so. In referring to “the Scripture,” John may be thinking of specific OT passages (such as Ps. 16:10; Isa. 53:10–12; Hos. 6:2) or of broader themes in the entire scope of Scripture (cf. Luke 24:25–27, 32, 44–47).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:10 When the disciples went back to their homes, John (“the disciple whom Jesus loved”) in all likelihood brought the good news of Jesus’ resurrection to Jesus’ mother, whom he had taken “to his own home” (19:27).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:11–12 Mary (Magdalene, cf. vv. 1, 18) saw two angels in white. Angels often appeared in pairs (e.g., Acts 1:10) and are often depicted as clad in white (cf. Ezek. 9:2; Dan. 10:5–6; Rev. 15:6).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:15 Mary mistook Jesus for the gardener, perhaps because it was not fully light (see v. 1) and perhaps because she had turned and seen someone there but had then turned immediately back toward the tomb as she spoke (in v. 16 she “turned” again to speak directly to Jesus). At other times after his resurrection the disciples did not immediately recognize Jesus (see Luke 24:16, 31). His body also would have looked somewhat different, for he now had his original youthful appearance of perfect health, in contrast to what he had become through his tremendous suffering and disfigurement (cf. Isa. 53:2–3).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Hearing only her name, Mary recognizes the voice of Jesus. As Jesus had taught prior to his crucifixion, “He calls his own sheep by name. … and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (10:3–4).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:17 I have not yet ascended does not deny the fact that Jesus’ spirit went to the presence of the Father in heaven at the moment of his death (see note on 19:30) but affirms that his bodily ascension after his resurrection had not yet occurred (see Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9–11). To my Father and your Father maintains a distinction as to the sense in which God is Christ’s God and Father and the sense in which this is true for the disciples (see note on John 1:14). But he also calls believers his brothers, implying a personal relationship (see note on 15:13–14; also Heb. 2:12, 17).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:19 Some interpreters understand the doors being locked to imply that Jesus miraculously passed through the door or the walls of the room, though the text does not explicitly say this. Since Jesus clearly had a real physical body with flesh and bones after he rose from the dead (see note on v. 6 and verses mentioned there), one possibility is that the door was miraculously opened so that the physical body of Jesus could enter, which is consistent with the passage about Peter going through a locked door some time later (see Acts 12:10).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:21–22 These verses contain the Johannine “Great Commission,” which serves as the culmination of the entire Gospel’s presentation of Jesus as the one sent from the Father (see note on 3:17). The Sent One (Jesus) has now become the Sender, commissioning his followers to serve as his messengers and representatives (cf. 17:18). All three persons of the Godhead are involved in this commissioning: as the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends his disciples (20:21), equipping them with the Holy Spirit (v. 22). When Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” it is best understood as a foretaste of what would happen when the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost (see Acts 2). This does not mean that the Holy Spirit had no presence in the disciples’ lives prior to this point (see notes on John 7:39; 14:16–17).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:23 The expressions they are forgiven and it is withheld both represent perfect-tense verbs in Greek and could also be translated, “they have been forgiven” and “it has been withheld,” since the perfect gives the sense of completed past action with continuing results in the present. The idea is not that individual Christians or churches have authority on their own to forgive or not forgive people, but rather that as the church proclaims the gospel message of forgiveness of sins in the power of the Holy Spirit (see v. 22), it proclaims that those who believe in Jesus have their sins forgiven, and that those who do not believe in him do not have their sins forgiven—which simply reflects what God in heaven has already done (cf. note on Matt. 16:19).
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:24 Thomas. Cf. 11:16. See also note on 1:38.
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:25 Apparently, Thomas thinks the disciples may have seen a ghost (cf. Matt. 14:26). Yet John is careful to affirm that Jesus is the incarnate Word (John 1:14; cf. 1 John 4:2–3; 2 John 7), which entails that his resurrection body is not a phantom or spirit apparition but a real (albeit glorified) body.
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:26 Eight days later refers to the following Sunday, one week after Easter (cf. v. 19), because the starting day was also included in counting the number of days. Now that the festival of Unleavened Bread was over, the disciples would soon be returning to Galilee. the doors were locked. See note on v. 19.
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:28 Thomas’s confession of Jesus as his Lord (Gk. Kyrios) and God (Gk. Theos) provides a literary link with the references to Jesus as God in the prologue (1:1, 18). This is one of the strongest texts in the NT on the deity of Christ (see 1:1). Some cults try to explain away this clear affirmation of Jesus’ deity by arguing that Thomas’s statement was merely an exclamation of astonishment that, in effect, took God’s name in vain. Such an explanation is unthinkable, however, given the strong Jewish moral convictions of the day and because it is not consistent with the text, which explicitly says that Thomas said these words to him, that is, to Jesus. Thomas’s statement is in fact a clear confession of his newly found faith in Jesus as his Lord and God. John’s entire purpose in writing this book is that all readers come to confess Jesus as their Lord and God in the same way that Thomas did.
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:29 The readers of John’s Gospel are at no disadvantage as compared to Jesus’ first followers. Note the possible echo of this text in 1 Pet. 1:8; cf. 2 Cor. 5:7.
JOHN—NOTE ON 20:30–31 Purpose Statement: Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. John’s purpose statement and conclusion of the Gospel proper rehearse the major themes of the Gospel: Jesus’ identity as the Christ and Son of God (see 1:41, 34), his selected messianic “signs” (see notes on 1:19–12:50; 2:11), the importance of believing in Jesus, and the gift of eternal life (see 1:12; 3:16; 17:3). On Jesus’ unique status as “Son of God,” see note on 1:14.
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:1–25 Epilogue: The Roles of Peter and of the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved. Chapter 21 narrates Jesus’ third and final resurrection appearance recorded in this Gospel while also comparing the respective callings of Peter and “the disciple [John] whom Jesus loved.”
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:1 After this (cf. 5:1; 6:1). With the weeklong festival of Unleavened Bread now past, the disciples have left Jerusalem and returned to Galilee (see note on 20:26; cf. Luke 2:43). Regarding the reference to the Sea of Tiberias, see note on John 6:1.
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:2 The names of the sons of Zebedee are given in the Synoptics as James and John (e.g., Matt. 4:21 par.). Luke mentions that they were “partners with Simon” in fishing prior to being called by Jesus (Luke 5:10). See also note on John 1:40.
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:3 boat. See note on Matt. 4:21. Night was the preferred time of day for fishing in ancient times (e.g., Luke 5:5). Fish caught during the night could be sold fresh in the morning.
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:7 The disciple whom Jesus loved must be one of the seven mentioned in v. 2 above, which includes the sons of Zebedee, and is almost certainly John the son of Zebedee, the author of the Gospel (see Introduction: Author and Title; and note on v. 24).
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:9 charcoal fire. See 18:18.
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:11 Various attempts have been made to interpret the number 153 symbolically, but more likely it simply represents the number of fish counted. Fishermen routinely counted the number of fish prior to selling them fresh at the market (see note on v. 3).
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:15–17 On Simon, son of John, see 1:42. Peter has denied Jesus three times (18:15–18, 25–27); now Jesus asks him three times to reaffirm his love for him and recommissions him. Jesus’ question, “do you love me more than these?” probably means, “Do you love me more than these other disciples do?” rather than, “Do you love me more than these fish [i.e., his profession]?” or “Do you love me more than you love these men?”—though all three senses are, of course, important. In these three questions and answers, Peter uses the same verb for “love” all three times (Gk. phileō), but Jesus uses a different verb for “love” in the first two questions (Gk. agapaō) and then switches to Peter’s word phileō in the third question. There may be a slight difference in nuance between the verbs (Peter seems to see a difference in the related nouns in 2 Pet. 1:7), and many older commentators have argued for a difference, often seeing agapaō as representing a higher and purer form of love. However, most modern commentators are not persuaded that there is any clearly intended difference of meaning here because the two words are often used interchangeably in similar contexts and because John frequently uses different words where little discernible difference in meaning can be determined, perhaps for stylistic reasons. While there may be no difference in the meanings of the two verbs, Peter is nonetheless grieved because Jesus kept asking him if he loved him. You know everything, taken in its full sense, is an affirmation of Christ’s omniscience, consistent with his deity. If he knows everything, then of course he knows Peter’s heart. Feed my lambs. Jesus as the true shepherd (John 10:11, 14; see note on 10:11) appoints Peter and other apostles to be subordinate shepherds (see 1 Pet. 5:1–4). Peter will demonstrate his love for Jesus by loving God’s people and feeding them with his Word.
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:18–19 Stretch out your hands was a way to convey the notion of crucifixion. Early evidence shortly after the NT mentions Peter’s martyrdom without telling how it happened. There are some later accounts that say Peter was crucified upside down, refusing to die the same kind of death as his Lord, but some of these are overlaid with legendary material that many scholars consider unreliable, so this tradition is uncertain.
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:20 disciple whom Jesus loved. See note on 13:23.
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:24 This is the disciple is typical of the way in which John, as the author of the Gospel, refers to himself indirectly or in the third person (cf. 17:3). Other examples include: “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (cf. 21:7; see note on 13:23),“one” of the Twelve (cf. 21:20), and one of the “sons of Zebedee” (see Introduction: Author and Title). Hence the author is identified as the apostle John, who refers to himself by the modest epithet “the beloved disciple.” We know. Like the third person singular self-reference (“This is the disciple”) earlier in the verse, and the phrase “I suppose” in v. 25, “we know” represents a self-reference on the part of the author, most likely including his readers and/or associates in the affirmation that John’s testimony is true. See also note on 5:31.
JOHN—NOTE ON 21:25 John’s closing observation, the world itself could not contain the books, emphasizes the limitless magnitude of all that Jesus accomplished for mankind’s salvation as the eternal Son of God (see 1:1–3) through his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension.