Albert Barnes Commentary John 18:21

"Why askest thou me? Ask them that have heard [me], what I spake unto them: behold, these know the things which I said." — John 18:21 (ASV)

Why do you ask me? Ask them... Jesus here insisted on His rights and reproves the high priest for his unjust and illegal manner of extorting a confession from Him.

If He had done wrong or taught erroneous and seditious doctrines, it was easy to prove it. The course He had a right to demand was that they should establish the charge by fair and incontrovertible evidence. From this, we may learn:

1. That, though Jesus was willing to be reviled and persecuted, He also insisted that justice should be done to Him.
2. He was conscious of innocence, and He had been so open in His conduct that He could appeal to the vast multitudes who had heard Him as witnesses in His favor.
3. It is proper for us, when persecuted and reviled, to insist meekly but firmly on our rights and demand that justice be done to us. Laws are made to protect the innocent as well as to condemn the guilty.
4. Christians, like their Savior, should live in such a way that they may confidently appeal to all who have known them as witnesses of the sincerity, purity, and rectitude of their lives (1 Peter 4:13–16).