Church Fathers Commentary John 18

St. Augustine of Hippo: After the discourse our Lord had with His disciples after supper and the prayer that followed had ended, the Evangelist begins the account of His Passion. When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. But this did not happen immediately after the prayer concluded; an interval occurred, containing some events that John omits but the other Evangelists mention.

A dispute arose among them about which of them was the greatest, as Luke relates. He also said to Peter, as Luke adds in the same passage, Behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he might sift you as wheat. And according to Matthew and Mark, they sang a hymn and then went to the Mount of Olives. Finally, Matthew brings the two narratives together: Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane. This is the place John mentions here: where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.

The phrase When Jesus had spoken these words shows that He did not enter the garden until He had finished speaking.

St. John Chrysostom: But why does John not say, When He had prayed, He entered? Because His prayer was a discourse for His disciples’ sake. It was now nighttime. He goes and crosses the valley, hastening to the place known to the traitor. In this way, He gave no trouble to those who were lying in wait for Him and showed His disciples that He went voluntarily to His death.

Alcuin of York: Over the brook Cedron—that is, "of cedars," as it is the genitive case in Greek. He goes over the brook, meaning He drinks from the brook of His Passion. Where there was a garden—so that the sin committed in a garden, He might blot out in a garden. Paradise signifies a garden of delights.

St. John Chrysostom: So that it would not be thought that He went into the garden to hide Himself, the text adds, But Judas who betrayed Him knew the place, for Jesus often resorted there with His disciples.

St. Augustine of Hippo: There the wolf in sheep’s clothing—permitted by the profound counsel of the Master of the flock to go among the sheep—learned how to disperse the flock and ensnare the Shepherd.

St. John Chrysostom: Jesus had often met and talked alone with His disciples there about essential doctrines that were not lawful for others to hear. He did this on mountains and in gardens to be out of the reach of noise and tumult. Judas, however, went there because Christ had often spent the night there in the open air. He would have gone to Jesus's house if he had thought he would find Him sleeping there.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Judas knew that during the feast time our Lord was accustomed to teaching His disciples high and mysterious doctrines, and that He taught in places like this one. Since it was a solemn season, Judas thought Jesus would be found there, teaching His disciples matters relating to the feast.

Glossa Ordinaria: The Evangelist had shown how Judas had found the place where Christ was; now he relates how he went there. Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It was a band not of Jews but of soldiers, which we must understand was granted by the Governor with legal authority to take the criminal, as He was considered, and to crush any opposition that might be made.

St. John Chrysostom: But how could they persuade the band of soldiers? By hiring them, for being soldiers, they were ready to do anything for money.

Theophylact of Ohrid: They carried torches and lanterns to guard against Christ escaping in the dark.

St. John Chrysostom: They had often sent others to take Him but had not been able. From this, it is evident that He gave Himself up voluntarily. As the Gospel continues, Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth, and said to them, Whom do you seek?

Theophylact of Ohrid: He does not ask because He needed to know, for He knew all things that would come upon Him, but because He wished to show that even though He was present, they could not see or distinguish Him. Jesus says to them, I am He.

St. John Chrysostom: He Himself had blinded their eyes. It is clear that the darkness was not the reason, because the Evangelist says that they had lanterns. However, even if they did not have lanterns, they should have at least recognized Him by His voice. And if they did not know Him, how is it that Judas, who had been with Him constantly, also did not know Him? The Scripture says, And Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with them. Jesus did all this to show that they could not have taken Him, or even seen Him when He was in their midst, if He had not permitted it.

St. Augustine of Hippo: As soon as He said to them, I am He, they went backward. Where now is the band of soldiers? Where is the terror and defense of their weapons? Without a single blow, one word struck, drove back, and prostrated a crowd fierce with hatred and terrible with weapons.

For God was hidden in the flesh, and the eternal day was so obscured by His human body that He was sought with lanterns and torches to be killed in the darkness. What will He do when He comes to judge, who did this when He was going to be judged?

And even now, Christ says through the Gospel, I am He, and an Antichrist is expected by the Jews, so that they may go backward and fall to the ground, because in forsaking heavenly things, they desire earthly things.

St. Gregory the Great: Why is it that the elect fall on their faces, but the reprobate fall backward? It is because everyone who falls backward does not see where he falls, whereas he who falls forward sees where he falls. The wicked, when they suffer loss in invisible things, are said to fall backward because they do not see what is behind them. The righteous, however, who willingly cast themselves down in temporal things in order to rise in spiritual things, fall as it were on their faces when they humble themselves with fear and repentance, with their eyes open.

St. John Chrysostom: Lastly, so that no one could say He had encouraged the Jews to kill Him by delivering Himself into their hands, He says everything possible to reclaim them. But when they persisted in their malice and showed themselves to be inexcusable, He then gave Himself up into their hands. Then asked He them again, Whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am He.

St. Augustine of Hippo: They had first heard, I am He, but had not understood it, because He who could do whatever He willed did not will that they should understand. If He had never permitted Himself to be taken by them, they would not have done what they came to do; but neither would He have done what He came to do.

So now, having shown His power to them when they wished to take Him and could not, He lets them seize Him so that they might be unconscious agents of His will: If you seek Me, let these go their way.

St. John Chrysostom: It is as if to say, "Though you seek Me, you have nothing to do with these disciples. Look, I am giving Myself up." Thus, even to the last hour, He shows His love for His own.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He commands His enemies, and they do what He commands; they permit those to go away whom He would not have perish.

St. John Chrysostom: The Evangelist, to show that it was not their own intention to do this but that His power accomplished it, adds the words, That the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, Of them which you have given Me, have I lost none. He had said this with reference not to temporal but to eternal death; the Evangelist, however, also understands the word in terms of temporal death.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But were the disciples never to die? Why then would He lose them, even if they died at that moment? Because they did not yet believe in Him in a saving way.

St. John Chrysostom: Peter, trusting in these last words of our Lord and in what He had just done, attacks those who came to take Him: Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant. But how, since he had been commanded to have neither a bag nor two garments, did he have a sword? Perhaps he had foreseen this situation and brought one.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, he had gotten one for sacrificing the lamb and carried it with him from the Supper.

St. John Chrysostom: But how could he, who had been forbidden to strike someone on the cheek, become a murderer? He had been forbidden to avenge himself, but here he was not avenging himself, but his Master. However, they were not yet perfect; afterward, you will see Peter beaten with stripes and bearing it humbly. And cut off his right ear. This seems to show the impetuosity of the Apostle, in that he struck at the head itself.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The servant’s name was Malchus. John is the only Evangelist who mentions the servant’s name, just as Luke is the only one who mentions that our Lord touched the ear and healed him.

St. John Chrysostom: He performed this miracle both to teach us that we ought to do good to those who suffer and to manifest His power. The Evangelist gives the name so that those who read it at the time might have the opportunity to inquire into the truth of the account. And he mentions that he was the servant of the high priest because, in addition to the miracle of the healing itself, this shows that it was performed on one of those who came to take Him, and who shortly after struck Him on the face.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The name Malchus signifies "one who is to reign." What then does the ear, cut off on our Lord's behalf and then healed by our Lord, signify, if not the abolition of the old hearing and the creation of a new one—a hearing in the newness of the Spirit, not in the oldness of the letter? Whoever is given this, who can doubt that he will reign with Christ?

The fact that he was also a servant refers to that oldness which leads to bondage, while the cure represents liberty.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, the cutting off of the high priest’s servant’s right ear is a type of the people’s deafness, which the chief priests experienced most strongly. The restoration of the ear symbolizes the ultimate re-enlightenment of the understanding of the Jews at the coming of Elijah.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Our Lord condemned Peter’s act and forbade him from proceeding further: Then said Jesus to Peter, Put up your sword into the sheath. He was to be admonished to have patience, and this was written for our instruction.

St. John Chrysostom: However, He not only restrained Peter with a rebuke but also consoled him at the same time: The cup that My Father gives Me, shall I not drink it? By this, He shows that this was happening not by their power but by His permission, and that He did not oppose God but was obedient even to death.

Theophylact of Ohrid: By calling it a cup, He shows how pleasing and acceptable death for the salvation of mankind was to Him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The cup being given to Him by the Father is consistent with what the Apostle says: Who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. But the Giver of this cup and the Drinker of it are one and the same, as the same Apostle also says: Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us.

Theophylact of Ohrid: After everything had been done that could dissuade the Jews, and they still refused to take warning, He allowed Himself to be delivered into their hands: Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus.

St. Augustine of Hippo: They took Him whom they did not draw near to, nor did they understand what is written in the Psalms: Draw near to Him, and be enlightened. For if they had drawn near to Him in this way, they would have taken Him not to kill Him, but to receive Him into their hearts. But now, in taking Him as they do, they go backward.

The account continues, and bound Him—the very One by whom they should have wished to be set free. And perhaps there were some among them who, later delivered by Him, would exclaim, You have broken My chains asunder. But after they had bound Jesus, it becomes perfectly clear that Judas had betrayed Him not for a good purpose, but for a most wicked one: And led Him away to Annas first.

St. John Chrysostom: They did this in exultation, to show what they had done, as if they were raising a trophy.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The evangelist tells us immediately why they did so: For he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Matthew, in order to shorten the narrative, says that He was led to Caiaphas. This is because He was led to Annas first, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, so we must understand that Annas wished to act Caiaphas’s part.

The Venerable Bede: This was so that, while our Lord was being condemned by his colleague, Annas himself might not be guiltless, though his crime was less. Or perhaps his house lay in their path, and they were obliged to pass by it. It may also have been the design of Providence that those who were allied by blood should also be associated in guilt.

The fact that Caiaphas was high priest for that year, however, seems contrary to the Law, which ordained that there should be only one high priest and that the office be hereditary. But by this time, the high priesthood had been abandoned to ambitious men.

Alcuin of York: Josephus relates that this Caiaphas bought the high priesthood for that year. It is no wonder, then, that a wicked high priest judged wickedly. A man who was advanced to the priesthood by greed would maintain his position there by injustice.

St. John Chrysostom: So that no one, however, might be disturbed by the sound of the chains, the Evangelist reminds us of the prophecy that His death would be the salvation of the world: Now Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. Such is the overpowering force of truth that even its enemies echo it.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The temptation of Peter, which took place in the midst of the insults offered to our Lord, is not placed by all in the same order. Matthew and Mark put the insults first and the temptation of Peter afterward; Luke places the temptation first and the insults after. John begins with the temptation: And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.

Alcuin of York: He followed his Master out of devotion, though from a distance, on account of fear.

St. Augustine of Hippo: We cannot quickly decide who that other disciple was, as his name is not given. John, however, is accustomed to refer to himself this way, with the addition of the phrase, “whom Jesus loved.” Perhaps, therefore, he is the one.

St. John Chrysostom: He omits his own name out of humility, even though he is relating an act of great virtue—how he followed when the rest fled. He puts Peter before himself and then mentions himself to show that he was inside the hall, and therefore related what took place there with more certainty than the other Evangelists could.

That disciple was known to the high priest and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. He mentions this not as a boast, but to diminish his own merit for being the only one who entered with Jesus, providing another reason for his action beyond simple greatness of mind. Peter’s love took him as far as the palace, but his fear prevented him from entering: But Peter stood at the door without.

Alcuin of York: He stood outside, as one who was about to deny his Lord. He was not in Christ, who did not dare to confess Christ.

St. John Chrysostom: That Peter would have entered the palace if he had been permitted is apparent from what immediately follows: Then went out that other disciple who was known to the high priest, and spoke to the woman who kept the door, and brought in Peter. He did not bring him in himself, because he remained near Christ.

It follows that the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, Are not you also one of this Man’s disciples? He said, I am not. What are you saying, Peter? Did you not say before, I will lay down my life for your sake? What, then, has happened that you give way when even a servant girl questions you?

It was not a soldier who questioned you, but a lowly doorkeeper. Nor did she say, “Are you this deceiver’s disciple?” but “this man’s”—an expression of pity. She says, “Are not you also...” because John was already inside.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But what wonder is it if God foretold truly, and man presumed falsely? Regarding Peter's denial, we should note that Christ is denied not only by one who denies that He is Christ, but also by one who denies being a Christian.

For the Lord did not say to Peter, “You will deny that you are My disciple,” but, “You will deny Me.” He denied Him, then, when he denied that he was His disciple. And what was this but denying that he was a Christian?

How many afterward—even boys and girls—were able to despise death, confess Christ, and enter courageously into the kingdom of heaven, while he who received the keys of that kingdom was now unable to do so? In this we see the reason for His saying, Let these go their way, for, of those which you have given Me, I have lost none. If Peter had departed from this life immediately after denying Christ, he would have been lost.

St. John Chrysostom: Therefore, Divine Providence permitted Peter to fall first, so that he might be less severe toward sinners from the remembrance of his own fall. Peter, the teacher and master of the whole world, sinned and obtained pardon, so that judges might thereafter have that rule to follow in dispensing pardon.

For this reason, I suppose, the priesthood was not given to angels; because, being without sin themselves, they would punish sinners without pity. A passible man is placed over other men so that, remembering his own weakness, he may be merciful to others.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Some, however, foolishly favor Peter, going so far as to say that he denied Christ because he did not wish to be away from Him. They claim he knew that if he confessed to being one of Christ’s disciples, he would be separated from Him and would no longer have the freedom to follow and see his beloved Lord.

Therefore, he pretended to be one of the servants so that his sad expression would not be noticed and get him excluded: And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals, and warmed themselves; and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It was not winter, and yet it was cold, as it often is at the vernal equinox.

St. Gregory the Great: The fire of love was smothered in Peter’s breast, and he was warming himself before the coals of the persecutors—that is, with the love of this present life, by which his weakness was increased.