John 18-19

International Children’s Bible

Jesus Is Arrested

18 When Jesus finished praying, he left with his followers. They went across the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden of olive trees. Jesus and his followers went there.

² Judas knew where this place was, because Jesus met there often with his followers. Judas was the one who turned against Jesus. ³ So Judas led a group of soldiers to the garden. Judas also brought some guards from the leading priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons.

⁴ Jesus knew everything that would happen to him. Jesus went out and asked, “Who is it you are looking for?”

⁵ The men answered, “Jesus from Nazareth.”

Jesus said, “I am Jesus.” (Judas, the one who turned against Jesus, was standing there with them.) ⁶ When Jesus said, “I am Jesus,” the men moved back and fell to the ground.

⁷ Jesus asked them again, “Who is it you are looking for?”

They said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁸ Jesus said, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, then let these other men go.” ⁹ This happened so that the words Jesus said before might come true: “I have not lost any of the men you gave me.”

¹⁰ Simon Peter had a sword. He took out the sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) ¹¹ Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back. Shall I not drink of the cup^[a] the Father has given me?”

Jesus Is Brought Before Annas

¹² Then the soldiers with their commander and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus. They tied him ¹³ and led him first to Annas. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. ¹⁴ Caiaphas was the one who had told the Jews that it would be better if one man died for all the people.

Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus

¹⁵ Simon Peter and another one of Jesus’ followers went along after Jesus. This follower knew the high priest. So he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. ¹⁶ But Peter waited outside near the door. The follower who knew the high priest came back outside. He spoke to the girl at the door and brought Peter inside. ¹⁷ The girl at the door said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of that man’s followers?”

Peter answered, “No, I am not!”

¹⁸ It was cold, so the servants and guards had built a fire. They were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter was standing with them, warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

¹⁹ The high priest asked Jesus questions about his followers and his teaching. ²⁰ Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to everyone. I have always taught in synagogues and in the Temple, where all the Jews come together. I never said anything in secret. ²¹ So why do you question me? Ask the people who heard my teaching. They know what I said.”

²² When Jesus said this, one of the guards standing there hit him. The guard said, “Is that the way you answer the high priest?”

²³ Jesus answered him, “If I said something wrong, then say what was wrong. But if what I said is true, why do you hit me?”

²⁴ Then Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest. Jesus was still tied.

Peter Says Again He Doesn’t Know Jesus

²⁵ Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “Aren’t you one of that man’s followers?”

Peter denied it and said, “No, I am not.”

²⁶ One of the servants of the high priest was there. This servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. The servant said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”

²⁷ Again Peter said it wasn’t true. Just then a rooster crowed.

Jesus Is Brought Before Pilate

²⁸ Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas’ house to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early in the morning. The Jews would not go inside the palace. They did not want to make themselves unclean,^[b] because they wanted to eat the Passover meal. ²⁹ So Pilate went outside to them. He asked, “What charges do you bring against this man?”

³⁰ They answered, “He is a criminal. That is why we brought him to you.”

³¹ Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

They answered, “But we are not allowed to put anyone to death.” ³² (This happened so that what Jesus had said about how he would die would come true.)

³³ Then Pilate went back inside the palace. He called Jesus to him and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

³⁴ Jesus said, “Is that your own question, or did others tell you about me?”

³⁵ Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew. It was your own people and their leading priests who brought you before me. What have you done wrong?”

³⁶ Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it belonged to this world, my servants would have fought to keep me from being given over to the Jewish leaders. But my kingdom is from another place.”

³⁷ Pilate said, “So you are a king!”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. That is true. I was born for this: to tell people about the truth. That is why I came into the world. And everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.”

³⁸ Pilate said, “What is truth?” After he said this, he went out to the Jews again. He said to them, “I can find nothing to charge against this man. ³⁹ But it is your custom that I free one prisoner to you at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to free this ‘king of the Jews’?”

⁴⁰ They shouted back, “No, not him! Let Barabbas go free!” (Barabbas was a robber.)

19 Then Pilate ordered that Jesus be taken away and whipped. ² The soldiers used some thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown on Jesus’ head and put a purple robe around him. ³ Then they came to Jesus many times and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They hit Jesus in the face.

⁴ Again Pilate came out and said to them, “Look! I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want you to know that I find nothing I can charge against him.” ⁵ Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is the man!”

⁶ When the leading priests and the guards saw Jesus they shouted, “Kill him on a cross! Kill him on a cross!”

But Pilate answered, “Take him and nail him to a cross yourselves. I find nothing I can charge against him.”

⁷ The Jews answered, “We have a law that says he should die, because he said he is the Son of God.”

⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid. ⁹ He went back inside the palace and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus did not answer him. ¹⁰ Pilate said, “You refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know that I have power to set you free and power to have you killed on a cross?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “The only power you have over me is the power given to you by God. The man who gave me to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

¹² After this, Pilate tried to let Jesus go free. But the Jews cried out, “Anyone who makes himself king is against Caesar. If you let this man go free, you are not Caesar’s friend.”

¹³ Pilate heard what the Jews were saying. So he brought Jesus out to the place called The Stone Pavement. (In the Jewish language^[c] the name is Gabbatha.) Pilate sat down on the judge’s seat there. ¹⁴ It was about six o’clock in the morning on Preparation Day of Passover week. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king!”

¹⁵ They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Kill him on a cross!”

Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to kill your king on a cross?”

The leading priests answered, “The only king we have is Caesar!”

¹⁶ So Pilate gave Jesus to them to be killed on a cross.

Jesus Is Killed on a Cross

The soldiers took charge of Jesus. ¹⁷ Carrying his own cross, Jesus went out to a place called The Place of the Skull. (In the Jewish language^[d] this place is called Golgotha.) ¹⁸ There they nailed Jesus to the cross. They also put two other men on crosses, one on each side of Jesus with Jesus in the middle. ¹⁹ Pilate wrote a sign and put it on the cross. It read: “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ²⁰ The sign was written in the Jewish language, in Latin, and in Greek. Many of the Jews read the sign, because this place where Jesus was killed was near the city. ²¹ The leading Jewish priests said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews.’”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written!”

²³ After the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, they took his clothes. They divided them into four parts. Each soldier got one part. They also took his long shirt. It was all one piece of cloth, woven from top to bottom. ²⁴ So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts. We should throw lots to see who will get it.” This happened to give full meaning to the Scripture:

So the soldiers did this.

²⁵ Jesus’ mother stood near his cross. His mother’s sister was also standing there, with Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ Jesus saw his mother. He also saw the follower he loved standing there. He said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” ²⁷ Then he said to the follower, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this follower took her to live in his home.

Jesus Dies

²⁸ After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. To make the Scripture come true, he said, “I am thirsty.”^{[e] 29} There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it. Then they put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth. ³⁰ Jesus tasted the vinegar. Then he said, “It is finished.” He bowed his head and died.

³¹ This day was Preparation Day. The next day was a special Sabbath day. The Jews did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day. So they asked Pilate to order that the legs of the men be broken^[f] and the bodies be taken away. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man on the cross beside Jesus. Then they broke the legs of the man on the other cross beside Jesus. ³³ But when the soldiers came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. So they did not break his legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus’ side. At once blood and water came out. ³⁵ (The one who saw this happen has told about it. The things he says are true. He knows that he tells the truth. He told about it so that you also can believe.) ³⁶ These things happened to make the Scripture come true: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”^{[g] 37} And another Scripture said, “They will look at the one they have stabbed.”^[h]

Jesus Is Buried

³⁸ Later, a man named Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus, because he was afraid of the Jews.) Pilate gave his permission. So Joseph came and took Jesus’ body away. ³⁹ Nicodemus went with Joseph. Nicodemus was the man who earlier had come to Jesus at night. He brought about 75 pounds of spices. This was a mixture of myrrh and aloes. ⁴⁰ These two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth. (This is how the Jews bury people.) ⁴¹ In the place where Jesus was killed, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb where no one had ever been buried. ⁴² The men laid Jesus in that tomb because it was near, and the Jews were preparing to start their Sabbath day.