Jesus’ exit with his disciples from the place where they had eaten supper (v. 1) corresponds to the notice in Mark (14:26) that “when they had sung a hymn, they went out” to Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives. Though John’s Gospel does not give the name “Gethsemane” to the place where they stopped, and though only John’s Gospel calls it a “garden” (RSV, GNB; Gr.: kēpos), it is clearly the same place and the same occasion (the NIV translation olive grove is based on the assumption that it is indeed “Gethsemane” [known as the place of an olive press]. Perhaps because of the long prayer in chapter 17, there is no prayer in the garden, no exhortation to the disciples to stay awake and pray, and consequently no failure on their part. Attention is centered entirely on Jesus’ arrest by the Roman …
The Arrest of Jesus
John 18:1-11, John 18:12-14
John 18:1-11, John 18:12-14
Understanding Series
by J. Ramsey Michaels
by J. Ramsey Michaels
Baker Publishing Group, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series, by J. Ramsey Michaels