The Arrest and the Trials Begin the garden, the denials, and before Pilate
John 18 opens the passion narrative. The sovereign Lord goes out to meet his captors, whose collapse at his "I am he" shows he lays down his life willingly. Bound and led to Annas, he confesses the truth while Peter denies him three times; before Pilate he declares a kingdom not of this world, and the crowd chooses Barabbas.
Overview of John 18
18:1–11: across the Kidron, Judas leads a cohort to the garden; Jesus steps forward, and at his "I am he" they draw back and fall to the ground — he is no helpless victim. He shields his disciples ("let these go") and tells Peter to sheathe his sword: "shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" 18:12–27: John interweaves Jesus' dignified testimony before Annas with Peter's three denials at the charcoal fire — the faithful Witness over against the failing disciple — ending with the crowing rooster.
18:28–40: before Pilate, the kingship question dominates. Jesus' kingdom "is not of this world" — not from this world's source and not advanced by the sword, yet a real reign; he came "to bear witness to the truth," drawing Pilate's weary "What is truth?" Pilate declares him innocent, but the crowd demands Barabbas — the guilty freed, the innocent condemned.
Passage Units
All three passages of John 18 are available.