Johannes 18:19

19 Der Hohepriester nun fragte Jesum über seine Jünger und über seine Lehre.

Johannes 18:19 Meaning and Commentary

John 18:19

The high priest then asked Jesus
Being now brought from Annas to Caiaphas, who was the high priest and mouth of the sanhedrim, and to whom it appertained to hear and try a cause relating to doctrine. And what he did was by putting questions to him, instead of opening the charge against him, and calling for witnesses to support it. The person he interrogated was a greater high priest than himself; was that prophet Moses spoke of, to whom the Jews were to hearken, and no other than the Son of God, and King of Israel; who, when at twelve years of age, asked the doctors questions, and answered theirs, to their great astonishment. He first inquires

of his disciples,
not so much who they were, and what they were, and how many they were, and where they were now, as for what purpose he gathered them together; whether it was not with some seditious views to overturn the present government, and set up himself as a temporal prince; and this he did, that he might be able to send him, with a charge against him, to the Roman governor: he did not ask for his disciples to come and speak on his behalf, if they had anything to say for him, which, by their canons ^F16, was allowed and encouraged:

``if any of the disciples (of the person accused) says, I have a crime to lay to his charge, they silence him; but if one of the disciples says, I have something to say in his favour, they bring him up, and place him between them; nor does he go down from thence all the day; and if there is anything in what he says, (wl Nyemwv) , "they hearken to him".''

The Jews indeed pretend ^F17 that after Jesus was found guilty, a herald went before him forty days declaring his crime, and signifying, that if anyone knew anything worthy in him, to come and declare it; but none were found: but this is all lies and falsehood, to cover their wickedness; no disciple of his was allowed to speak for him. The high priest next asked Jesus

of his doctrine;
not for the sake of information and instruction, nor to see whether it was according to the Scriptures; but if it was a new doctrine, and his own, and whether it tended to idolatry or blasphemy, and whether it was factious and seditious, that so they might have wherewith to accuse him; for though they had got his person, they were at a loss for an accusation; and yet this self-same man that put these questions, and was fishing for something against him, had before given counsel to put him to death, right or wrong: all this was doing, and these questions were put to Jesus, whilst Peter was denying him.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F16 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 40. 1. Maimon. Hilch. Sanhedrin, c. 10. sect. 8.
F17 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 43. 1.

Johannes 18:19 In-Context

17 Da spricht die Magd, die Türhüterin, zu Petrus: Bist nicht auch du einer von den Jüngern dieses Menschen? Er sagt: Ich bin's nicht.

18 Es standen aber die Knechte und die Diener, die ein Kohlenfeuer gemacht hatten, weil es kalt war, und wärmten sich; Petrus aber stand auch bei ihnen und wärmte sich.

19 Der Hohepriester nun fragte Jesum über seine Jünger und über seine Lehre.

20 Jesus antwortete ihm: Ich habe öffentlich zu der Welt geredet; ich habe allezeit in der Synagoge und in dem Tempel gelehrt, wo alle Juden zusammenkommen, und im Verborgenen habe ich nichts geredet;

21 was fragst du mich? Frage die, welche gehört, was ich zu ihnen geredet habe; siehe, diese wissen, was ich gesagt habe.