Dictionary Article

At the end of this Gospel we are told that it was written by “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (Jn 21:20, 24 (RV JHN 21:20 · RV JHN 21:24 · LV JHN 21:20 · LV JHN 21:24 · Read together JHN 21:20 · Read together JHN 21:24)), but unfortunately the book nowhere tells us who this disciple was. Evidence shows that the most probable identification is with the apostle John. He fills the place we would have expected John to fill from what we know from the other Gospels. (See discussion above on John, the Apostle.)

The Gospel appears to have been written by one who knew the Jews and the Palestine of Jesus’ day well. He was familiar with Jewish messianic expectations (e.g., Jn 1:20-21 (RV · LV · Read together); 4:25 (RV · LV · Read together); 7:40-42 (RV · LV · Read together); 12:34 (RV · LV · Read together)). He knew of the hostility between Jews and Samaritans (4:9 (RV · LV · Read together)) and the contempt the Pharisees had for “the people of the land” (7:49 (RV · LV · Read together)). He knew of the importance attached to the religious schools (v 15 (RV · LV · Read together)). He knew the way the Sabbath was observed and was aware of the provision that the obligation to circumcise on the eighth day overrides the Sabbath regulations (vv 22-23 (RV · LV · Read together)). Throughout the Gospel he moved with certainty in the vast range of Jewish ideas and customs.

It is the same with topography. The writer mentioned many places, and his place-names all seem to be used correctly. He referred to Cana, a village not mentioned in any earlier literature known to us, which means that the reference almost certainly came from someone who actually knew the place. He located Bethany with some precision as about 15 stadia from Jerusalem (about 2 miles, or 3.2 kilometers, 11:18 (RV · LV · Read together)). He had several references to places in or near Jerusalem, such as Bethesda (5:2 (RV · LV · Read together)), Siloam (9:7 (RV · LV · Read together)), and the Kidron Valley (18:1 (RV · LV · Read together)). Of course, this does not rule out some contemporary of John’s, but it makes it difficult to think of the author as a much later individual writing at a distance from Palestine. The evidence as we have it indicates that the writer was a Jew in the Palestine of Jesus’ day.

To many careful readers, it seems that the Gospel bears the stamp of an eyewitness. For example, Jesus was teaching “in the treasury” (8:20 (RV · LV · Read together)). Nothing is made of the point; the incident could easily have been told without it. It looks like a reminiscence of someone who sees the scene in his mind’s eye as he writes. The fact that the house was filled with fragrance when the woman broke the perfume jar (12:3 (RV · LV · Read together)) does not materially affect the account but is the kind of detail that one who was there would remember. The author noted that the loaves used in the feeding of the multitude were barley loaves (6:9 (RV · LV · Read together)) and that Jesus’ tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top to bottom (19:23 (RV · LV · Read together)). He told us that the branches with which Jesus was greeted were palm branches (12:13 (RV · LV · Read together)), and that it was night when Judas went out (13:30 (RV · LV · Read together)). Such touches are found throughout the Gospel, and it seems unjustified to treat them as no more than an attempt to create verisimilitude. They seem much more like indications that the author was writing about events in which he had himself taken part.

The early church accepted Johannine authorship without question. Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian all see the apostle as the author. The first to quote this Gospel by name was Theophilus of Antioch, about AD 180.

Those who object to Johannine authorship emphasize the differences between this Gospel and the Synoptics. The argument is that if Jesus was anything like the Christ portrayed by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, he could not be like the Christ of the fourth Gospel. This is a completely subjective argument, ignoring the fact that any great man will appear differently to different people. The judgment of the church throughout the centuries has been that Jesus was large enough to inspire both portraits. To put the same point another way, we have no reason for holding that the first three Evangelists tell us all there is to know about Jesus. There is no contradiction. John simply brings out other aspects of Jesus’ life and teachings.

While we cannot prove beyond all doubt that John the apostle was the author, we can say that there is more reason for holding to this view than to any other.

It has been usual for conservatives and liberals alike to date this writing in the last decade of the first century or early in the second. Some liberal scholars have put it well into the second century, but this is not common, and it is remarkable that there has been such a considerable measure of agreement.

It is said that this Gospel is dependent on the Synoptics, which means that it must be dated sometime after them. But this argument has been widely abandoned in recent times. There is so much in John that is without parallel in the other three Gospels, and conversely so much in the other three that John might have used had he known it, that it is very difficult indeed to hold that this writer had any of the other Gospels before him when he wrote, or even that he had read them. Such resemblances as there are seem better explained by common use of oral tradition.

It is also argued that there is a very developed theology in John and that we must allow time for its development. Granted, the theology of this Gospel is profound, but this does not require that we must wait for it until the end of the first century. The theology of the Letter to the Romans is also profound, and there is no reason for dating that writing later than the 50s. On the ground of development, then, there is no reason for putting John later than Romans. Development is a slippery argument at best, for it usually takes place at uneven rates, and we have no means of knowing how fast it took place in the area where the author lived.

Other arguments for a late date are no more conclusive. For example, it is urged that the ecclesiastical system presupposed by the Gospel is too late for the time of the apostle John, and that the sacramental system of chapters 3 (RV · LV · Read together) and 6 (RV · LV · Read together) must have taken time to develop. But John does not mention any sacrament. It is true that many scholars think these chapters refer to baptism and the Lord’s Supper, but the fact is that John mentions neither.

It is not surprising in view of the way the traditional arguments have crumbled away that many in recent times are arguing that John must have been written before the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. If it were later, why does not John have some reference to it? Some of his language appears to be earlier. In 5:2 (RV · LV · Read together) he says there “is” (not “was”) a pool called Bethesda. And he often refers to the Twelve as Jesus’ disciples, or “his” disciples, or the like. In later times Christians usually said “the” disciples, for they saw no need to say whose the disciples were. But in the early days, when Christians were in contact with rabbis (each of whom had his disciples), it was important to show that Jesus’ disciples were in mind. It is important also that John makes no reference to any of the synoptic Gospels. The simplest explanation is that he had not seen them. They were not yet widely circulated.

None of this enables us to date this Gospel with precision. But the weight of evidence points to an early date (before AD 70).

The author was John the apostle, a Jew. However, the writing gives evidence of contact with Greek thought, for example, in the reference to Christ as “the Word” in chapter 1 (RV · LV · Read together) and the translation of words like “rabbi” (1:38 (RV · LV · Read together)). It is almost universally held that such considerations compel us to see the work as originating in a center of Greek culture, and Ephesus has traditionally been favored. Before the end of the second century we have Irenaeus writing that John published the Gospel during his residence at Ephesus.

Some scholars point to similarities between John and the Odes of Solomon, which they think came from Syria. As there are also some resemblances in the language of Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in the early second century, this is held to show that John was written in Syria, probably at Antioch. Others again think that Egypt was the place, and they support this by pointing out that the oldest fragment of a manuscript of this Gospel was found there. There is no real evidence, and we are left with probabilities. There is much to be said for accepting the evidence of Irenaeus and seeing Ephesus as the place of origin, but we can scarcely say more.

There is no real indication of the intended destination. From 20:31 (RV · LV · Read together) we learn that the book was written that the readers might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, God’s Son, and that by believing they might have life. The Gospel, then, has an evangelistic aim. But it is also possible that “believe” means “keep on believing”—“go on in faith,” rather than “begin to believe.” That is to say, the book may have been meant from the beginning to build people up in the faith. Probably we should not distinguish between these aims too sharply. Both may well be in mind.

Several possible backgrounds to the Gospel have been suggested. The Greek interest is obvious, and this writing has sometimes been called the Gospel of the Hellenists. The suggestion is that we should look to Greek writings, perhaps the works of the philosophers or Philo of Alexandria, to find the right background against which to understand what John has written. This approach may be seen in the work of Rudolf Bultmann, who thought specifically of Gnosticism. Indeed, for Bultmann one of the sources of this Gospel was a discourse source that he thought was taken from non-Christian Gnosticism. Not many have been prepared to follow Bultmann, but a number of recent commentators have discerned some form of Gnosticism as the backdrop to John.

While such views are put forward seriously, there are some substantial objections. One is that, despite the confident assertions of some scholars, Gnosticism has never been shown to be earlier than Christianity. In the form in which it comes before us in history, it is a Christian heresy, and of course, the Christian faith must appear before a Christian heresy is possible. Another objection is that there is a basic difference between the two systems. Gnosticism is concerned with knowledge (the very word is derived from the Greek word gnosis, “knowledge”). Its “redeemer” is one who comes from heaven with knowledge. But John does not subscribe to the view that man is saved by knowledge. The Redeemer comes to take away the sin of the world (1:29 (RV · LV · Read together)). Gnosticism tells people that life is an upward struggle; Christianity tells of a Savior who came down to raise them up. It is not easy to see any form of Gnosticism as the essential background to Christianity.

Much more significant is John’s Semitic background. Especially important here is the OT, accepted as sacred Scripture by Jew and Christian alike. It lies constantly behind John’s statements, and it must be studied carefully if John is to be understood. It is plain that John knew and loved the Septuagint, the translation into Greek of the Hebrew OT. Again and again, the Septuagint can be shown to lie behind what John says.

In modern times important discoveries have been made at Qumran, in the vicinity of the Dead Sea. Among the scrolls unearthed in the caves of this area are several that have affinities with John. Indeed, one of the interesting facts about the scrolls is that they have more parallels with John than with any other part of the NT, a fact difficult to explain if John was written late and at a distance from Palestine. The resemblances to the Qumran writings must be viewed with care, for there is often a linguistic resemblance where the thinking is quite different. For example, both use the unusual expression “the Spirit of truth.” But where John means one of the persons of the Trinity, the scrolls speak of “a spirit of truth” and “a spirit of error” striving in the souls of people. The connection is real, but John is clearly not dependent on the scrolls for his thinking. The contribution of the Dead Sea Scrolls is that they afford additional evidence that this Gospel is basically Palestinian and must be understood against a background of first-century Palestine.

Other backgrounds have been suggested, such as the Hermetic literature. This is a group of writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus (“Hermes Thrice-greatest”), a designation of the Egyptian god Thoth. There are indeed some points of contact with John, but they are few in comparison with those of writings rooted in Palestine. It is difficult to take such suggestions seriously. John is essentially Palestinian.

The writer told us that Jesus did many “signs” (or miracles) that he had not recorded, but “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life” (Jn 20:31 (RV · LV · Read together), NLT). John wrote to show that Jesus is the Messiah. But he did not do this simply with a view to conveying interesting information. He wanted his readers to see this knowledge as a challenge to faith; when they believe, they will have life. John sought to bring men and women to Christ; he had an evangelistic aim. That does not exhaust what he was trying to do, for his words have meaning for believers. It is important that believers have a right knowledge of Jesus and that they continue to believe.

The main theological teaching of this Gospel, then, is that God has sent his Messiah, Jesus. He is the very Son of God, and he comes to bring life (3:16 (RV · LV · Read together)). Though Jesus told the woman at the well that he was the Messiah, this is not often said so specifically. The avoidance of the term might well be because of the political overtones it had acquired among the Jews at large. They looked for a Messiah who would fight the Romans. He would defeat them and set up a mighty world empire with its capital in Jerusalem. Jesus was not aiming at anything like that, and it was important that he avoid the kind of language that would give that impression. But though the conventional messianic terminology is avoided, John left no doubt that Jesus was God’s chosen one. Again and again he depicted Jesus as fulfilling messianic functions. For example, in the long discourse in chapter 6 (RV · LV · Read together) we see Jesus as the bread from heaven, fulfilling the expectation that when Messiah came, he would renew the manna; and in the giving of sight to the blind man (ch 9 (RV · LV · Read together)) we have another messianic function (cf. Is 35:5 (RV · LV · Read together)).

JHN 5:30: RV JHN 5:30 · LV JHN 5:30 · Read together JHN 5:30

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OET-RV JHN 5:30

30 Yeshua (Jesus; Grk. Yesus) continued explaining to the religious leaders, “I don’t do anything in isolation. Whenever I hear from him, only then do I judge and my judgement is correct and impartial because I’m not imposing my desires, but the desire of the one who sent me.

OET-LV JHN 5:30

30 I am_ not _being _able to _be _doing nothing of myself, as I _am _hearing, I _am _judging, and the my the judgement is righteous, because I _am_ not _seeking the my the will, but the will of _the one having _sent me.

John begins with a prologue (1:1-18 (RV · LV · Read together)) that is unlike anything in any of the other Gospels. In it he refers to Jesus as “the Word,” a term that has points of contact with both Greek and Hebrew thinking. As John uses it, it conveys the thought that Jesus is the expression of the mind of the Father. John speaks of the Word as God (1:1 (RV · LV · Read together)), sees him as active in creation (1:3-5 (RV · LV · Read together)), goes on to the witness borne to him by John the Baptist (1:6-8 (RV · LV · Read together)), speaks of the coming of the Word into the world (1:9-14 (RV · LV · Read together)), and finishes with a section on the greatness of the Word (1:15-18 (RV · LV · Read together)). In this prologue he briefly introduces some of the great themes that will be developed throughout the Gospel. It is a majestic introduction to the whole.

Next we have the beginnings of Jesus’ public ministry (1:19-51 (RV · LV · Read together)). Jesus’ work was preceded by that of John the Baptist, and the Evangelist tells us first about the kind of witness that the Baptist gave to Jesus. Witness is one of his important concepts, and witness is all that John the Baptist does in this Gospel. From this witness we move to the way the first disciples came to Jesus. We learn something of how Andrew and Peter came to know the Lord. We read also of Philip and Nathanael, of whom we learn little or nothing in the other Gospels.

The first of them is the turning of the water into wine at a marriage in Cana of Galilee (2:1-11 (RV · LV · Read together)). The water in question is connected with Jewish rites of purification (v 6 (RV · LV · Read together)), and the story is surely to teach us that Jesus transforms life. He changes the water of the law into the wine of the gospel. As a result of this “sign,” his disciples believed in him (v 11 (RV · LV · Read together)). John went on to tell how Jesus went up to Jerusalem and drove the traders out of the temple. They were selling animals for sacrifice and changing money. But their business was being done in the Court of the Gentiles, the only place in the temple where a Gentile could come to meditate and pray.

The first discourse is on the new birth (3:1-21 (RV · LV · Read together)). Jesus talked with Nicodemus, a leading Pharisee, about the necessity for radical renewal if one is to enter the kingdom. Jesus was speaking of God’s regenerating activity, not some human reformation. Following this, John records a dispute between some of John’s disciples with a Jew on the subject of purification. This opens the way for a section that shows the superiority of Jesus over John the Baptist—by the Baptist’s own confession (3:22-36 (RV · LV · Read together)).

The second discourse is really a long conversation Jesus had with the woman of Samaria, whom he met by a well (4:1-42 (RV · LV · Read together)). It turns on “the water of life,” a term that is not fully explained in this chapter but which we later find points to the life-giving Spirit (7:38-39 (RV · LV · Read together)). This leads to the story of the second sign, the healing of the nobleman’s son (4:46-54 (RV · LV · Read together)), notable for the fact that Jesus healed at a distance.

The third sign is the healing of the lame man by the pool of Bethesda (5:1-18 (RV · LV · Read together)). This man had spent many years waiting for healing at the moving of the water. Jesus told him to get up and walk, and he did. Because it was done on a Sabbath, the Pharisees objected. This leads to Jesus’ third discourse, that on the divine Son (5:19-47 (RV · LV · Read together)). Here the closeness of the relationship of Jesus to the Father is stressed, and his place in the judgment is brought out. There is emphasis also on the variety of witness who encountered Jesus, which shows how reasonable it is to accept him as God’s own Son.

John’s fourth sign is the one miracle (apart from the resurrection) found in all four Gospels: the feeding of the 5,000 (6:1-15 (RV · LV · Read together)). It is followed by Jesus’ walking on water (vv 16-21 (RV · LV · Read together)), which seems to be meant as the fifth sign (though some scholars think not; if they are right, there are only six signs). Then comes the fourth discourse, the great sermon on the bread of life (vv 22-59 (RV · LV · Read together)). Jesus is this bread, which he gives to all men and women who believe in him. There are references to eating his flesh and drinking his blood (vv 50-58 (RV · LV · Read together)), which point to his death. Some have seen in them a reference to Communion, but it is hard to see why Jesus should refer in this way to an as-yet-nonexistent sacrament. Moreover, much the same effect is attributed in the same discourse to believing (vv 35, 47 (RV JHN 6:35 · RV JHN 6:47 · LV JHN 6:35 · LV JHN 6:47 · Read together JHN 6:35 · Read together JHN 6:47)). It seems best to understand Jesus as meaning that people must believe in him as the one who would die for them in order for them to have life.

There is a section detailing Peter’s affirmation of loyalty in the face of some who drifted away from the Master (6:67-71 (RV · LV · Read together)). Then we come to the fifth discourse, on the life-giving Spirit (7:1-52 (RV · LV · Read together)). John has an important explanatory point of his own when he tells us that at the time the Spirit had not been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified (v 39 (RV · LV · Read together)). The fullness of the Spirit depends on the completion of the work of Christ in his death and resurrection.

The sixth discourse tells of the light of the world (8:12-59 (RV · LV · Read together)). This aspect of Jesus’ person and ministry is dramatically brought out in the sixth sign, the healing of the man born blind (ch 9 (RV · LV · Read together)). It is a lively narrative, as the healed man conducts a spirited defense against the Pharisees who belittled Jesus.

One of the most beautiful of all the illustrations of Jesus’ relations to his people is that on which he dwells in the seventh discourse, where he speaks of himself as the good shepherd (ch 10 (RV · LV · Read together)). There is the obvious truth that sheep depend entirely on their shepherd, but Jesus says something else. Whereas earthly shepherds live to meet the needs of their sheep, Jesus laid down his life for his sheep.

The final sign is the raising of Lazarus (11:1-44 (RV · LV · Read together)), a man who had been dead for four days. The story graphically brings out Jesus’ power over death and his readiness to confer the gift of life. Jesus speaks of himself as “the resurrection and the life” (v 25 (RV · LV · Read together)); death cannot defeat him. He brings life to the dead, to the spiritually dead as well as to physically dead Lazarus. John goes on to note the reaction to this miracle: some believed, but some opposed Jesus (vv 45-57 (RV · LV · Read together)). He includes a notable saying of Caiaphas, the high priest, that one man should die for the people (vv 50-52 (RV · LV · Read together)). Caiaphas was speaking as a cynical politician (better one dead, however innocent, than the whole nation be troubled). But John saw in the words the deeper meaning that Jesus’ death would bring salvation to many.

John rounds off his account of the ministry with the story of the anointing of Jesus by a woman in Bethany, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the coming of some Greeks to Jesus, and his final summary of what he had taught (ch 12 (RV · LV · Read together)).

The account of what went on in the upper room on the night before the Crucifixion is the fullest of all the four Gospels. Curiously, John says nothing about the institution of Communion, a fact that has never been satisfactorily explained. But he tells us how Jesus washed the feet of the disciples (13:1-17 (RV · LV · Read together)), an action splendidly exemplifying the spirit of lowly service so soon to be shown on the cross. Then comes the prophecy of the betrayal, an action that set in motion the events that would lead to the cross (vv 18-30 (RV · LV · Read together)).

In the long discourse that follows, Jesus dealt with some questions posed by his followers and went on to teach them some important truths, for example, that he is the way, the truth, and the life (14:6 (RV · LV · Read together)). He develops the thought that he is the true vine, the disciples being vitally joined to him as branches to the vine. It is important for the branches to remain in the vine if they are to have life (15:1-16 (RV · LV · Read together)). Then come some words about suffering that would be of help to them in times of persecution (vv 17-25 (RV · LV · Read together)). Jesus goes on to speak about the Holy Spirit (15:26–16:15 (RV JHN 15:26–27 · RV JHN 16:1–15 · LV JHN 15:26–27 · LV JHN 16:1–15 · Read together JHN 15:26–27 · Read together JHN 16:1–15)). This is a very important passage, for it contains much more about the Spirit than we find elsewhere in Jesus’ words. Jesus calls the Spirit the “Paraclete,” a title not easy to understand. It is in origin a legal term, and at least we can say that it indicates that the Spirit brings friendship, encouragement, and help. Jesus went on to speak of his approaching departure from the disciples and to prepare them for the trying time ahead (16:16-33 (RV · LV · Read together)). This part of the Gospel concludes with Jesus’ great High Priestly prayer. He prayed for the disciples to be one, as he commended them to the care of the heavenly Father (ch 17 (RV · LV · Read together)).

When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, he went forward to meet them and they fell to the ground (18:1-11 (RV · LV · Read together)). He gave himself over to them; they did not take him over. At the outset of his passion narrative, John was making the point that Jesus is sovereign. He was not being defeated by the march of events but was sovereignly doing the will of the Father. John is the only one to tell us that Jesus was taken before Annas, father-in-law to Caiaphas, the reigning high priest (18:12-14, 19-24 (RV JHN 18:12–14 · RV JHN 18:19–24 · LV JHN 18:12–14 · LV JHN 18:19–24 · Read together JHN 18:12–14 · Read together JHN 18:19–24)). He tells also of Peter’s three denials of Jesus (vv 15-27 (RV · LV · Read together)). He did not spend much time on the Jewish trial, but he was much more explicit than the other Evangelists in his account of the Roman trial. Clearly, he had some special knowledge of what went on before Pilate. He presents a magnificent picture of Jesus talking with Pilate about kingship—the Son of God discussing with the representative of Caesar the meaning of sovereignty (vv 33-40 (RV · LV · Read together)).

JHN 18:1–11: RV JHN 18:1–11 · LV JHN 18:1–11 · Read together JHN 18:1–11

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OET-RV JHN 18:1

18 After he’d said all this, Yeshua (Jesus; Grk. Yesus) and his followers left Yerushalem (Jerusalem) proper and over the Kidron stream towards a garden that he and his followers entered.

OET-RV JHN 18:2

2 And Yehudah (Judas; Grk. Yudas) (the one who would hand him over) also knew the place because Yeshua and his followers often met there.

OET-RV JHN 18:3

3 Meanwhile Yehudah had met with the soldiers and servants of the chief priests and the Farisaios party, and they all started coming into the garden with lanterns and flaming torches and weapons.

OET-RV JHN 18:4

4 Yeshua who already knew what was going to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Who are you all looking for?”

OET-RV JHN 18:5

5 And they answered, “Yeshua—the one from Nazaret.”
¶ Yeshua responded, “I am the one.”
¶ Yehudah, the one handing him over, was standing there among them.

OET-RV JHN 18:6

6 But when Yeshua had said that he is the one, they backed away and fell to the ground.

OET-RV JHN 18:7

7 So he asked them again, “Who are you all looking for?”
¶ And they answered, “Yeshua—the one from Nazaret.”

OET-RV JHN 18:8

8 Yeshua responded, “I already told you all that I am the one. So if it’s me that you’re looking for, let these others leave.”

OET-RV JHN 18:9

9 (In this way, the statement was fulfilled that Yeshua had said previously: ‘I didn’t lose any of the ones that you gave me.’)

OET-RV JHN 18:10

10 Then Shim’on (Simon) Kefa (Peter; Grk. Petros) drew the sword that he was carrying and swiped at the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malkos.

OET-RV JHN 18:11

11 But Yeshua said to Kefa, “Put your sword back in its sheath. I need to proceed with the plan that the father has prepared for me—I can’t just avoid the suffering.”

OET-LV JHN 18:1

18 Having _said these things, Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa) came _out with the apprentices/followers of _him beyond the winter _stream of _the Kedrōn/(Qidrōn), where was a_garden, into which he and the apprentices/followers of _him came _in.

OET-LV JHN 18:2

2 And Youdas/(Yəhūdāh) who giving_ him _over had_ also _known, the place, because often Yaʸsous was _gathered _together There with the apprentices/followers of _him.

OET-LV JHN 18:3

3 therefore the Youdas having _received the cohort, and attendants from the chief _priests and Farisaios_party, is _coming there with lanterns, and torches, and weapons.

OET-LV JHN 18:4

4 Yaʸsous therefore having _known all the things coming on him, having _come _out he _said to _them:
Whom are _you _all _seeking?

OET-LV JHN 18:5

5 They _answered to _him:
Yaʸsous the from _Nazaret.
Yaʸsous he _is _saying to _them:
I am he.
and also Youdas, who giving_ him _over had _stood, with them.

OET-LV JHN 18:6

6 Therefore when he _said to _them:
I am he, they _went _away back to the things and they _fell on _the _ground.

OET-LV JHN 18:7

7 Therefore again he _asked them:
Whom are _you _all _seeking?
And they said:
Yaʸsous the from _Nazaret.

OET-LV JHN 18:8

8 Answered Yaʸsous:
I _told to _you _all that I am he.
Therefore if you _all _are _seeking me, allow these to _be _going _away,

OET-LV JHN 18:9

9 in _order _that the message may _be _fulfilled that he _said, that Whom you _have _given to _me, I_ not _lost no _one of them.

OET-LV JHN 18:10

10 Therefore Simōn Petros having a_sword, drew it and struck the slave of _the chief _priest, and cut _off the the right ear of _him.
And was Malⱪos the_name to _the slave.

OET-LV JHN 18:11

11 Therefore the Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa) said to_ the _Petros:
Put the sword into the sheath, the cup which the father has _given to _me, by _no _means I _may_ not _drink it?

In his account of the Crucifixion John has a number of touches of his own, notably the way Jesus commended Mary to the care of the beloved disciple (19:26-27 (RV · LV · Read together)), the fact that the cry Jesus uttered as he died was “It is finished” (v 30 (RV · LV · Read together)), and the piercing of his side by a soldier’s spear (vv 31-37 (RV · LV · Read together)).

John proceeds to the narrative of the burial (vv 38-42 (RV · LV · Read together)) and of the empty tomb (20:1-10 (RV · LV · Read together)). He speaks of appearances of the risen Lord to Mary Magdalene (vv 11-18 (RV · LV · Read together)), and to the disciples—both without (vv 19-23 (RV · LV · Read together)) and with Thomas (vv 24-29 (RV · LV · Read together)).

The final chapter, an epilogue, tells of a miraculous catch of fish (21:1-14 (RV · LV · Read together)) and goes on to the moving account of Peter’s threefold declaration of love to Jesus and his restoration.

Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary