John 18:11 kjv
Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
John 18:11 nkjv
So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?"
John 18:11 niv
Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
John 18:11 esv
So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"
John 18:11 nlt
But Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?"
John 18 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 26:52 | "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword." | Rejection of violent defense for kingdom. |
| Matt 26:53 | "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once send..." | Jesus' power to resist, yet chooses not to. |
| Matt 26:39 | "...let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." | Jesus' Gethsemane prayer, accepting the cup. |
| Mark 14:36 | "...Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will." | Parallel Gethsemane account. |
| Luke 22:42 | "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will..." | Parallel Gethsemane account. |
| Luke 22:50-51 | "...Then Jesus said, 'No more of this!' And he touched his ear and healed him." | Jesus' compassion, even to His adversaries. |
| John 6:38 | "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me." | Jesus' consistent mission of divine obedience. |
| John 12:27 | "Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'?" | Jesus wrestling with the impending suffering. |
| Phil 2:8 | "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death..." | Jesus' ultimate obedience. |
| Heb 5:8 | "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered." | Jesus' perfect obedience forged through suffering. |
| Psa 75:8 | "For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup..." | "Cup" as metaphor for God's judgment/wrath. |
| Isa 51:17 | "Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup..." | "Cup" of wrath/intoxication. |
| Jer 25:15 | "...take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations drink it." | "Cup" of divine wrath for nations. |
| Hab 2:16 | "You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink yourself..." | "Cup" of shame and judgment. |
| Mark 10:38 | "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" | Jesus refers to His suffering as a cup. |
| Isa 53:10 | "Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him; He has put Him to grief..." | God's sovereign plan for the suffering servant. |
| 1 Cor 11:25 | "...'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it...' " | "Cup" later used for salvation in Christ's blood. |
| Zech 4:6 | "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts." | God's work achieved by divine, not human, power. |
| Rev 14:10 | "...he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup..." | "Cup" imagery for future divine wrath. |
| Psa 116:13 | "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD." | "Cup" imagery also for joy and deliverance. |
| Rom 5:19 | "For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience..." | Christ's obedience undoes disobedience. |
John 18 verses
John 18 11 Meaning
John 18:11 reveals Jesus' immediate rejection of Peter's attempt to defend Him through violence during His arrest. It underscores Jesus' full submission to the Father's predetermined will and the divine necessity of His suffering. The verse powerfully contrasts human impulse with divine purpose, asserting that Jesus must undergo the ordeal destined for Him by God.
John 18 11 Context
John 18:11 is set in the Garden of Gethsemane during Jesus' arrest. Following Judas' betrayal, a detachment of Roman soldiers and temple guards confront Jesus. As they attempt to seize Him, Peter, acting impetuously and in misplaced zeal, draws his sword and cuts off the ear of Malchus, a high priest's servant. This action represents a human, violent attempt to thwart what Jesus knew was part of the divine plan. The verse is Jesus' immediate, authoritative response, halting Peter's action and clarifying the spiritual, non-violent nature of His mission and kingdom, even in the face of His suffering. The broader context of John's Gospel repeatedly emphasizes Jesus' sovereignty, His complete knowledge of events, and His unwavering obedience to the Father's will, all of which culminate in His purposeful suffering and death. John uniquely presents this exchange without directly mentioning Jesus' agony in prayer, but the phrase "the cup that the Father has given me" powerfully echoes the substance of the Gethsemane prayers found in the Synoptic Gospels.
John 18 11 Word analysis
- So Jesus said: Indicates an authoritative and direct declaration. Jesus maintains full control and purpose, even in His arrest.
- to Peter,: Specifically addressed to the zealous, often impulsive disciple who was attempting physical resistance. This highlights Peter's misunderstanding of the nature of Jesus' kingdom.
- 'Put: An imperative command (βάλε - bale), demanding immediate action. It signifies an authoritative halt to the violence.
- your sword: Refers to Peter's physical weapon (μάχαιραν - machairan, a short sword or dagger). Jesus directly confronts the method of resistance Peter chose.
- into its sheath;: (εἰς τὴν θήκην - eis tēn thēkēn; a sheath or scabbard for a sword) A direct order to cease hostility and put away physical aggression. This emphasizes Jesus' non-violent path to salvation.
- shall I not drink: A rhetorical question (οὐ πιῶ - ou piō, "will I not drink?") that strongly affirms an undeniable certainty and necessity. It expresses Jesus' willing acceptance rather than reluctant resignation.
- the cup: (τὸ ποτήριον - to potērion) A powerful Old Testament metaphor for divine destiny, often involving suffering, wrath, or judgment, which Jesus fully embraced as His lot from the Father. It is a symbol of His atoning work.
- that the Father has given me?': Explicitly states the divine origin and mandate for His suffering. This phrase (ὃ δέδωκέν μοι ὁ πατήρ - ho dedōken moi ho Patēr) underscores God's sovereign plan, rendering human intervention futile and wrong.
Word-group analysis
- 'Put your sword into its sheath': This concise command is a direct rebuke of violent resistance and a fundamental statement about the nature of Jesus' kingdom. It prohibits the use of carnal weapons in establishing God's spiritual rule, correcting the misguided zeal that seeks to protect God's anointed through earthly means.
- 'shall I not drink the cup': This rhetorical question embodies Jesus' absolute acceptance of His impending suffering. It connects directly to the Gethsemane prayers in other Gospels, affirming His complete submission to divine will over personal comfort or human intervention.
- 'the cup that the Father has given me?': This crucial phrase attributes the suffering to God's deliberate and sovereign plan. It's not a mere misfortune or a human plot that Jesus is merely enduring, but a preordained destiny assigned by the Father, underscoring its redemptive purpose and the perfect harmony between Father and Son in salvation.
John 18 11 Bonus section
- John's Gospel does not include the Gethsemane prayer where Jesus grapples with the cup of suffering. Instead, John 18:11 serves as Jesus' direct, confident, and public affirmation of His prior Gethsemane resolution, reinforcing His sovereignty and complete control even amidst betrayal and arrest. It shifts the focus from the agony of the choice (which the Synoptics present) to the settled fact of His obedient acceptance.
- The incident highlights the common misunderstanding among Jesus' disciples (and many Jews of the time) about the nature of the Messiah. They anticipated a military or political liberator who would overthrow Rome, not a suffering servant. Jesus' command directly counters these earthly Messianic expectations.
- The detail of the "Father has given me" for the cup is essential for understanding atonement. Jesus' suffering is not an accident or a punishment for His own sin, but a divinely ordained redemptive act, part of an eternal plan, showcasing the Father's love and the Son's obedience in providing salvation.
John 18 11 Commentary
John 18:11 is a pivotal verse demonstrating Jesus' absolute commitment to God's will over any human attempt to divert or prevent it. Peter's impulsive act, born of loyalty yet fundamentally misaligned with divine purpose, is met with a swift and unequivocal command. Jesus directly rebukes the use of violence, declaring that His kingdom is not advanced by physical force but by His voluntary suffering and obedience. The "cup" symbolizes the suffering, sacrifice, and ultimately, God's wrath against sin that Jesus, as the perfect sacrifice, must fully experience. His rhetorical question reveals not a forced acceptance, but a resolute affirmation of His role as the Suffering Servant (Isa 53). This verse encapsulates Jesus' profound submission and sovereignty, illustrating that His arrest and crucifixion were not random acts of human aggression, but the fulfillment of the Father's predetermined plan for humanity's salvation, willingly embraced by the Son.