Jn. 18:9. That the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke: Of those whom You have given Me, I have lost none.
That the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke: "Of those whom You gave Me, I have lost none" (John 17:12). The Lord speaks of the perdition of the soul, which none of His disciples underwent, but the Evangelist understood this also of bodily perdition.
It is wondrous how the soldiers did not seize the apostles together with Him and did not kill them even when Peter provoked them. Obviously, this was accomplished by the power of the One Who was taken by them, and by the saying which He had previously spoken, that none of them had perished (John 17:12). That the disciples remained unharmed by the power of the Lord's saying, the Evangelist also teaches us when he says, "that the word spoken by Him might be fulfilled, that I have not lost any of them." On account of their weakness, He places them outside of trials.
So He arranges things even now with us, although we are not aware of it. Therefore, if a temptation comes upon you, believe that if the Lord did not know that you could overcome it, He would not have allowed it to come to you, just as then with the disciples.
Jn. 18:10. Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
Peter saw that the Lord had cast them to the ground; the Lord's words "let them go" filled him with boldness, and he thought that the time had come to take revenge, so he draws his sword and strikes the servant. If you ask why he had a sword, he who was commanded to have "neither bag nor two coats" (Matt. 10:10), know that he needed it for slaughtering the lamb, carried it with him even after the supper; or else, fearing an attack, he had prepared the sword beforehand for such an occasion. If you wonder how he who was told not to strike on the cheek (Matt. 5:39) was ready to commit murder, then hear that Peter was especially avenging not himself but his Teacher. Moreover, they were not yet fully perfect. For afterwards, I ask you to look at Peter: he suffers greatly and rejoices. But now, indignant at the injustice done to his Teacher, he aims at the very head and, failing to cut it off, at least cuts off the ear. Jesus reattaches and heals the ear, and by this miracle again restrains the mad Jews from their zeal for murder. And since the miracle with the ear was great, the evangelist notes the name of the servant, so that readers, in case of doubt, could seek out and investigate whether this really happened as described.
I ask you to notice that the cutting off of the right ear of the high priest's servant was a sign of their disobedience. For blindness came upon Israel, so that those who hear would not hear, because of their impiety against the Savior, which was especially strong among the high priests, which is why the sign—the removal of the ear—was on the servant of the high priest. The restoration of the ear points to the future restoration of the understanding of the Israelites, which they have now lost. For Elijah will come and lead them to Christ, and will unite them, the fathers, with us, the sons, as Malachi also prophesied (Mal. 4:6).
Jn. 18:11. But Jesus said to Peter: Put the sword into the sheath; shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given Me?
The Lord restrains Peter and says with a threat: "Put your sword into its sheath." At the same time He also comforts, saying: "Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given Me?" For by this He shows that the sufferings depend not on their power, but on His own consent, and that He is not an opponent of God, but fulfills the will of the Father even unto death. By calling the sufferings a "cup," He indicates that death for the salvation of mankind is pleasant and desirable.
Jn. 18:12. Then the soldiers and the commander and the servants of the Jews seized Jesus and bound Him,
When the Lord had done everything that could have subdued them, and they did not understand, then He allowed them to lead Him away.
Jn. 18:13. And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year.
They bind Him and lead Him away to Annas, with a certain triumph on this occasion and boasting, as though they had won a great victory.
Jn. 18:14. This was Caiaphas, who gave counsel to the Jews that it was better for one man to die for the people.
The Evangelist recalls the prophecy of Caiaphas (John 11:49–52) in order to show that this was accomplished for the salvation of the world, and that this truth is so important that even His very enemies foretold it. Therefore, lest you, having heard of the bonds, be troubled, he reminds you of the prophecy, namely that both the bonds and the death were salvific, and for this reason the Lord endured them.
Jn. 18:15. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus;
Who was this other disciple? The very one who wrote about this, but he conceals himself out of humility. Since he wishes to highlight the virtue that he followed Jesus while the others fled, he therefore conceals himself and places Peter before himself. "Simon Peter followed Jesus," he says, then adds: "and another disciple."
So, out of humility he conceals himself. And if he mentioned himself, he mentioned it so that we would know that he describes the events in the courtyard of the high priest in greater detail than the others, since he himself was inside the courtyard.
Jn. 18:15. The disciple was known to the high priest and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest.
Look again how he deflects praise from himself. Lest you, having heard that John went with Jesus, should think something great of him, he says that he "was known to the high priest." "I," he says, "entered together with Him not because I was supposedly more courageous than the others, but because I was known to the high priest."
Jn. 18:16. But Peter stood outside at the door.
Concerning Peter, he declares that he followed Jesus out of love for Him, but stopped outside the courtyard because he was not acquainted.
Jn. 18:16. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
That Peter would have entered, if he had been allowed, is evident from the fact that when John came out and told the gatekeeper to let him in, Peter immediately entered.
Why then did John not bring him in himself, but told the woman to do it? Because he held fast to Christ, followed Him unceasingly, and did not want to be separated from Him.