And again they answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

And Jesus said, pointing to his disciples, “I told you that I am he.  If you are seeking me, let these disciples go their own way.”

[Illustration:  PETER DENIES CHRIST—­“And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, ’Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.’”—­(Matt. 26:75.)]

But as they came forward to seize Jesus, Peter drew his sword, and struck at one of the men in front, and cut off his right ear.  The man was a servant of the high-priest, and his name was Malchus.  Jesus said to Peter: 

“Put up the sword into its sheath; the cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it?  Do you not know that I could call upon my Father, and he would send to me armies upon armies of angels?”

Then he spoke to the crowd, “Let me do this.”  And he touched the place where the ear had been cut off, and it came on again and was well.  Jesus said to the rulers and leaders of the armed men: 

“Do you come out against me with swords and clubs as though I were a robber?  I was with you every day in the Temple, and you did not lift your hands against me.  But the words in the scriptures must come to pass; and this is your hour.”

When the disciples of Jesus saw that he would not allow them to fight for him, they did not know what to do.  In their sudden alarm they all ran away, and left their Master alone with his enemies.  These men laid their hands on Jesus, and bound him, and led him away to the house of the high-priest.  There were at that time two men called high-priests by the Jews.  One was Annas, who had been high-priest until his office had been taken from him by the Romans, and given to Caiphas, his son-in-law.  But Annas still had great power among the people; and they brought Jesus, all bound as he was, first to Annas.

Simon Peter, and John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, had followed after the crowd of those who carried Jesus away; and they came to the door of the high-priest’s house.  John knew the high-priest and went in; but Peter at first stayed outside, until John went out and brought him in.  He came in, but did not dare to go into the room where Jesus stood before the high-priest Annas.  In the court-yard of the house, they had made a fire of charcoal, and Peter stood among those who were warming themselves at the fire.

Annas in the inner room asked Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.  Jesus answered him: 

“What I have taught has been open in the synagogues and in the Temple.  Why do you ask me?  Ask those that heard me; they know what I said.”

Then one of the officers struck Jesus on the mouth, saying to him: 

“Is this the way that you answer the high-priest?”

Jesus answered the officer calmly and quietly: 

“If I have said anything evil, tell what the evil is; but if I have spoken the truth, why do you strike me?”