My Corner Online

Reading through the Gospels #191

JESUS IS ARRESTED

Mark 14:43-52, Matthew 26:47-56, Luke 22:47-53, John 18:1-11

See index to the 2023 Lenten study

The garden of Gethsemane was across the brook Kidron and Jesus often met here with his disciples. Why Jesus is still speaking in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas who was one of the twelve disciples, came up to Jesus with a crowd of people following him who had clubs and swords. The crowd included chief priests, pharisees, scribes, elders, and soldiers. They traveled with lanterns and torches and must and looked ominous. It is hard to imagine your own church of people and community wanting to harm you. This is not what the people of God are supposed to be about. This was God's Plan and Jesus knew what was about to happen, as it says in John 18:4, because Jesus is God as the Trinity. How many people is a "crowd?" I read commentaries that say hundreds of people, such as 700. That would be a mob to me, not a crowd. A crowd is merely a large number of people who are probably bumping into each other. The number in a crowd would depend on the space they are being confined within. I suppose the size really does not matter.

Judas had told them ahead of time that when he kissed a man it would be a sign that this was the man that should be arrested. (Matthew calls him "betrayer" rather than by his name Judas.) Judas called out to "Rabbi" (which means teacher) and kissed Him. Judas choose an action of pretend affection to identify Jesus to the crowd and Jesus responds with affection by calling Judas a friend, but Jesus is always truth so his affection of friendship was genuine. Judas was a hypocrite. Matthew 26:50 says that Jesus spoke to Judas saying, “Friend, do what you came to do.” For Jesus to call Judas a friend while knowing what that he was there to betray Him gives an example of how we should treat others who are betraying us. I am not sure that I could do as Jesus did to a betrayer.  Jesus forgave Judas before Judas even did the sin of betrayal.

They "laid hands on Him" (those words jumped out at me as in the phrase "I never laid a hand on Him!" which means to harm someone, but in other places the laying of hands represents receiving the Holy Spirit or to bless someone) and seized Him (took hold of Him suddenly and forcibly).

Peter (as identified by John 18:10) who was with Jesus struck the servant of the High Priest (John 18:10 tells us his name was Malchus) with a sword cutting off his ear! Matthew 26:52-53 gives us words spoken to Peter by Jesus, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?" (A legion is six thousand foot and seven hundred horses.) Peter's sword did very little to help especially in comparison to what an army of angels could have done if they had been summoned. Luke 22:51 adds that Jesus said, "No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him." Peter made a mess of things and Jesus cleaned it up, just like He does for me day in and day out. John 18:11 says Jesus spoke to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Jesus then spoke to the chief priests and officers to make a point that scripture was just fulfilled since they could have grabbed Him in the temple peaceably any of the numerous days He was there, but instead they grabbed Him in this manner with the violence of swords. Jesus could have with merely His Word destroyed everyone there, but instead He followed the God's Will so that the prophecy was fulfilled. Luke 22:53 adds that Jesus said, "But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” The power of the devil, of evil, of darkness appeared to prevail during this hour in time. It was their time to think they were winning. John 18:4-9 gives a different perspective of this exchange (and also gives it before the ear cutting). Jesus came forward (He took a step in peace which they did not expect) and addressed them (the chief priests and officers) asking them "whom do you seek?" I find it hard to believe that they did not know what Jesus looked like, but apparently they did not as that is why Judas had to betray him. Jesus was taking an offensive move in speaking up so that all attention would be on him and not on his disciples whom He was protecting from harm. The chief priests and officers answered "Jesus of Nazareth" and Jesus said, "I am He."

I can imagine in my mind a battle of the social classes from a 1950's high school gathered about ready for a fight, something like in the movie Grease. Judas was with the wrong side. There is no sitting on the fence with Jesus. You are either with Him or against Him. Judas had switched sides as John 18:5 points out. With weapons in hand, they were there to fight, but Jesus was not there to fight. When Jesus said "I am He" the people moved backwards and then fell to the ground. This is significant because "I Am" is the Yahweh of the Old Testament.  Jesus is present in the Old Testament.  The Greek word of "Ego eimi" is translated as "I Am" or "It is I." Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘ I AM has sent me to you.”

They knew how powerful Jesus was and in awe moved into a worship position. Can you imagine a huge crowd all falling to the ground at the same time in front of Jesus? Jesus asked them again "Whom do you seek?" And they against replied "Jesus of Nazareth." I guess Jesus felt a need to ask twice to be certain prophecy was fulfilled as their on the ground position was body language that they would not be arresting Him. Jesus repeated "I am He" and said "So, if you seek me, let these men go." Jesus willingly gave Himself to be arrested to protect His disciples. Here's the deal, take me but do not touch my friends.  This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.”  The prophecy of Jesus (our Prophet, Priest, and King) came true from John 6:39  "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day" and John 17:12  "While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."

Psalm 27:2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. I am not sure this applies to Jesus and the crowd falling to the ground as it may be about David, but some folks attribute it as a prophecy fulfilled.

That caused them all to leave and flee. It does not say who fled, but it is has to be Jesus's disciples and followers because the next story is of Jesus being tried and that would mean Jesus was arrested by the crowd. None of Jesus's friends stood by Him and defended Him. They all scattered for their own safety. We see the prophecy of Jesus being fulfilled in Mark 14:27  "And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'" 

Jesus Himself prophesied His betrayal during the Last Supper in John 13:31-35; Mark 14:27-31; Matthew 26:30-35; Luke 22:31-38 and in John 6:70-71, Jesus warns his disciples that one among them is "a devil" and that Jesus is talking about Judas the son of Simon Iscariot.

Then in Mark 14:51-52 there is a strange verse of a young man who "followed Him" which they seized instead. We do not know who this man is except that he is a follower of Jesus. He was wearing only a linen cloth and escaped by leaving the cloth behind and running away naked. Did they just grab a random person that was not quick in fleeing like the other disciples? Many Bible scholars believe this young man was the disciple Mark, who wrote Mark. I have come to think that there is special meaning for every scripture or even every word in scripture. So why was this included? I think it was to reconfirm that none of Jesus's followers "were lost, not one." This one was almost lost and it was so close that he only got away by being naked and losing his tunic which was left in the hands of those who attempted to seize him. But ultimately, he was not lost.