This lesson is about Jesus’ Betrayal and followed by his
arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane
Luke 22:47-53
Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane
Luke 22:47-53
49 When those around Him saw what was going to happen,
they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" 50 And one
of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this." And He touched his ear and
healed him.
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of
the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have
you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you daily in the temple,
you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John all contain
accounts of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Each
account adds details to what we read in Luke 22. The other three accounts are:
- Matthew 26:47-56
- Mark 14:43-52
- John 18:1-11
Composite account from all four Gospels
I would like to discuss this passage in three pieces:
- Judas betrays Jesus (Luke 22:47-48)
- Peter defends Jesus (Luke 22:49-51)
- Jesus is taken captive (Luke 22:52-53)
For each I will attempt to put together a composite
account of what happens from all four accounts, together with some comments
that I hope and pray will be insightful.
Judas
betrays Jesus
Luke
47 And while He was still speaking, behold, a
multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and
drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. 48 But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
Matthew
47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one
of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the
chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying,
"Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him." 49 Immediately he went
up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.
50 But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you
come?"
Mark
43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas,
one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the
chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given
them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead
Him away safely."
45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to
Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.
John
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with
His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His
disciples entered. 2 And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for
Jesus often met there with His disciples. 3 Then Judas, having received a
detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came
there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, knowing all
things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are
you seeking?"
5 They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth."
Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who
betrayed Him, also stood with them. 6 Now when He said to them, "I am
He," they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Then He asked them again, "Whom are you
seeking?"
And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
8 Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He.
Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way," 9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He
spoke, "Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none."
---
No
sooner does Jesus finish encouraging His disciples to pray lest
they fall into temptation then the armed multitude accompanied by Judas reaches
the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew and Mark’s Gospels call them a crowd with
swords and clubs, but John’s Gospel (John 18:3, John 18:12) tells us that this
was a detachment or cohort of presumably Roman troops, supplemented with
officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. The Roman troops were required
because they had the responsibility for keeping the peace and making arrests in
Roman-occupied provinces. Judas knew right where to find Jesus, “for,” as
John’s Gospel tells us, “Jesus often met there with His disciples.” It must have looked a bit like the villagers
in the movie Frankenstein storming the castle. Judas was accompanied by a
detachment of troops and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, and
that they carried lanterns, torches, clubs, and swords.
The timing here is no coincidence. Jesus knows what His
disciples are about to go through and how much they need prayer. I have
experienced that the Holy Spirit stirs us up right before something is about to
happen in our lives. This is, I believe, why we are encouraged to pray without
ceasing (1 Thess 5:16-18). Certainly it is the will of God in Jesus Christ for
us that we would be always rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. And the
reason for this I believe is that joy, prayer, and thankfulness help to foster
and maintain within us the right attitude and understanding of God. We never
know when trials and tribulations will come upon us; but we do know that we
serve a just and loving God. That should be a never-ending source of joy for
us, and prompt us to seek Him in prayer, thanking Him and praising Him, for He
is worthy, even when we are in the midst of struggles.
Now
Judas had arranged that he would pick Jesus out by a sign. As
soon as he saw Jesus, Judas approached his Master and greeted Him with a kiss
on the cheek, which was the practice among men in their day. That Judas needed
to pick Jesus out I this way suggests that Jesus was not someone of striking
physical appearance. It may seem odd to think of Jesus in this way, in light of
how He is typically pictured in books and paintings, tall, handsome, with long,
dark hair, a beautiful smile, etc. But to portray Jesus as a physically
striking man is inconsistent with what scripture tells us. In the NASB version,
Isaiah 53:2, speaking of the suffering servant of the Lord who was to come,
describes the Messiah like this:
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender
shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to
Him. [NASU]
There was nothing about Jesus’ form that called attention
to Him or attracted us to Him. Indeed, even though Jesus had been speaking
publically throughout Israel for almost three years, and had been teaching in
the temple in Jerusalem daily for the last week, He looked like an ordinary man
and perhaps even closely resembled some of His disciples, so much so that He
could not be easily recognized by someone who did not know Him closely. Judas
had to identify Jesus to the troops and officers who accompanied him, to make
sure they took the right man into custody.
At this point Jesus, I suspect immediately after Judas’
kiss of betrayal, Jesus stepped towards the multitude which had come to take
Him into custody and asked them, “Whom are your seeking?” When they replied
“Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus said “I am He.” As soon as He spoke these words, the
soldiers drew back and fell to the ground. So powerful were Jesus’ words that
the soldiers were driven back and knocked down. This was most likely the very
name of God, the same “I AM” that God gave to Moses as His name (Ex 3:13-14).
Jesus here demonstrates His power to those who are
present. He gives more proof of who He is and evidence for the truth of His
statement in John 10:17-18:
17 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because
I lay down My life that I may take it again.
18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to
lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received
from My Father."
If Jesus did not desire to go willingly, He had more than
enough power to resist. As Jesus will soon tell Peter when he seeks to defend
Jesus with a sword, “Or
do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with
more than twelve legions of angels?” (Mat 26:53) No small army of
300 armed men could have taken Jesus prisoner if He did not want to be taken.
But Jesus wanted, of His own volition, to be taken captive, because He knew
beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the will of His Father for Him.
John tells us that Jesus asked the troops a second time
who they had come for, and again they answered “Jesus of Nazareth.” (John
18:8-9)
We see that Jesus was aware of the Messianic prophesies
that had been written about Him. Jesus was thinking of the safety of His true
disciples. He was acting as their Good Shepherd, keeping them out of harm’s
way.
I believe that verse 9 implies that Judas was not a
disciple given to Jesus by God to keep safe. Eleven of His twelve disciples
were still with Jesus; Judas had left His side and betrayed Him to the scribes
and Pharisees for money. Such an interpretation is consistent with Jesus’ words
in John 17:12: “While
I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me
I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the
Scripture might be fulfilled.”
Clearly Jesus knew from the beginning who would betray
Him. John 6:61-65 tells us so plainly:
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His
disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend
you? 62 What then if you should see the
Son of Man ascend where He was before?
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words
that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not
believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not
believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, "Therefore I have said
to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My
Father."
Jesus makes the same point in John 13:18-19: "I do not speak
concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be
fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.'"
These passages suggest not only that Jesus chose Judas
knowing he would betray Him but also that God the Father allowed it to happen.
In fact, as John 6:44 puts it, God not only allowed it to happen He caused it
to happen: “No
one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise
him up at the last day.”
Why precisely God chose Judas to be a disciple we cannot
say; Scripture is silent on this point. Who can understand the ways of God?
They are as high above man’s ways as the heavens are above the earth! (Isa
55:8-9) Perhaps the simplest explanation is that it was, as Jesus says in John
17:12, simply so that Scripture might be fulfilled. Since Jesus needed to
experience what it was like to be human, perhaps He needed also to experience
the pain and suffering that comes from the betrayal by a friend. Indeed, as
Hebrews 4:15 tells us, “We
do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in
all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Like King David,
himself a type of Christ, Jesus could say “Even my own familiar friend in whom
I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me (Psa 41:9).”
Notice how Jesus behaves toward Judas, His betrayer. In
Luke’s account Jesus merely asks Judas if he is betraying the Son of Man with a
kiss. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus calls Judas “friend” and asks him why He has
come. Jesus makes it clear He knows what Judas is doing. Even as Judas kisses
Him, showing the soldiers whom they should take into captivity, Jesus never
curses Judas, never strikes or pushes him, never treats him any way but gently.
He treated Judas in accordance with what Proverbs 25:21-22 tells us:
21 If your enemy is hungry,
give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 22 For so you will heap coals of fire on his
head, And the Lord will reward you.
Jesus treated Judas with kindness, because it is the
kindness of the Lord that leads us to repentance (Rom 2:1-11). I believe that
Jesus had love for Judas, that He had thoughts of peace and not of evil toward
him (Jeremiah 29:11-12). God desires
that none – and that includes Judas - would not perish but He gave Judas free
will and allowed him to choose.
In fact throughout this whole passage, Jesus is at peace
with what is happening. He has had His moment of doubt in the Garden as He
prayed to have the cup pass from Him. He has been strengthened by an angel. And
now Jesus can go forward in faith, knowing that He is doing the will of God.
This is, I believe, a lesson to each of us. When we are troubled in our hearts
about what we are going through, we should seek God in prayer, ask Him to
confirm that this is His will for us, and ask Him to strengthen us to endure
what He is calling us to do. He will never leave us or forsake us (Det 31:6).
And He will never give us more than we can endure (1 Cor 10:13). With God, all
things are possible (Mat 19:26).
The disciples defend Jesus
Luke
49 When those around Him saw what was going to happen,
they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" 50 And one
of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this." And He touched his ear and
healed him.
Matthew
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51
And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew
his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
52 But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its
place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to
My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be
fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"
Mark
46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. 47
And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high
priest, and cut off his ear.
John
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. 11 So Jesus
said to Peter, "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup
which My Father has given Me?"
…
As the soldiers surround Jesus and lay hands on Him to
take Him, Jesus’ disciples realize what is happening and react. Clearly the
disciples were greatly outnumbered and poorly equipped to fight against the
Roman soldiers. Nevertheless they ask Jesus if they should defend Him using the
two swords they have between them. Whether they are simply afraid or
scrupulously seeking to do the will of Jesus scripture does not say. But if I
were one of the disciples at that moment, I’d know I’d be afraid.
Apparently
before Jesus can answer, Peter draws one sword and strikes at one of the
servants of the high priest, a man named Malchus cutting off his ear. Whether
this is the result of a wild swing or a carefully aimed blow, we cannot say,
but in my opinion Peter demonstrated that in his flesh he was willing to fight
and likely die for his Master. Peter may have thought that he was being
obedient. After all, hadn’t Jesus just told the disciples just a short time
before that they should take a sword with them? (Lk 22:36)
From the world’s standards, what Peter did was
simultaneously foolish and brave. But from a spiritual perspective, it was
inappropriate. Peter did not, probably could not, understand what was
happening, the spiritual aspects that were being played out. Jesus was in the
process of overcoming sin and death but Peter was unaware. Like Peter, we all
struggle with, and succumb to, the temptation to act in the flesh, out of our
human understanding, when what is needed is to be led by the Spirit.
Jesus
immediately intervenes, telling His disciples to permit what
is happening to occur. Jesus tells Peter directly:
"Put your sword in its place, for all who
take the sword will perish by the sword.
53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will
provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be
fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"
His disciples are not to live by the sword, are not to
rely on the sword for their safety, because if they do, they will perish by the
sword. At least they are not to live by a physical sword. There is another
sword that Jesus has given us – “the sword of the Spirit, which,”
Ephesians 6:17 tells us “is
the word of God.” I believe that Jesus desires that we rely on
that spiritual sword and for that matter on all the rest of the armor of God as
well, so that we will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil as we
live out our lives for Christ. And the word of God is truly like a sword.
Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us:
12 For the word of God is living and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and
spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart.
And just like a physical sword, the word of God must be
handled carefully. Proverbs 18:21 tells us plainly that “Death and life are in
the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”
The words we speak, even when we repeat the words of God, have the power to
bring life or death to those who hear them. It is, I believe, very possible to
say the right thing at the wrong time. This can a sobering thought, something
to cause us to pause and think twice before we speak, given what Jesus tells
the Pharisees in Matthew 12:36-37:
36 But I say to you that for every idle word
men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified,
and by your words you will be condemned.
It
is not enough to merely speak God’s word; we must speak it
in love, being led by the Holy Spirit, or we will be a sounding brass or a
clanging cymbal (1 Cor 13:1), possibly speaking judgment upon ourselves.
Although He
will not have His disciples defend Him with their swords, Jesus is by no means
defenseless. Jesus tells His disciples that if He desired to be defended, He
has only has to pray and His Father will provide Him with twelve legions of
angels to fight on His behalf. Recall that one legion was six thousand men, so
twelve legions would be 72,000 angels. No man takes Jesus’ life from Him;
rather He lays it down willingly (John 10:17-18).
How
things appear in this world is not how they really are.
Although He is one against more than 300 armed men, the reality is that He goes
along with his captors willingly, not under compulsion. Indeed Jesus
understands that He must go with them, so that Scripture can be fulfilled. “And truly”, Jesus
has said earlier in the chapter, “the Son of Man goes as it has been
determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!" (Lk
22:23) The fulfillment of Scripture is one of the recurring themes of this
chapter of Luke, indeed of the life of Jesus in general. This is the third time
in this chapter alone Jesus has made reference to fulfilling prophecy and He
will do so a fourth in just a few verses. It is important to remember that
happened to Jesus was not some coincidence, not just the misfortune of being in
the wrong place, saying the wrong things, or offending the wrong people.
Rather, what happened to Jesus was the fulfillment of events that had been
predicted, or better still set in stone, centuries before.
Jesus has no desire that Malchus should be maimed or
should suffer on His account, any more than He desires His disciples to be
persecuted at this point in time. Jesus’ purpose in coming to the world was to
save it (John 12:47). Jesus takes pity on Malchus, touches his severed ear and
heals him miraculously. Notice how Jesus shows grace and mercy even towards
those who spitefully use Him, even those who bind him and lead Him to certain
death.
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priest, captians of the temple, and the
elders who had come to Him, “Have you comeout, as against a robber, with swords
and clubs? 53 When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize
Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
Jesus is taken captive
Luke
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priest, captians of the temple, and the
elders who had come to Him, “Have you comeout, as against a robber, with swords
and clubs? 53 When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize
Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
Matthew
55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes,
"Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?
I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 56 But all this was done that the Scriptures
of the prophets might be fulfilled."
Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
Mark
50 Then they all forsook Him and fled.
51 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen
cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 and
he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.
Even as the Roman soldiers are laying hands on Him, Jesus
addresses the chief priests, the captains of the temple, and the elders who
were among those who had come to capture Jesus. Jesus clearly perceives that
the Jewish religious leaders have masterminded this plot. Matthew 26:55
contains the fullest account of Jesus’ words to them:
"Have you come out, as against a robber”,
Jesus asks them,
” with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the
temple, and you did not seize Me. 56 But
all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."
Jesus tells them that they had numerous opportunities to
apprehend Him as He taught each day in the Temple. Jesus realizes that they are
capturing Him here, outside of Jerusalem, to avoid a scene. They fear the
reaction of the people; but they have no fear of God.
Again Jesus makes reference to fulfilling prophecy. By
treating Jesus like a dangerous criminal, coming to take Him with armed
soldiers, they have fulfilled what Jesus told His disciples earlier in this
chapter: “For
I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: 'And
He was numbered with the transgressors.' For the things concerning Me have an
end." (Lk 22:37)
This is too much for Jesus’ disciples to endure. Perhaps
they had held out hope for a miraculous escape, as He had before, when the Jews
sought to stone Him in Jerusalem (John 10:31). and throw Him off a cliff in
Nazareth (Lk 4:28-30) But after Jesus had forbidden the disciples to defend
Him, had been bound, and led away by the soldiers without a struggle, the
disciples forsook Jesus and fled in fear.
Mark’s Gospel records that a certain young man followed
after followed after the soldiers escorting Jesus. We are not told the identity
of this young man. Perhaps this was Apostle John, who was the youngest of the
disciples. Perhaps it was John Mark himself, the author of the second Gospel.
When the soldiers sought to grab him, he fled naked, leaving his garment
behind, probably in their grasp.
Who can say what exactly thoughts went through the
disciples’ minds? Perhaps they were in fear for their own lives. Perhaps their
hopes and dreams regarding the Messiah had all come crashing down. They were
unable to see what was really happening or understand what Jesus was up to. It
would not be until they had been filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of
Pentecost that they would begin to understand that this all was part of a
divine plan to make possible the salvation of mankind. One day they would begin
to understand. But for now they could only run and hide.
I believe that one reason God preserved this account for
is to strengthen our faith. We can see here Jesus going forward in the face of
death with confidence, knowing what has to be done. And we can see the
disciples fleeing in fear and despair, their Master in whom they had placed
their hope and trust captured, their world crumbling around them. In a matter
of a few hours their world had been turned upside down. And tomorrow it would
continue to get worse. Tomorrow their friend and Lord would be crucified and
buried and they would feel completely alone, questioning all that they had
believed in.
Yet
this whole story is a beautiful illustration of the truth
that the darkest hour is right before the dawn. Yes their Master was dead. Yes
all seemed lost. But in three days, their Lord would return, miraculously
conquering death and the grave, and be reunited with them. And then they would
know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus was Messiah, was the Son of God.
And they would know, again beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus would never
leave them or forsake them, and that not even death would separate them from
their friend and Lord.
Praise
God that we are adopted children of such a God, that we can
call Him “Abba, Father,” that we can place our hope and trust in Him and His
word, that we have such a one as Jesus interceding for us at His right hand,
and that we can look forward with confidence to the sure fulfillment of His
promises.
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