Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest

from Google Images

After his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was over, and he was satisfied that his Father had reached out to comfort him through the presence of an angel, Jesus came to his disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow. Luke tells us that he told them to wake-up and pray, so they wouldn’t enter into temptation (Luke 22:45-46). The other Synoptics have Jesus telling his disciples to continue sleeping, but many scholars believe Matthew’s and Mark’s “Sleep on, now, and take your rest…” should be a question: “Do you sleep and take rest now?” (Matthew 26:45; Mark 14:41). If this is so, we have total agreement between the three records of Jesus’ prayer in the garden.

 

Jesus’ Prayer in Gethsemane

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Luke’s account of Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane is the shortest of the three Synoptics. According to the other two, Jesus prayed three times (Matthew 26:39-44; Mark 14:35-41). He prayed, because he was overwhelmed with sorrow and felt he was at the point of death (Matthew 26:38). Nevertheless, he interrupted that prayer for short discussions with Peter, James and John asking them to keep awake and pray with him. Why was it so important that these three stay awake?

 

Did Jesus Pray to Avoid the Crucifixion?

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After his final meal, which he shared with his disciples, and when he had finished speaking, Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39). Many of the things that were recorded to have been done by Jesus recently were planned ahead of time and kept secret, no doubt, to avoid any prior knowledge on the part of Judas and the authorities who wished to arrest him. However, this was not so for Jesus’ choice of where to go on the Mount of Olives to spend the night, and Judas knew of this place on the mount. A way had to be made for Jesus’ arrest, but that event couldn’t happen until the prophesied time—the day the Passover lamb was slain.

 

Jesus Being Ironical

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While they were in the state of unbelief, Jesus asked his Apostles, when they went out with the Seventy (Luke 22:35; cf. 10:4) and enjoyed the success of their labor, did they lack anything, and, of course, they replied they lacked nothing. In other words, while in the state of belief, they lacked nothing. God was with them, and they enjoyed success in everything they did in the service of the Kingdom of God (cf. Luke 10:17). However, now that they were in the state of unbelief, Jesus said they needed to do the opposite of what he had commanded them in Luke 10:4. In other words, they needed to take their purses and their scrips (shepherd bags), because, while in the state of unbelief they could not expect the provision of God. In fact, if they had no swords, they would now need to sell even their garment to buy one, because without faith they couldn’t expect the protection of God (Luke 22:36).

 

Does Satan Pray?

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Jesus first told the disciples that all of them would be offended in him that evening and this would be the fulfillment of prophecy (Mark 14:27; cf. Zechariah 13:7), but they didn’t believe him (cf. Mark 14:29). Then Jesus told Peter that Satan has desired (G1809) to sift all the Apostles, as though they were wheat, in order to separate them from Jesus (Luke 22:31). That is, Satan intends to kill Jesus and then scatter the Apostles in hope that he may prove them to be no more than chaff, as he had done with Judas, who, rather than being a disciple of the Lord, proved to be his betrayer.

 

The Disciples’ Authority

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The Apostles’ idea of the Kingdom of God, indeed the worldview of all Jews of the first century AD, had been that God would restore David’s throne, and Israel would defeat all its enemies and reign as first among the nations of the world, perhaps similar to Great Britain a few centuries ago when her empire stretched around the globe. It was in such a kingdom that the Apostles, John and James, wished to secure the most prominent seats (cf. Mark 10:37), and it was taught that in such a kingdom, the Messiah never died (cf. John 12:33-34).

 

The Strife of the Apostles

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It is a little difficult to understand what provoked the disciples into competing with one another for being the greatest disciple. Some scholars believe it was a struggle over the seating arrangements, each wanting to sit closest to Jesus (cf. Mark 10:37). In the first century the person to the right of the host was considered to be the most honorable position, and the second most honorable position was immediately to the host’s left. The third most important was to the host’s second right and the forth to the host’s second left, and so on until the positions at the table were full. Therefore, some scholars believe this is the context of the disciples’ quarrel. However, unless Luke’s record[1] is out of chronological order at this point, the text seems to conclude the disciples were already seated when the quarrel occurred (Luke 22:14). So, what can be said of these things?

 

Striving to Be Great

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As the New Covenant was inaugurated with the passing of the bread and the wine, Jesus broke what was perhaps the moment of contemplative silence with the words: “… the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table” (Luke 22:21). This time instead of saying to Jesus, “Is it I,” the apostles’ inquiries were directed toward one another. “Who could this be? Is it you, James or you John? The two of you are impulsive and have moments of terrible anger, wanting to call fire down from heaven to destroy people. Is it one of you? Perhaps is it you, Matthew. You were a tax collector, whose business was full of deceit. Deception would be easy for you. Is it you” (cf. Luke 22:23)?

 

The Betrayer and the Lord’s Supper

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When the time had come, that is, the particular day had arrived in which his final meal with his disciples was to be eaten, Jesus came with the Twelve and told them that he longed for this hour or day to arrive. However, we may need to ask what did he mean? Was he referring to that particular meal that he longed to share with his disciples? Or, did he long for a particular day to arrive and share his final meal with them (Luke 22:15)? It seems to me that Jesus referred to a particular day, as is seen in Luke 12:50. Jesus often spoke of his coming sufferings and death (cf. Matthew 20:17-22; Mark 10: 31-38), and the Gospels point to a specific hour or day that Jesus was destined to face (John 4:34, John 7:6-8, 10, John 10:39-41, John 12:27-28, John 18:11, John 19:30). It was this day that he longed to share with his disciples, those closest to him.

 

Reflections Upon the Lord’s Supper

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With great longing, Jesus desired the coming of this Passover day and a final meal with his disciples, before his death (cf. Luke 12:50). His hour had come that he should suffer and die (Luke 22:14-15), yet he longed for this time. Why? Up until this Passover, Israel looked back to a time when God, through Moses, broke the power of Pharaoh and led his people out of bondage. Israel was to kill the lamb they had chosen and sprinkle part of its blood around the lintel and the door posts of their houses (Exodus 12:7). By doing this, the plague of God’s judgment passed over Israel but destroyed the first born of Egypt (Exodus 12:13). This word translated “plague” (negeph, H5063) in Exodus 12:13, is translated “stumbling” in Isaiah 8:14. There it is used in connection with Christ being the Rock of offense and a Stone of stumbling.

 

Did Jesus Eat the Passover Seder?

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Have you ever heard people say there is a contradiction in the Gospel accounts pertaining to the meal Jesus shared with his disciples just before his crucifixion? It goes something like this: Luke tells us that the Last Supper (i.e. the Passover meal) was eaten on the Passover Feast Day, that is on the Holy Day Sabbath (Luke 22:15), but John tells us the meal Jesus and the disciples shared together was before the Feast Day (cf. John 13:29). In other words, Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare for the Passover (Luke 22:8), which they did (Luke 22:13). Afterward, Jesus and the twelve came and dined (Luke 22:14-15), but John seems to say: “No, the Feast Day and the great meal that was shared on that day was to occur the evening following the meal Jesus and the disciples shared together just before the crucifixion.” Which is it?

 

Secret Plans for Jesus’ Last Meal

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In the course of planning events, at times it is necessary to at least arrange some things secretly. For example, if the President of the United States were to make an appearance in a certain city, his route and destination may be known, but where his protectors (Secret Service Agents) were located would be unknown. Likewise, when Jesus’ life was in danger, he did certain things secretly. For example, when intended to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles at Jerusalem during the second year of his public ministry, he went there secretly (John 7:10). Moreover, when the Jewish authorities sought to kill Jesus immediately following his raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:53), he left the vicinity of Jerusalem, and no one knew where he was (John 11:54-57).