John 18:1-11

BETRAYAL AND ARREST

Text: John 18:1-11

1

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Kidron, where was a garden, into which he entered, himself and his disciples.

2

Now Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus oft-times resorted thither with his disciples.

3

Judas then, having received the band of soldiers, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.

4

Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon him, went forth, and saith unto them, Whom seek ye?

5

They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, who betrayed him, was standing with them.

6

When therefore he said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

7

Again therefore he asked them, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

8

Jesus answered, I told you that I am he; if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:

9

that the word might be fulfilled which he spake, Of those whom thou hast given me I lost not one.

10

Simon Peter therefore having a sword drew it, and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant's name was Malchus.

11

Jesus therefore said unto Peter, Put up the sword into the sheath: the cup which the Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Queries

a.

Where was the garden into which Jesus entered with his disciples?

b.

Why did the crowd go backward when Jesus identified Himself?

c.

Why the boldness of Peter here when later he fled with the others?

Paraphrase (Harmony)

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Kidron, where was a garden, into which he entered, himself and his disciples; a place which was named Gethsemane: (all the Gethsemane experience falls between John 18:1 and John 18:2; cf. Matthew 26:37-46; Mark 14:32-41; and Luke 22:40-46). And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, who betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus oft-times resorted thither with his disciples came, and with a great multitude with swords and staves, with lanterns and torches, and weapons from the chief priests and the scribes, and elders of the people. And Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and elders, that were come against him, Are ye come out, as against a robber, with swords and staves to seize me? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched not forth your hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon him, went forth, and saith unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When therefore he said unto them, I am he, they went backward and fell to the ground. Again therefore he asked them, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I told you that I am he; if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way: that the word might be fulfilled which he spake, Of those whom thou has given me I lost not one. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he: take him, And lead him away safely, And straightway he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Rabbi; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, do that for which thou art come, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

Simon Peter therefore having a sword drew it, and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant's name was Malchus. And when they that were about him saw what would follow, they said, Lord shall we smite with the sword? Jesus therefore said unto Peter, Put up the sword into the sheath; all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. The cup which the Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? Suffer ye them thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? How then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? But all this is come to pass, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him, and fled.
And a certain young man followed with him, having a linen cloth cast about him, over his naked body; and they lay hold on him; but he left the linen cloth, and fled naked.

Summary

The Son of man, with legions of angels ready to answer His slightest beckoning, surrenders to betrayal by one of His disciples and arrest by the murderous rulers in order that the purpose of the Father may be fulfilled.

Comment

When Jesus finished His intercessory prayer (somewhere in Jerusalem), He beckoned the disciples to follow Him and He left the city. It is pure conjecture to try to establish the exact spot of the Upper Room and to guess which gate Jesus used to go out to the garden. In fact, it is equally uncertain just where Gethsemane was located. The most probable location for Gethsemane is on the brow of the Mt. of Olives. The word Gethsemane means oil press. The word John uses is chorion, or garden which is literally, a place enclosed, a farm. It was an olive orchard which was probably enclosed with a stone fence having within it an olive press. Jesus left the city of Jerusalem by one of the eastern gates and crossed the valley Kedron. This valley runs north and south along the eastern wall of Jerusalem, separating the city from the Mount of Olives. Most of the year the valley is bone dry. Only during the winter rainy season is there any water in the valley and then only during heavy rainfall. This valley seems to have been a favorite dumping place (cf. 1 Kings 15:13; 2 Kings 23:4; 2 Chronicles 29:16; 2 Chronicles 30:14; Jeremiah 31:40). It was over the same dry stream bed that David, a royal type of The King of Israel, fled before his rebellious son Absalom (cf. 2 Samuel 15:23).

The account of the Lord's experience in Gethsemane is recorded in the other three gospels (cf. Matthew 26:37-46; Mark 14:32-41; Luke 22:40-46), and John, led by the Holy Spirit, deemed it unnecessary to repeat the account.

The warning of Jesus to Judas at the Passover supper, What thou doest, do quickly (John 13:27) forced Judas to do immediately what he had not planned to do until after the feast was over, Judas may have taken the warning to mean that Jesus would leave the city the next day. We do not know the movements of Judas after he left the upper room but Samuel J. Andrews in The Life Of Our Lord Upon The Earth gives a good resume of what probably happened. Going immediately to Caiaphas, or to some other leading member of the Sanhedrin, he informs him where Jesus is, and announces that he is ready to fulfill his compact and at once to make the arrest. It was not, as we have seen, the intention to arrest Him during the feast lest there should be a popular tumult (Matthew 26:5); but now that an opportunity offered of seizing Him secretly at dead of night when all were asleep or engaged at the paschal meal, and therefore without danger of interference or uproar, His enemies could not hesitate. Once in their hands, the rest was easy. A hasty trial, a prejudged condemnation, an immediate execution, and the hated Prophet of Galilee was forever removed out of their way. All, perhaps, might be done by the hour of morning prayer and sacrifice. With great despatch all the necessary arrangements are made. Some soldiers the Sanhedrin had under its own direction, the guards of the temple commanded by -the captains of the temple,-' or, as translated by Campbell, -officers of the temple guard;-' and to these they added some of their own servants armed with staves. But they must be attended by Roman soldiers in case a disturbance should arise; and to this end Pilate was persuaded to place at their command the cohort, or a part of it, under its captain, that during the feast was stationed at Fort Antonia for the preservation of order. Some of the chief priests and elders were also themselves to be present, to direct the proceedings, and if necessary to control the people. The soldiers, or some portion of them were to be provided with lanterns and torches, probably to search the garden if any attempt was made to escape. That at this time the moon was full presents no objection. They would need lanterns and torches, even in a clear night and under a brilliant moon, because the western side of Olivet abounds in deserted tombs and caves. It is possible that they thought to surprise Him asleep. It was agreed that Judas should precede the others, and, approaching Him in a friendly way, kiss Him, and thus make Him known. This indicates that no resistance was anticipated.

Judas knew exactly where Jesus would be. It may be that Judas had taken the soldiers first to the upper room and finding Jesus and the disciples gone led the authorities directly to the garden because he knew this is where Jesus would go. Judas had often been to this garden with Jesus and the other disciples.
But they did not surprise Jesus! Jesus knew at all times exactly what was happening. He knew the unspoken thoughts of Judas-' heart. Seeing the many flickering torches and lanterns borne by the multitude of soldiers as they came across the Kedron toward the garden, Jesus knew exactly their purpose. As they approached, Jesus strode forward to meet them, coming out of the darkened shelter of the olive trees.
He takes command of the situation immediately by asking, Whom are you seeking? Their answer was, Jesus of Nazareth. Judas had not yet given his sign and was still standing in front of the crowd. Jesus must have taken another step or two forward leaving the disciples behind Him when He said, I am he! The complete calm, determined resolution, sublime majesty and commanding manner in both voice and demeanor surprised and startled those in the front of the crowd so that they stumbled backward over each other and some fell to the ground. There is no indication that Jesus did anything miraculous here to cause these soldiers to fall to the ground. There are many indications scattered through the Gospels that there was something extraordinarily subduing in the aspect and voice of Christ (when He cleansed the temple; when He had steadfastly set His face toward Jerusalem; when He walked through their midst unharmed; when they returned empty handed saying never a man so spake, etc.). Lenski thinks it was altogether miraculous and that the entire multitude fell backwards to the ground. Hendriksen says both the demeanor of Jesus and a miraculous sign both must account for the falling back of the soldiers. What Jesus did was completely unexpected! They expected Him to flee or at least hide. Barnes says, ... to suppose that there was (miraculous powerphysical force) greatly detracts from the moral sublimity of the scene. The truth is, they were caught, instead of catching Him. Theirs was a mean, treacherous errand. They were employing a traitor as their guide. They were to surprise Him but He surprised them! He brought all their nefarious scheming into the open and put them to shame. The Lord rebuked them and uncovered for them their cowardice when He said to them, as the synoptics record, Are you come out, as against a robber, with swords and staves to seize me? When I was among you daily in the temple, you made no move to arrest mebut this is your hour and the power of darkness.

After they had recovered somewhat from their surprise Jesus asked them again, Whom are you seeking? and they replied a second time, Jesus of Nazareth. As I told you before, He replies, I am Jesus of Nazareth, and if you are seeking me, let these other men behind me go their way unharmed. John 18:9 seems to be John's own parenthetical insertion into the narrative here as John is writing the account years later to show that what Jesus had prophecied John 6:39; John 10:28 and John 17:12 was in part fulfilled in this very incident.

Now Judas had already made a pact with the leaders. Judas had arranged to embrace His Master and this would be the signal for them to take Jesus by physical force and take Him away safely (said Judas). Judas probably feared some miraculous judgment or escape by Jesus. So Judas stepped forth and embraced Jesus with fervency, saying, Hail, Teacher! Jesus replied with deep pathos, no doubt, Friend, do what you have purposed in your heart to dobut must you betray the Son of man with a hypocritical embrace? At the signal the soldiers stepped forward and grasped Jesus-' arms roughly and as they were about to take Him away Simon Peter and another disciple rushed forward, their short dagger-type swords drawn, shouting, Lord shall we smite them with the sword? Impulsive Peter did not hesitate or wait for a reply but swung his sword at one of the servants of the high priest, Malchus by name. It is worthy of note in passing that this record, which not only gives the name of the servant but tells that it was his right ear which was severed by Peter, certainly is the record of one who was an eyewitness and not the record of someone in the second century church making up silly little subjective myths about a mythical Jesus!

Jesus turned to Peter with a firm rebuke and a stern command to put the sword into its sheath. The reasons for this command and Jesus-' refusal of the courageous act of Peter and the others are summarized by Hendriksen: (a) The cup which the Father had given Him, He must drink and Peter's deed is at variance with this determination of His to do so; (b) Jesus must be able to say to Pilate, My kingdom is not of this world. and if He allows them to fight with carnal weapons He cannot so answer; (c) If Jesus had wished to defend Himself He could have called legions of supernatural beings to His aidPeter's act was unnecessary and uncalled for; (d) Finally, all they that take the sword will perish with the sword. This last one needs a bit of amplification. Certain rulers, magistrates and law enforcers are to wield the sword at the command of God (cf. Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17; Titus 3:1, etc.). Those who wield the sword without just reason, and without receiving the orders of competent authority, are themselves liable to give life for life. National laws and governments are ordained by God and citizens of those national boundaries are to be subject to those governments as long as they do not demand that the individual violate the expressed will of God.

We have discussed before the boldness and courage of the disciples. Especially do we see it here! These men are not cowards. We do not believe that the record of them leaving Jesus and fleeing should be interpreted to mean they were cringing cowards (Matthew 26:56). We believe that Peter and John's boldness later as they entered into the very courtyard of the high priest as they followed Jesus indicates they may have felt the best thing they could do in the garden was to make good their escape in order to fight for their Master at a later, more opportune, time. Then when it finally came home to them that Jesus was not going to resist at allthat He was going to willingly submit to deaththey were disillusioned and despondent but not cringing in fear. Their hopes for a powerful, reigning, temporal Messiah had vanished. They were more ashamed than afraid.

This type of attitude toward the Messiah and the Messianic kingdom did not die with the disciples. Many people today still insist that the King and the Kingdom must maintain a worldly prestige. They will boldly and courageously battle for such prestige. But when it comes to being treated in the humiliating, despicable way the Saviour was treated, they all leave Him and flee.

A couple of incidents recorded by the Synoptics and omitted by John are worthy of notice here. First, Jesus said (Matthew 26:56) that the events then happening were fulfillments of prophecies made by the Old Testament prophets. His betrayal for thirty pieces of silver is prophecied by Zechariah and His sufferings are prophecied by Isaiah. There are over 300 prophecies concerning the birth, life and passion of Christ in the O.T. prophets.

Second, the Synoptics record that a young man (Mark 14:51-52) followed clad only in a linen cloth. He undoubtedly awoke in the middle of the night, having heard the noise of the multitude of soldiers, and being a follower of Jesus wrapped himself hurriedly and followed the throng out of the city into the garden. There he was discovered as a follower of Jesus and the soldiers grappled with him to arrest him also, but he fled leaving them holding the linen cloth (bed clothing?) with which he had wrapped himself. Some say this lad was John. Mark but we cannot be sure.

Quiz

1.

What does the word Gethsemane mean and where was it located?

2.

Where is the brook Kedron? Describe it.

3.

Describe what you believe transpired between Judas-' leaving the upper room and his leading the arresting party.

4.

Why did they fall to the ground when Jesus spoke to them?

5.

Why did Jesus say, ... let these go their way.?

6.

Why did Jesus command Peter to put away his sword?

7.

Did the disciples leave Him and flee because they were cowards? Explain your answer.