Jesus Christ Our
Passover
THE THIRTEENTH OF NISAN:
SUNSET TO SUNRISE
Part
Three
[*** Be sure to read Part Two before
continuing.]
After all this, the
apostles and Jesus Christ arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane. This is recorded
in every Gospel.
Matthew
26: 36 -- Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith
unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
Mark 14:
32 -- And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his
disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
Luke 22:
40 -- And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not
into temptation.
John 18: 1
-- When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over [beyond]
the brook Cedron [Kidron], where was a
garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
John 18: 1 has caused
many to assume that Jesus Christ’s last supper was eaten in Jerusalem, because
the Brook Kidron** runs between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, where the
traditional site of the garden is placed. But there are several things which
the Biblical student must realize in handling this statement about the
disciples' moving from the place of the last supper to the garden beyond the
Brook Kidron.
[** Kidron is also spelled
"Kedron" or "Cedron" in the Bible and other sources. The
Kidron is actually a ravine which, in Biblical times, would flow with water at
the end of winter. In fact, the word "brook" is
"winter-flowing" in the Greek.]
First, there is no
reason why Jesus could not have eaten his last supper at Bethany, then walked
around the Mount of Olives to the southern and eastern sides of Jerusalem for a
final look with his apostles before the arrest. Being below the city, they
would then start up that beautiful valley and finally walk across the Kidron to
the garden. They could even have entered the city via any of its southern or
eastern gates, walked past the Temple area together one last time, and then
left by the east gate to cross the Kidron. God's Word does not record all of the
events occurring as they walked from the place of the last supper to the
garden. However, it does record much teaching, prayer, and conversation during
this time. Certainly there was time for many actions that simply were not
recorded.
In the second place,
the present-day site of Gethsemane is only a traditional site. Eminent scholars
have challenged its authenticity. In Bible times such gardens were scattered on
the Mount of Olives and its surrounding area. Since the actual site of
Gethsemane is not known, its exact position in relationship to the Brook Kidron
and Jerusalem in Jesus Christ' time is not known. Further, the statement in
John that they went beyond the Brook Kidron to the garden does not necessitate
that they crossed over the brook from the west side to the east. All of this
information casts doubt on the arguments endeavoring to prove from John 18: 1
that the last supper was in Jerusalem in the upper room.
It is the erroneous
teaching that the last supper was the Passover meal that has caused the
confusion, because the Passover would have been eaten in Jerusalem. Since the
last supper was clearly not the Passover meal, however, there is no reason for
assuming that the last supper was eaten in Jerusalem. It is more logical that
it was eaten in Bethany, where Jesus had gone on prior evenings to fellowship
and eat with friends and disciples.
Upon entering the
Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ and his disciples were about to spend their
last minutes together. This was a time of intense prayer in the face of immense
pressure.
Matthew
26: 36 to 44 -- Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and
saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
And he
took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee [James and John], and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
Then saith
he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here,
and watch with me.
And he
went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, 0 my Father,
if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but
as thou wilt.
[Biblically, the word
"cup" is often used figuratively to indicate that one will partake of
whatever the cup contains. Sometimes the cup is (figuratively) full of iniquity
or the judgment and just retribution for iniquity ( see Psalms 11: 6, Isaiah
51: 17, Jeremiah 25: 15 to 18, Ezekiel 23: 33, Revelation 16: 19, 17: 4, 18: 6
). Here in Matthew 26: 39, as in John 18: 11, the cup represents the agonizing
responsibility set before Jesus Christ of taking the judgment for man's sins
upon himself.]
And he
cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What,
could ye not watch [keep
vigilant] with me one hour?
Watch and
pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
He went
away again the second time, and prayed, saying, 0 my Father, if this cup may
not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
And he
came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy .
And he
left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same
words.
The Master had come to
his most crucial hour before giving himself over to his enemies and yet his
closest associates could not stay awake to watch with him. Peter, James, and
John had been asked to stay awake and pray, yet the heaviness and anxiety of
the situation had built up to the point of almost being unbearable. According
to Luke 22: 45, "He found them sleeping for sorrow." The time of
suffering was near, and Jesus was facing that time alone.
Three times Jesus went
to God in prayer to establish God's revelation. Why did he ask God three times,
"If it be possible, let this cup pass from me"? Jesus was not afraid.
He was not doubtful of God's promises. He simply began to fully recognize the
excruciating suffering that was before him. There are many ways to die, and the
type of death Jesus would endure was most agonizing. If there were any other
way for God's plan of redemption to be carried out, Jesus asked that it be
done.
Luke 22:
43 -- And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
In the midst of prayer,
God provided His Son with an angel to strengthen him. What a relationship Jesus
Christ had with his Father. While God could not relieve Jesus of the
responsibility of enduring the suffering and death of the cross, He could give
him tremendous support.
Luke 22:
44 -- And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it
were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
This does not say that
Jesus sweat blood. It simply describes his sweat as being like great drops of
blood. Some believe that Jesus literally sweat blood.
[Medically, it is possible
to literally sweat blood under certain conditions, although it is extremely
rare. However, this verse is clearly a figurative expression, not literal. It
is interesting that some Greek and Aramaic sources omit Luke 22: 43 and 44.]
The use of the word
"as" makes it clear that a figurative usage is intended, the figure
of speech being simile. The word "blood" represents the life Jesus
poured into this prayer. Hence this figure emphasizes the intensity with which
Jesus prayed. Jesus prayed three times for another way to accomplish his task;
but these three times God's answer was established and complete. There was no
other way than the course set before Jesus. So with the greatest denial of self
and the greatest act of loving obedience in human history, Jesus Christ
submitted his own will to the will and purposes of God. After these moments of
agony and decision, Jesus returned to find his three disciples sleeping again.
Matthew
26: 45 -- Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now,
and take your rest: behold, the
hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
But shortly after he
told his disciples to rest here in verse 45, Jesus sensed a drastic change in
the situation and roused them to action.
Matthew
26: 46 and 47 -- Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray
me.
And while
he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great
multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the
people.
The Gospel of Matthew
says that the group that came for Jesus was an armed multitude. Further details
are in the Gospel of John.
John 18: 2
and 3 -- And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place [he was well aware that they would
be in that garden]: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither
with his disciples.
Judas
then, having received a band [speira is
the Greek word used of a cohort, which is a military term for a group of soldiers] of men and
officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and
torches and weapons.
During crowded feast times, the Temple was normally guarded
by an armed guard, a cohort consisting of four hundred to six hundred Roman
soldiers! Their basic purpose was to maintain order among the multitudes at the
Feast. There was also the regular Judean Temple guard composed of Levites. In
addition, according to Luke 22: 52, some chief priests and elders accompanied
the group making the arrest. At this Feast the religious leaders were so intent
on capturing Jesus that they solicited these Roman soldiers along with their
own officers of the Temple guard to arrest Jesus. In order to get Roman help,
the chief priest and other religious leaders needed only to depict Jesus as a
dangerous leader of rebels. Imagine hundreds of soldiers carrying torches and
weapons out of Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane. Then, under the light of
the full moon of the Passover season,* these hundreds of soldiers and Temple
guards are confronted by the object of their mission: one solitary man.
[* Since Nisan always began at the new moon, the moon would
be full at mid-month.]
John 18: 4
to 6 -- Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went
forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?
They
answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him,
stood with them.
As soon
then as he had said unto them, I am he,
they went backward, and fell to the ground.
Can you imagine one man
courageously stepping out to meet hundreds of soldiers searching to arrest him?
That is what Jesus did. Then, with complete presence of mind, already knowing
the answer to his question, he simply asked, "Whom seek ye?" Next he
admitted his identity with such calm straightforwardness that his questioners
were totally overcome. Even though hundreds of soldiers were with them, their
shock from Jesus' action was so great that they stepped back and dropped to the
ground.
John 18: 7
to 9 -- Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of
Nazareth.
Jesus
answered, I have told you that I am he:
if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:
That the
saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I
lost none.
Jesus was master of the
situation. He literally handed himself over to the soldiers. But he took care
to protect his disciples from arrest, because without Jesus' intervention the
soldiers most certainly would have taken them into custody as well.
Up to this point Judas
remained merged within the ranks of the soldiers. In order to save face with
the other apostles, Judas did not want to appear to be participating in the
capture of their master. So by staying in the background and then greeting
Jesus with a seemingly innocent kiss, Judas could feign that he had merely
followed the captors when he realized the Master was in danger. While appearing
to lovingly greet Jesus, Judas stepped forward and delivered a planned signal
for the soldiers and leaders -- this proved to be the kiss of death.
Matthew
26: 48 -- Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall
kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
Luke 22:
47 and 48 -- And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called
Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss
him.
But Jesus
said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
Matthew
26: 49 and 50 - And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and
kissed him.
And Jesus
said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? . . .
The juxtaposition of a kiss
with betrayal is ironic, as a kiss is the usual greeting of an intimate friend.
"Friend, wherefore art thou come?" This does not mean Jesus was
ignorant of Judas' intentions. The Aramaic reads, "My friend, for this
[meaning, this greeting of a kiss] are you come to me?" Jesus Christ's
words expressed the irony of Judas' action.
Luke 22:
49 and 50 -- When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said
unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
And one of
them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off [cut; his ear was not completely
severed so that it fell off] his right ear.
John 18:
10 -- Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's
servant [one of
the Levitical Temple guard], and cut off [cut,
not completely severed] his right ear. The
servant's name was Malchus.
Matthew
26: 50 to 54 -- And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then
came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
And,
behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a
servant of the high priest's, and smote off [cut, not completely severed] his ear.
Then said
Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take
the sword shall perish with the sword.
Thinkest
thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more
than twelve legions of angels?
But how
then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
Impetuous Peter, so
often impulsive in his actions, jumped to the defense of his master by
partially cutting off the ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest. That could have
potentially set off an explosive
and violent fray; however, Jesus Christ remained unflustered and in complete
control of the situation. He made it unmistakably clear that the soldiers were
going to take him away only because he chose to let them do so.
John 10:
15b and 18a -- ". . . and I lay down my life for the sheep". . .
"No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. . . ."
He could have had
twelve legions of angels to defend him if he chose, many more than there were
soldiers in that band. But Jesus' desire was to fulfill the Scriptures so he
gave himself over to these men.
Luke 22:
51 -- And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far [just hold it for a moment]. And he touched his ear, and healed him.
Jesus touched and
healed the man's ear which Peter had cut. Can you imagine what thoughts the
soldiers and the religious leaders must have had when Jesus restored Malchus'
ear. They had surely never before arrested anyone like this. After this miracle
in the midst of such tumult, Jesus wanted to know why the chief priests,
the Temple captains, and the elders chose to arrest him as though he were a
common criminal in hiding.
Luke 22:
52 and 53 -- Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the
temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a
thief, with swords and staves?
When I was
daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this
is your hour, and the power of darkness.
Jesus said that this
hour was not his, but rather his captors' hour and the hour of the power of darkness. The Adversary was having
his time of command. After this statement, the soldiers arrested Jesus and began
to take him away.
Matthew
26: 56 -- But this was done, that [with the result that] the
scriptures of the prophets might be [were] fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
As Jesus had predicted,
the disciples scattered from him, and "all the disciples forsook
him." There were two individuals at the scene of the arrest whom we should
specifically note as recorded in Mark 14.
Mark 14 :
51, 52, and 54 -- And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen
cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men [guards and soldiers] laid hold on him:
And he
left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
And Peter
followed him [Jesus] afar off. . . .
The young man who
escaped the soldiers is not named in God's Word, although the possibility of
his being Lazarus certainly merits consideration. The Biblical usage of
"naked" means that he had on only his tunic and girdle. The linen
cloth indicates that the young man may have been wealthy, which could apply to
Lazarus. As John 12: 10 noted, the religious leaders wanted to arrest Lazarus
as well as Jesus, and there is no indication that they pursued any of the other
disciples present. The presence of this young man is another indication that
others besides the twelve were present. While this young person was fleeing,
Peter was following Jesus and his captors at a distance.
Before taking Jesus to
Caiaphas, the guards and soldiers first took him to Annas, a former high
priest.
John 18:
12 to 14 -- Then the band and the captain [a tribune; a top-level Roman commander] and officers [officers of the Levitical Temple
guard] of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,
And led
him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the
high priest that same year.
Now
Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one
man should die for the people.
Annas himself had been
the only high priest at one time. In the minds of most Judeans who knew the
Scriptures, he would be the high priest as long as he lived. However, by this
point in time, the Romans had deposed Annas and appointed Caiaphas as high
priest. Thus while Caiaphas was the official high priest in the eyes of the
Romans, Annas remained the high priest in the eyes of Judaism. That is how the
Judeans had the unique situation of having two high priests at this time.
Caiaphas had the most legal power, but Annas for many reasons actually carried
the most influence in the religious community. Annas and Caiaphas, because of
position and being father and son-in-law, probably lived in the same palace.
[This is especially true
in the East where relatives often live together. Also, the first denial by
Peter was while Jesus was before Annas and Peter was at a fire in the courtyard.
In some of the other denials the situation was the same except that Jesus was
before Caiaphas. There is no indication that Peter went to a different
courtyard. Annas and Caiaphas probably lived in separate parts of the same
palace. That is why they would share a common courtyard.]
Annas, besides once
having been the sole high priest, had also influenced the decisions as to who
was to be chosen to succeed him in that position. No fewer than five of his
sons, a son-in-law, and one of his grandsons filled the office of high priest
at various times. Presently, at this time of Jesus' trial, Annas' son-in-law
Caiaphas was the high priest. That is clearly stated here in John 18: 13.
Annas was obviously as
resolute as his son-in-law in seeking the death of Jesus. And with his
experience in handling difficult situations, he would be valuable both in
dealing with Jesus and in formulating the charges against him.
1. Arrested in garden
late Monday night (Matthew 26: 47 to 6, Mark 14: 43 to 52, Luke 22: 47 to 53,
John 18: 2 to 12)
3. Appeared before
Caiaphas and Sanhedrin in a "night trial" late Monday night and very
early Tuesday morning (Matthew 26: 57 to 75, Mark 14: 53 to 72, Luke 22: 54 to
65, John 18: 24 to 27)
12. Died about 3 P.M.
on Wednesday (Matthew 27: 50 to 54, Mark 15: 37 to 39, Luke 23: 45 to 48, John
19: 30 to 37)
From Jesus' arrest
until his death was a period of approximately forty hours. During this time he
was utterly humiliated, illegally "tried," savagely tortured, and relentlessly
mocked.
Having studied the
arrest of Jesus Christ, I want to go again to his appearance before Annas and
events associated with that appearance. The record in John now focuses on
Peter, who had followed the group to the palace of the high priest.
John 18:
15 to 18 -- And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was
known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high
priest.
But Peter
stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known
unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in
Peter.
Then saith
the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am
not.
And the
servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was
cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed
himself.
This was Peter's first
denial. It was the only denial that occurred while Jesus was before Annas. It
happened as Peter entered the courtyard of the palace. The "other disciple
which was known unto the high priest" is not named here. It may have been
Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea.
The word
"palace" in John 18: 15 is the Greek word aule and the Aramaic word drtha, both of which are used of an open
courtyard around which a house is built. Peter had been standing outside the
door which was the gate leading from the street to the courtyard. When the
disciple known to the high priest spoke to the female porter keeping the door to
the courtyard, she allowed Peter to enter the courtyard area where the fire
was. There he warmed himself with servants and officers of the Temple. The
Roman soldiers, having carried out the arrest, were gone by this time.
John 18:
19 to 23 -- The high priest [here referring to Annas] then
asked Jesus of [about] his disciples,
and of [about] his doctrine.
Jesus
answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and
in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said
nothing.
Why askest
thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know
what I said.
And when
he had thus spoken, one of the officers [of the Temple guard] which
stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand [rhapisma], saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?
Jesus
answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why
smitest thou me?
End Of Part Three