| << Matt 26 | |
| << Mark 14 | |
| << Luke 22 | |
| << John 17 | |
| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
Matthew 26:36-56; Mark 14:32-52; Listen 
Luke 22:39-53; John 18:1-12
In this passage, we see the following in Jesus' ministry:
Jesus in the garden (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46; John 18:1)
Matthew 26 |
Mark 14 |
Luke 22 |
John 18 |
| 36 ¶ Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” 39 ¶ He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 40 ¶ Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 ¶ Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. 44 ¶ So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” |
32 ¶ Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” 35 ¶ He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” 37 ¶ Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 ¶ Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 ¶ Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” |
39 ¶ Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. 40 When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 ¶ And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 ¶ When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. 46 Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” |
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. |
Jesus heads from the supper to the Garden of Gethsemane. You will notice from John 18:1 that this is not the same occasion where Jesus prayed in John 17 (see notes). All the disciples went to the garden, but Matthew and Mark report that Jesus only took three of them (Peter, James and John) closer to the place in the garden where he prayed. It is worth noting that these disciples could not remain awake while Jesus prayed. These are disciples who, just a few hours earlier, had proclaimed that they would be willing to die for Jesus if necessary (Matthew 26:31-35; Mark 14:27-31; Luke 22:31-34; John 13:36-38 - see notes). Yeah! But can you stay awake for Jesus!
I think there's a lesson here. The test of discipleship is, first of all, obeying and following Jesus in the small things first. Matthew, Mark and Luke record the same comment by Jesus when he implies that the temptation to betrayal can be offset by prayer - not sleeping. Many Believers today are quick to declare the sacrifice that they are willing to make for the sake of Christ. Here's the question: Are you making the little sacrifices that demonstrate your love for Jesus Christ right now? Peter, James and John were admonished three times to "watch and pray," but they failed to do so. Is it any surprise, therefore, that they were also unwilling to stand with Jesus during his trials later on that night?
If Jesus is God (and he is), why is he praying? The answer is to be found in Philippians 2:7-8 (see notes), "but [Jesus] made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." At this point in time, Jesus had emptied himself of his attributes of deity; he communicated with God in Heaven just as we do. The subject of the prayer: Is there a way to redeem the world without dying on the cross? NO! It's an intense prayer - to the point that Luke (the physician) records, "His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." Luke's reference to blood here must mean that the sweat dripping from Jesus was in such quantity that it was similar to blood dripping from a wound. Yet, the disciples slept through the whole ordeal.
A couple of more observations are interesting here. John gives no detail regarding the prayer activities in Gethsemane. In fact, he was one of the sleepers in the garden; perhaps he did not witness very much there. Luke, on the other hand, is the only one to report that an angel came and ministered to Jesus there during his prayer. Luke received his eyewitness account from one or more of the disciples at a later date. Apparently all of the disciples could see Jesus praying, inasmuch as Luke reports that they were only a "stone's throw" away. Peter, James and John were closer.
By the way, we have seen Jesus gather these three disciples together for special events before. A year or so earlier, when Jesus went to the house of Jairus to resurrect his daughter (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56 - see notes), he only allowed these three of his disciples to accompany him into the house. Then again, at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36 - see notes), only these three of Jesus' disciples were allowed to witness that miracle. It's obvious that these three men had been selected for Jesus' leadership team among the disciples.
Then the temple crowd shows up. (Matthew 26:47-50; Mark 14:43-46; Luke 22:47-48; John 18:2-9)
Matthew 26 |
Mark 14 |
Luke 22 |
John 18 |
| 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?” ¶ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. |
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. 46 ¶ Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. |
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?” |
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.” |
John identifies the crowd in 18:3, "Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons." We see in John 18:2 that Judas anticipated that Jesus would go there because he had done so on previous occasions. You will recall from Luke 22:3-6 (see notes) that the agreement with Judas was that he take them to Jesus in a spot away from the multitudes so that they could take him without the notice of the common people. This isolated location in the garden was that opportunity.
Quite a crowd shows up to capture Jesus. John records, "a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons." This angry crowd is taking no chances. Judas does the betraying, but John records that Jesus freely and openly acknowledges that he is the one for whom they are looking. John records that Jesus shields the other disciples from danger in verses 8-9. He notes that Jesus did so in order to fulfill his own previous words found in John 17:12 (see notes) when he prayed, "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." Both Matthew and Mark report that Judas addresses Jesus as "Rabbi" (Greek: rabbi). This was a general title of respect and honor frequently used to acknowledge a person's accomplishments in interpreting the Jewish Scriptures. Matthew records in verse 50 that Jesus addresses Judas when he says, "Friend, why have you come?" The "friend" that is used to characterize Jesus' reference to Judas here is not the usual "philos" used for friend indicating affection between two people. Instead, Jesus refers to Judas as "hetairos," which simply means "comrade" or "associate."
We should observe that, while all of the disciples of Jesus did flee from Jesus that night, Jesus did encourage them to do so in John 18:8, "Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,"
Hey! You finished with that ear! (Matthew 26:51-56; Mark 14:47-52; Luke 22:49-53; John 18:10-12)
Matthew 26 |
Mark 14 |
Luke 22 |
John 18 |
| 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?” 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. |
47 And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 ¶ Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 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. |
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.” |
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?” 12 ¶ Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. |
Judas does the betrayal deed, but Peter takes his sword and lops off the ear of the high priest's servant, Malchus (John 18:10). Jesus returns the ear to its place and declares that his betrayal and capture are part of the divine plan. It's curious that only John records the actual name of the ear lopper.
Matthew 26:56 is an eye opener regarding Jesus' disciples - the ones who had earlier proclaimed that they would die for Jesus - when it says, "Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled." Mark says the same in verse 50. It's just most interesting to note that Matthew makes reference to himself (he was one of those disciples) when he records these words in verse 56.
Jesus points out to the angry mob ("with swords and clubs") how unnecessary it is for them to take him with this (seemingly) overwhelming force. Only Matthew makes a point to link Jesus' passive surrender to Old Testament prophecy when he says in verse 56, "But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." David, Isaiah and others had recorded prophecies concerning the suffering Messiah; there was no other way.
We should take notice of the fact that Peter was willing to fight to the death with Jesus; the sword/ear incident demonstrates that. Peter wasn't, however, prepared to passively stand there and surrender. Add to that the fact that Jesus requests that his disciples be allowed to leave without harm in John 18:8 (see above), and you can see why Peter's denial at this point wasn't such a glaring incident. However, later that night when Jesus was on trial before Annas and Caiaphas (Matthew 26:57-75; Mark 14:53-72; Luke 22:54-65; John 18:13-27 - see notes), Peter does make his infamous denial of Jesus that has caused him to be set apart from the other disciples.
Incidentally, "certain young man" of Mark 14:51-52 is only found in those two verses. Why did Mark only include this incident without explanation? Many have conjectured that Mark is referring to himself there; really, there's no way of knowing for certain.