(43-54a)
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Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)
The Betrayal of Jesus
(Matthew 26:47–56;
Mark 14:43–52; Luke 22:47–53)
<1>After Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where they entered a garden. <2>Now Judas His betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with His disciples. <3>So Judas brought a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. They arrived at the garden carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.
<4>Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?”
<5>“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.
Jesus said, “I am He.”
And Judas His betrayer was standing there with them. <6>When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
<7>So He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.
<8>“I told you that I am He,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for Me, let these men go.” <9>This was to fulfill the word He had spoken: “I have not lost one of those You have given Me.”1
<10>Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.
<11>“Put your sword back in its sheath!” Jesus said to Peter. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?”
<12>Then the band of soldiers, with its commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him. <13>They brought Him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. <14>Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be better if one man died for the people.
Peter’s First Denial
(Matthew 26:69–70;
Mark 14:66–68; Luke 22:54–57)
<15>Now Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he also went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. <16>But Peter stood outside at the door. Then the disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
<17>At this, the servant girl watching the door said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of this man’s disciples?”
“I am not,” he answered.
<18>Because it was cold, the servants and officers were standing around a charcoal fire they had made to keep warm. And Peter was also standing with them, warming himself.
Jesus before the High Priest
(Matthew 26:57–68;
Mark 14:53–65; Luke 22:66–71)
<19>Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.
<20>“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered. “I always taught in the synagogues and at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. <21>Why are you asking Me? Ask those who heard My message. Surely they know what I said.”
<22>When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?”
<23>Jesus replied, “If I said something wrong, testify as to what was wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why did you strike Me?”
<24>Then Annas sent Him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.
Peter’s Second and Third Denials
(Matthew 26:71–75;
Mark 14:69–72; Luke 22:58–62)
<25>Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they asked him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?”
He denied it and said, “I am not.”
<26>One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you with Him in the garden?”
<27>Peter denied it once more, and immediately a rooster crowed.
Word Come Alive
(WCA)
Jesus is arrested
<1>When Jesus had spoken these words in prayer, he and his apprentices crossed over the Kidron Valley to a garden, which they entered.
<2>Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the garden well, because Jesus used to meet there often with his apprentices. <3>So Judas came to the garden, guiding a task force of soldiers and temple police from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They came wielding torches and lanterns and armed with weapons.
<4>Knowing in advance everything that was going to happen to him, Jesus came out and asked them, ‘Who are you looking for?’
<5>‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ they answered.
‘I am him,’ he told them, while even Judas the traitor was standing there with them. <6>When Jesus said, ‘I am him,’ they were taken aback and fell to the ground.
<7>Jesus asked them again, ‘Who are you looking for?’
‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ they repeated.
<8>He replied, ‘I’ve already told you I am him. If you’re looking only for me, then let these other men go.’ <9>This happened so that the words he had spoken earlier would be fulfilled: ‘I will not lose any of those he has given me. I will keep them all.’
<10>Just then, Simon Peter, who carried a knife on him, pulled it out and lunged forward at the high priest’s servant, a man named Malchus, slashing off his right ear.
<11>Jesus spoke directly to Peter, ‘Put your knife back! Am I not willing to drink the cup the Father has given me? I will not be spared the suffering and judgment the Father has assigned to me.’
<12>Next, the task force of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish temple police arrested Jesus. They tied his hands up <13>and led him first to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. <14>(Now Caiaphas, you may remember, was the man who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be better that one man died for the people.)
<15>Simon Peter and another one of Jesus’ apprentices were tagging along behind Jesus. Now because this second man was known to the high priest, he was allowed to go with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest’s residence, <16>while Peter had to stay outside at the entrance. The other apprentice—the one known to the high priest—returned, spoke to the servant girl who was on duty as doorkeeper and let Peter in.
<17>She asked him, ‘You aren’t another one of this man’s followers, are you?’
<18>The question caught Peter completely off guard. ‘No, I’m not,’ he blurted out.
It was cold and the servants and the police officers all huddled around the charcoal fire they had made, trying to get warm. Peter stood with them too, also trying to warm himself up.
The high priest cross-examines Jesus
<19>In the meantime the high priest started to cross-examine Jesus, asking him questions about his apprentices and his teaching.
<20>Making his position clear, Jesus answered calmly yet boldly, ‘I have always spoken openly in synagogues and in the temple courts, where all the Jews meet. I have never acted in an underhand way but have always been completely above board. <21>So why are you questioning me? Why don’t you ask those people who’ve heard me? They will know what I’ve said.’
<22>As Jesus spoke these words, one of the temple police near him reached forward and slapped him hard across the face. ‘How dare you speak to the high priest like that!’ he exclaimed angrily.
<23>Jesus replied, ‘If I have said something wrong, prove it by producing evidence. But if I have spoken the truth, why did you hit me?’ <24>Then Annas sent him, still with his hands tied up, to Caiaphas the high priest.
Peter disowns Jesus
<25>While all this was going on, Simon Peter was still standing by the fire trying to get warm. So the others with him asked him, ‘You aren’t another of his followers, are you?’
He insisted, ‘No way! I’m not.’
<26>One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him directly, ‘Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?’ <27>Peter denied it again, and at that moment a cock started to crow.
Because the Gospel of John does not provide some details about what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane, the following chronological harmony of the four Gospels is provided to fill in the gaps. The Bible text (in bold print) is from the King James Version of the Bible. The other information provided is commentary from the authors of the book, The Four-Fold Gospel.
The Four-Fold Gospel
(FFG)
CXXIII
GOING TO GETHSEMANE, AND AGONY THEREIN
(a Garden Between the Brook Kidron and the Mount of Olives. Late Thursday Night.)
aMatt. 26:30, 36–46; bMark 14:26, 32–42; cLuke 22:39–46; dJohn 18:1
d1 When Jesus had spoken these words [the words contained in John 14–16.], a30 And when they had sung a hymn [the shadow of the cross did not quench the spirit of praise in Christ], they went out c39 And he came out, and dhe went forth with his disciples cas his custom was, dover the brook Kidron, ainto {bunto} the mount of Olives. dwhere was a garden, into which he entered, himself and his disciples. {cand the disciples also followed him.} a36 Then cometh Jesus with them b32 And they come unto a place which was named {acalled} Gethsemane [The name Gethsemane means a place of oil-presses, and hence it accords well with the name of the mountain at whose base it was situated. But the place was now a garden. It was about half a mile from the city, and from what Luke says here and elsewhere (Luke 21:37), it seems that Jesus often resorted to it while in Jerusalem at the festivals. Compare also John 18:2], c40 And when he was at the place, he said {asaith} unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I pray. cPray that ye enter not into temptation. [As the hour of trial and temptation came upon Jesus he fortified himself against it by prayer. And he bade his disciples do likewise, for his arrest would involve them also in temptations which he foresaw that they would not be able to withstand.] a37 And he took {btaketh} with him Peter aand the two sons of Zebedee, bJames and John, and began to be greatly amazed, asorrowful and sore troubled. [While seeking heavenly aid in this hour of extremity, our Lord also manifested his desire for human sympathy. All the eleven apostles were with him in the garden, and the three most capable of sympathizing with him were stationed nearer to him than the rest.] c41 And he was parted from them about a stone’s cast [one hundred fifty to two hundred feet]; b34 And a38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: babide ye here, and watch. awith me. [The sequel shows that the phrase “even unto death” was no figure of rhetoric. The nervous prostration of Jesus was such as to endanger his life, and the watching of the apostles may have been doubly needful. Not only did he require their sympathy, but he may also have looked to them to render him assistance in the case of a physical collapse.] 39 And he went forward a little, cand he kneeled down band fell on the face, aand fell on his face, and prayed, bthat, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him. [This posture was expressive of the most intense supplication.] 36 And he said, {asaying,} bAbba, aMy Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: ball things are possible unto thee; cif thou be willing, remove this cup from me: bhowbeit anevertheless, not as {bwhat} I will, abut as {bwhat} thou wilt. cnot my will, but thine, be done. [Much of mystery is found in all life, so it is small wonder if the dual nature of Jesus presents insoluble problems. It perplexes many to find that the divine in Jesus did not sustain him better during his trial in the garden. But we must remember that it was appointed unto Jesus to die, and that the divine in him was not to interfere with this appointment, or the approaches to it. For want, therefore, of a better expression, we may say that from the time Jesus entered the garden until he expired on the cross, the human in him was in the ascendant; and “being found in fashion as a man,” he endured these trials is if wholly human. His prayer, therefore, is the cry of his humanity for deliverance. The words “if it is possible” with which it opens breathe the same spirit of submissive obedience which is found in the closing words. Reminding the Father of the limitless range of his power, he petitions him to change his counsel as to the crucifixion of the Son, if his gracious purposes can be in any other way carried out. Jesus uses the words “cup” and “hour” interchangeably. They are both words of broad compass, intended to include all that he would undergo from that time until his resurrection. They embrace all his mental, moral, physical, and spiritual suffering which we can discover, together with an infinite volume of a propitiatory and vicarious nature which lies beyond the reach of our understanding. The submission of Jesus was no new fruitage of his character; the prayer of the garden had been the inner purpose of his entire life—John 5:30 and 6:38.] 43 And there appeared unto him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground. [Commentators give instances of bloody sweat under abnormal pathological conditions.] 45 And when he rose up from his prayer, he came {acometh} unto the disciples, and findeth {cfound} them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. [The admonition which had at first been addressed to all the eleven is now spoken to the chosen three] aand saith unto Peter, bSimon, sleepest thou? couldest thou not watch one hour? aWhat, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. [Peter, having boasted of his loyalty, has his weakness pointed out and is further warned to be on his guard, since the weakness of his nature will not stand the coming strain. The slumber of the disciples was not through indifference; but was caused by the prostration of grief. When we remember the excitement which they had endured that night, the tender words spoken by Jesus, the sadness of which was intensified by the atmosphere of mystery which pervaded them, the beautiful and touching prayer, and lastly this agony in the garden, it is not to be wondered at that the apostles, spurred by no sense of danger, should succumb to the long-borne tension and fall asleep. Had they comprehended how much the Lord needed their wakeful sympathy as he came again and again seeking for it, they would probably have kept awake.] b39 And again aa second time he went away, and prayed, bsaying the same words. asaying, My Father, if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, thy will be done. [Jesus here speaks of draining the cup. The “cup” was a common Hebrew figure used to denote one’s divinely appointed lot or fortune—Ps. 23:5; 75:8; Isa. 51:17; Ezek. 23:31–33.] 43 And he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were bvery heavy; and they knew not what to answer him. [They were ashamed of the stupor which had come upon them and knew not what apology to make for it.] a44 And he left them again, and went away, and prayed a third time, saying again the same words. b41 And a45 Then cometh he to the disciples, bthe third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and that your rest: it is enough; abehold, the hour is at hand, {bthe hour is come;} aand bbehold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Arise, let us be going: behold, he that betrayeth me is at hand. [Our Lord’s words are paradoxical. In our judgment the saying is best understood by regarding the first part of it as spoken from the Lord’s viewpoint, while the latter part is spoken from the disciple’s viewpoint. It is as if he said, “So far as I am concerned, you may sleep on and take your rest, for the time to be of comfort or assistance to me has wholly passed. But so far as you yourselves are concerned, you must arise and be going, because Judas with his band of temple police is upon us.”]
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Study Guide
What was the significance of Jesus asking, ‘Whom are you seeking?’ in the context of His impending arrest?
What does the fulfillment of Jesus’ words about not losing any of His disciples suggest about His protective nature?
How does the concept of not losing any of His disciples apply to our understanding of salvation and grace?
How does Jesus’s fulfillment of His promise to not lose any of His disciples reflect on the way He cares for us today?
In what practical ways can we express our faith and loyalty to Jesus when facing societal pressure?
What steps can we take to ensure we remain steadfast in our faith when faced with challenges?
How can we support others around us who may be struggling with their faith, similar to how Jesus supported His disciples?
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Footnotes:
- 18:9 See John 6:39 and John 17:12. ↩︎
Thessalonian Faith 