43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 45 And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 46 And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” 50 And they all left him and fled.
51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
While Jesus was still telling His disciples that His betrayer was coming, Judas arrived with a crowd armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. Judas told the crowd that the one he kissed was the one to arrest. Judas greeted Jesus calling Him Rabbi and kissed Him. This was a common greeting showing affection and honour to a teacher by a disciple, but Judas used it as his sign of betrayal. Peter (John 18:10) drew his sword to defend Jesus and managed to cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest (which Jesus healed, Luke 22:51), but it was a wrong move at the wrong time. Jesus asked them why they came to arrest Him like He was a robber when He had been teaching openly in the temple day after day and they didn’t seize Him. Jesus acknowledged that everything was happening as it was so that the prophecies about Him would be fulfilled. At that time everyone, including Peter, abandoned Jesus. Even Mark (most commentators believe that the young man mentioned was Mark himself) who had somehow come out at the news that Jesus was going to be arrested fled naked after an attempt to grab him.
Jesus went through some of the worst human experiences including being betrayed and abandoned by His closest friends. When Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus sympathises with our weaknesses, He not only knows what it’s like to face temptation but has personal, experiential knowledge, of what it’s like to go through the experiences we go through. When you pray, remember that Jesus knows what you’re going through.