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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 14:43

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And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

43 52. The Betrayal

43. And immediately ] while He yet spake, the garden was filled with armed men, and flashed with the light of numerous lanterns and torches, though the Paschal moon was at the full, for “in the rocky ravine of the Kidron there would fall great deep shadows from the declivity of the mountains and projecting rocks, and there were caverns and grottoes in which a fugitive might retreat.” Lange, Life of Christ, iv. 292.

cometh Judas ] During the two hours that had elapsed since he had gone forth from the Upper Room he had not been idle. He had reported to the ruling powers that the favourable moment had come, and had doubtless mentioned “the Garden” whither his Master was wont to resort. He now returned, but not alone, for

with him a great multitude with swords and staves ] These consisted partly ( a) of the regular Levitical guards of the Temple, the apparitors of the Sanhedrim, and partly ( b) of the detachment from the Roman cohort quartered in the Tower of Antonia under the “chiliarch” or tribune in command of the garrison (Joh 18:3; Joh 18:12). The high-priest, we may believe, had communicated with Pilate, and represented that the force was needed for the arrest of a false Messiah, dangerous to the Roman power.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

See the notes at Mat 26:47-57.

Mar 14:45

Master, Master – As if expressing great joy that he had found him again.

Mar 14:51

A certain young man – Who this was we have no means of determining, but it seems not improbable that he may have been the owner of the garden, and that he may have had an understanding with Jesus that he should visit it for retirement when he withdrew from the city. That he was not one of the apostles is clear. It is probable that be was roused from sleep by the noise made by the rabble, and came to render any aid in his power in quelling the disturbance. It is not known why this circumstance is recorded by Mark. It is omitted by all the other evangelists. It may have been recorded to show that the conspirators had instructions to take the apostles as well as Jesus, and supposing him to be one of them, they laid hold of him to take him before the high priest; or it may have been recorded in order to place his conduct in strong and honorable contrast with the timidity and fear of the disciples, who had all fled. Compare the notes at Mat 26:56.

A linen cloth cast about his naked body – He was roused from sleep, and probably threw around him, in his haste, what was most convenient. It was common to sleep in linen bed-clothes, and he seized a part of the clothes and hastily threw it round him.

The young men – The Roman soldiers. They were called young men because they were made up chiefly of youth. This was a Jewish mode of speaking. See Gen 14:24; 2Sa 2:14; Isa 13:18.

Laid hold on him – Supposing him to be one of the apostles.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

See Poole on “Mat 26:47“, and following verses to Mat 26:49.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And immediately, while he yet spake,…. The above words:

cometh Judas one of the twelve: apostles of Christ, and which was an aggravation of his wickedness; the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic, versions add, “Iscariot”; and so it is read in one of Beza’s copies. The Ethiopic version reads, “one of the ten”, very wrongly:

and with him a great multitude; a band of men and officers, with many of the chief priests and captains of the temple, and elders of the people, that mixed themselves with the crowd, to see how things would issue:

with swords and staves; which they intended to make use of, should any resistance be made in apprehending him, or any attempt to rescue him:

from the chief priests, and the Scribes, and the elders; from the Jewish sanhedrim, which consisted of these; [See comments on Mt 26:47].

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Treachery of Judas.

43 And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. 45 And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. 46 And they laid their hands on him, and took him. 47 And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. 50 And they all forsook him, and fled. 51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: 52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.

We have here the seizing of our Lord Jesus by the officers of the chief priests. This was what his enemies had long aimed at, they had often sent to take him; but he had escaped out of their hands, because his hour was not come, nor could they now have taken him, had he not freely surrendered himself. He began first to suffer in his soul, but afterward suffered in his body, that he might satisfy for sin, which begins in the heart, but afterwards makes the members of the body instruments of unrighteousness.

I. Here is a band of rude miscreants employed to take our Lord Jesus and make him a prisoner; a great multitude with swords and staves. There is no wickedness so black, no villany so horrid, but there may be found among the children of men fit tools to be made use of, that will not scruple to be employed; so miserably depraved and vitiated is mankind. At the head of this rabble is Judas, one of the twelve, one of those that had been many years intimately conversant with our Lord Jesus, had prophesied in his name, and in his name cast out devils, and yet betrayed him. It is no new thing for a very fair and plausible profession to end in a shameful and fatal apostasy. How art thou fallen, O Lucifer!

II. Men of no less figure than the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, sent them, and set them on work, who pretended to expect the Messiah, and to be ready to welcome him; and yet, when he is come, and has given undeniable proofs that it is he that should come, because he doth not make court to them, nor countenance and support their pomp and grandeur, because he appears not as a temporal prince, but sets up a spiritual kingdom, and preaches repentance, reformation, and a holy life, and directs men’s thoughts, and affections, and aims, to another world, they set themselves against him, and, without giving the credentials he produces an impartial examination, resolve to run him down.

III. Judas betrayed him with a kiss; abusing the freedom Christ used to allow his disciples of kissing his cheek at their return when they had been any time absent. He called him, Master, Master, and kissed him; he said, Rabbi, Rabbi, as if he had been now more respectful to him than ever. It is enough to put one for ever out of conceit with being called of men Rabbi, Rabbi (Matt. xxiii. 7), since it was with this compliment that Christ was betrayed. He bid them take him, and lead him away safely. Some think that he spoke this ironically, knowing that they could not secure him unless he pleased, that this Samson could break their bonds asunder as threads of tow, and make is escape, and then he should get the money, and Christ the honour, and no harm done; and I should think so too, but that Satan was entered into him, so that the worst and most malicious intention of this action is not too black to be supposed. Nay, he had often heard his Master say, that, being betrayed, he should be crucified, and had no reason to think otherwise.

IV. They arrested him, and made him their prisoner (v. 46); They laid their hands on him, rude and violent hands, and took him into custody; triumphing, it is likely, that they had done that which has been often before attempted in vain.

V. Peter laid about him in defence of his Master, and wounded one of the assailants, being for the present mindful of his promise, to venture his life with his Master. He was one of them that stood by, of them that were with him (so the word signifies), of those three disciples that were with him in the garden; he drew a sword, and aimed, it is likely, to cut off the head, but missed his blow, and only cut off the ear, of a servant of the high priest, v. 47. It is easier to fight for Christ, than to die for him; but Christ’s good soldiers overcome, not by taking other people’s lives, but by laying down their own, Rev. xii. 11.

VI. Christ argues with them that had seized him, and shows them the absurdity of their proceedings against him. 1. That they came out against him, as against a thief, whereas he was innocent of any crime; he taught daily in the temple, and if he had any wicked design, there it would some time or other have been discovered; nay, these officers of the chief priests, being retainers to the temple, may be supposed to have heard his sermons there (I was with you in the temple); and had he not taught them excellent doctrine, even his enemies themselves being judges? Were not all the words of his mouth in righteousness? Was there any thing froward or perverse in them? Prov. viii. 8. By his fruits he was known to be a good tree; why then did they come out against him as a thief? 2. That they came to take him thus privately, whereas he was neither ashamed nor afraid to appear publicly in the temple. He was none of those evil-doers that hate the light, neither come to the light, John iii. 20. If their masters had any thing to say to him, they might meet him any day in the temple, where he was ready to answer all challenges, all charges; and there they might do as they pleased with him, for the priests had the custody of the temple, and the command of the guards about it: but to come upon him thus at midnight, and in the place of his retirement, was base and cowardly. This was to do as David’s enemy, that sat in the lurking places of the villages, to murder the innocent, Ps. x. 8. But this was not all. 3. They came with swords and staves, as if he had been in arms against the government, and must have the posse comitatus raised to reduce him. There was no occasion for those weapons; but they made this ado, (1.) To secure themselves from the rage of some; they came armed, because they feared the people; but thus were they in great fear, where no fear was, Ps. liii. 5. (2.) To expose him to the rage of others. By coming with swords and staves to take him, they represented him to the people (who are apt to take impressions this way) as a dangerous turbulent man, and so endeavored to incense them against him, and make them cry out, Crucify him, crucify him, having no other way to gain their point.

VII. He reconciled himself to all this injurious, ignominious treatment, by referring himself to the Old-Testament predictions of the Messiah. I am hardly used, but I submit, for the scriptures must be fulfilled, v. 49. 1. See here what a regard Christ had to the scriptures; he would bear any thing rather than that the least jot or tittle of the word of God should fall to the ground; and as he had an eye to them in his sufferings, so he has in his glory; for what is Christ doing in the government of the world, but fulfilling the scriptures? 2. See what use we are to make of the Old Testament; we must search for Christ, the true treasure hid in that field: as the history of the New Testament expounds the prophecies of Old, so the prophecies of the Old Testament illustrate the history of the New.

VIII. All Christ’s disciples, hereupon, deserted him (v. 50); They all forsook him, and fled. They were very confident that they should adhere to him; but even good men know not what they will do, till they are tried. If it was such a comfort to him as he had lately intimated, that they had hitherto continued with him in his lesser trials (Luke xxii. 28), we may well imagine what a grief it was to him, that they deserted him now in the greatest, when they might have done him some service–when he was abused, to protect him, and when accused, to witness for him. Let not those that suffer for Christ, think it strange, if they be thus deserted, and if all the herd shun the wounded deer; they are not better than their Master, nor can expect to be better used either by their enemies or by their friends. When St. Paul was in peril, none stood by him, but all men forsook him, 2 Tim. iv. 16.

IX. The noise disturbed the neighbourhood, and some of the neighbours were brought into danger by the riot, Mar 14:51; Mar 14:52. This passage of story we have not in any other of the evangelists. Here is an account of a certain young man, who, as it should seem, was no disciple of Christ, nor, as some have imagined, a servant of the house wherein Christ had eaten the passover, who followed him to see what would become of him (as the sons of the prophets, when they understood that Elijah was to be taken up, went to view afar off, 2 Kings ii. 7), but some young man that lived near the garden, perhaps in the house to which the garden belonged. Now observe concerning him,

1. How he was frightened out of his bed, to be a spectator of Christ’s sufferings. Such a multitude, so armed, and coming with so much fury, and in the dead of night, and in a quiet village, could not but produce a great stir; this alarmed our young man, who perhaps thought they was some tumult or rising in the city, some uproar among the people, and had the curiosity to go, and see what the matter was, and was in such haste to inform himself, that he could not stay to dress himself, but threw a sheet about him, as if he would appear like a walking ghost, in grave clothes, to frighten those who had frightened him, and ran among the thickest of them with this question, What is to do here? Being told, he had a mind to see the issue, having, no doubt, heard much of the fame of this Jesus; and therefore, when all his disciples had quitted him, he continued to follow him, desirous to hear what he would say, and see what he would do. Some think that his having no other garment than this linen cloth upon his naked body, intimates that he was one of those Jews who made a great profession of piety that their neighbours, in token of which, among other instances of austerity and mortification of the body, they used no clothes but one linen garment, which, though contrived to be modest enough, was thin and cold. But I rather think that this was not his constant wear.

2. See how he was frightened into his bed again, when he was in danger of being made a sharer in Christ’s sufferings. His own disciples had run away from him; but this young man, having no concern for him, thought he might securely attend him, especially being so far from being armed, that he was not so much as clothed; but the young men, the Roman soldiers, who were called to assist, laid hold of him, for all was fish that came to their net. Perhaps they were now vexed at themselves, that they had suffered the disciples to run away, and they being got out of their reach they resolved to seize the first they could lay their hands on; though this young man was perhaps one of the strictest sect of the Jewish church, yet the Roman soldiers made no conscience of abusing him upon this occasion. Finding himself in danger, he left the linen cloth by which they had caught hold of him, and fled away naked. This passage is recorded to show what a barbarous crew this was, that was sent to seize Christ, and what a narrow escape the disciples had of falling into their hands, out of which nothing could have kept them but their Master’s care of them; If ye seek me, let these go their way, John xviii. 8. It also intimates that there is no hold of those who are led by curiosity only, and not by faith and conscience, to follow Christ.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

And the scribes ( ). Mark adds this item while Joh 18:3 mentions “Pharisees.” It was evidently a committee of the Sanhedrin for Judas had made his bargain with the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:1; Matt 26:3; Luke 22:2). See discussion of the betrayal and arrest on Mt 26:47-56 for details.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

One of the twelve. See on Mt 26:47; as also on multitude.

Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament

THE BETRAYAL AND ARREST OF JESUS, V. 43-46

1) “And immediately, while He yet spake,” (kai euthus eti autou lalountos) “And immediately while He was still speaking to His disciples,” the betrayer approached with deception in his soul, Mat 26:46.

2) “Cometh Judas, one of the twelve,” (paraginetai [ho] loudas eis ton dodeka) “The Judas who was one of the twelve (and absent) arrived,” knowing where Jesus often resorted to pray, Joh 18:2, leading a bandit-minded religious gang of Jewish leaders, Luk 22:47.

3) ”And with him a are at multitude,” (kai met autou ochlos) “And with him a crowd or throng,” a great mass of people, murder-minded people, “a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees,” Joh 18:3.

4) “With swords and staves,” (meta machairon kai ksulon) “Armed with swords and with clubs,” in the after-midnight hours, and John adds, ”with torches.” There were 1) Soldiers from the Roman Guard of Antonio, captains of the temple, Luk 22:52; Luk 22:2) Servants of the High Priest, Luk 22:50.

5) “From the” (para ton) “From (or alongside accompanying and supporting, or backing up the:”

a) “Chief priests,” (archiereon) “Chief or ruling priests,” the administrative priests of the Mosaic Law

b) “And the scribes,” (kai ton grammateon) “And t scribes,” writers and keepers of legal and religious documents, the clerks, librarians, and archives guardian of Jewish law records.

c) And the elders,” (kai ton presbuteron) “And the elders,” mature, older Jewish interpreters of Moses’ Law known as the Sanhedrin, the interpreters a adjudicators of religious issues among the nation Jews.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES

Mar. 14:48. ThiefRobber, or bandit.

Mar. 14:51. A linen cloth.A sindoneither a garment or bed-covering made of linen or muslin manufactured in Sind.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Mar. 14:43-52

(PARALLELS: Mat. 26:47-56; Luk. 22:47-53; Joh. 18:1-11.)

The captive Christ and the circle round Him.A comparison of the first three Gospels in this section shews a degree of similarity, often verbal, which is best accounted for by supposing that a common (oral) gospel, which had become traditionally fixed by frequent and long repetition, underlies them all. Marks account is briefest, and grasps with sure instinct the essential points; but, even in his brevity, he pauses to tell of the young man who so nearly shared the Lords apprehension. The canvas is narrow and crowded; but we may see unity in the picture, if we regard as the central fact the sacrilegious seizure of Jesus, and the other incidents and persons as grouped round it and Him, and reflecting various moods of mens feelings towards Him.

I. The avowed and hypocritical enemies of Incarnate Love.Again we have Marks favourite straightway, so frequent in the beginning of the Gospel, and occurring twice here, vividly painting both the sudden inburst of the crowd which interrupted Christs words and broke the holy silence of the garden, and Judas swift kiss. The passionless narrative tells the criminal and his crime with unsparing, unmoved tones, which have caught some echo beforehand of the Judges voice. To name the sinner, and to state without cloak or periphrasis what his deed really was, is condemnation enough. Which of us could stand it? Judas was foremost of the crowd. That the black depths of his spirit were agitated is plain from two thingsthe quick kiss, and the nauseous repetition of it. Straightway he kissed Him much. Probably the swiftness and vehemence, so graphically expressed by these two touches, were due not only to fear lest Christ should escape, and to hypocrisy over-acting its part, but reveal a struggle with conscience and ancient affection, and a fierce determination to do the thing and have it over. The very extravagances of evil betray the divided and stormy spirit of the doer. That traitors kiss has become a symbol for all treachery cloaked in the garb of affection. Its lessons and warnings are obvious; but this other may be addedthat such audacity and nauseousness of hypocrisy is not reached at a leap, but presupposes long underground tunnels of insincere discipleship, through which a man has burrowed, unseen by others, and perhaps unsuspected by himself. Much hypocrisy of the unconscious sort precedes the deliberate and conscious. How much less criminal and disgusting was the rude crowd at Judas heels! Most of them were mere passive tools. Half-ignorant hatred, which had had ample opportunities of becoming knowledge and love, offended formalism, blind obedience to ecclesiastical superiors, the dislike of goodnessthese impelled the rabble who burst into the Garden of Gethsemane.

II. Incarnate Love bound and patient.They laid hands on Him. That was the first stage in outragethe quick stretching of many hands to secure the unresisting Prisoner. They took Him, or, as perhaps we might better render, They held Him fast, as would have been done with any prisoner. Surely the quietest way of telling that stupendous fact is the best! It is easy to exclaim, and, after the fashion of some popular writers of Lives of Christ, to paint fancy pictures. It is better to be sparing of words, like Mark, and silently to meditate on the patient long-suffering of the love which submitted to these indignities, and on the blindness which had no welcome but this for God manifest in the flesh. Both are in full operation to-day, and the germs of the latter are in us all. Mark confines himself to that one of Christs sayings which sets in the clearest light His innocence and meek submissiveness. With all its calmness and patience, it is majestic and authoritative, and sounds as if spoken from a height far above the hubbub. Its question is not only an assertion of His innocence, and therefore of His captors guilt, but also declares the impotence of force as against Him: Swords and staves to take Me! All that parade of arms was out of place, for He was no evil-doer; needless, for He did not resist; and powerless, unless He chose to let them prevail. The second clause of Christs remonstrance appeals to their knowledge of Him and His words, and to their attitude towards Him. He would have them ask, Why this change in us, since He is the same? Did He deserve to be hailed as King a few short hours ago? How, then, before the palm branches are withered, can He deserve rude hands? The third clause rises beyond all notice of the human agents, and soars to the Divine purpose which wrought itself out through them. That Divine purpose does not make them guiltless, but it makes Jesus submissive. We, too, should train ourselves to see the hand that moves the pieces and to make Gods will our will, as becomes sons. Then Christs calm will be ours, and, ceasing from self and conscious of God everywhere and yielding our wills, which are the self of ourselves, to Him, we shall enter into rest.

III. Rash love defending its Lord with wrong weapons.Peter may have felt that he must do something to vindicate his recent boasting, and, with his usual headlong haste, stops neither to ask what good his sword is likely to do, nor to pick his man and take deliberte aim at him. If swords were to be used, they should do something more effectual than hacking off a poor servants ear. Christ and His cause are to be defended by other weapons. Christian heroism endures, and does not smite. Not only swords, but bitter words, which wound worse than they, are forbidden to Christs soldier. We are ever being tempted to fight Christs battles with the worlds weapons; and many a defender of the faith in later days, perhaps even in this very enlightened day, has repeated Peters fault with less excuse than he, and with very little of either his courage or his love.

IV. Cowardly love forsaking its Lord.__They all forsook Him, and fled. And who will venture to say that he would not have done so too? The tree that can stand such a blast must have deep roots. Their flight may teach us to place little reliance on our emotions, however genuine and deep, and to look for the security of our continual adherence to Christnot to our fluctuating feelings, but to His steadfast love.A. Maclaren, D.D.

Mar. 14:51-52. The young man in the linen cloth.As Jesus was being led a prisoner through the streets of Jerusalem to the palace of Caiaphas, a certain youth, awakened probably by the uproar they made, sprang from his bed, seized the first wrapper that came to hand, and, hastily folding himself in it, ran out into the moonlight, to learn the cause of the disturbance. As he ran after and caught up the retiring group of officers, he saw they had a prisoner in their midst, and in the prisoner he recognised Jesus of Nazareth, the rabbi to whom no doubt he had listened with delight as He taught in the Temple and in the streets; for, we are told, he was following Him, not simply following the crowd. In Him his interest is so great, so obvious, that it compels him to remonstrate with the officers who had arrested Him, or to address words of comfort and hope to their Prisoner. For the officers, irritated by his too obvious sympathy with Jesus, lay hold upon him, and are about to arrest him as a follower of the Galilean Rabbi. But for this the young man is not prepared. He slips out of the linen robe, which they have grasped, and runs back, naked, to the house from which but a few moments before he had run out.

I. In all probability the young man was St. Mark himself, the writer of this Gospel.

1. At least one other of the Evangelists, St. John, when he has to speak of himself, does not name himself, but speaks of himself in the indefinite way in which a certain young man is here introduced to us. So that, if the young man were Mark, it might well be that he would not name himself, but give some such indefinite allusion to himself as is here employed.
2. What is there in this incident to warrant, or even to account for, its insertion into the narrative, unless it be a personal interest? It is mentioned in no one of the other Gospels. It has no direct bearing on the story of Christs arrest and trial. If Mark himself was the young man that sprang up in the dead of night, and saw Jesus led by the officers to be tried by the high priest, we can understand with what profound interest he would afterward recall every detail of that incident, and how gladly, when he wrote his Gospel, he would connect himself, though in the most modest and unobtrusive way, with that supreme crisis in the history of his Lord and ours. Whereas, on any other hypothesis, supposing the young man to have been any one but himself, we can see no sufficient reason why he should pause to narrate so trifling an event.
3. The minute details crowded into this brief sentence look as if they could only be drawn from personal recollection. As we read it, if at least we read with an alert imagination, we can see the young man lying on his pallet; we can hear the brawl in the street that awakes him; we see him start up and snatch at the first covering that comes to hand, cast it hastily about him, run out into the moonlit street, recognise Jesus, and interfere impulsively with the officers in the execution of their duty; we see him roused to a sense of his danger as they lay rough hands upon him, and run away, leaving the costly linen robe in their hands. I have sometimes wondered whether there was any prophetic symbolism in the seeming accident that the young man should wrap himself in a sindon. The Lord Jesus was on His way to the Cross and the grave, though as yet no official sentence had been pronounced against Him. Was this fine linen web, this costly Indian fabric, which came so strangely and unexpectedly into the hands of His guard, an omen of what that sentence would be? Any Jew would have set the web aside to be a winding-sheet. Is the winding-sheet brought into the sacred narrative to indicate that Jesus was now about to die?

4. The mother of Mark, as we learn from Act. 12:12, had a house in Jerusalem; and it has been generally held that St. Mark was a native of this city, and dwelt in it until he became a missionary of the Cross: so that, unlike most of the disciples and friends of Jesus, he would be living in Jerusalem, and perhaps in that very street through which Jesus was led on the night of His betrayal. From the fact, moreover, that Marks mother had a house of her own in the metropolis, and that this house was spacious enough to be the habitual resort of the primitive Church, we infer that she was a woman of some wealth and considerationa woman, therefore, in whose house a costly Indian fabric, such as the young man cast about him, might well lie ready to his hand.

5. The impulsive character of this young mansoon hot, soon cold, ready to dare all risks at one moment that he may follow Jesus, and ready at the next moment to abandon his sole and costly garment that he may escape the hands of the officersaccords entirely with what we know of the character of Mark as depicted by St. Luke.

II. Why was this incident recorded? What is there in it for us?

1. It teaches us at least this lesson: that Christ has room in His service, and a discipline, for warm and impulsive natures; that even for these He can find some duty to discharge, some function to fulfil. St. Mark was a man of this kinda man who was apt to begin to build without counting the cost. He was of an eager, sensitive, and impressible temperament, as the graphic touches which abound in his Gospel indicate; but, like most persons of this sensitive, impulsive temperament, he was fickle and unsteadfast. Probably his imagination was very keen and active, as in such cases it often is, and painted the beauty and heroism of a certain line of conduct very brightly, but painted just as darkly the terrors of the conflict which to pursue such a line of conduct would involve. And thus he would be easily moved to undertake enterprises which he was not strong enough to carry through. Even when he had grown older and was an avowed servant of Christ, Mark betrayed the same infirmity, the same unsteadfast poise of spirit between conflicting impulses, the same sensitive apprehension of the lions that lurk in the path of devotion to any great cause. He started with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, just as he rose from his bed to follow Christ to the hall of judgment through the streets of Jerusalem; but just as he forsook Christ when the officers laid their rude grasp on Him, so also he abandoned Paul and Barnabas before their work was well begun (Act. 13:13). His motive for abandoning them was the very motive which led him to abandon Christthe fear of harm and loss. Paul and Barnabas were about to plunge into the wild mountains of Asia Minor, to encounter perils of rivers and perils of robbers among the lawless and marauding highland clans. Mark did not like the prospect. And so, just as they were about to face their gravest perils, and to win their greatest successes, he forsook themdeserted them, as St. Paul indignantly maintainedand returned to his mothers comfortable house in Jerusalem. Yet even for this impulsive and inconstant man there was not only room but an appropriate discipline in the service of Christ. In his later epistles St. Paul speaks of Mark as a fellow-worker in the kingdom of God, and as a comfort to himself; and in his very last letter he describes him as being profitable to him in the ministry. We may be sure, therefore, that this man, once so impulsive, so unreliable, so driven by contrary winds and tossed, became, by the teaching and grace of Christ, a brave and single-hearted servant of the Lord whose service he had more than once abandoned.

2. As we recall the past, we cannot but see that our lives have not flowed on in a single steady current to an eternal goal; that they have been broken into many, and even into adverse, currents, some flowing in one direction, some in another, most of them losing themselves in mere marshes and bogs, instead of carrying health and fertility along their appointed course. We are conscious that unity has been wanting to our lives, so that they will not have left one, and that a strong and good, impression on the world, but many broken and even contradictory impressions. Our influence, as we readily acknowledge, has not been wholly good; it has not always helped to foster all the good growths springing up around us; it has told almost as often and as much for evil as for good. We feel that, like St. Mark, we have again and again abandoned the Master we profess and wish to serve. And at times we lose all hope of ever reaching that constant mind, that settled and steadfast loyalty to Him, that entire devotion to His service, which yet we long to reach, without which, should we fail to reach it, we are sure that we cannot know any true happiness or peace. At such times as these it will give us new heart to remember that even for Mark there was reserved a place in the service of Christ, and a discipline which enabled him to fill that place. For the Master will deal with us as He dealt with him. If we have any true love for Him, any sincere desire to live to Him, He will teach us by our very errors, and train us by our very failures, and make our dissatisfaction with ourselves a spur to a more constant and cheerful obedience.S. Cox, D.D.

OUTLINES AND COMMENTS ON THE VERSES

Mar. 14:43. Who are like Judas to-day?Those who know their duty, feel the power of the truth, see the worth of Christ, recognise the privilege of the Christian life, and yet turn their back on all this and give themselves up as the slaves of their passions. Knowing perfectly the wrong they do, they do not hesitate to injure Christ for what they consider their advantage.

A picture of apostates.We see here but too lively a picture of apostates, who have no sooner deserted from the Church but they persecute it, put themselves at the head of conspiracies against the higher powers, and breathe nothing but violence, rebellion, and treason.P. Quesnel.

Mar. 14:44-45. The kiss of treachery.The kiss was a customary expression of mingled affection and reverence on the part of the disciples when they met their Master. To suppose that Judas deliberately selected an action which was as remote as possible from his then true feelings is an unnecessary supposition. It is more true to human nature to suppose that he endeavoured to appease whatever there may have been in the way of lingering protest in his conscience by an act of formal reverence that was dictated to him by long habit, and that served to veil from himself the full enormity of his crime at the moment of his doing it. In like manner the brigands in the south of Europe have been known to accompany deeds of thefts and deeds of blood with previous ejaculations whether of piety or superstition, and cases have been heard farther north of pickpockets when the thief and his victim have been kneeling side by side in a church or sitting side by side in a meeting-house. In these instances religion may be employed not simply as a blind to an immoral act, but as a sort of salve to a protesting conscience. The passing thrill of emotion seems to do something towards reducing the magnitude of the crime which accompanies it. The case of Judas has become a proverb for all those proceedings whereby, under the semblance of outward reverence for religion or of devotion to its interests, its substance or its reality is betrayed.Canon Liddon.

The hardihood of evil.Note:

1. The malignant influence of an evil leader.
2. The awful change in Judas. He might have been the leader of the twelve, of the holy company of disciples, and sinks to be the leader of this vile crew.
3. The hardihood of evil in kissing Christ: such resolute effrontery, such presumptuous invasion of that face before which earth and heaven shall flee away!
4. The infinite meekness of Christ. He requires us to endure the blow of an enemy. He endures the loathsome kiss.
5. As their number betrayed their sense of Christs greatness, so this kiss proclaims Him worthy of allegiance and of love.
6. The worst opponents of Christ are still those who betray with a kisssuch as those who oppose His claims while affecting to revere His character, and deny His Saviourship while acknowledging the excellence of His doctrine.
7. The depravity of human nature. For these men are our brothers. There is no sermon on the need of repentance can be so convicting as this narrative of what human nature has actually done.R. Glover.

Mar. 14:47. Worldly weapons.In relation to the advancement of the Church of Christ, worldly views, a worldly temper, worldly methods, efforts to secularise in order to popularise, however well meaning, are but the swinging of swords, which, if unchecked, would nullify Scripture and bar the way of life to men. There is a law in our members warring against the law of our minds. As opportunity offers it eagerly puts a sword in our hands and commands the use of it. We obey too often, to our own and others spiritual injury and the hindrance of the sacred cause we represent and would help.Wm. M. Campbell.

Mar. 14:50. A bad deed by good men.The apprehension of Christ in the garden was to the disciples a mystery. It confounded them. In their ignorance they were terrified, and deserted Christ. It was not want of love, but lack of courage. It was an eclipse, not an extinction, of their faith.

I. The disciples deserted Christ after promising not to do so?

1. They had promised after being warned. Ye shall be offended because of Me, etc. Christ candidly spoke of suffering. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
2. They had promised independently of each other. If all men, etc. So said all His disciples.
3. They had promised whatever would be the result. Go with Thee to prison, etc.

II. The disciples deserted Christ when He was in difficulties.

1. The instability of the best human friendship.
2. The terribleness of Christs sufferings.
3. The necessity of Christians counting the cost.

III. The disciples deserted Christ, though He suffered in their cause.This made them guilty of

1. Ingratitude.
2. Discouragement.
3. Cowardice.

IV. The disciples deserted Christ, but He remained steadfast.

1. The faithfulness of Christ.
2. The independence of Christ.
3. The courage of Christ.
4. The forbearance of Christ.B. D. Johns.

Christ forsaken by His disciples.

I. How weak is the resolution of fallen man!Man, as originally formed by God, was capable of carrying into execution whatever his judgment approved or his will decreed; but it is far otherwise with us in our present state. How earnest are many, when lying on a bed of sickness, to redeem their time; and how determined, if ever they should recover, to devote the remainder of their lives to God! Yet they are no sooner restored to health than they go back to their former habits and companions, and leave to a distant period the performance of their vows. It is thus also with many after an awakening discourse: they see how vain it is to render unto God a mere formal or hypocritical service, and they resolve that henceforth they will offer Him an undivided heart. But their hearts are not steadfast in the covenant which they make, and their lives are little else than a series of reformations and declensions without any solid improvement in the Divine life.

II. What great evils are even good men capable of committing!What ingratitude were these disciples guilty of in forsaking their Lord, when their presence might perhaps be of most essential service to Him? The unbelief also which they manifested on this occasion was highly criminal. They had been repeatedly told by Jesus that, after His death and resurrection, He would meet them in Galilee. This was equal to a promise on His part that they should be preserved. Moreover, at the very time when He was apprehended, He said in their hearing, If ye seek Me, let these go their way. This ought to have been regarded by them as a certain pledge of their security. But so completely were they overcome by fear that they could not think of safety but in flight.

III. How desirable is it to have just views of Jesus Christ!Our Lord forewarned His disciples that their desertion of Him would originate in their misconception of His character and office: All ye shall be offended in Me this night. They had seen their Divine Master controlling the very elements themselves, from whence they had concluded Him to be the true Messiah. But now they behold Him bound and led away by an armed band, they begin to think that all their former notions were false, and that the expectations which they had founded on His numerous miracles were delusive. Jesus seemed to them now to be like Samson after his locks were cut: He was become weak as other men. Hence they could no longer repose any confidence in Him, but fled like sheep without a shepherd. And is it not thus with the ungodly? Wherefore do they despise Jesus, but because they know neither His power nor His grace?C. Simeon.

Mar. 14:51-52. Impulse.

I. The excitement of impulse.

1. In the best cause.
(1) Associated with the best being.
(2) Manifested in the best way. Followed. Christ alone to lead.
(3) Fired by the best spirit. Courage when all others fled.
2. By an anonymous person.
(1) The youthful are the likeliest to be impulsive. Passions are strong; curiosity eager; ambition powerful.
(2) Mere impulse is a very commonplace passion.
3. Abruptly displayed.
(1) Thoughtless in regard to appearance.
(2) Aimless in regard to design.
(3) Useless in regard to service.

II. The opposition to impulse.

1. Association with Christ may entail danger. Needful to count the cost.
2. Impulsive natures need extraordinary prudence.
3. Those near to Christ most hated by the enemy.

III. The collapse of impulse.

1. Fear.
(1) No true love to Christ.
(2) Depended on His own strength.
(3) No fear of God.
(4) Love of life strong.
2. Desertion. Soon ripesoon rotten.
3. Oblivion. Never heard of again.B. D. Johns.

Christs care for His disciples.This accident, which seems to be of no consequence, serves to discover the power of Christ, and His great care and concern for His apostles.

1. He thereby admonishes Peter that he ought to fly from the occasion and not expose himself to temptation, these people having a design to seize all the disciples of our Lord.
2. He by this discovers the same danger to the rest, and advises them likewise to flee.
3. He shews them that it was by His power that they escaped the danger.
4. That even that person who by their means is exposed thereto escapes from it by the appointment of Providence, and because He Himself would suffer alone.P. Quesnel.

ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 14

Mar. 14:47. Mistaken zeal.The Saviours method is to conquer force by submission, violence by meekness, sin by the Cross. Yet many make this mistake, and defend a spiritual cause by carnal weapons. On a large scale the Crusades were an example of a continent ready to fight the devil in others with swords, without being ready to fight the devil in themselves with self-denial. All violence used in religion by inquisitors or by men impatient to enthrone the right is an example of Peters mistake. All hatred of those doing wrong, all vituperation of them, is a Peters sword. What Christ wants is some that can bear a cross with Him, not such as will draw a sword for Him.R. Glover.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

2. JESUS BETRAYED, 14:43-54

TEXT: 14:43-54

And straightway, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And when he was come, straightway he came to him, and saith, Rabbi; and kissed him. And they laid hands on him, and took him. But a certain one of them that stood by drew his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear. And Jesus answered and said unto them are ye come out, as against a robber, with swords and staves to seize me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching and ye took me not; but this is done that the scriptures might be fulfilled. And they all 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.
And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and there come together with him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. And Peter had followed him afar off, even within, into the court of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers, and warming himself in the light of the fire.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 14:43-54

822.

Please attempt a location of Jesus and His apostles when he said, Behold, he that betrayeth me is at hand.

823.

At what time was the betrayal made? How many were with Judas?

824.

Show how each of the three groups mentioned were involved in the betrayali.e.: (1) the chief priests, (2) the scribes, (3) the elders.

825.

Did Judas hate Jesus? Why betray Him?

826.

Why the need for a token. Why use a kiss as a sign? Notice the footnote on the word kissthis was not just a casual kiss.

827.

Is there any thought that some feared Jesus would escape?

828.

Show how Jesus willingly gave Himself up to His betrayer.

829.

What is the meaning of Rabbi? Why use this greeting?

830.

What was involved in laid hands on Him.

831.

What was right and wrong with Peters defense of Jesus?

832.

What did Peter imagine Jesus would do when he began his attack?

833.

Why strike the servant of the high-priest?;was he the nearest one or was there some other reason?

834.

What particular rebuke was in the words of Jesus in Mar. 14:48-49? i.e. what reflection on their power?

835.

What scripture was fulfilled in the betrayal and capture of Jesus?

836.

Why the incident of the young man as in Mar. 14:51-52?

837.

Why was this young man following Jesus?

838.

Why take Jesus to the high-priest for trial?

COMMENT

TIME.After the midnight of Thursday, April 6, A.D. 30. Probably between one and three oclock on the morning of Friday, April 7th. PLACE.The betrayal took place at Gethsemane, near the base of the western slope of the Mount of Olives, where the Lord had passed the agony. Gethsemane was at the western foot of the Mount of Olives, beyond the Kedron (black brook), so called from its dark waters, which was still more darkened by the blood from the foot of the altar in the temple. The spot now pointed out as Gethsemane lies on the right of the path to the Mount of Olives. The wall has been restored. Eight olive trees remain, all of them very old, but scarcely of the time of our Lord, since Titus, during the siege of Jerusalem, had all the trees of the district cut down.Schaff.

PARALLEL ACCOUNTS.Mat. 26:47-58; Luk. 22:47-55; Joh. 18:2-18.

LESSON OUTLINE.1. The Traitors Kiss. 2. The Flight of the Disciples. 3. The Lord Delivered to the Priests.

ANALYSIS

THE TRAITORS KISS, Mar. 14:43-46.

Enemies Guided by Judas. Mar. 14:43; Mat. 26:47; Luk. 22:47; Joh. 18:3.

The Traitors Sign. Mar. 14:44; Mat. 26:48.

Betrayed by a Kiss. Mar. 14:45; Mat. 26:49; Luk. 22:48.

The Lord Laid Hands Upon. Mar. 14:46; Mat. 26:50.

II.

THE LIGHT OF THE DISCIPLE:, Mar. 14:47-50.

Peter Draws the Sword. Mar. 14:47; Mat. 26:51; Luk. 22:50; Joh. 18:10.

The Lords Demand of His Enemies. Mar. 14:47-48; Mat. 26:55-56; Luk. 22:52-53.

The Apostles Panic-stricken. Mar. 14:50; Mat. 26:56.

III.

THE LORD DELIVERED TO THE PRIESTS, Mar. 14:51-54.

Mark Following at a Distance. Mar. 14:51-52.

Jesus Led to the Sanhedrim. Mar. 14:53; Mat. 26:57; Luk. 22:54; Joh. 18:13.

Peter in the Palace of Caiaphas. Mar. 14:54; Mat. 26:58; Luk. 22:54; Joh. 18:18.

INTRODUCTION

After his prayer (recorded in John 17) was ended, Jesus went with his disciples over the brook Kedron to the garden of Gethsemane, where he would await the coming of Judas. The apostate, after leaving the supper-room, had gone to the priests, and with them made arrangement for the immediate arrest of the Lord. Coming to the garden, Jesus takes with him Peter and James and John, and retires with them to a secluded spot. Here he begins to be heavy with sorrow, and, leaving the three, goes alone to pray. Returning, he finds them asleep. Leaving them, he again prays, and, in his agony, sweats a bloody sweat, but is strengthened by an angel. Again returning to the three disciples, he finds them asleep; he goes a third time and prays, and returning bids them sleep on, but soon announces the approach of Judas.Andrews. The order of events, as indicated by a comparison of the four accounts, I think it to have been substantially as follows: Christs prayer is broken in upon by the tramp of the approaching guards, and the gleaming of their lights as they issue from the gate of the city; their approach, observed across the intervening brook Kedron, he interprets as God final answer to his prayerit is the divine will that he should drink the bitter cup. He proceeds to the entrance of the garden and arouses his disciples (Mar. 14:46) ; Judas, who leads the band, draws near to kiss Jesus according to the pre-arranged signal; is abashed by the Lords reproachful question, Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? and makes no reply (Mar. 14:49-50; Luk. 22:48); the band shares his confusion, and, under the influence of the superhuman majesty of our Lord, falls backward (Joh. 18:4-6); the disciples, emboldened, ask permission to resist (Luk. 22:49), and Peter, more impetuous than the rest, does not wait for an answer, but initiates the attack (Mar. 14:51; Joh. 18:10); Christ rebukes him (Mar. 14:52-54), heals the wounded servant (Luk. 22:51), and demands of the officers that they let the disciples go their way (Joh. 18:8); the disciples, forbidden to resist, interpret this as a hint to escape, and flee (Mar. 14:56); at the same time the officers, who have recovered from their momentary awe, proceed to bind Jesus (Joh. 18:12), disregarding his dignified remonstrance against being treated as a thief (Mar. 14:55). For a full understanding of all the elements in this midnight scene, all the accounts should be carefully compared, but especially Matthew and John.Abbott.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

THE TRAITORS KISS.

Mar. 14:43. Cometh Judas. Between one and two oclock Friday morning. The movements of Judas, after the last supper, we may readily picture to ourselves in their outline. Going immediately to Caiaphas, or to some other leading member of the Sanhedrim, 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 the intention to arrest Christ during the feast, lest there be a popular tumult (Mat. 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, his enemies could not hesitate.Andrews. Judas knew the place, for it was a frequent resort of Jesus with his disciples (Joh. 18:2). A great multitude. This consisted, (1) of the band (Joh. 18:3; Joh. 18:12), or Roman cohort, which, consisting of 300 to 600 men, quartered in the tower of Antonia, overlooking the temple, and ever ready to put down any tumult or arrest any disturber. Probably so much of the band as could be spared was present. (2) There were the captains of the temple (Luk. 22:52), with their men, who guarded the temple and kept order, (3) Some of the chief priests and elders (Luk. 22:52). (4) And, finally, their servants, such as Malchus (Joh. 18:10), and others, who had been commissioned by the Jewish authorities.Clark. Swords and staves. The soldiers were armed with swords, the officers of the priests with staves. They also had torches, though the moon was at the full, probably to search under the shadows of the trees and the rocks.

Mar. 14:44. He that betrayed . . . a token. Judas had given them the sign previously. It was necessary, inasmuch as (the Roman soldiers did not personally know Christ, and) in the darkness he might be confounded, by the officers, with the disciples. The whole account indicates anxiety lest he should escape as he had done before (Joh. 7:45-46; Joh. 8:59; Joh. 10:39).Abbott. Shall kiss. The kiss, among the ancients, was a sign of affectionate and cordial intimacy, and particularly a token of fidelity. Nothing could be baser than to come in enmity with the signs of deepest affection. Thus Joab betrayed and murdered Abner; a treacherous deed that David could not forget when he was dying.

Mar. 14:45. Master, master; and kissed him. The salutation was hypocritical reverence. Master is the same as Rabbi, or teacher. Kissed him. An emphatic compound of the verb in the preceding verse, without exact equivalent in English, but denoting that he kissed him in an affectionate and earnest manner, adding to the guilt of the betrayal by the manner of committing it. .

Mar. 14:46. Laid their hands on him. This is an epitome of the following verses describing the capture. And took him. But only because Christ offers himself to be taken. He could have had twelve legions of angels to defend and rescue him, had he desired (Mat. 26:53). It was to be emphatically set forth before the eyes of allJudas as wellthat no man had power to bind this Jesus, or to lead him away to death, unless he himself should lay down his life.

II.

THE FLIGHT OF THE DISCIPLES.

Mar. 14:47. One of them . . . drew a sword. The one of them was Peter (Joh. 18:10). Why he was not mentioned is idle to inquire; one supposition only must be avoided, that there is any purpose in the omission. It is absurd to suppose that the mention of his name in a book current only among Christians, many years after the fact, could lead to his apprehension, which did not take place at the time, although he was recognized as the striker in the palace of the high priest (Joh. 18:26). The real reason of the non-apprehension was that the servant was healed by the Lord.Alford. And smote a servant of the high priest. His name was Malchus (Joh. 18:10). The impetuosity of the attack was just like Peter. He asked, Shall we fight? and waited not for the answer, but struck at once. It is likely that Malchus was one of those who had seized the Lord. Peters blow was one of his mistakes. Carnal weapons cannot defend the cause of the Lord. Besides, the Lord needed no defenders. The death of Christ was a voluntary surrendering of himself for the redemption of the world. Knowing the designs of the Pharisees against him, he could have eluded them by remaining beyond Jordan. Knowing the purpose of Judas to betray him, he could have withdrawn to some place of safety. But now that his mission of teaching, of healing, of guiding, was accomplished, the hour of sacrifice had come; and he was prepared to meet it. At the last, he could have summoned legions of angels to his help; but he gave himself for us.

Mar. 14:48. Are ye come out, as against a thief? The word is the same as that used in Joh. 18:40, of Barabbas, and points to the brigand chieftain of a lawless band, as distinct from the petty thief of towns or villages.Plumptre. Judas had cautioned the guard to lead Jesus away securely (Mar. 14:44), and when they finally arrested him they bound him (Joh. 18:12). This indignity, it appears to me, probably called forth the remonstrance of this verse. Compare the language of Luk. 22:52-53Abbott. Throughout his prolonged sufferings he complained of no other injury done to him than this; namely, that they came to apprehend him as a criminal.

Mar. 14:49. I was daily with you in the temple teaching. This was not like a brigand. Why did they not arrest him then? Took me not. The offense with which he was charged was one of teaching, not of robbery or violence; it was open, public, unconcealed, and the time to arrest him was the time of his teaching; he had neither hid himself, nor surrounded himself with his followers for self-protection; the indignity of this midnight arrest-was, therefore, gratuitous.Abbott. The Scriptures must be fulfilled. As, for instance, relative to Judas (Psa. 41:9), relative to Christ being treated as a transgressor (Isa. 53:12), relative to the desertion of the disciples (Zec. 13:7), According to the counsel of God, for the salvation of a sinful world, as declared in the Scriptures, the Messiah must suffer; that suffering must be thus brought about, Our Lords death could not be incidental or accidental. This declaration also contained consolation for his terrified disciples.

Mar. 14:50. They all forsook him and fled, All had said they would never forsake him, but as soon as he submitted to his captors they were all panic-stricken and fled like sheep. They had never taken up the idea that it would be consistent with the ends contemplated in the mission of the Messiah that he should be ignominiously arrested. This statement of the desertion of Jesus by all the disciples is one of the most remarkable instances of that honesty which led the evangelists to record facts, though to their own dishonor.Mimpriss.

III.

THE LORD DELIVERED TO THE PRIESTS.

Mar. 14:51. A certain young man. The incident of this young man occurs very briefly, and is narrated apparently for no purpose whatever. The only solution, certainly the best, is the supposition that it was no other than Mark himself. Mark was at this time a young man, living probably in Jerusalem with his mother, and was more or less a follower of Jesus, and very likely to be present, from his interest in our Lord, during these awful transactions. That he should not name himself is very naturally explained, on the same principle of personal delicacy as induced the evangelist John to allude to himself in the third person. Such are the views of Schaff, Ellicott, Godet, and others. The minuteness of Marks details of these events points to one who writes from personal knowledge. A linen cloth. A wrapper thrown over his undressed body. Doubtless this was the aba, an outer cloth thrown over the dress, and used even in sleep to enwrap the body. Dr. Thomson (vol. 1, p. 500) speaks of the very poor who sleep in their aba, or outer garment, and have no other raiment for their skin. But the word rendered here naked often signifies undressed, that is, clad in the under-garments alone, Mark had, probably, been roused from sleep, or just preparing to retire to rest in a house somewhere in the valley of Kedron, and he had nothing to cover him except the upper garment; but, in spite of this, he ventured, in his excitement, to press on amongst the crowd. This upper garment was worn much like a Scottish plaid.

Mar. 14:52. And he left the linen cloth. In attempting to lay hold on him, they grasped only the loose folds of the linen cloth. Letting this remain with them, he fled away and escaped, either not being pursued, or taking advantage of his knowledge of the place, in the darkness of the night, to elude his pursuers.

Mar. 14:53. Led Jesus away. Jesus was now absolutely alone in the power of his enemies. At the command of the tribune his hands were tied behind his back, and, forming a close array around him, the Roman soldiers, followed and surrounded by the Jewish servants, led him once more through the night, over the Kedron, and up the steep city slope beyond it, to the palace of the high priest.Farrar. To the high priest. We learn from John (Joh. 18:13-15) that Jesus was first taken to the house of Annas, and, after a brief delay here, to the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest.Andrews. It was the duty of Annas to examine the sacrifices, whether they were without blemish; there was significancy in it that Christ, the great Sacrifice, was presented to him, and sent away bound as approved and ready for the altar.Lightfoot. The actual high priest at the time was Caiaphas; but this Annas had been high priest, and as such enjoyed the title by courtesy. Being also a man of great wealth and influence, and of active habits, he took upon him much of the business of that office, as a sort of assessor to, or substitute for, Caiaphas, who was his son-in-law. Hence the evangelist describes them both as high priests (Luk. 3:2), as they were in fact. Were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. It was against the rules of Jewish law to hold a session of the Sanhedrim or council for the trial of capital offenses by night. Such an assembly on the night of the paschal supper must have been still more at variance with usage. The present gathering was therefore an informal oneprobably a packed meeting of those who were parties to the plot; Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea, and probably not a few others, like the young ruler of Luk. 18:18, not being summoned.Ellicott.

Mar. 14:54. Peter followed him afar off. After their flight in the garden, at least two of the apostles, Peter and John, turned about and followed from a distance the band that led the Savior. Peter followed secretly to see what the result would be. Into the place of the high priest. John, who was acquainted there, as we learn from his account, secured admission for Peter and himself. And warmed himself at the fire. The spring nights at Jerusalem, 2,600 feet above the sea, are often cold. The fire was built in an open court in the interior of the building, open to the sky, around which the palace was constructed.

FACT QUESTIONS 14:43-54

1010.

At what time did the betrayal occur? Why?

1011.

Describe the location of the garden of Gethsemane.

1012.

What shall we say of the olive trees shown to tourists as the very ones under which our Lord knelt?

1013.

Was it necessary to go over the Brook Kedron to reach Gethsemane?Trace the route.

1014.

At what juncture in His agony was our Lord strengthened by an angel?

1015.

Why did Jesus return to His disciples three times?was there any excuse for the sleep of the disciples?

1016.

What does Christ interpret as Gods final answer to His prayer?

1017.

What very unusual event occurs to Judas and those who have come to arrest Jesus? Why?

1018.

What two rebukes are given by Jesus during this betrayal scene?

1019.

What was the circumstance that prompted the enemies of Christ not to hesitate in the arrest?

1020.

Describe briefly the four groups in a great multitude who came to arrest Jesus.

1021.

Read Joh. 7:45-46; Joh. 8:59; Joh. 10:39 and show the reason for the anxiety of those who came to take Jesus.

1022.

How did Judas add to the guilt of his betrayal?

1023.

How did Jesus plainly show to all that no man could have taken Him without Jesus consent?

1024.

What purpose was there in not mentioning the name of Peter as one who struck Malchus?

1025.

Show three ways Jesus could have used to prevent His capture.

1026.

In what way did Jesus link himself with Barabbas? Cf. Joh. 18:40.

1027.

For what was Jesus arrested? Show how appropriate are the words of Mar. 14:49 a.

1028.

Read Psa. 41:9; Isa. 53:12; Zec. 13:7 and show how these were all fulfilled.

1029.

Show how Mar. 14:50 contains a remarkable instance of honesty on the part of the writer Mark.

1030.

Why record the incident of a certain young man? Who was this young man?

1031.

Why was the young man undressed?

1032.

Did the soldiers arrest the apostles? Why attempt to arrest the unnamed young man?

1033.

Describe the manner in which Christ was led away.

1034.

To whom was Jesus first led? WhyWhat special significance is there in this action?

1035.

How could it be that there were two high-priests? Who were they?

1036.

What type of assembly gathered to judge Jesus? Who was and who wasnt there?

1037.

Who followed with Peter? Why?Where?

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(43-45) And immediately, while he yet spake.See Notes on Mat. 26:47-50. Note the re-appearance of St. Marks characteristic immediately. Many of the better MSS. add the distinguishing Iscariot to the name of Judas.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

132. APPREHENSION OF JESUS, Mar 14:43-52 .

(See notes on Mat 26:47-57.)

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘And immediately, while he yet spoke, comes Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a host with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.’

Now that He was ready they came to arrest Him, and along with them was Judas, almost unbelievably ‘one of the twelve’. The appellation is emphasised to bring out the horror of the idea. Those twelve privileged men, who had spent so much time with Jesus, who had preached and healed and cast out spirits in His name, whom He had loved and to whom He had revealed so much. For whom He had purposed privileges beyond compare. And the betrayer was one of them.

‘And with him a host.’ In the full moon and the flickering lights of the torches the disciples discerned those who came with Judas, men with swords and staves, temple guards and hastily conscripted helpers, including slaves of the High Priest, sent on the authority of the Jewish leadership, (the Jerusalem Sanhedrin had powers of arrest and restraint), and behind them a host of people who were but shadows in the darkness.

It is possible, though not certain, that it included a group of Roman soldiers, depending on how we interpret John. John’s account may be seen as indicating that they included a body (‘cohort’) of Roman soldiers under their Chiliarch, brought along to make the arrest completely official. If so they would play no major part in the actual arrest except by exercise of their authority. They were there as a final seal of official approval, arranged so that the Jewish leaders would later be able to divert attention from their own guilt. But the presence of such Roman soldiers is open to debate. The words ‘band’ or ‘cohort’ (Joh 18:3) and ‘Chiliarch’ (Joh 18:12) may have been loosely used among Temple soldiery of themselves and their leader. However it makes little difference in the event.

The whole story from now on is a strange admixture. The Jewish leaders determined on Jesus’ death and yet seeking to place the blame in the eyes of the people on Pilate, the Roman governor. And Pilate, lending grudging support to the affair in view of what he had probably been told was a dangerous revolutionary, but wanting to leave the Jews to sort it out under the terms of their own authority because he was not really convinced and suspected that they had their own motives for what they were doing. And because he did not like them.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The Arrest of Jesus (14:43-52).

Many hours have now passed since sunset. The Passover meal had been eaten, the discourses in John 14-16 had been given, the walk to the Garden had taken place followed by well over an hour of prayer, possibly even two to three hours. And on the other side, Judas had left after the Passover meal, and during those hours had gone to the conspirators who themselves probably had to leave their Passover meals in a hurry, had to alert their guards and call on the prearranged official party of Roman soldiers and then make their way to the Garden. And he had waited impatiently, wishing that everything was over. And now the two groups have converged together.

Analysis.

a And immediately, while He yet spoke, comes Judas, one of the twelve (Mar 14:43 a).

b And with him a host with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders (Mar 14:43 b)

c Now he who betrayed Him had given them an agreed signal saying, “Whoever I will kiss, that is He. Take Him and lead Him away safely.” And when he was come immediately he came to Him and says, “Rabbi!”. And firmly kissed him (Mar 14:44-45).

d And they laid hands on Him and took Him (Mar 14:46).

c And a certain one of those who stood by drew his sword and smote the high priest’s bondservant and struck off his ear (Mar 14:47).

b And Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you come out as against a brigand, with swords and staves, to seize me? I was with you daily in the Temple teaching and you did not arrest me. But this is done that the Scriptures might be fulfilled” (Mar 14:48-49).

a And they all left Him and fled. And a certain young man followed with Him, having a linen cloak thrown about him over his naked body, and they laid hold on him, but he left the linen cloak and fled naked (Mar 14:50-52).

Note that in ‘a’ Judas, one of the twelve, came in his act of betrayal, and in the parallel the remainder of the twelve fled, in their act of betrayal. In ‘b’ they came with swords and staves, and in the parallel Jesus asks why they have come with swords and staves. In ‘c’ we have the firm reaction of Judas, and in the parallel the firm reaction of another of Jesus’ disciples. Centrally in ‘d’ the final sacrilege, they laid hands on Him and took Him.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The Capture of Jesus.

The betrayal:

v. 43. And immediately, while He yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the Twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

v. 44. And he that betrayed Him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He; take Him, and lead Him away safely.

v. 45. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to Him and saith, Master, Master; and kissed Him.

Before Jesus had finished His last admonition to His disciples, Judas with his eager band came into the neighborhood, appeared upon the scene. As if to heighten the emphasis upon the heinousness of his transgression, he is called by his full name, Judas Iscariot, the man from Kerioth, one of the Twelve. His treason was all the more dastardly, since he had enjoyed the trust of the Lord and had heard all the confiding talks which the Master had given those of the inner circle. With him came a band (fitting name!) of the servants of the high priests and scribes and elders. As though anticipating resistance on the part of the followers of Christ, there were swords as well as stout cudgels, or clubs, to be used by the members of the party. Perhaps the members of the Sanhedrin hoped to take Christ with all His disciples and thus, at one swoop, to exterminate the hated party. The traitor had used cautious cunning in planning the arrest of Jesus by giving the band a definite sign, previously agreed upon. A kiss, the sign of friendship and love, should be the token to them. That Man they should be sure to take, leading Him away safely, either so that they need fear nothing from Him in the nature of an attempted escape, or that they must be on their guard and watch the prisoner carefully, lest He walk from their midst, as He had done before, in similar situations. Judas might have saved his breath. The matter was long ago out of his hands and beyond his authority. But Judas lost no time. As quickly as possible he stepped up to Jesus, addressing Him with the term “rabbi” and kissing Him most tenderly, or again and again; disgusting, revolting hypocrisy! With good reason he has been, since that time, an example of warning to the believers of all times. So low may one fall that was once a disciple of Christ, but then has deliberately denied faith and good conscience. History tells of many such Judases that delivered their former fellow-Christians into the hands of their enemies and gave up the most sacred possessions and rights into the hands of the adversaries. There is no meanness so great as that of a former friend.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Mar 14:43-52 . See on Mat 26:47-56 . Comp. Luk 22:47-53 . The brief, vivid, terse narrative, especially as regards the blow of the sword and the young man that fled (which are alleged by Wilke to be interpolated), testifies to its originality.

] without augment. See Winer, p. 67 f. [E. T. 84 f.].

] a concerted signal , belongs to the later Greek. See Wetstein and Kypke, Sturz, Dial. Al. p. 196.

] securely , so that He cannot escape. Comp. Act 16:23 .

Mar 14:45 . , ] The betrayer himself is under excitement.

Mar 14:49 . . . .] sc. : . . ., Mar 14:48 . Comp. Joh 9:3 ; Joh 1:8 ; Joh 13:18 .

Mar 14:50 . It would have been more exact to name the subject (the disciples).

Mar 14:51 f. ] (see the critical remarks): he followed Him along with , was included among those who accompanied Jesus in the garden.

] a garment like a shirt, made of cotton cloth or of linen (see Bast, ep. crit. p. 180), in which people slept. “Atque ita hic juvenis lecto exsilierat,” Grotius.

] not to be supplemented by , but a neuter substantive. Comp. , the nakedness , and see in general Khner, II. p. 118.

If were genuine, it would not have to be explained as the soldiers (Casaubon, Grotius, de Wette), since the context makes no mention of such, but generally: the young people , who were to be found in the , Mar 14:43 .

Who the young man was , is not to be defined more precisely than as: an adherent of Jesus , [167] but not one of the Twelve . The latter point follows not from Mar 14:50 (for this young man also, in fact, had fled), but from the designation . in itself, as well as from the fact that he already had on the night-dress, and therefore had not been in the company at the table. There was no justification, therefore, for guessing at John (Ambrose, Chrysostom, Gregory, Moral , Mar 14:23 ), while others have even concluded from the one garment that it was James the Just , the brother of the Lord (Epiphanius, Haer. lxxxvii. 13, as also in Theophylact). There are other precarious hypotheses, such as: a youth from the house where Jesus had eaten the Passover (Victor Antiochenus and Theophylact), or from a neighbouring farm (Grotius), or Mark himself (Olshausen, Bisping). The latter is assumed also by Lange, who calls him a “premature Joseph of Arimathea;” and likewise by Lichtenstein, who, by a series of combinations, identifies the evangelist with a son of the master of the house where the Passover took place. Casaubon aptly remarks: “quis fuerit hic juvenis quaerere curiosum est et vanum, quando inveniri to non potest.” Probably Mark himself did not know his name.

It must be left undetermined, too, whence (possibly from Peter?) he learned this little episode, [168] which was probably passed over by Matthew and Luke only on account of its unimportance.

;] “pudorem vicit timor in magno periculo,” Bengel.

[167] Not possibly Saul (the subsequent Apostle Paul), who had run after Him from curiosity, as Ewald, Gesch. der apost. Zeit. p. 339, conjectures.

[168] According to Baur, only a piquant addition of Mark; according to Hilgenfeld, it is connected with Mark’s conception of a more extended circle of disciples (Mar 2:14 ?).

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

(43) And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. (44) And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. (45) And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. (46) And they laid their hands on him, and took him. (47) And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. (48) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? (49) I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. (50) And they all forsook him and fled. (51) And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: (52) And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.

I beg the Reader to observe, and to observe with the awakened attention so infinitely an interesting subject merits, the order in which the LORD JESUS proceeded in this business. The agonies in the garden were finished, the temptations to be endured there from the powers of darkness gone through; and now the LORD JESUS as one hastening with holy zeal to the close of his sufferings, calls upon his disciples to arise, and go to meet the traitor and his party for the execution. Reader do not overlook this! Remember it is one of the great features in the merits of CHRIST’s death the freeness and voluntary offer of the LORD. See Joh 10:17 ; Psa 40:6-8 . He had said before to Judas at the table, that thou doest do quickly. But no man at the table knew for what intent JESUS said this unto him. Joh 13:27-28 . But we may learn from it, that it shewed the promptness of CHRIST’s heart to the work. And though he knew the sorrows which it must induce, yet, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despised the shame. Yea, JESUS called the time, the hour of his glory. And as soon as the traitor had left the company, Jesus declared that he was now glorified. See Joh 13:31-32 . Reader! do not over look these precious traits of character in the person of thy Redeemer!

I request you never to lose sight of those two grand points, in the sufferings and death of the LORD JESUS. The one is, the infinite dignity of his person, GOD and Man in one. The other is the free-will offering of the LORD. Behold him under these views coming forth from the garden to meet the traitor, and crying out, Rise up! let us go! lo! he that betrayeth me is at hand.

It is a matter worth attention also, to observe how the traitor came, with a band of armed men. To take whom? The meek and lowly JESUS, in whose mouth was found no guile, and who when he was reviled, he reviled not again. But we must not overlook in this the LORD ‘s hand. Here was JEHOVAH’s purpose in all this. The HOLY GHOST, by the Psalmist had prophesied, that both the heathen should rage, and the kings of the earth with the rulers take counsel together against the LORD, and against his CHRIST, his anointed. Psa 2:1-2 . And here it is: Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Roman soldiers, all Gentiles, or as they are called, the Heathen, shall have their hand in the death of CHRIST, as well as the rulers of the Jews. And where fore? Surely, because CHRIST died, both for Jew and Gentile; and therefore both shall be involved in the guilt, as CHRIST is JEHOVAH’s salvation for both to the ends of the earth. Isa 49:6 .

As the season of the Passover was nearly, if not at the time of the full moon, unless it was a cloudy night, it should seem that they could not have needed lantherns; but yet the Evangelist John, in his relation of this circumstance, of Judas and the band, saith, that they came with lantherns and torches and weapons. Joh 18:3 . And it is further remarkable, that not only the Roman soldiers, but the party which came with them, should be so ignorant of CHRIST’s person, that Judas should think it necessary to give them a token, by way of discovering the LORD JESUS. But I rather think, that the horrible state of the traitor’s mind was such, that though he had sold himself to this most detestable deed, yet his sense of CHRIST’s GOD HEAD was such, that as he knew what JESUS had before, wrought in moments of danger, so he might accomplish the same and escape out of their hands. I pray the Reader, in confirmation of this, to turn to Luk 4:28-30 ; Joh 8:59 ; Joh 10:39 . In short, the man was desperate, and acted desperately. He went before the band, (Luke saith,) and he repeated Rabbi twice, when he kissed CHRIST, as if to imply, how much he loved him. But what a heart-cutting answer the LORD JESUS’s must have been to him, had he not been wholly graceless: Judas! (calling him by his name, as if to shew him that he not only knew him, but knew his whole heart,) betrayest thou the SON of Man with a kiss ? Reader! ponder over the awful subject! Surely the HOLY GHOST hath designed in the history of this man, to shew to what a depth of iniquity the mind of man is capable of falling, See Joh 13:18 , etc.

The one of them that stood by, John saith, was Peter. Joh 18:10 , which drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus. It was a zeal to their Master which prompted all the disciples to declare their re solution to die with CHRIST. And here was a proof of it in Peter. The deed gave occasion for a new miracle to be wrought by CHRIST, in healing the wound, and restoring the ear; but no miracle could affect the heart of those which were given up to a reprobate mind. See that awful scripture. Jud 1:4 .

If we gather into one point of view, all that the LORD JESUS said, after this action of Peter’s, in cutting of the ear of Malchus, we shall find large room for improvement. According to Matthew’s account of this scene, Jesus first addressed Peter: Put up again thy sword into his place, etc. See Mat 26:52 , etc. JESUS next addressed the multitude, according to chap. Luk 22:51 ; Suffer ye thus far; and he touched his ear and healed him. He then remonstrated with the Chief Priests, and Captains of the temple, and Elders, in that they were come out as against a thief, to take him, and then asserted his supreme power in common with his Father, for deliverance, had he pleased; but declared the absolute necessity of the measure, for the accomplishment of the scriptures. And which by the way, I beg the Reader not to overlook, in relation to those numerous scriptures, which so largely dwell upon it. Psa 69:22 ; Isa 53 ; Zec 13:7 , etc.

Mark is the only Evangelist which relates the circumstance of this young man following CHRIST, and he doth not give us the least traces to form any opinion who he was. But all the historians of this awful scene agree in describing the desertion of the whole body of disciples. Did Peter flee? did John and James? those who were in the Mount with CHRIST? they who were just before in the garden with him? Alas! what is man, even the highest of men, if grace be suspended but for a moment? And how was it, the band of armed men, who seized upon the person of Jesus, and laid hold of this young man who fled from them naked, suffered the Apostles to escape? Read what John hath recorded of the words of die LORD JESUS at this time, and learn the cause.

If therefore ye seek me, (said JESUS,) let these go their way, that the saying might be fulfilled which he spake of them which thou gayest me, have lost none. Joh 18:7-9 . I shall have occasion, when we come to this passage, in the Gospel according to John, to speak more largely upon it; but, in the mean time, I would have the Reader ob serve, that from the miracle JESUS then wrought, of causing those who came to apprehend him to fall backward to the ground, (which take it altogether, is perhaps as great a miracle as the LORD JESUS ever wrought upon earth,) and the authority with which he pronounced these words: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way. From both these concurring causes, the LORD JESUS secured the flight of his disciples. A certain authority accompanied what JESUS said: let these go their way; that is, they shall go their way, touch not mine anointed, and do my Prophets no harm. Psa 105:15 . Reader! think how safe, how eternally safe and secure the LORD’s people are, when the LORD gives command concerning them. Isa 27:2-3 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

43 And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

Ver. 43. See Trapp on “ Mat 26:47 “

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

43 52. ] BETRAYAL AND APPREHENSION OF JESUS. Mat 26:47-56 . Luk 22:47-53 .

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Mar 14:43-52 . The apprehension (Mat 26:47-56 , Luk 22:47-53 ).

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

Mar 14:43 . , etc. ( in Mt.), straightway, even while He is speaking, appears Judas, who is carefully defined by surname and position as one of the Twelve. At what point of time the traitor left the company on his nefarious errand is not indicated. According to Weiss (in Meyer) the evangelist conceives of Judas as going with the rest to Gethsemane and stealing away from the nine, after the three had been taken apart, having now satisfied himself as to the Master’s whereabouts. . ., etc.: goes along with , and implies that Judas and those with him had an official commission from the authorities, the three classes of whom are carefully specified.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

Mark

THE CAPTIVE CHRIST AND THE CIRCLE ROUND HIM

Mar 14:43 – Mar 14:54 .

A comparison of the three first Gospels in this section shows a degree of similarity, often verbal, which is best accounted for by supposing that a common oral? ‘Gospel,’ which had become traditionally fixed by frequent and long repetition, underlies them all. Mark’s account is briefest, and grasps with sure instinct the essential points; but, even in his brevity, he pauses to tell of the young man who so nearly shared the Lord’s apprehension. The canvas is narrow and crowded; but we may see unity in the picture, if we regard as the central fact the sacrilegious seizure of Jesus, and the other incidents and persons as grouped round it and Him, and reflecting various moods of men’s feelings towards Him.

I. The avowed and hypocritical enemies of incarnate love.

Again we have Mark’s favourite ‘straightway,’ so frequent in the beginning of the Gospel, and occurring twice here, vividly painting both the sudden inburst of the crowd which Interrupted Christ’s words and broke the holy silence of the garden, and Judas’s swift kiss. He is named-the only name but our Lord’s in the section; and the depth of his sin is emphasised by adding ‘one of the twelve.’ He is not named in the next verse, but gibbeted for immortal infamy by the designation, ‘he that betrayed Him.’ There is no dilating on his crime, nor any bespattering him with epithets. The passionless narrative tells of the criminal and his crime with unsparing, unmoved tones, which have caught some echo beforehand of the Judge’s voice. To name the sinner, and to state without cloak or periphrasis what his deed really was, is condemnation enough. Which of us could stand it? Judas was foremost of the crowd. What did he feel as he passed swiftly into the shadow of the olives, and caught the first sight of Jesus? That the black depths of his spirit were agitated is plain from two things-the quick kiss, and the nauseous repetition of it. Mark says, ‘Straightway . . . he kissed Him much.’ Probably the swiftness and vehemence, so graphically expressed by these two touches, were due, not only to fear lest Christ should escape, and to hypocrisy overacting its part, but to a struggle with conscience and ancient affection, and a fierce determination to do the thing and have it over. Judas is not the only man who has tried to drown conscience by hurrying into and reiterating the sin from which conscience tries to keep him. The very extravagances of evil betray the divided and stormy spirit of the doer. In the darkness and confusion, the kiss was a surer token than a word or a pointing finger would have been; and simple convenience appears to have led to its selection. But what a long course of hypocrisy must have preceded and how complete the alienation of heart must have become, before such a choice was possible! That traitor’s kiss has become a symbol for all treachery cloaked in the garb of affection. Its lessons and warnings are obvious, but this other may be added-that such audacity and nauseousness of hypocrisy is not reached at a leap, but presupposes long underground tunnels of insincere discipleship, through which a man has burrowed, unseen by others, and perhaps unsuspected by himself. Much hypocrisy of the unconscious sort precedes the deliberate and conscious.

How much less criminal and disgusting was the rude crowd at Judas’s heels! Most of them were mere passive tools. The Evangelist points beyond them to the greater criminals by his careful enumeration of all classes of the Jewish authorities, thus laying the responsibility directly on their shoulders, and indirectly on the nation whom they represented. The semi-tumultuous character of the crowd is shown by calling them ‘a multitude,’ and by the medley of weapons which they carried. Half-ignorant hatred, which had had ample opportunities of becoming knowledge and love, offended formalism, blind obedience to ecclesiastical superiors, the dislike of goodness-these impelled the rabble who burst into the garden of Gethsemane.

II. Incarnate love, bound and patient.

We may bring together Mar 14:46 , Mar 14:48 – Mar 14:49 , the first of which tells in simplest, briefest words the sacrilegious violence done to Jesus, while the others record His calm remonstrance. ‘They laid hands on Him.’ That was the first stage in outrage-the quick stretching of many hands to secure the unresisting prisoner. They ‘took Him,’ or, as perhaps we might better render, ‘They held Him fast,’ as would have been done with any prisoner. Surely, the quietest way of telling that stupendous fact is the best! It is easy to exclaim, and, after the fashion of some popular writers of lives of Christ, to paint fancy pictures. It is better to be sparing of words, like Mark, and silently to meditate on the patient long-suffering of the love which submitted to these indignities, and on the blindness which had no welcome but this for ‘God manifest in the flesh.’ Both are in full operation to-day, and the germs of the latter are in us all.

Mark confines himself to that one of Christ’s sayings which sets in the clearest light His innocence and meek submissiveness. With all its calmness and patience, it is majestic and authoritative, and sounds as if spoken from a height far above the hubbub. Its question is not only an assertion of His innocence, and therefore of his captor’s guilt, but also declares the impotence of force as against Him-’Swords and staves to take Me!’ All that parade of arms was out of place, for He was no evil-doer; needless, for He did not resist; and powerless, unless He chose to let them prevail. He speaks as the stainless, incarnate Son of God. He speaks also as Captain of ‘the noble army of martyrs,’ and His question may be extended to include the truth that force is in its place when used against crime, but ludicrously and tragically out of place when employed against any teacher, and especially against Christianity. Christ, in His persecuted confessors, puts the same question to the persecutors which Christ in the flesh put to His captors.

The second clause of Christ’s remonstrance appeals to their knowledge of Him and His words, and to their attitude towards Him. For several days He had daily been publicly teaching in the Temple. They had laid no hands on Him. Nay, some of them, no doubt, had helped to wave the palm-branches and swell the hosannas. He does not put the contrast of then and now in its strongest form, but spares them, even while He says enough to bring an unseen blush to some cheeks. He would have them ask, ‘Why this change in us, since He is the same? Did He deserve to be hailed as King a few short hours ago? How, then, before the palm-branches are withered, can He deserve rude hands?’ Men change in their feelings to the unchanging Christ; and they who have most closely marked the rise and fall of the tide in their own hearts will be the last to wonder at Christ’s captors, and will most appreciate the gentleness of His rebuke and remonstrance.

The third clause rises beyond all notice of the human agents, and soars to the divine purpose which wrought itself out through them. That divine purpose does not make them guiltless, but it makes Jesus submissive. He bows utterly, and with no reluctance, to the Father’s will, which could be wrought out through unconscious instruments, and had been declared of old by half-understanding prophets, but needed the obedience of the Son to be clear-seeing, cheerful, and complete. We, too, should train ourselves to see the hand that moves the pieces, and to make God’s will our will, as becomes sons. Then Christ’s calm will be ours, and, ceasing from self, and conscious of God everywhere, and yielding our wills, which are the self of ourselves, to Him, we shall enter into rest.

III. Rash love defending its Lord with wrong weapons Mar 14:47.

Peter may have felt that he must do something to vindicate his recent boasting, and, with his usual headlong haste, stops neither to ask what good his sword is likely to do, nor to pick his man and take deliberate aim at him. If swords were to be used, they should do something more effectual than hacking off a poor servant’s ear. There was love In the foolish deeds and a certain heroism in braving the chance of a return thrust or capture, which should go to Peter’s credit. If he alone struck a blow for his Master, it was because the others were more cowardly, not more enlightened. Peter has had rather hard measure about this matter, and is condemned by some of us who would not venture a tenth part of what he ventured for his Lord then. No doubt, this was blind and blundering love, with an alloy of rashness and wish for prominence; but that is better than unloving enlightenment and caution, which is chiefly solicitous about keeping its own ears on. It is also worse than love which sees and reflects the image of the meek Sufferer whom it loves. Christ and His cause are to be defended by other weapons. Christian heroism endures and does not smite. Not only swords, but bitter words which wound worse than they, are forbidden to Christ’s soldier. We are ever being tempted to fight Christ’s battles with the world’s weapons; and many a ‘defender of the faith’ in later days, perhaps even in this very enlightened day, has repeated Peter’s fault with less excuse than he, and with very little of either his courage or his love.

IV. Cowardly love forsaking its Lord Mar 14:50.

‘They all forsook Him, and fled.’ And who will venture to say that he would not have done so too? The tree that can stand such a blast must have deep roots. The Christ whom they forsook was, to them, but a fragment of the Christ whom we know; and the fear which scattered them was far better founded and more powerful than anything which the easy-going Christians of to-day have to resist. Their flight may teach us to place little reliance on our emotions, however genuine and deep, and to look for the security for our continual adherence to Christ, not to our fluctuating feelings, but to His steadfast love. We keep close to Him, not because our poor fingers grasp His hand-for that grasp is always feeble, and often relaxed-but because His strong and gentle hand holds us with a grasp which nothing can loosen. Whoso trusts in his own love to Christ builds on sand, but whoso trusts in Christ’s love to him builds on rock.

V. Adventurous curiosity put to flight Mar 14:51 – Mar 14:52.

Probably this young man was Mark. Only he tells the incident, which has no bearing on the course of events, and was of no importance but to the person concerned. He has put himself unnamed in a corner of his picture, as monkish painters used to do, content to associate himself even thus with his Lord. His hastily cast-on covering seems to show that he had been roused from sleep. Mingled love and curiosity and youthful adventurousness made him bold to follow when Apostles had fled. No effort appears to have been made to stop their flight; but he is laid hold of, and, terrified at his own rashness, wriggles himself out of his captors’ hands. The whole incident singularly recalls Mark’s behaviour on Paul’s first missionary journey. There are the same adventurousness, the same inconsiderate entrance on perilous paths, the same ignominious and hasty retreat at the first whistle of the bullets. A man who pushes himself needlessly into difficulties and dangers without estimating their force is pretty sure to take to his heels as soon as he feels them, and to cut as undignified a figure as this naked fugitive.

VI. Love frightened, but following Mar 14:54.

Fear had driven Peter but a little way. Love soon drew him and John back. Sudden and often opposite impulses moved Ms conduct and ruffled the surface of his character, but, deep down, the core was loyal love. He followed, but afar off; though ‘afar off,’ he did follow. If his distance betrayed his terror, his following witnessed his bravery. He is not a coward who is afraid, but he who lets his fear hinder him from duty or drive him to flight. What is all Christian living but following Christ afar off? And do the best of us do more, though we have less apology for our distance than Peter had? ‘Leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps’ said he, long after, perhaps remembering both that morning and the other by the lake when he was bidden to leave other servants’ tasks to the Master’s disposal, and, for his own part, to follow Him.

His love pushed him into a dangerous place. He was in bad company among the inferior sort of servants huddled around the fire that cold morning, at the lower end of the hall; and as its light flickered on his face, he was sure to be recognised. But we have not now to do with his denial. Rather he is the type of a true disciple, coercing his human weakness and cowardice to yield to the attraction which draws him to his Lord, and restful in the humblest place where he can catch a glimpse of His face, and so be, as he long after alleged it as his chief title to authority to have been, ‘a witness of the sufferings of Christ.’

Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar 14:43-50

43Immediately while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away under guard.” 45After coming, Judas immediately went to Him, saying, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46They laid hands on Him and seized Him. 47But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber? 49Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.” 50And they all left Him and fled.

Mar 14:43 “Immediately” See note at Mar 1:10.

“a crowd” Joh 18:3; Joh 18:12 says a Roman cohort was present. Luk 22:52 says representatives from the Sanhedrin were in the crowd, which implies the temple police. The reason for so many soldiers was because it was the Passover season and the authorities were afraid of a riot (cf. Mar 14:2; Mat 26:5; Mat 27:24).

“swords and clubs” This term “swords” referred to the short sword worn by the Roman soldiers in their belt. “Clubs” refers specifically to the weapons of the temple police.

“the chief priests and the scribes and the elders” This referred to the Sanhedrin. See Special Topic at Mar 12:13.

Mar 14:44 “seize Him” This is an aorist active imperative.

NASB, NRSV,

TEV”lead Him away under guard”

NKJV”lead Him away safely”

NJB”see that he is well guarded when you lead him away”

This is the Greek term sphallomai ( “to fall or stumble”) with the alpha privative, which negates it. This term is metaphorical for “to be secure, firm, steady.” Judas was afraid Jesus would do something to thwart His arrest. This reveals Judas’ fear. He had seen Jesus’ miracles and knew His power.

Mar 14:45 “saying, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed Him” Kissing on the cheek or forehead was the normal greeting in this culture (especially between rabbis). Read Jesus’ comments on Judas’ actions in Mat 26:50; Luk 22:48. This sign shows that it was probably Roman soldiers because the temple police would have recognized Jesus.

Mar 14:47 “But one of those who stood by drew his sword” From the parallel in Joh 18:10 and Luk 22:50-51, we know that this was Peter and the servant who was wounded was Malchus. The disciples had previously been admonished to buy swords (cf. Luk 22:36-38), but obviously, they had misunderstood Jesus’ true meaning concerning this issue. It must be said on Peter’s behalf that he was fully willing to die for his Lord at this point. In the face of great odds, he drew one of two swords. But, again, the inappropriateness and impulsiveness of his actions characterized his personality.

“the slave of the high priests” Joh 18:10 names him Malchus.

“cut off his ear” In Luk 22:51, Jesus put it back!

Mar 14:48

NASB, NKJV”a robber”

NRSV, NJB”a bandit”

TEV”an outlaw”

They are treating Jesus as a criminal, not a blasphemer. They were doing to Jesus what should have been done to Barabbas (for whom the same word is used, cf. Joh 18:40).

Mar 14:49 “‘Every day I was with you in the temple teaching'” This was addressed to the members of the Sanhedrin or temple police. Jesus exposes their secret agenda.

“‘But this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures'” In Mar 14:50 “all His disciples forsook Him” (cf. Mar 14:27, which quotes Zec 13:7 and Mat 26:31). One wonders how Joh 18:15-16 fits this prophecy. It seems that John accompanied Jesus through all the trials and was present at the crucifixion (cf. Joh 19:26-27).

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

one = being one. See note on Mat 26:47.

multitude = crowd.

staves: or clubs. Greek xulon = wood, timber. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6, for weapons made from timber.

from = from beside. Greek para. App-104.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

43-52.] BETRAYAL AND APPREHENSION OF JESUS. Mat 26:47-56. Luk 22:47-53.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Mar 14:43-52

9. THE ARREST OF JESUS

Mar 14:43-52

(Mat 26:47-56; Luk 22:47-53; Joh 18:2-14)

43 And straightway, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve,–Judas Iscariot, named in the lists of the apostles in Matthew 10, Mark 3, and Luke 6.

and with him a multitude with swords and staves,–And “lanterns and torches.” (Joh 18:3.) A motley multitude of soldiers of the Roman cohort, the temple guard (Luk 22:52), chief priests, soldiers and servants. All this throng had come to arrest one man who had no thought of resistance. It strongly exhibits the conviction of the chief priests in the consequent danger attending his arrest.

from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.–They sent the ruffians along with some of their number and the “captains of the temple.” (Luk 22:52.) Just after self-surrender comes betrayal. So, Christian, you may have your greatest trial when you are in most perfect harmony with God’s will. Do not, therefore, lose faith! Beyond Calvary were the resurrection and ascension.

44 Now he that betrayed him had given them a token,–For the accomplishment of their schemes it was of the utmost importance that no mistake should be made, because if Jesus escaped all the Galileans might be put on the lookout, and it would be impossible to arrest him subsequently.

saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he; take him, and lead him away safely.–There were certainly enough to do it, since Jesus offered no resistance.

45 And when he was come, straightway he came to him, and saith, Rabbi; and kissed him.–The vilest, the most abominable piece of hypocrisy known in history, which the infernal inspirer of treason alone could invent.

46 And they laid hands on him, and took him.–Arrested him.

47 But a certain one of them that stood by–Matthew is more explicit, “one of them that were with Jesus,” but John reveals the name, “Simon Peter,” who had said a short time before that he would die with Jesus rather than forsake him. drew his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear.–John tells that it was his “right ear.” Luke reports that Jesus touched the ear and healed it. Some think these swords were provided to show the use of carnal weapons; that those who rely on them should perish with them. It is certain they did not use them for common. It is also clear that the church was taught not to use the carnal, but spiritual weapons. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (for the weapons of our war-fare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds.)” (2Co 10:3-4.) David was not allowed to build the temple because he was a man of war and blood. (2Ch 22:7-8; 2Ch 28:2-3; Psa 2:4.)

48 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a robber, with swords and staves to seize me?–The contrast between a thief and the character of Jesus was so great that his enemies who were conversant with his inoffensive and gentle nature must have felt the force of the comparison. He who denies Christ’s divinity makes him a robber.

It is in connection with these words that we learn from Luke that so thoroughly in earnest were the chief priests and elders in this matter, and so anxious that it should be successful and no mistake made, that they had come with or followed their adherents to the spot. Luke represents the words as specially addressed to them and the captains of the temple. These latter were probably subaltern officers of the guard of priests and Levites who kept watch by night in the temple. “As against a robber,” one who hides himself away, and only emerges to do violence.

49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not:–This is a distinct taunt of their cowardice in making all this array to take by night one whom they had feared to take by day.

but this is done that the scriptures might be fulfilled.–Luke (Luk 22:53) has: “But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” The words in Mark, however, explain why it is their hour; simply because the Messianic prophecies, such as Isaiah 50; Psalms 22; Dan 9:26; Zec 13:7, must be fulfilled, and thus proclaim him the more clearly and forever what they deny. In order to do this Jesus was willing to walk weltering in his own blood. There are scriptures for you to fulfill. At what cost are you willing to do it?—explains, “All the disciples left him.” Why? His last words indicated that he had no intention of resisting or delivering himself, either by natural or supernatural means. It was evident that his enemies were to have their will of him, and his disciples had not yet arrived at the point at which they were willing to follow him to death. James and John had no desire now for the place of honor on his right hand and his left, though it would have been as truly such as that for which they had longed. So they scattered in different directions in the obscurity of the grove. These disciples had protested their love for him a few hours before. Peter among the rest, but he followed afar off. (Verse 54.) These disciples were doubtless as honest as their limited knowledge of themselves would admit. The pressure of trials shows us our true character, our strength, or rather our weakness.

51 And a certain young man followed with him,–Only Mark relates this incident, and gives us no clue to the identity of the young man. It has been conjectured, from the fact that he alone relates the incident, and from a supposed similarity in the character of the young man, as indicated by his conduct, to that of Mark, as shown in what we know of his history (Act 13:13; Act 15:37-38), that it was Mark himself. But it is pure conjecture. No one knows.

having a linen cloth cast about him, over his naked body and they lay hold on him;–Arrested him.

52 but he left the linen cloth, and fled naked.–He could easily slip out of their hands thus. And Jesus is left alone with the enemies who thirst for his life. The young man referred to was probably aroused from his bed by the noise of the crowd who had Christ under arrest, and may have followed him for a short distance in his nightdress, till when also arrested by the men who had charge of Christ, he fled away in great consternation, leaving the garment which was loose around the body in their hands.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

CHAPTER 68

The Betrayal

And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. And they laid their hands on him, and took him. And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. And they all forsook him, and fled. And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.

(Mar 14:43-52)

The agonies of Gethsemane are over. The temptations our Lord endured there, from the assaults of the prince of darkness, are finished. In Mar 14:42 the Lord Jesus called Peter, James, and John, rousing them from their sleep, and hurried them to follow him, as he went forth in holy zeal to meet the betrayer and the band of soldiers following him, to finish his work. Let us never fail to remember that in the totality of his work as our Substitute our Lord Jesus Christ did what he did for us as Jehovahs voluntary Servant (Psa 40:6-8; Joh 10:16-18). Robert Hawker wrote

He had said before to Judas at the table, that thou doest do quickly. But no man at the table knew for what intent Jesus said this unto him (Joh 13:27-28). But we may learn from it, that it showed the promptness of Christs heart to the work. And though he knew the sorrows which it must induce, yet, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame. Yea, Jesus called the time, the hour of his glory. And as soon as the traitor had left the company, Jesus declared that he was now glorified. (See Joh 13:31-32).

I request you never to lose sight of those two grand points, in the sufferings and death of the Lord Jesus. The one is: the infinite dignity of his person, God and Man in one. The other is the free-will offering of the Lord. Behold him under these views coming forth from the garden to meet the traitor, and crying out, Rise up! let us go! lo! he that betrayeth me is at hand.

With those things in mind, lets look into this passage of Holy Scripture dealing with our Saviors arrest in the garden, and ask God the Holy Spirit to inscribe its lessons upon our hearts. I direct your attention to five things in these verses.

The Enemies of God

This passage opens by identifying the enemies of God. We should always be aware of who our Lords enemies are and where they are found. His enemies are the same in all ages; and they are found in the same places. We need to be able to recognize them, because our Lords enemies are our enemies. Notice how they are identified for us in Mar 14:43.

Judas, one of the twelve.

The Roman Soldiers A great multitude with swords and staves.

The chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders.

Our Lords enemies and ours are ever to be found among the people of the world. That is no surprise. We expect the world to oppose Christ, the gospel of his grace, and us, as we preach it. If we preach the gospel, insisting that men have no righteousness of their own, declaring that the only righteousness there is is the righteousness of God in Christ, we expect the worlds opposition. The offense of the cross has not ceased (Mat 5:10-12).

We have come to expect opposition and persecution from religionists as well. The lost religious people of this world, being duped, deceived, lied to, and instigated by their leaders, their chief priests, their scribes, and their elders, being ignorant of Christ and the gospel of Gods free and sovereign grace in him, are historically the most incessant persecutors of Gods saints in the world. History demonstrates the fact that the politicians of the world become persecutors of believers only when instigated (as here) by God hating religionists, who are too good in their own eyes to need grace, a sin-atoning substitute, and imputed righteousness. No one hates grace like lost religionists! There is no missionary field in the world more needy or more hostile today than the professed church of this reprobate age.

We expect to find our enemies in the world, and even in the religious world around us. But, often the Lords enemies and ours are wolves in sheeps clothing and, like Judas, one of the twelve, are found in the house of his friends (Psa 41:9; Psa 55:12-13). Our Lord warned us repeatedly, as did his apostles throughout the New Testament, that our most dangerous foes are those whom we least suspect, those who are, by profession, our brothers, sisters, and friends. These warnings are given not to make us suspicious and wary of one another, but to prepare us for the shock and pain of betrayal (Mat 10:24-26).

The Kingdom of God

Second, we must never expect the people of this world, neither the politicians, nor the educators, nor the religionists of this world, to understand the nature of the kingdom of God. In fact, our Lords own disciples did not grasp what he taught in this regard at the time.

This blood thirsty mob came out against the Lord Jesus, as if they were hunting for a wild, murdering revolutionary, with swords and clubs. When they did, one of the Lords disciples drew out a sword and cut off the high priests servants ear. John tells us that that bold, zealous, but mistaken disciple was Peter. But the Lord Jesus stopped the conflict by healing the mans ear, as Luke tells us.

The chief priests and scribes clung tenaciously to the errant idea that Messiahs kingdom would be a worldly, political, Zionist kingdom. They, therefore, expected that this man who claimed to be the Messiah would defend his kingdom with the sword. They came prepared for a blood letting conflict.

Our Lord later told Pilate plainly that his kingdom is not of this world. This is a lesson which still needs to be taught, and taught often (Joh 18:36). The kingdom of God is not, has never been, and can never be built, promoted, and propagated by the arm of the flesh. The cause of truth does not need political, legislative, or carnal force to maintain it. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds (2Co 10:4). It is written, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts (Zec 4:6).

Papacy, Mohammedanism, Hinduism, and Judaism must have the sword to survive. The kingdom of God stands not by the sword, but in spite of it. False religion depends upon and survives by every carnal means imaginable: programs, puppet shows, entertainment, bake sales, tricks, gimmicks, rituals, and ceremonies. Whatever it takes to be successful is what is done!

It is a sad fact that pastors, local churches and religious denominations and organizations in the United States (both liberal and conservative) commonly engage in political debate. We cannot protect or expand the cause of Christ by political and social activism, no matter how great or sincere the efforts. Ours is a spiritual battle waged against worldly ideologies and dogmas arrayed against God. The only way we can triumph over them is by the gospel.

The church and kingdom of God, the gospel of his grace stands by the power of God the Holy Spirit, by the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and the effectual operations of his grace in the hearts of men by the Word (Heb 4:12). The Lord God has not left us here to be political activists, but to be evangelists. It is not ours to seek to reform the nation. Our only business is the glory of God in the salvation of sinners.

If we would do Gods work, in Gods name, for Gods glory, it must be done in Gods way. The church and kingdom of God can only be built by the preaching of the gospel. Our needs for that work are supplied by the generous giving of Gods people, as they are directed by the Spirit of God.

The Word of God

Everything that happened to our Savior, everything he suffered at the hands of ungodly, reprobate men, from Gethsemane to Calvary, was written hundreds of years before in the Word of God. These men, by their wicked deeds, not only fulfilled the Scriptures, they stand as unanswerable arguments for the infallible, inerrant, verbal inspiration of the Word of God.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. (Mar 14:48-49)

Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. (Act 13:26-29)

The rage of his enemies, the betrayal of Judas, the price of the betrayal (30 pieces of silver!), the forsaking of his friends, our Lords being dealt with as a malefactor, numbered with the transgressors, the piercing of his hands and feet, the parting of his raiment, all were precisely foretold in the Word of God. Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53 were precisely fulfilled, exactly as they were written. How can we account for these things?

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2Ti 3:16-17)

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2Pe 1:19-21)

Everything that took place in the sufferings of the Son of God was ordered and ordained by God, written in his Word, and brought to pass by his hand for the ransom of our souls, to make atonement for our sin. Those armed men Judas brought with him to take the Master, Judas, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the Jews, Herod, and Pilate, were but the hands of God, unconscious instruments of his sovereignty, by which he accomplished his purpose!

Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword: From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes. (Psa 17:13-14)

Children of God, here is rest for our souls, a soft, soft pillow for our aching heads. Everything and everyone in this world is ruled by the wisdom, grace, and goodness of our omnipotent God! The course of this world is usually contrary to our desires. The church of God seems always to be struggling to survive. The wickedness of men appears to abound on every hand. The inconsistencies of our brethren often hurt and disturb us. Our own sins and inconsistencies disappoint and disturb many, and cause us great distress. But he who is our God and heavenly Father knows exactly what he is doing. And he always does only that which is absolutely best. He is simply fulfilling his purpose, working out his plan, accomplishing his predestination, fulfilling his Word. Read the 2nd Psalm and rejoice.

On the resurrection morning, when all things are made manifest, our Lord will show that even in the most distressing times and circumstances, he was simply fulfilling his wise and holy will.

The People of God

Again and again, the Holy Spirit reminds us of the faults and failures, fickleness and falls, sins and shortcomings of the people of God in this world. And they all forsook him, and fled (Mar 14:50). Noahs drunkenness, Abrahams fear, Lots choice, Davids adultery and murder, Peters fall, and the abandonment of our Lord by all his disciples in the garden are things recorded for our learning. They are written to teach us and remind us that all flesh is grass and salvation is of the Lord. Our only righteousness is that which God has given us in Christ. If we are kept in grace, we are kept and preserved by grace alone. We must never place any confidence in ourselves.

With these faithful, faithful men, faith gave way to fear. Overwhelmed by their circumstances, they all forsook their Savior and fled. We ought to be humbled before the Lord, knowing that our flesh is just like theirs, weak and prone to any and every sin. How charitable we should be to our erring, fallen, inconsistent brothers and sisters. We ought to be most thankful to our God for his faithful, preserving grace. We should ever be mindful of and give praise to our God for such a sympathizing High Priest as our Lord Jesus Christ is who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.

If there is one trial more difficult to bear than any other, I think it must be disappointment, betrayal, or abandonment by one who is close and trusted as a friend, companion, or loved one. But there is one faithful Friend who never disappoints his friends; and his compassions fail not!

The Gospel of God

And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked (Mar 14:51-52).

We are not told who this young man was. That may be because no one knew his name. It seems that he was awakened in the middle of the night by all the commotion going on around him. He seems to have simply wrapped a sheet around himself to step outside and see what was happening. As he followed the crowd, trying to see, the soldiers grabbed him. So furious was the blood thirsty mob that they were ready to arrest and kill anyone even suspected of being a follower of Jesus. Realizing the danger he had unwittingly stepped into, this young man fled from them naked, leaving his sheet behind.

Why is this, seemingly insignificant, event written in the Book of God? I know it is written for our learning, that we might through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures have hope (Rom 15:4). But what are we to learn from this event? It seems to me that this young man is held before us here as a portrayal of the gospel itself, a picture of a sinner redeemed by the blood of Christ. He seems to be a providential antitype of what took place on the day of atonement and at the ceremonial cleansing of the leper (Lev 16:22; Lev 14:7).

When the leper was cleansed, one bird was killed and the other bird, being dipped in the dead birds blood, was set free. One the day of atonement one goat was slain and the other set free. Even so, in the gospel we learn that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was slain for us, and we are set free, just as he was taken in the garden and this young man fled away to freedom.

I have no idea whether that is why this event is recorded; but I do know by the glorious experience of grace that the allegory is true! The law of God and hell itself held me in its grip; but when it took my Substitute, I fled away to freedom. The law stripped me naked. Fearing for my life, I left my filthy rags of self-righteousness in its teeth, and fled away naked to Christ.

Nothing in my hands I bring.

Simply to Thy cross I cling.

Helpless, look to Thee for grace,

Naked, look to Thee for dress!

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible

while: Mat 26:47, Luk 22:47, Luk 22:48, Joh 18:3-9, Act 1:16

and with: Psa 2:1, Psa 2:2, Psa 3:1, Psa 3:2, Psa 22:11-13

Reciprocal: Mat 10:4 – and Mat 27:3 – Judas Mar 14:20 – It is Act 4:27 – the people

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Chapter 11.

The Arrest

“And immediately, while He yet spake, Judas cometh, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayed Him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He; take Him, and lead Him away safely. And as soon as He was come, he goeth straightway to Him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed Him. And they laid their hands on Him, and took Him. And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take Me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took Me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. And they all forsook Him and fled.”-Mar 14:43-60.

The Traitor.

All the disciples had not followed Christ to the Garden. His little circle of chosen associates numbered twelve, but there were only eleven with Him in the hour of His desolation and sorrow. One had left the Upper Room some time before Jesus and the rest sang their hymn and set their faces towards the Mount of Olives. At a certain stage in the proceedings in the Upper Room Judas Iscariot had left the little company. Nobody save Jesus knew why or whither he had gone. They had heard Christ say to him, “That thou doest, do quickly,” and they had inferred that as Treasurer of the Apostolic band Judas had some purchases to make for the feast, or some charities to distribute to the poor. But it was upon no such kindly errand that Judas was bent when he left the Upper Room. There was treachery and a deadly purpose in his soul. Avarice and ambition had played havoc with Judas. Whatever enthusiasm or love he had had for Jesus at the start had died out of his heart and had given place to sullen and embittered resentment. Already in this bitter resentment he had made a bargain with the priests to betray Jesus to them. And when he left the Upper Room it was to go to the priests to tell them that he was prepared to carry out his bargain that very night. So, while Jesus was speaking to the eleven disciples who were left those matchless words of love and comfort which we find in the fourteenth and subsequent chapters of St John’s Gospel, we must think of Judas as in conspiracy with the priests and elders planning the arrest of Christ.

The Plot.

First of all, they arranged the force that was to seize Christ in the Garden. It consisted for the most part of the Temple Guard, with servants of the priests. And these were armed with cudgels and small swords. But, partly because they were conscious that Christ possessed some mysterious power, and partly because they wished to conciliate Pilate, who would have resented resort to force by followers of Jesus in Passion week, they asked for reinforcements in the shape of a detachment of garrison soldiers. The negotiations with Pilate probably took some little time, but at length a detachment was sent and everything was ready for the arrest. One thing only remained to arrange, and that was a sign by which the soldiers should know whom to seize. For it is not at all probable that the soldiers were acquainted with the lineaments of Jesus; and there were eleven other men with Him at the Garden. With only the light of the moon, and under the dark shadows of the olive trees, it would have been easy to make a mistake, and to arrest the wrong man. So the sign Judas arranged with his following was this (and there was a refinement of cruelty and a depth of baseness in it almost beyond words), “Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is He; take Him and lead Him away safely.”

-Its Execution.

And so at length the traitor’s band, with Judas himself at its head, set forth. Altogether it was a huge company, for in addition to the soldiers, there was a “multitude from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders,” and (judging from what the other evangelists say), even some of the high priests and temple captains and elders, in their eagerness to see Christ taken, followed in the wake of the throng. They carried lanterns in their hands and so marched through the streets of Jerusalem. Many a sleeper must have awaked as he heard the tramp of the soldiers’ feet, and like the young man of whom the next verses speak rushed out to see what it all meant. When they came near to the Garden, Jesus Himself was the first to notice their approach. When He came back to His disciples the third time He said, “The hour is come; behold the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us be going: behold he that betrayeth Me is at hand.” For He had seen the flash of the lanterns through the trees, and heard the tramp of approaching feet, before His disciples, heavy with sleep, had noticed either.

Christ, it is clear, did not wait till His foes, after search, discovered Him; He strode forth to meet them. He anticipated His fate. “Arise, let us be going,” He said to the three who were with Him in the inner recesses of the Garden; not “Let us go into the farthest corner, let us hide, let us seek to escape”; but “Let us be going to meet them.” There was no need of the lanterns, no need for zealous search. It was not the traitor and his band that found Jesus, it was Jesus Who found them.

Mark’s account of our Lord’s arrest is not complete. If you want to know everything that happened in the Garden, you must compare his narrative with those of the other evangelists, and supply Mark’s deficiencies by their additions. What Mark does is to seize upon the salient points and set these down for us. Let us in turn pick out some of the chief lessons which Mark’s pregnant and vivid narrative suggests, taking to ourselves the warnings and consolations they convey.

The Sorrow of Treason.

“And straightway, while He yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve.” “One of the twelve!” That was the peculiar bitterness of the arrest. It was one of the Twelve that led the way! You remember the complaint the Psalmist makes-“It was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it; neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him; but it was thou, a man mine equal, my companion and my familiar friend. We took sweet counsel together, we walked in the house of God with the throng” (Psa 55:12-14). The sorrows of the Psalmist suggest the sorrows of One still greater. And, even in the presence of the acute physical suffering of our Lord, we can see that this sorrow was a real one. An injury that we can take philosophically when inflicted by a foe wellnigh breaks our heart when inflicted by a friend. Hard words, that would not give us even a twinge if uttered by an opponent, cut to the very quick when spoken by a comrade and colleague. And our Lord suffered that added ignominy and sorrow. He was wounded in the house of His friends; betrayed by one whom He had Himself chosen and called; delivered to His foes by one of His own company.

The Sorrow of a Lost Soul.

It was Judas “one of the twelve” that led the traitor band. His Master was about to die to save men from their sins. And here in Judas’ crime, as Dr Chadwick puts it, He is confronted with the very tragedy which He was sacrificing Himself to avert, the loss of a soul-lost in spite of multiplied privileges, in spite of repeated pleadings, in spite of all that love could do, in spite of plain and searching appeals. Do you not think that the sight of Judas, at the head of the traitor band, would suggest to Christ the thought, the chilling and almost heartbreaking thought, of the multitudes who would receive the grace of God in vain, to whom the Cross would make no appeal, and who would spurn and reject His own dying love? That was the supreme sorrow of our Lord! That is His supreme sorrow still. The Lord has died for men! And they go on their way unmoved, untouched. They pass the Cross by as if it did not concern them.

The Meekness of Christ.

The second thing to notice is the meekness of Christ. It was said by the Prophet (Isa 53:7), speaking by the Spirit of the suffering of our Lord, that, though He was oppressed yet He would humble Himself and open not His mouth: that He should be led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep that before her shearers is dumb, so He would open not His mouth. And all that was fulfilled in an amazing and touching way in the Garden. When Judas came up to Him he called Him Rabbi, and kissed Him. Kissed Him effusively, the Greek suggests. A man knowing the treachery in Judas’ heart, knowing the kiss was a lying and poisoned kiss, would have shrunk from it in repugnance and horror. But Jesus submitted even to that loathsome kiss! He made no attempt to push Judas away. He flung at him no angry or indignant word. “Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?” He said; and that was all! So, too, when the soldiers seized Him and were handling Him roughly, He had no harsh speech for them. Only a word of high and solemn remonstrance-“Are ye come out as against a robber with swords and staves to seize Me?” Here is meekness in its perfect bloom! He had said Himself in His great sermon, “Resist not him that is evil, but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Mat 5:39). It is a hard and difficult precept to obey, but in the Garden our Lord practised what He preached. We look at Him then, submitting to be kissed, “bearing shame and insult rude,” when He might have summoned twelve legions of angels to His help had He wished, and we know what meekness is. Those who witnessed His behaviour in the Garden never forgot it. It burned itself into the memory of Peter for example, and in his Epistle, with the Garden in his mind, he recalls how Jesus when He was reviled, reviled not again, when He suffered threatened not, but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously (1 Peter ii., 23). And in nothing is Jesus more divine than in His meekness. It would have been human to reproach and denounce and resist. It was divine to bear and endure and suffer without a word. If I had to construct an argument for the divinity of Christ, I would base it in part upon His meekness.

The Courage of Christ.

Observe, too, the courage of Christ as illustrated in His behaviour at the arrest. How calm and collected He was! He was the only calm, collected, unruffled person in the Garden! The traitor having offered his treacherous kiss, slunk into the background and went his way out of the Garden, a tortured soul. Mark says no more about him. But the other Gospels tell us, how Judas never knew what peace was after that night, and how in a brief space of time he put an end to an existence that had become unbearable, and so went to “his own place.” The soldiers were flurried and excited. When Jesus calmly asked them whom they sought, and, in answer to their reply, said, that He was the object of their search, struck by some mysterious terror they all went backward and fell to the ground. The disciples in their excitement first wanted to fight and then ran away. The one person absolutely calm and serene was Jesus Himself. He takes command of the proceedings. He hands Himself over to the trembling soldiers. He bids His disciples put their swords back into their sheaths. He begs the soldiers as it was Himself they were in search of to let the disciples go away. Calm, serene, absolutely unruffled, our Lord moves through this scene. Now consider the behaviour of the disciples.

The Men and the Swords.

When the disciples saw their Master in the hands of His foes, they were at first for making a fight of it. Perhaps we have been too hard on these disciples. It is true that the story ends with this shameful sentence, “They all forsook Him and fled.” But they were not cowards. I have almost come to the conclusion that it was not fear that prompted their flight, but despair. I believe they would have fought for Christ and died for Him if He had fulfilled their expectation as to the Messiah. But when they saw Jesus meekly surrendering Himself, their faith in Him as Messiah collapsed. That was the cause of their flight. Their faith was shattered. But they were not cowards, these men. They had only two swords amongst them, but with those two swords they would have faced the soldiers and the Temple mob in defence of their Lord. “Lord,” they cried, “shall we smite with the sword?” And before Jesus had had time to reply, Peter’s sword was out of its scabbard; he had struck an uncertain and excited blow, and had cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear. It was done in a moment. But swift upon the blow came the word of Christ. “Put up again thy sword into its place, they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” Violence had no place in Christ’s scheme of things. The sword was a useless weapon to further His interests. The weapons of His warfare were not carnal but spiritual.

Compulsion and Faith.

Christ’s rebuke is for us as well as for Peter, and the Law is as binding upon the Church of today as it was upon the prince of the Apostles. Christ’s Kingdom is not to be advanced by the sword. In the affairs of the Kingdom force is no remedy. It is a lesson the Church of Christ has been slow to learn. Again and again the Church has invoked the help of the secular arm. She has again and again used pressure and compulsion to advance her interests. In the early days of the Arian controtroversy the power of the Roman Empire was used to crush out heresy. In our own England here the conversion of one of the old Saxon kings was signalised by the compulsory conversion of all his people. Again and again the Church has used fire and prison and scaffold. Often, no doubt, it was done honestly and sincerely. But it was all very pitiful and tragic. It was a repudiation of Christ’s own teaching. Religion is free, the response of the soul to God. A forced religion is a contradiction in terms.

The Better Way.

“Allow me just to move My right hand,” said Jesus. And He used it to restore the ear of the injured servant. That was the last miracle Christ performed-a gracious act of mercy to a foe. That is the way to advance Christ’s Kingdom, not by imitating the violence of Peter, but by imitating the gentleness, mercy and healing ministry of the Lord.

Fuente: The Gospel According to St. Mark: A Devotional Commentary

Jesus had no sooner said the words of the preceding verse than the mob approached with Judas in the lead. Staves is from a word that means “clubs,” as if they were hunting for some hardened criminal who was a foe of society.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

LET us notice in these verses, how little our Lord’s enemies understood the nature of His kingdom. We read that Judas came to take Him “with a great multitude, with swords and staves.” It was evidently expected that our Lord would be vigorously defended by His disciples, and that He would not be taken prisoner without fighting. The chief priests and scribes clung obstinately to the idea, that our Lord’s kingdom was a worldly kingdom, and therefore supposed that it would be upheld by worldly means. They had yet to learn the solemn lesson contained in our Lord’s words to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world:-now is my kingdom not from hence.” (Joh 18:36.)

We shall do well to remember this in all our endeavors to extend the kingdom of true religion. It is not to be propagated by violence, or by an arm of flesh.

“The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.” “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” (2Co 10:4. Zec 4:6.) The cause of truth does not need force to maintain it. False religions, like Mohammedanism, have often been spread by the sword. False Christianity, like that of the Roman Church, has often been enforced on men by bloody persecutions. But the real Gospel of Christ requires no such aids as these. It stands by the power of the Holy Ghost. It grows by the hidden influence of the Holy Ghost on men’s hearts and consciences. There is no clearer sign of a bad cause in religion than a readiness to appeal to the sword.

Let us notice, secondly, in these verses, how all things in our Lord’s passion happened according to God’s Word. His own address to those who took Him, exhibits this in a striking manner: “the Scripture must be fulfilled.”

There was no accident or chance in any part of the close of our Lord’s earthly ministry. The steps in which He walked from Gethsemane to Calvary were all marked out hundreds of years before. The twenty-second Psalm, and the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, were literally fulfilled. The wrath of His enemies-His rejection by His own people-His being dealt with as a malefactor-His being condemned by the assembly of the wicked-all had been foreknown, and all foretold. All that took place was only the working out of God’s great design to provide an atonement for a world’s sin. The armed men whom Judas brought to lay hands on Jesus, were, like Nebuchadnezzar and Sennacherib, unconscious instruments in carrying God’s purposes into effect.

Let us rest our souls on the thought, that all around us is ordered and overruled by God’s almighty wisdom. The course of this world may often be contrary to our wishes. The position of the Church may often be very unlike what we desire. The wickedness of worldly men, and the inconsistencies of believers, may often afflict our souls. But there is a hand above us, moving the vast machine of this universe, and making all things work together for His glory. The Scriptures are being yearly fulfilled. Not one jot or tittle in them shall ever fail to be accomplished. The kings of the earth may take counsel together, and the rulers of the nations may set themselves against Christ (Psa 2:2), but the resurrection morning shall prove that, even at the darkest time, all things were being done according to the will of God.

Let us notice, lastly, in these verses, how much the faith of true believers may give way. We are told that when Judas and his company laid hands on our Lord, and He quietly submitted to be taken prisoner, the eleven disciples “all forsook Him and fled.” Perhaps up to that moment they were buoyed up by the hope that our Lord would work a miracle, and set Himself free. But when they saw no miracle worked, their courage failed them entirely. Their former protestations were all forgotten. Their promises to die with their Master, rather than deny Him, were all cast to the winds. The fear of present danger got the better of faith. The sense of immediate peril drove every other feeling out of their minds. They “all forsook Him and fled.”

There is something deeply instructive in this incident. It deserves the attentive study of all professing Christians. Happy is he who marks the conduct of our Lord’s disciples, and gathers from it wisdom!

Let us learn from the flight of these eleven disciples not to be over-confident in our own strength. The fear of man does indeed bring a snare. We never know what we may do, if we are tempted, or to what extent our faith may give way. Let us be clothed with humility.

Let us learn to be charitable in our judgment of other Christians. Let us not expect too much from them, or set them down as having no grace at all, if we see them overtaken in a fault. Let us not forget that even our Lord’s chosen apostles forsook Him in His time of need. Yet they rose again by repentance, and became pillars of the Church of Christ.

Finally, let us leave the passage with a deep sense of our Lord’s ability to sympathize with His believing people. If there is one trial greater than another, it is the trial of being disappointed in those we love. It is a bitter cup, which all true Christians have frequently to drink. Ministers fail them. Relations fail them. Friends fail them. One cistern after another proves to be broken, and to hold no water. But let them take comfort in the thought, that there is one unfailing Friend, even Jesus, who can be touched with the feeling of their infirmities, and has tasted of all their sorrows. Jesus knows what it is to see friends and disciples failing Him in the hour of need. Yet He bore it patiently, and loved them notwithstanding all. He is never weary of forgiving. Let us strive to do likewise. Jesus, at any rate, will never fail us. It is written, “His compassions fail not.” (Lam 3:22.) [Footnote: The question has often been asked, “Who was the ‘certain young man,’ mentioned at the end of this passage, on whom the young men laid hold, and who fled away naked?” Mark is the only evangelist who relates this circumstance: and he has given us no clue to further knowledge as to who it was, or why the event is mentioned.

No satisfactory answer to these questions has yet been given. The utmost that can be said of any of the explanations attempted, is, that they are conjectures and speculations.

“Some,” says Petter in his commentary on Mark, “have thought that it was one of the twelve disciples, viz., James the son of Alpheus, the Lord’s brother, or kinsman of our Saviour (whose appearance was perhaps like our Lord’s).” This is the view of Epiphanius and Jerome. Others have thought that it was John, the beloved disciple. This is the view of Ambrose, Chrysostom, and Gregory. But it could be neither of them, nor any other of the twelve, because it is said immediately before, that they “all fled” upon the taking of our Saviour, whereas this young man followed our Saviour at this time. It is more likely that it was some good young man, who dwelt near the garden of Gethsemane, who hearing the noise and stir that was made about the taking and binding of our Saviour, did arise suddenly out of his bed to see what was the matter, and perceiving that they had cruelly taken and bound our Saviour, and were leading Him away, did follow after Him to see what would be done with Him, whereby it appears that he was a well-wisher to our Saviour.”

Theophylact and Buthymius think it probable that it was some young man who followed our Lord from the house where He ate the passover with His disciples. Some think that it was the Evangelist Mark himself.

Some have thought that Mark’s purpose in relating the event, is to show the cruelty, rage, and ferocity of those who took our Lord. They were ready to lay hands on any one who was any where near Him, and to make prisoners indiscriminately of all who even appeared to be connected with him.

Some have thought that the whole transaction exhibits the utter desertion of our Lord. “This young man,” says Clarius, “would rather escape naked than be taken as one of the followers of Christ.”

Some have thought that it is related to show the real peril in which the disciples were, and to make it plain that they saved their lives only by their flight.

One eminent divine regards the whole event as strongly figurative. He sees in it an antitype of what took place on the day of atonement, and at the cleansing of a leper. He considers the young man escaping to represent the goat let go free, and the bird let loose; while our Lord represents the goat offered up, and the bird slain. See Lev 14:7, and Lev 16:22.

I offer no opinion on any of the above explanations, excepting that I look on the last as eminently fanciful and unsatisfactory. Bullinger remarks sensibly, “It does not interest us much to know who this young man was, and it would not bring any very great fruit to us, if we did know. If it had been useful and wholesome for us to know, the Spirit of God would not have been silent, seeing that He is often marvellously diligent in relating very minute things.]

Fuente: Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

Mar 14:43. Straightway. Marks favorite expression; the appearance of Judas and his band was sudden.

The scribes. Peculiar to Mark, as in other cases.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

The hour is now almost come, even that hour of sorrow which Christ had so often spoken of, Yet a little while, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners; for while he yet spake, cometh Judas with a band of soldiers to apprehend him: it was the lot and portion of our dear Redeemer, To be betrayed into the hands of his mortal enemies, by the treachery of a false and dissembling friend.

Here we have observable,

1. The traitor. 2. The treason. 3. The manner how. 4. The time when this treasonable design was executed.

Observe, 1. The traitor, Judas. All the evangelists carefully describe him by his name, Judas; by his sirname, Judas Iscariot; lest he should be mistaken for Jude, the brother of James. Almighty God takes great care to preserve the names of his upright-hearted servants. He is further described by his office, one of the twelve. The eminency of his place and station was an high aggravation of his transgression.

Learn hence, That the greatest professors had need be very jealous of themselves, and suspicious of their own hearts, and look well to the grounds and principles of their profession; for a profession begun in hypocrisy, will certainly end in apostacy.

Learn farther, That person are never in such imminent danger, as when they meet with temptations exactly suited to their master-lusts. Covetousness was Judas’s master-sin; the love of the world made him a slave to Satan, and the devil lays a temptation before him exactly suited to his temper and inclination; and it constantly overcomes him.

O! pray we, that we may be kept from a strong and suitable temptation; a temptation suited to our inclination and predominant lust and corruption.

Observe, 2. The treason of this traitor Judas: he led on an armed multitude to the place where Christ was, gave them a signal to discover him by, and bids them lay hands upon him, and hold him fast. Some conjecture, that when Judas bade them hold Christ fast, he thought they could not do it; but that as Christ had at other times conveyed himself from the multitude, when they attempted to kill or stone him, so he would have done now: but his hour was now come, and accordingly he suffers himself to be delivered by the treachery of Judas into his enemies’ hands. And this his treason is attended with these hellish aggravations; he had been a witness to the miracles which our Saviour had wrought by his divine power, and therefore could not sin out of ignorance: what he did was not at the solicitation and persuasion of others, but he was a volunteer in this service; the high priests did not send to him, but he went to them, offering his assistance; no doubt it was a matter of surprise to the chief priests to find one of Christ’s own disciples at the head of a conspiracy against him.

Lord! how dangerous is it to allow ourselves in any one secret or open sin! none can say how far that one sin may in time lead us. Should any have told Judas, that his love of maoney would at last make him sell his Saviour, he would have said with Hazael, Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this thing? That soul can never be safe that harbours one sin within its breast.

Observe, 3. The manner how this hellish plot was executed; partly by force, and partly by fraud: by force, in the Judas came with a multitude armed with swords and staves; and by fraud, giving a kiss, and saying, Hail Master. Here was honey in the lips, but poison in the heart.

Observe, 4. The time when, the place where, and the work which our Saviour was about, when this treasonable design was executed: he was in the garden with his disciples, exhorting them to prayer and watchfulness, dropping heavenly advice and comfort upon them. While he yet spake, lo! Judas came. Our Saviour was found in the most heavenly and excellent employment when his enemies came to apprehend him.

Lord, how happy is it when our sufferings find us in God’s way, engaged in his work, and engaging his assistance by fervent supplication! Thus did our Lord’s sufferings meet him: may ours in like manner meet us!

Observe, 5. The endeavours used by the disciples for their Master’s rescue; one of them (Saint Matthew says it was Peter) draws his sword and cuts off the ear of Malchus, who probably was one of the forwardest to lay hands on Christ.

But why did not Saint Peter draw upon Judas rather than Malchus?

Because, though Judas was more faulty, yet Malchus was more forward to arrest and carry off our Saviour. How doth a pious breast swell with indignation at the sight of any open affront offered to its Saviour! Yet though St. Peter’s heart was sincere, his hand was rash; good intentions are no warrant for irregular actions; and accordingly Christ, who accepted the affection, reproves the action: Put up thy sword; for they that take the sword, shall perish by the sword.

Christ will thank no man to fight for him without warrant and commission from him. To resist a lawful magistrate in Christ’s own defence, is rash zeal, and discountenanced by the gospel.

Observe, lastly, The effect which our Saviour’s apprehension had upon the apostles; they all forsook him, and fled. They that said to Christ a little before, Though we should die with thee, yet will we not deny thee; do all here desert and cowardly forsake him, when it came to the trial.

Learn hence, That the best and holiest of men know not their own hearts, when great temptations and trials are before them, until such time as they come to grapple with them. No man knows his own strength till temptation puts it to the proof.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Mar 14:43-45. Immediately, while he yet spake And gave his disciples the alarm just mentioned; Judas came, and with him a great multitude Persons of different stations and offices in life, sent with authority from the chief priests, with swords and staves Or clubs, as it seems ought here to be rendered. A staff, in Greek, , is intended principally to assist us in walking; a club, , is a weapon both offensive and defensive. To show that these words are, in the gospels, never used promiscuously, let it be observed, that, in our Lords commands to his apostles, in relation to the discharge of their office, when what concerned their own accommodation in travelling is spoken of, the word is used by all the three evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, who take particular notice of that transaction. But, in the account given by the same evangelists of the armed multitude sent by the high-priests and elders to apprehend our Lord, they never employ the term , but always, . Campbell.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

CCXXIV.

JESUS BETRAYED, ARRESTED, AND FORSAKEN.

(Gethsemane. Friday, several hours before dawn.)

aMATT. XXVI. 47-56; bMARK XIV. 43-52; cLUKE XXII. 47-53; dJOHN XVIII. 2-11.

d2 Now Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples. [See 2Ki 6:8-12). Jesus asked, “Whom seek ye?” (1) To openly and manfully declare his identity; (2) to make the Jewish rulers fully conscious that they were arresting him, an innocent man; (3) to confine the arrest to himself and thus deliver his disciples. The older commentators regard the falling to the ground as a miracle, but modern scholars look upon it as a result of sudden fear. Jesus merely manifested his dignity and majesty, and the prostration followed as a natural result.] a48 Now he that betrayed him gave {bhad given} them a token, aa sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he: take him. band lead him away safely. cand he drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. 48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? b45 And when he was come, astraightway he came to Jesus, and said {bsaith,} aHail, Rabbi; and kissed him. 50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, do that for which thou art come. [Some place this event before the preceding paragraph. It comports better with the fitness of things to place it here. Jesus made Judas feel his utter nothingness, and his worthlessness even as a betrayer. Before Judas can in any way identify Jesus, the Lord had twice declared himself to be the party whom they sought. When he approaches to carry out his contract, the Lord’s question exposes him before all as a betrayer, and not a disciple as he wished to appear to be (for kissing was the common mode of salutation between men, especially between teacher and pupils), and when Judas brazenly persists in completing the sign, Jesus bids him do it, not as a friend, but as a traitor. Little did the betrayer think that the kiss of Judas would become a proverb in every nation.] Then they came [690] and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. [The sight of Judas touching him no doubt reassured them, and they laid hands on Jesus.] c49 And when they that were about him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? b47 But {a51 And} behold, d10 Simon Peter ba certain one of them that stood by athat were with Jesus dtherefore having a sword astretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and smote {dstruck} athe servant of the high priest, and struck {dcut} off his right ear. [We have seen that the apostles were but scantily armed, there being only two swords in their possession. See Joh 18:16). He knew Malchus by name, and he also knew his kindred– Joh 18:26.] c51 But Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye them thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. [Some think that Jesus spoke these words, “Suffer ye thus far,” to those who held him, asking them to loose him sufficiently to enable him to touch the ear of Malchus. But the revision committee by inserting “them” make Jesus address his disciples, commanding them not to interfere with those who were arresting him, making it a general statement of the idea which the Lord addressed specifically to Peter in the next sentence.] a52 Then d11 Jesus therefore said {asaith} dunto Peter, aPut up again thy {dthe} sword into the sheath: aits place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. dthe cup which the Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? [By the healing of Malchus’ ear and the words spoken to Peter, Jesus shows that the sword is not to be used either to defend the truth or to advance his kingdom. Had he not thus spoken and acted, Pilate might have doubted his words when he [691] testified that his kingdom was not of this world ( Joh 18:36). While we know better than to rely upon the aid of the sword for the advance of truth, we are often tempted to put undue trust in other “carnal weapons” which are equally futile. Wealth and eloquence and elaborate church buildings have but little saving grace in them. It is the truth which wins. By using the word “cup” John gives us an echo of the agony in Gethsemane, which suggests that he expects his readers to be conversant with the other Gospels. The other Evangelists, having shown that Jesus was fully resolved to drink the cup, do not regard it as necessary to repeat these words.] a53 Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then should the scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be? [Jesus still addresses Peter. Had it accorded with the divine purpose that Jesus should resist this arrest, angels and not men would have been his proper and infinitely more effective rescuers. But, on the contrary, it was God’s purpose that he should be arrested, as the Scripture had foretold.] 55 In that hour bJesus answered and said unto them athe multitudes, cthe 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? ato seize me? c53 When aI sat {bwas} daily with you in the temple teaching, cye stretched not forth your hands against me: band ye took me not: cbut this is your hour, and the power of darkness. a56 But all this is come to pass, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. [The party which came to arrest Jesus was large. The word “band” used by John to describe part of it is speira, which is the Greek name for the cohort, a division of the Roman army which in the time of Augustus contained 555 men. Ten cohorts, or a legion, were usually quartered in the castle Antonia, at the northwest corner of the temple enclosure. That the whole cohort was present is not likely ( Mat 27:27), but there was a large enough body to represent it. The [692] Evangelists therefore properly style it a great multitude. Moreover, it was a motley crowd. Its strength and diversity suggest the fear that Jesus might miraculously defend himself. Each part of the crowd found courage in the strength possessed by the other part, the priests relying upon the solidity of the soldiers, the soldiers superstitiously trusting to some spiritual power residing in the priests, etc. Now, because of these fears, the preparation was as great as if some band of robbers was to be taken. The questions of Jesus, therefore, show two facts: 1. By their extensive preparation the rulers bore an unintentional testimony to his divine power. 2. By their failure to arrest him openly in the temple, they bore witness to his innocence. With his divinity and his innocence, therefore, Jesus challenges them, referring to their own conduct for testimony thereto. In conclusion, he cites them to the Scriptures which they were fulfilling. Our Lord’s dual reference to the Old Testament at this sacred time should cause us to handle them with awe and reverence.] b50 And aThen all of the disciples left him, and fled. b51 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; 52 but he left the linen cloth, and fled naked. [All the predictions of Jesus had failed to prepare the apostles for the terrors of his arrest. Despite all his warnings, each apostle sought his own safety. The young man who fled naked is usually presumed to be Mark himself, and it is thought that he thus speaks impersonally after the manner of Matthew and John. The manner of his description shows that he was not an apostle. As Mark’s mother resided in Jerusalem ( Act 12:12, Act 12:25), Canon Cook advances the theory that the Lord’s Supper was eaten in the upper room of her house, and that when the disciples retired with Jesus from thence to Gethsemane, Mark slipped from his bed, threw his sindon about him, and followed after them. The sindon, or linen vestment, was very costly, not being worn even by the middle classes: no apostle would be thus attired.] [693]

[FFG 689-692]

Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)

THE ARREST

Mat 26:47-56; Mar 14:43-52; Luk 22:47-53;Joh 18:2-12. And Judas, the one betraying Him, knew the place, because frequently, Jesus, with His disciples, had resorted thither. Then Judas, taking a band and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, comes thither with lanterns, torches, and arms. The lantern was a closed- up light of some kind, fortified against the wind, while the torches were large, blazing flambeaux. Though the moon was very bright, as she was nearly full, it was exceedingly important to have plenty of light as a fortification against the liability of mistaking the wrong person, as they surmised that an effort would be made on the part of the disciples to elude them in that way; their great confidence, however, being in Judas, who was so intimately acquainted with Him. Thus they had taken every precaution to make sure that they arrested the One whom they had been pursuing these three years, and who had baffled them so frequently by rendering Himself invisible, and in various ways eluding their grasp till His work was done.

Mar 14:43 : And immediately, He speaking, Judas, being one of the twelve, comes, and a great multitude with him, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, scribes, and elders. A huge club, four or five feet long, is an exceedingly common weapon in that country now. I saw persons incessantly thus armed quite a formidable weapon in the hands of a stalwart man.

Joh 18:4-9. Then Jesus, knowing all things which are coming upon Him, having gone out, said to them, Whom do you seek? They responded to Him, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus says to them, I am He? Never did the world see another such a man as Jesus. When they came to crown Him King, He fled away; but when they came to kill Him, He went out to meet them. Judas, the one betraying Him, also stood with them. Then, when He said to them, I am He, they went back, and fell upon the ground. This is His last miracle, except healing the amputated ear, which speedily followed. Though He boldly comes out from the dense shade of those great olive-trees into the clear light of the moon, shining so brightly from that cloudless, Palestinian sky, and also into the strong light of a hundred flambeaux, so that it was as bright as day, and there was no trouble about recognition, yet, lo! an awful panic strikes them, so they retreat back and fall upon the ground like dead men. How easily He could have utterly baffled and defeated them, striking them all with the paralysis of incorrigible terror! But the time has come for Him to meet the bloody avalanche from the bottomless pit, and lay down His life for a lost world.

Then again He asked them, Whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus responded, I said to you that I am He. If then you seek Me, let these retire in order that the word which He spoke may be fulfilled, That I lost none of them whom Thou hast given Me. They did not consider His disciples sufficiently important to deserve their attention at that time, as they were satisfied if they could only get the One who had given them so much trouble, and whose life they had so long been seeking in vain. Really, all their energies, aspirations, and wits were laid under contribution to secure the arrest and execution of Jesus.

Mat 26:48-50. And the one having betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying, Whom I shall kiss is He; hold Him fast. And immediately coming to Jesus, he said, Hail, Master; and kissed Him copiously. Jesus said to him, Comrade, for what do you come? Then they, coming, laid hands on Jesus, and bound Him. Joh 18:12. Then the band, the chiliarch, and the officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound Him. Such was their fear, solicitude, and anxiety for success that they all united in arresting and binding Him. Joh 18:10 : Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the servant of the high-priest, and cut off his right ear. And the name to that servant was Malchus. Mat 26:52 :

Then Jesus said to Peter, Put up thy sword into its place; for all taking the sword shall perish by the sword. (Gen 9:6.) Of course, those who use the sword are all liable to perish in that way. Luk 22:51 : Jesus said, Hold on a little, and touching his ear He healed it. The moment Peter smote Malchus, Jesus ordered him to put up his sword, stepped instantly to the wounded soldier, touched his ear and healed it, thus in His last miracle manifesting His loving kindness even to His enemies, who had that moment arrested Him, and He knew they were going to take His life. You see in the assault Peter made on the enemies of Jesus a brilliant manifestation of his native heroism. He feared the face of no man, but was brave enough to fight that whole army. It is a great mistake to conclude that he was deficient in natural courage because in the subsequent events of that awful night he displayed so signal cowardice. All this was because Jesus would not let him fight, and consequently he felt he was at the mercy of His enemies, who knew no mercy.

Mat 26:53-56. Do you not think that I am able now to call on My Father, and He will send Me more than twelve legions of angels? How then can the Scriptures be fulfilled, because it behooveth it thus to be? Those angels were ready, hovering around, and eager for the opportunity to snatch Him away from the cruel manacles of the bloodthirsty rabble and bear Him on pinions of light to the home of the glorified. Right there at Jerusalem a solitary angel had slain a hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers in one night. Doubtless the same angels who ministered to Him when tempted in the wilderness were hovering round. At that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, You have come out as against a thief with swords and clubs to take Me. I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you laid not hands on Me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled. Then all of His disciples, leaving Him, fled. When the mob first came they surrounded them altogether. Now that they have secured the only One they wanted, they break ranks, leaving an opening for the others all to run away, as they did not want to be encumbered with them at that time. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, thus creating a great popular sensation and weakening the hands of His enemies, they would have arrested and executed every one of His apostles, except Judas, as accomplices in the criminality in which they had falsely implicated Jesus. Now the apostles see that He is arrested and bound, completely in the hands of His enemies; hence, yielding to desperation and affright, they flee away.

Luk 22:53. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness. His enemies had repeatedly tried to arrest Him, stone Him, and destroy Him in any way they could; but invariably suffered utter defeat till now, when He is turned over to the powers of earth and hell to execute their vilest venom against His innocent person, and He thus becomes the vicarious substitute for every guilty sinner.

Mar 14:51-52. And one certain young man follows Him, clothed with a linen cloth on his naked body. The young men arrest him; but he, leaving the linen cloth fled from them in a state of nudity. It is believed that this young man was none other than the Apostle John and it is said that he fled away to the house of Rabbi Amos in the city, and there procured the robe of a Jewish priest, invested in which he returned, and remained with the Savior in all of His troubles, walking by His side to the tribunal of Annas, thence to the judgment-hall; of Caiaphas, thence to Pilates bar and to Herods tribunal, then back to Pilate, and on His way to Calvary. Standing by His side when He hung bleeding on the cross all this time hoping that He would revive, exercise His wonderful power, and extricate Himself from the hands of His enemies, till the Roman soldier came along and plunged the spear into His side, thus tearing His heart to pieces. It is said that when this cruel deed was done, all hope of His reviving taking its flight, John, yielding to despair, fainted. Let this be as it may, we see here that John was with Him after the flight of the other ten.

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament

Mar 14:43-50. The Arrest.Judas, familiar with Gethsemane, now comes with a band hastily armed with clubs and short swords such as private persons carried. They come as if expecting resistance, and one of them loses an ear (there is no miracle of healing in Mk. at this point). They treat Jesus as a bandit. A bandit will be preferred to Jesus by the crowd, when the choice is offered to them. The agreed sign by which Jesus is to be betrayed is the kiss with which the pupil used to salute his Rabbi.

Mar 14:49. I was daily with you in the temple: Mk. has only told us of three days. A longer ministry in Jerusalem seems implied.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

14:43 {12} And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

(12) As men willingly robbed God their creator of his praise in forsaking and betraying him: so Christ, willingly going about to make satisfaction for this ruin, is forsaken by his own, and betrayed by one of his familiar acquaintances as a thief, so that the punishment might be in agreement with the sin, and that we who are ourselves traitors, forsakers and those committing sacrilege, might be delivered out of the devil’s snare.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and abandonment 14:43-52 (cf. Matthew 26:47-56; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12)

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

All the synoptic writers apparently repeated that Judas was one of the Twelve, even though the reader already knows this, to stress the tragedy of Jesus’ betrayal. [Note: Gould, p. 273.] Judas guided the mob (Act 1:16) that had come with authority from the Sanhedrin. Part of the crowd consisted of Jewish temple police (Luk 22:52) and Roman soldiers (Joh 18:12). The police carried clubs and the soldiers short swords.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

CHAPTER 14:43-52 (Mar 14:43-52)

THE ARREST

“And straightway, while He yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now he that betrayed Him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is He; take Him, and lead Him away safely. And when he was come, straightway he came to Him, and saith, Rabbi; and kissed Him. And they laid hands on Him, and took Him. But a certain one of them that stood by drew his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a robber, with swords and staves to seize Me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took Me not: but this is done that the scriptures might be fulfilled. And they all 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.” Mar 14:43-52 (R.V.)

ST. Mark has told this tragical story in the most pointed and the fewest words. The healing of the ear of Malchus concerns him not, that is but one miracle among many; and Judas passes from sight unfollowed: the thought insisted on is of foul treason, pitiable weakness, brute force predominant, majestic remonstrance and panic flight. From the central events no accessories can distract him.

There cometh, he tells us, “Judas, one of the Twelve.” Who Judas was, we knew already, but we are to consider how Jesus felt it now. Before His eyes is the catastrophe which His death is confronted to avert — the death of a soul, a chosen and richly dowered soul for ever lost — in spite of so many warnings — in spite of that incessant denunciation of covetousness which rings through so much of His teaching, which only the presence of Judas quite explains, and which His terrible and searching gaze must have made like fire, to sear since it could not melt — in spite of the outspoken utterances of these last days, and doubtless in spite of many prayers, he is lost: one of the Twelve.

And the dark thought would fall cold upon Christ’s heart, of the multitudes more who should receive the grace of God, His own dying love, in vain. And with that, the recollection of many an hour of loving-kindness wasted on this familiar friend in whom He trusted, and who now gave Him over, as he had been expressly warned, to so cruel a fate. Even toward Judas, no unworthy bitterness could pollute that sacred heart, the fountain of unfathomable compassions, but what speechless grief must have been there, what inconceivable horror. For the outrage was dark in form as in essence. Judas apparently conceived that the Eleven might, as they had promised, rally around their Lord; and he could have no perception how impossible it was that Messiah should stoop to escape under cover of their devotion, how frankly the good Shepherd would give His life for the sheep. In the night, he thought, evasion might yet be attempted, and the town be raised. But he knew how to make the matter sure. No other would as surely as himself recognize Jesus in the uncertain light. If he were to lay hold on Him rudely, the Eleven would close in, and in the struggle, the prize might yet be lost. But approaching a little in advance, and peaceable, he would ostentatiously kiss his Master, and so clearly point Him out that the arrest would be accomplished before the disciples realized what was being done.

But at every step the intrigue is overmastered by the clear insight of Jesus. As He foretold the time of His arrest, while yet the rulers said, Not on the feast day, so He announced the approach of the traitor, who was then contriving the last momentary deception of his polluting kiss.

We have already seen how impossible it is to think of Judas otherwise than as the Church has always regarded him, an apostate and a traitor in the darkest sense. The milder theory is at this stage shattered by one small yet significant detail. At the supper, when conscious of being suspected, and forced to speak, he said not, like the others, “Lord,” but “Rabbi, is it I?” Now they meet again, and the same word is on his lips, whether by design and in Satanic insolence, or in hysterical agitation and uncertainty, who can say?

But no loyalty, however misled, inspired that hasting and inadequate epithet, no wild hope of a sudden blazing out of glories too long concealed is breathed in the traitor’s Rabbi!

With that word, and his envenomed kiss, the “much kissing,” which took care that Jesus should not shake him off, he passes from this great Gospel. Not a word is here of his remorse, or of the dreadful path down which he stumbled to his own place. Even the lofty remonstrance of the Lord is not recorded: it suffices to have told how he betrayed the Son of man with a kiss, and so infused a peculiar and subtle poison into Christ’s draught of deadly wine. That, and not the punishment of that, is what St. Mark recorded for the Church, the awful fall of an apostle, chosen of Christ; the solemn warning to all privileged persons, richly endowed and highly placed; the door to hell, as Bunyan has it, from the very gate of Heaven.

A great multitude with swords and staves had come from the rulers. Possibly some attempt at rescue was apprehended from the Galileans who had so lately triumphed around Jesus. More probably the demonstration was planned to suggest to Pilate that a dangerous political agitation had to be confronted.

At all events, the multitude did not terrify the disciples: cries arose from their little band, “Lord, shall we smite with the sword?” and if Jesus had consented, it seems that with two swords the Eleven whom declaimers make to be so craven, would have assailed the multitude in arms.

Now this is what points the moral of their failure. Few of us would confess personal cowardice by accepting a warning from the fears of the fearful. But the fears of the brave must needs alarm us. It is one thing to defy death, sword in hand, in some wild hour of chivalrous effort — although the honors we shower upon the valiant prove that even such fortitude is less common than we would fain believe. But there is a deep which opens beyond this. It is a harder thing to endure the silent passive anguish to which the Lamb, dumb before the shearers, calls His followers. The victories of the spirit are beyond animal strength of nerve. In their highest forms they are beyond the noble reach of intellectual resolution. How far beyond it we may learn by contrasting the excitement and then the panic of the Eleven with the sublime composure of their Lord.

One of them, whom we know to have been the impulsive Simon, showed his loss of self-control by what would have been a breach of discipline, even had resistance been intended. While others asked should they smite with the sword, he took the decision upon himself, and struck a feeble and abortive blow, enough to exasperate but not to disable. In so doing he added, to the sorrows of Jesus, disobedience, and the inflaming of angry passion among His captors.

Strange it is, and instructive, that the first act of violence in the annals of Christianity came not from her assailants but from her son. And strange to think with what emotions Jesus must have beheld that blow.

St. Mark records neither the healing of Malchus nor the rebuke of Peter. Throughout the events which now crowd fast upon us, we shall not find him careful about fullness of detail. This is never his manner, though he loves any detail which is graphic, characteristic, or intensifying. But his concern is with the spirit of the Lord and of His enemies: he is blind to no form of injustice or insult which heightened the sufferings of Jesus, to no manifestation of dignity and self-control overmastering the rage of hell. If He is unjustly tried by Caiaphas, it matters nothing that Annas also wronged Him. If the soldiers of Pilate insulted Him, it matters nothing that the soldiers of Herod also set Him at nought. Yet the flight of a nameless youth is recorded, since it adds a touch to the picture of His abandonment.

And therefore he records the indignant remonstrance of Jesus upon the manner of His arrest. He was no man of violence and blood, to be arrested with a display of overwhelming force. He needed not to be sought in concealment and at midnight.

He has spoken daily in the temple, but then their malice was defeated, their snares rent asunder, and the people witnessed their exposure. But all this was part of His predicted suffering, for Whom not only pain but injustice was foretold, Who should be taken from prison and from judgment.

It was a lofty remonstrance. It showed how little could danger and betrayal disturb His consciousness, and how clearly He discerned the calculation of His foes.

At this moment of unmistakable surrender, His disciples forsook Him and fled. One young man did indeed follow Him, springing hastily from slumber in some adjacent cottage, and wrapped only in a linen cloth. But he too, when seized, fled away, leaving his only covering in the hands of the soldiers.

This youth may perhaps have been the Evangelist himself, of whom we know that, a few years later, he joined Paul and Barnabas at the outset, but forsook them when their journey became perilous.

It is at least as probable that the incident is recorded as a picturesque climax to that utter panic which left Jesus to tread the winepress alone, deserted by all, though He never forsook any.

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary

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