New Testament BIBLE STORY #29

 New Testament BIBLE STORY

#29

Especially written for children

Chapter Thirty-eight:

Jesus in Gethsemane - is Betrayed and Arrested

     After Jesus had told His disciples all the things we covered

in the last two chapter, He and His disciples crossed the Kidron

Valley and entered a garden called Gethsemane.

     "I want you to sit here," Jesus told them all, as He Himself

would go a little further into the garden. He took with him,

Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, namely, James and John. 

Jesus became very troubled and sorrowful. He said to the three that

were with Him, "I am very sorrowful, even unto death; I want you

to remain here, and watch with me." He went on alone a little

further, about a stones throw, and fell down on His knees and with 

great anguish prayed, "O Father, if it be possible, let this hour pass 

from me; nevertheless, let it not be my will, but your will that is done."

     Jesus was feeling weak in the knees, and as we feel when about 

to faint. There appeared to Him an angel from heaven, who was sent 

to strengthen Him.

     And He came back to the three disciples and found them

sleeping. He said to Peter, "Could you not watch with me for just

one hour?  Watch and pray that you will not enter into

temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."

     Jesus went away for the second time, and prayed, "My Father,

if it be possible let this time be taken away, so I don't have to

drink it, but your will be done."

     Again, He came to the three disciples and found them

sleeping, for their eyes were too heavy to stay awake, as it was

well into the night of this 14th Passover day.

     Jesus was in emotional agony by now, so much so that His

sweat was mingled with blood. As the medical world, this is quite

possible, you can be so intense that your blood vessels break

beneath your skin and blood does indeed mingle with your sweat.

Jesus for the third time went away and prayed the same words.

     Then returning to the disciples for the third time and finding 

them still asleep, said, "Are you still sleeping. Rise up and pray that 

you do not enter into temptation. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the 

Son of man will is going to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. 

Rise, let us be going; see my betrayer is coming."

     While Jesus was still uttering these words Judas Iscariot came. 

Now, Judas was well acquainted with the garden of Gethsemane, 

for Jesus often met there with His disciples. He knew Jesus would 

probably be in the garden during the hours of the Passover night. 

Judas procuring and gathering together a band of soldiers and some 

officers from the chief priests and some of the Pharisees, came with 

lanterns and torches and weapons that soldiers of the day used in 

warfare. Judas had arranged that he would kiss Jesus, so the soldiers 

and Pharisees would know which one was Jesus. It was the dark of 

night, and Jesus looked very much like all Jews of the day, so the 

soldiers and Pharisees needed Judas to point out which one was Jesus. 

As soon as he came to the disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, Judas 

immediately came up to Jesus and kissed Him on the cheek. Jesus said 

to Judas, "Friend why are you here? Would you betray the Son of man

with a kiss?"  We are not told if Judas ever answered.

     Jesus, knowing all that was to befall Him, then came forward and 

said to them, "Whom do you seek?"

     They answered Him, "We seek Jesus of Nazareth."

     "I am he," said Jesus. At those words they drew back and

fell to the ground. They knew Jesus had great super-natural

powers, and they were fully expecting that He would use them.

They were at this point very scared as to what Jesus would do.

     Again, Jesus said, "Whom do you seek?" And they once more

replied, "We seek Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I have

told you that I am he, so if you seek only me, then let these men

that are with me, go." This was to fulfil the word which He had

spoken, "Of those whom you gave me Father, I have lost not one."

          The soldiers and Pharisees by now had realized no flames 

of fire were coming from heaven to devour them. Jesus was not 

using His mighty powers to fight them. They grew braver every

second. Then they came forward to lay hands on Jesus and arrest

Him. 

     

     Some of the disciples seeing all that was going on, asked

Jesus if they should bring out their swords, the few they had,

and fight.  Jesus, with a wave of the hand, told them they should

not.

     Peter, either did not see Jesus' reaction to the disciples

question as to if they should fight, or simply was too angry at

the whole scene. He could see what was going to take place, and

now fully awake and on edge, he drew the sword that he had and

slashed out with it, cutting off the ear of the high priest's slave 

as he ducked the silver flash of the sword as it passed over his head.

     

     For whatever reason John's Gospel account records the slaves

name, it was Malchus, but we know no more about him, other than

what Jesus did next.

     Jesus said to Peter with a firm voice, "Put your sword away;

shall I not drink of the cup which the Father has given me to

drink?" Then bending down He picked up the ear of the slave and

did a miracle by re-attaching it to his head as if it had never

been sliced off.

     Turning to His disciples Jesus said, "All who will take the

sword will perish by the sword. Do you not realize that I can

appeal to my Father, and He will at once send me more than 

twelve legions of angels to protect me. But then how should the

Scripture be fulfilled, that must come to pass as written?"

     Then turning to the crowd that had come to arrest Him, He

said, "Have you come out as if I was a robber, with swords and

clubs, to capture me? Day after day I sat in the Temple, teaching, 

and you did not arrest me. But I realize all this has taken place 

that the Scripture of the prophets might be fulfilled."

     It was indeed the time for all that was written about this

part of the Messiah's life, and His arrest, and His death, to

come to pass.

     So the band of soldiers and the officers of the Jews, with

the Pharisees, seized Jesus, bound Him, and led Him away.

     

     At this sight, of Jesus being arrested and led away, the

eleven disciples panicked, and like scared rabbits, ran away as

fast as their legs could go. By now some other people had come

along to see all that was happening. It was Passover night and

many were as I've mentioned, up all night on this particular day.

A young man, only wearing a linen outer cloak followed Jesus, 

and they were going to arrest him also. They were laying hands 

on him, grabbing his linen cloak, when he also fled from them

leaving his cloak in their hands, and ran away naked (Mat. 26:

36-56; Mark 14: 32-52; Luke 22: 39-53; John 18: 1-12).

     Jesus, was now alone, all His disciples at this point were

gone, but He was not alone, for as He had said, the Father, was

ever with Him.

              .................................

Written January 2003