OTHERS ASKED ME TO WROTE THE GOSPELS IN SIMPLE ENGLISH SO CHILDREN COULD READ— SO I DID— Keith Hunt
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 chapters, 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 knows, 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 |
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