Betrayal, Courage, and Redemption: The Arrest of Jesus

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk

about the Bible in fun in practical ways. Hey, everybody, thanks for

joining us. We are the Bible Guys. So for our listeners today,

Chris and I are having a debate. So if you may notice, for

the ones, for the ones that are watching, you can see that I

have my water in a nice cup that says the Bible Guys on it,

right, and I can take a drink like this and it's great, and

I can set it right back down there and it looks nice on the set.

Chris comes in with water bottles and styrofoam cups and it was just sit

it on there, and I was just saying, this nice coffee cup that

says the Bible Guys on it looks more professional then, like you just stumbled

in off the street with a cup of coffee that you got at the mission.

Yeah, and so, and then my my angle is I said that

I think that a placed mug with our logo looks very cheesy, like a

talk show host like The View or something like that, where it's desperate to

look professional and it looks cheesy, whereas this is just real because some of

us are naturally professional. This is the everyday guy. This is the every

day girl, every day guy. Every we can. There's no pretentious feeling

here. We're just we're drinking coffee out of a china nette to go to

go through to go thing. Where did you get that? Though? My

wife? Your wife? You have those at home every single day? I

take this, well almost every day. You have to go cups at home?

Yeah wow? Okay, yeah, so you know they make like Stanley

to goes that you can wash and reuse. I always leave them way to

fill the landfills. Oh fantastic. Kind of what kind of person you know?

I can I can take this. I can take this and wash it

out and use it again tomorrow. I can use this ten thousand times,

and you're going to have a truckload of garbage at the end. Okay,

because you have to move on. I'm not going to entertain that at all.

Okay, but okay. A segment that says two foods are going to

be listed and you have to decide which one stays and which one goes away

forever, Well, that's why I was talking about it. Should we keep

the coffee cup or should we lets bring in the way, let you bring

in throw away. We'll just let people vote. That's their vote on this

one. Okay, but we have to choose these and it goes away forever,

right, and they're gone forever. We never get them again. Oh

it's terrible. Okay, waffles or pancakes. Which one goes away forever?

It's too waffles. I think actually I agree, Really I do. We

agree a lot on these, by the way, Yeah, I actually agree

because I think I'm choosing this for society, not for society, and I

think more people. Actually, you're so good to us, Chris. Thank

you, thank you, thank you. I do think of everybody else.

I think you think you think for everybody else. Number two is bacon or

sausage. Sausage has to go. Really well, I think more people like

bacon. It doesn't matter what other people want. This is for us.

Well, you have to decide. Well wait a minute. It's the thing

about the instructions here. I'm a pretty literal person. It says you have

to decide which one stays and goes away forever. So I'm still me making

the choice, but it's telling you doing it on behalf of everybody else.

It's telling me it goes away forever for the world. So it doesn't say

for the world, just says it goes away forever. Well, how can

pancakes go away forever for you? Just for me? Maybe maybe they're invisible

to you and you can't smell or take them in. Stop just stop.

I don't know more people like bacon, so I say sausage goes. I

would keep the sausage. Really, yeah, bacon can go. And I

love bacon, love it. But I love sausage too. Wow, that's

surprising. And I like to make a sausage good. Okay. Tater tots

are French fries. That's a tough one. A good tater tot is better

than a good fry. I agree. I agree. However, I think

more people would be upset more people like fries. Who cares about what more

people want? So we're obviously viewing through two different things. I think of

others, you think of you. That's the lessonaire. Yes, yes,

that's it. So I okay. If you want me to say for me,

I would do actually opposite. I would actually keep I would keep waffles

for me, get rid of pancakes. Okay, I would keep bacon over

sausage, and I would keep tater trots over fries for me. Okay,

I've just chosen. I would keep pancakes, sausage, and tater tots also,

so I would keep tato tytes. Okay, pie or cake? Chris,

Oh, I already know if I'm going to do it for me,

I'm going to say cake goes away pie stage. Yeah. I think the

point of these segments is not what do you think? You're not You're not

trying to get the right answer. You're trying to give your answer. That's

that's the point behind these But what I'm saying, So you're saying pie overtake,

saying my answer for the world. You know, it didn't say anything

about the world. It says it goes away forever. It doesn't matter.

It's your people want an insight for you, not what you think about the

world, but for you. What do you want? And so you say

pie? I like pie? I hate pie, the only the only pie

I like. I like two kinds of pies. I like a like a

chocolate silk with a good GRAMD cracker bottom to it, Oh my word,

And I like a uh pecan pie. We are definitely disagree on this one.

I know. That's why I need cake cake. I don't like almost

all cake, almost all cake I don't like. Why are we friends?

I don't know. Okay, guacam oli your caso because we like tater tots.

Yeah, we have tater tots and common That's right, no matter what

happens, Chris, we always have tater tots. We have we'll always have

what is it rio, We'll always have rio. Yeah, we'll always have

tape tots. Okay. And guacamole your keeso. Oh that's a very tough

one. Oh, I'd get rid of Keeso a hundred times over. Quawk.

M I think I agree, not a hundred times, No, I

would, but I think I would keep quawk yeah quawk. Okay, Well

there you go our own we have commonalities? Yes, Okay? That that

had to have been riveting. Well, just really the biggest debate was you

know, I was, I was thinking of others. That was the biggest

debate about the whole thing. Yan, Well, this is jon Hey,

the coffee cup conversation was way more rivetu than that. Right. So this

particular scripture that we're about to read, which is Jesus being betrayed is found

in all four gospels. Hey, what is the percentage of all of our

episodes that had do you think all four gospels? Let me look it up

real quick. A lot, not many, not many, is the answer.

Yeah, not many, not many. I was just going to say,

I bet you it's five percent to seven percent of all the episodes that

we've had. The events actually shows up in all four gospels. Yeah,

I think so. Wou't you agree? Yeah, there's a lot of commonality

between Matthew and Mark, they're the most common. Luke covers a lot of

the same things, oftentimes with different details. And then John comes that the

whole story of Jesus totally different, and so he covers different things you know,

along the way. But yeah, it's pretty rare. I think that

all four gospels hold the same thing. Well, so we're reading from Matthew

twenty six, Mark fourteen, Luke twenty two, and John eighteen. There's

a lot of verses to h Yeah, so let's get right into it.

It says, even as Jesus Matthew chapter twenty six, verse forty seven.

Even if Jesus said this, remember get up and pray right here, they

might betrayer. Even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve

disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They

had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. The trader

Judas had given them a pre arranged signal, You'll know which one to arrest

when I greet him with a kiss. So Judas came straight to Jesus.

Greetings, Rabbi, he exclaimed, and gave him the kiss. Jesus said,

my friend, go ahead and do what you've come for. Then the

others grabbed Jesus and arrested him, but one of the men was Jesus.

Is pulled out his sword and struck the high priest's slaves, slashing off his

ear. Put away your sword, Jesus told him. Those who use the

sword will die by the sword. Don't you realize that I could ask my

father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly.

But if I did, how would the scriptures be fulfilled that describe what

must happen? Now? Then Jesus said to the crowd, am I some

dangerous revolutionary that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me. Why didn't

you arrest me in the temple? I was there teaching every day. But

this is recorded in the scriptures. I'm sorry, but this is all happening

to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded the scriptures. And at that

point all the disciples deserted him and fled. In Mark chapter fourteen, it

says, and immediately even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the

twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs.

And they had been sent by the leading priests, and the teachers are religious

law and elders. The trader Judas had given them a pre arranged signal,

You'll know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss, and

then you can take him away under guard. As soon as they arrived,

Judas walked up to Jesus Rabbi, he exclaimed, and gave him the kiss.

Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. But one of the men

with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest's slave, slashing off

his ear. Jesus asked them, am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you

come with swords and clubs to arrest me. Why didn't you arrest me in

the temple? I was there among you, teaching every day. But these

things are happening to fulfill what the scriptures say about me. Then all his

disciples deserted him and ran away. One young man following behind was clothed only

in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, he

slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked. In Luke, chapter twenty

two, verse forty seven, it says, but even as Jesus said this,

a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples.

Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss, But Jesus said,

Judas, would you betray the son of Man with a kiss. When

the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, Lord,

should we fight. We brought the swords, and one of them struck at

the high priest's slave, slashing off his right ear. But Jesus said no

more of this, and he touched the man's ear and healed him. Then

Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the temple guard and the

elders who had come for him. Am I some dangerous revolutionary? He asked

that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me. Why didn't you arrest

me in the temple? I was there every day. But this is your

moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns. And in John eighteen,

verses one to eleven, it says, after saying these things, Jesus

crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees.

Judas, the betrayer, knew this place because Jesus had often gone there with

his disciples. The leading priests and pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman

soldiers and temple guards to accompany him, and now with blazing torches, lanterns,

and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove. Jesus fully realized all

that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them.

Who are you looking for? He asked Jesus the Nazarene. They replied,

I am he, Jesus said, Judas, who betrayed him, was

standing with them. As Jesus said, I am he they all drew back

and fell to the ground once more. He asked him, who are you

looking for? And again they replied, Jesus the Nazarene. I told you

that I am, he Jesus said, And since I am the one you

want, let these others go. And he did this to fulfill his own

statement. I did not lose a single one of those you've given me.

Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus,

the high priest slave. But Jesus said, to Peter, put your sword

back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the

Father has given me? Yeah, So in this case, I'm going to

vote for John's writing. You like John sebest oh without a big fan out,

big fan, big fan, big fan, big big time fan of

the Bible. That's right. He comes up so even the way he starts

it, and he says, he says, he crossed the Kindred Valley,

and he'd gone into a grove of olive trees. And Judas knew this,

and so he had given him Roman soldiers to accompany him as a contingent.

That was blazing ches and lanterns and weapons they arrived in the olive growth.

I mean, it's just it paints the picture, it gives specifics and only

that. But John's the only one that records this unbelievable thing that happens where

everybody falls down when Jesus says, I am her right, and in the

in the Gospels, here it's I am capital am capital a, which is

you know, it's the name for God, the name that God gave to

Moses for himself, right, And so here's and by the way that they

would have known that I would, I would guess, don't you think.

Yeah, one of the Greek phrases, it could have been translated the I

am is here, rather than just I am here, I am here.

It could have been translated the I am is here, I mean he I

am he, Yeah, I am he. I'm sorry. It could have

said the I am is here or I am the Lord right. That's so.

Yeah, he's definitely assigning his association with the God that confronted Moses from

the burning bush. I am. When Moses said, you know, who's

who should I say sent me? He said, tell him, I am.

I mean, that's how God refers to himself. Yes, I am,

Yeah, which is amazing. I am, you know I was,

I am to be? No, I am, I just am. So

so anyway they all fall down. Well that's the amazing part. Can you

imagine Jesus just announcing and I and again I would guess that you know,

all the Jewish scholars, you know, they were all scholars, weren't they,

But all the Jewish boys who had had grown up and memorized the Torah,

and every one of them knew it. And so when he claims to

be, I am, and he says this phrase, and then all of

a sudden, everybody falls down. What compels them to fall It's the power.

Surely they didn't fall out of reverence as they're there to capture this revolutionary

I think it was the power of God. He just knocked them down right,

that they could not stand in the presence of God in that moment.

Yeah, and then I wonder if that made them want to arrest Jesus more

like we got to get rid of this guy, like I just lost control

of my knees. I think that the fact that there's this contingent, right,

so there's some priestly guards and then there's a roaming contingent that show up.

Right, So these these two military groups. So there's Jesus, there's

the twelve, and maybe several more. Right, we know that Cleopus and

Cleopus's wife was there. We know that Mary Magdalene was there eventually you know

around the cross, Mary his mother was there. There were a lot of

people, but I don't think you're talking about hundreds of people. I think

you're talking about a dozen and a half or two dozen people. And they

send out basically a mini army. So what were they afraid of? I

think this is an indicator that the Pharisees knew the power Jesus had was real.

They were rejecting that it was from God. So then he makes this

god declaration, I am is here and they fall to the ground. This

is very similar to when God told Moses to take off your sandals you're standing

on holy ground, only this one they wouldn't have responded. So God just

knocked them down. Right then, I'm gonna stop and take off their sandals,

these soldiers, So God's like flick, flick, flick, right,

just fall down such a coo and there's a lot of people to knock down.

Yeah, yeah, it's a whole contingent of military. Doesn't say how

many, but it's a bunch, yeah, right. And and to be

fair too, they the Pharisees, probably didn't know how many followers were going

to be with Jesus. And the chances are they probably thought that he might

have been a revolutionary you know, after all, you know, that's what

the people expected as Jesus marched in on Palm Sunday. You know, their

desire was the king of the Jews, let you know, finally another king

of Israel to overthrow the oppression of Rome. So they so they sent out

an army, maybe maybe thinking that there was going to be some sort of

a pushback. Yeah, I think so they were clearly cowards. They didn't

arrest him when he was in the temple every day, right, and he

points it out, you cowards, right, he puts it. There's because

everything's politics with them, yeah right. So he's in the tap trying to

avoid a riot, yes, and they probably know they would have lost,

yes, right, because after all, you know, Herod's job is in

Pilot's job is just to keep the peace right, right, you know,

Pilot, as we're about to find out, all he really cares about is

is peace, and and Caiaphas and Annis and the priests. Uh, they

just care that they're not having problems from Rome and that they keep their jobs

because they're paid well. Right, So the whole thing they just the cowards.

And Jesus calls them out on that they send out overwhelming force, and

then how cool is it? You know, this is the second time that

mentions that the disciples carried swords. So the other time Jesus says, hey,

uh, get make sure you know now I'm telling you go with the

sword. Memory he said before I told you don't take which means they had

them. But when he sent them out for evangelism purposes, don't go with

swords, right, that's what he said. But then this time, before

all this happened, they're together and he says, so now I'm going to

take go ahead and get a sword. It's gonna get really, really rough.

And they go, hey, we've got some swords, Jesus, how

many have you got too? That's enough, right, that's enough. You

got enough to defend yourself from bad guys that are trying to rob you or

whatever. Right, And then here they say, hey, lord, we've

got the swords. You want us to fight, right, and he literally

takes out his sword Peter does and cuts off Malchus's ear, which again John

is the one who mentions Malchus. The other one just mentions a priest slave.

Yeah, and so very He mentioned the healing part because the other one

says he healed them, right, yeah, and so he just picks up

the The only only Mark in Matthew do right. Well, actually, no,

only one of the gospels talking, yeah, heels is that Matthew.

Yes, no Mark, Mark doesn't say it. Luke uh does not say

it, so must have been. Yeah, it has to be, Matthew.

We're wasting a bunch of time. I can't see it either. We'll

find it as we're talking. Somebody, somebody will tell us. And then

in the thing yeah so but but but only one of the gospels mentions that

he actually heals. It's it's Luke, it's Luke, yeah, which again

he's he's always the one talking about bodies and the physical things Verse fifty one.

But he said, no more of this, and he touched the man's

ear and healed him. Yeah. And by the way, that must have

been something great, you know, just just to see that. Uh,

you know they're expecting you know, they send an army, they're expecting pushback.

Possibly, you know, somebody gets their ear chopped off. Well that's

just the price of doing business, right, Yeah, and then Jesus like,

no, let's do another miracle in front of everybody, and heal is

here. Can you imagine if you're a Roman guard, then you're you know,

you're you're giving your duty, right, I mean, you just have

an assignment. I wonder how many people wished that they wouldn't be arresting Jesus.

I wonder how many Roman guards believed even though they were gentiles and they

felt like they weren't a part of the Jewish custom and this was sort of

a Jewish doctor or healer, you know, or rabbi. I wonder how

many of them said, I can't believe we're doing this. Well, by

the time you get to the cross, you have at least one saying,

surely this is a son of God. Yeah. So yeah, I don't

know, but they're they're just doing their job. And Peter cuts off Malchus's

ear, which is such a cool move, right, I mean, it's

it's a violent moment that that part of it's bad. But Peter is that

committed that going up against a Roman contingent, he's going to fight for Jesus.

Well, and you got to give him credit because he he did say

we'll die with you. Yeah. Yeah, And so this is him saying,

Okay, this is the I have my sword, I'm ready to go.

Man, I'm gonna So you know, sometimes people would say Jesus was

a pacifist, but Jesus told his disciples to have swords. Here they mention

it, and he doesn't say, oh, why do you have swords?

Right, he knew that they had swords. It was a part of their

culture. It's part of what they did for self protection, that kind of

thing. So Jesus isn't pacifistic here. But what Jesus said is if you

use the sword, you're gonna die by the sword. Right, So if

you choose a violent path, you're probably going to die that way. And

so he pulls out that sword, cuts off his ear, ready to die

for Jesus. On Peter's best day, Peter's pretty amazing. Yeah, and

then in just a few minutes, we're gonna see Peter has his worst day,

right, right, and it's just I think that's us. We have

these really amazing days for Jesus, then we have these disappointing days for Jesus.

We're gonna talk about how Jesus handles that over the next few days here

when we get into him. But I just I love it. I love

the power Jesus displays. I love the courage that Peter displays. And you

know, to contrast that, you've got Judas just this cowardly kiss and stepping

back and saying, go get them boys. Uh. And by the way,

Luke's the only one that records you just mentioned it. But Jesus said

to Judas, Judas, would you betray the son of Man with a kiss?

You know? You and I memorized it, right, betrayed betrayed has

to betrayed me with a kiss. But you know, I always think of

at two brute, right, That's what I always think of. Julius Caesar

obviously killed. Yeah, and and uh, and it's like the friend the

friend betrayal. Obviously this story came first, but still I always think of

like this moment where there's an eye locking exchange where you know, Judas comes

in and I'm not sure what he was thinking. He was. Was he

thinking that maybe perhaps uh he had a story, you know, like,

hey, these guys captured me. Uh this army there there, you know,

whatever it is. But Jesus, you know, he knows it,

and he looks right at him and he says this question, and uhlater on,

we're going to see that Judas is filled with deep regret after everything else.

Yeah, not going to save him, not going to help them,

but still and I think I'd have to believe that this is one of the

moments that probably haunted him as Jesus looked at him and says, do you

betray the son a man with a kiss? Oh? And then even in

this terrible moment Verse four. John chapter eighteen says, Jesus fully realized all

that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them.

He steps out, and he goes, hey, just take me,

don't hurt my disciples, right, So he's he's willingly protecting his followers.

And that's what Jesus does is Jesus takes Jesus takes the punishment, Jesus takes

the violence for our sin. Jesus takes all of the consequences on our behalf.

He steps out in front of us and is to take me, don't

take them. Yeah, that's great, incredible. Hey, and last thing,

and I was I was really trying hard in my mind to avoid what

I'm about to say, but I can no longer avoid it. Oh,

you gotta do it, I gotta do it. Okay, what's with Oh?

By the away? This one young man was closed in a long linen

shirt and the mob try to grab him. He slipped out of a shirt

and ran away naked. And it says all his disciples deserted and ran away,

and then one young man, which means it indicates It doesn't say specifically,

but it's indicating that it's one of the disciples, somebody that was with

Jesus. Yeah. So church tradition has it it was Mark the author.

Oh yeah, so historically for two thousand years, I did not know that.

The belief is that it was Mark, that Mark was there, because

you remember Mark was Eventually Mark is writing Peter's side of the story. But

remember John doesn't use his own name either. John says the disciple Jesus loves

right. And this is an incidental thing that apparently the others didn't notice or

didn't see because they're all running. Everybody is scattering, right, and Mark

knew this detailed. Nobody else knew and so historically theologians have always said that

probably Mark was writing about his own experience in that moment. So Mark wasn't

a disciple of Jesus, but he was. It wasn't one of the apostles,

right, he was one of the followers of Jesus. John Mark was.

Well, so that's what some people think, because he would have been

like a young boy here, like a very young teenager. Because remember he's

he's Barnabas's nephew, right, so he's a young man. Just in a

couple of years. Paul is frustrated with him as a young man. So

this would have been he would have been a boy, which is exactly what

it says, right, one young man. So this is going to be

a young guy. He's probably younger than John. Yeah, I'm not sure

that I ever have heard that before. I don't know how that escaped me,

but I've always thought I've read through this, and every time I came

across, I'm like, why, why, what's what that details? Well,

he's in his you know, they they would take off. All the

close sleep in their pajamas and for them it would have been a robe or

or this nightgown. Right, and then he goes running. Yeah, and

you've seen it in football. Somebody grab ahold the jersey. Jersey just shreds

into the guy, right, the same thing. Yeah, that's so fun,

isn't that great? What a great picture? Yeah? All right,

well, hey, well that looks like our time, so we will see

you tomorrow on the bibble guys,