Betrayal, Courage, and Redemption: The Arrest of Jesus

Show Notes

Episode 387: 
Join us as we delve into the biblical account of Jesus being betrayed, as recorded in all four Gospels. We analyze the details of the betrayal, the arrest of Jesus, and the actions of the disciples during this pivotal moment in Jesus' life. We reflect on the powerful display of Jesus' sacrifice and protection for his disciples, emphasizing the profound impact of his actions during the betrayal.

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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,