Mark 14:26-5226And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 27And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. 32And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 37And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 39And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. 40And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. 41And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. 43And 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. 44And 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. 45And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. 46And they laid their hands on him, and took him. 47And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? 49I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. 50And they all forsook him, and fled. 51And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: 52And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. (Mark 14:26‑52)
The disciple, Judas, who had secretly agreed to betray Jesus to the men who hated Him, left the house after the passover supper, (John 13:26,3026Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. (John 13:26)
30He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. (John 13:30)). It was later in the evening that Jesus and the other disciples went out of the city to a place on The side of Mount Olives.
The disciples slept on the ground while Jesus went a little way from them to pray. He was “exceeding sorrowful”; He knew the time had come to give Himself into the power of the men who were planning His death, and to suffer from them, and, far more than that, to suffer from God for the sin of the whole world. That was why the Lord Jesus prayed,
“Take away this cup from Me.”
He did not mean a cup He could see; but to take the punishment of God against sin, was called “taking a cup.” Yet He said, “Not My will, but Thine be done.”
Jesus spoke in the language the disciples knew, and His first word, “Abba” has been kept for us now to know. “Abba” meant Father, and to think of the very word He used, will always remind His people of His perfect obedience to God, His Father.
Before long, Judas came with a band of soldiers and many men sent by the priests, for he knew the place on the hillside where. Jesus often went. The soldiers did not know Jesus, but Judas had told them that the man he would kiss (as was a custom for friends), would be the one to take captive.
Judas at once came to Jesus, calling Him, “Master, Master!” and kissed Him. This was most wicked and deceitful. When the soldiers took hold of Jesus, one disciple, who had a sword, started to fight against them. Jesus could have prevented them taking Him, but He did not resist. He said, “The scriptures must be fulfilled.”
Earlier in the night, Jesus told the disciples this scripture,
Jesus was the “Shepherd” that God would “smite”; and the disciples were as “sheep”: they fulfilled those words, for it says,
“They all forsook Him and fled.”
That was a very sad night for those men, who loved Jesus; He had told them other words which would have comforted them, if they remembered them, telling them where to meet Him after He would arise from death (Mark 14:2828But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. (Mark 14:28)).
There was a young man who started to follow after Jesus, but he was not one of the disciples. He seems to have been roused that night from sleep, and hurriedly wrapped a cloth or sheet about himself, to come to the place. His name and his reason for coming are not told, but when the men tried to take him he left his wrap in their hands and escaped.
The soldiers led Jesus back into the city to the chief priests.
ML 07/30/1944