April 2, 2026. THURSDAY NIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE: JESUS' ARREST.

                THURSDAY NIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE: JESUS' ARREST

After leaving the home of John Mark’s parents, the eleven apostles followed the Master into the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas Iscariot had abandoned Jesus during the Last Supper and gone to meet with the Jewish Council to plot his Master's arrest.

It was late, and eight of the apostles retired to their tents to sleep. The Master took three apostles—Peter, John, and James Zebedee—aside to the area near the winepress, asking them to stay awake and pray with Him as His hour drew near. He was deeply saddened when He looked over and saw the three apostles fast asleep:

"Could you not stay awake with Me for just a little while and pray with Me?"

Sadly, only young John Mark—hiding in the bushes near the winepress—remained awake, witnessing and remembering all the events that subsequently unfolded.

As the squad of armed soldiers and guards, bearing torches and lanterns, approached the garden, Judas stepped out ahead of the group. His intent was to quickly identify Jesus, thereby enabling the soldiers to easily apprehend Him before the disciples could rally to his defense.

The three aforementioned apostles, along with all the other disciples, hurriedly rushed down toward the olive press, where the Master sat in silent contemplation, alone beneath the moonlight.

Among them were the Greek disciples, who were armed with weapons—such as swords—to protect Jesus.

While the squad of soldiers advanced from one direction, the disciples approached from the opposite side. As Judas strode forward to reach the Master, the two groups came to a sudden halt—standing motionless—with Jesus standing between them, while Judas prepared to plant his kiss of betrayal upon the Master’s forehead. The betrayer had hoped that, after leading the guard detachment to the Garden of Gethsemane, he would merely need to point out Jesus for them to identify Him—or, at most, fulfill his promise to greet Jesus with a kiss—and then quickly withdraw from the scene.

Jesus made one final effort to save Judas from the act of betrayal; He stepped aside and, addressing the lead soldier on the left—the Roman captain—He asked:

“Whom do you seek?”

The captain replied:

“Jesus of Nazareth.”

Jesus, stepped forward to stand directly before the officer, bearing the calm majesty of the God who governs all creation.

He declared:

“I am He.”

Many in this armed detachment had heard Jesus teach in the Temple, while others had heard accounts of His mighty miracles; and upon hearing Him make such a bold declaration, those standing in the front ranks suddenly stumbled backward. They were utterly overwhelmed by the composure and majesty of His pronouncement. Jesus had courageously revealed Himself to his enemies, and they could have seized Him without any assistance from Judas. Nevertheless, the betrayer felt compelled to do something to justify his presence within the armed detachment; he wished to demonstrate that he was faithfully executing the terms of the betrayal pact he had struck with the Jewish religious leaders, thereby qualifying himself to receive the immense rewards and honors that he believed would be lavishly bestowed upon him in exchange for his promise to deliver Jesus into their hands. Once the guard detachment had recovered from their initial moment of bewilderment at  Jesus unusual appearance and the sound of His voice—and as the disciples were drawing closer—Judas stepped up to the Master, placed a kiss upon His forehead, and exclaimed:

“Greetings, Master!”

And as Judas thus embraced Jesus, He said: “Friend, Would you truly betray the Son of Man with a mere kiss?”

The three apostles—Peter, James, and John Zebedee—along with the other disciples, were utterly stunned by what they had just witnessed. For a moment, no one moved. After disengaging Himself from Judas’s treacherous embrace,  Jesus stepped forward to face the guards and soldiers, and once again asked:

“Whom do you seek?”

And once again, the captain replied:

“Jesus of Nazareth.”

“I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if it is I whom you seek to arrest, let these men go their way. I am ready to go with you.”

The Master was ready to return to Jerusalem with the guards, and the commander of the detachment was likewise fully willing to allow the apostles and their companions to depart.

As the Master stood there awaiting the commander’s orders—a man named Malchus, a Syrian bodyguard of the High Priest, stepped forward and attempted to bind Jesus’s hands behind His back, even though the Roman commander had issued no such order to bind Him in that manner. When Peter and his companions witnessed their Master enduring this indignity, they could restrain themselves no longer. Peter drew his sword, and together with the others, they rushed forward to strike at Malchus. But before the squad of soldiers could rush in to protect the High priest’s servant, Jesus raised His hand to signal Peter to stop, and spoke in a stern voice:

“Peter, put your sword back into its sheath. Those who live by the sword shall perish by the sword. And do you not realize that, even at this very moment, I could command more than twelve legions of angels—along with their associates—to come and rescue me from the hands of these men?”

While Jesus had effectively quelled this act of violent resistance by his apostles and disciples, the incident was sufficient to ignite fear in the captain of the guard; he immediately rushed forward with his soldiers to seize Jesus arresting and quickly binding him. As they were using heavy ropes to bind his hands,  Jesus spoke:

“Why have you come out to arrest me with swords and clubs, as if you were apprehending a robber? Day after day I was among you in the Temple, teaching the people openly, yet you never sought to arrest Me?” 

After the Master had been bound, the captain, fearing that His disciples might attempt a rescue, ordered their arrest as well; but the soldiers were too late, for having overheard the captain's command, the disciples had hastily fled back up into the ravine. All this while, John Mark remained hidden in a nearby tent. When the guards began to lead the Master away toward Jerusalem, John Mark attempted to slip out of the tent to follow the fleeing apostles and disciples; but just as he stepped out, one of the last soldiers from the squad that had pursued the fugitives happened to pass by. Seeing the young man only in a linen sheet, the soldier gave chase and nearly overtook him. Indeed, the soldier closed in near enough to seize the sheet John was wearing; but the young man tore himself free, fleeing naked, and left the bewildered soldier standing there holding the empty garment. 

About the time the eight apostles were being roused, those who had fled up the ravine were returning; they all gathered near the olive press to deliberate on what to do next. Meanwhile, Simon Peter and John Zebedee—who had been hiding among the olive trees—were following behind the crowd of soldiers, guards, and servants who were now leading the Master away to Jerusalem, just as they would escort a dangerous criminal. John Zebedee kept close behind the crowd, while Peter followed from a distance. After escaping from the soldier, John Mark had secured a cloak he found in Simon Peter’s tent. He surmised that the guards would take the Master to the residence of Annas, the retired High Priest; therefore, he circled around through the olive groves to arrive there ahead of the crowd, then hid near the entrance to the High Priest’s mansion...

The inhumane and shocking experiences Jesus was compelled to endure during the final hours of His earthly life were, in no sense whatsoever, a part of the Heavenly Father’s divine will.

The Father desired that the Incarnate Son complete His earthly mission in a natural manner, just as every other mortal must eventually conclude their life on this mortal sphere. Hatred and malice are entirely the works of evil men. The God of heaven had no desire for such things to occur.

Dear Jesus,

I still do not understand why an apostle like Judas Iscariot—who followed You for three long years, ate and drank with You, shared in the joys and sorrows of your journey to proclaim the Gospel, and who heard your teachings on love and forgiveness... How could he—who had witnessed the miracles You performed: restoring sight to the blind, enabling the lame to walk, and raising the dead back to life even after he had lain in the tomb for four days, possibly betray You?

Truly, just as You had foretold, the devil entered into Judas's soul, causing him to cast aside all memory of the your benevolence and love.