“Abba, Father.”
In the Garden of Gethsemane, as the darkness deepened, the sound of a fervent prayer could be heard. Jesus, with His face pressed to the ground, prayed with all His strength. The sweat that flowed from His face gradually turned red from anguish. Jesus knew that He would soon face death. Yet the pain He would suffer before dying was not the real issue. He had endured such pain countless times throughout His life in the flesh. The life of a carpenter was one of constant injuries, wounds, and heavy burdens. Before beginning His public ministry, He lived a fully human life, obedient to God’s will without performing any miracles. How could He not have experienced hardship and suffering? Even so, this too was the Father’s will, and through such obedience, He came to understand people more deeply—making those years truly meaningful. So no matter how difficult, the physical pain that awaited Him was something He could bear.
But death was entirely different. Death meant losing His life and, more than that, being separated from God, who is life itself. And it was not just any death: He would have to die on the cross, bearing the sins of the whole world, and because of those sins, be forsaken by the Father. It was this reality—being abandoned by God—that truly troubled Jesus.
“My Father, all things are possible to you. If it is possible, if you are willing, please remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire. Not my will, but yours be done.”
It was not impossible for God to take away the suffering from His Son. People are precious to God and deeply loved by Him, but none could ever be more precious than His Son, who is one with Him. Since God Himself began this plan, He could have stopped it at any time. God is above all things, and even His omnipotence is subject to His will. He has the freedom to remain almighty, or to lay aside His omnipotence and come in the humble form of a human being. That is what makes Him God. Therefore, God could have changed His plan if He so desired.
While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, the Israelites made a golden calf and fell into idolatry. At that time, God resolved to destroy them all, but then turned from His anger and withheld His plan of annihilation. Moses’ earnest plea moved God’s heart, yet ultimately, it was God Himself who chose to relent. Just as He did then, God could have done the same now. Yet both God and His Son knew He would never make such a decision, for if the plan were abandoned here, how could humanity ever be saved?
God silently watched Jesus, whose sweat had become like drops of blood. The pain of separation that Jesus would face on the cross would be unbearable, but Jesus would fulfill His mission perfectly.
Jesus finished His prayer and rose to approach the disciples. However, they were asleep, exhausted from their sorrow at seeing Jesus in distress.
“Simon, are you sleeping?”
Startled by Jesus’ voice, the disciples, who had drifted into a light sleep, opened their eyes. Yet their heavy eyelids would not move as they wished.
“Why do you sleep? Couldn’t you watch with me for one hour? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Although Jesus’ words were a rebuke, they were spoken with understanding. How could Jesus not know the disciples’ struggles? He left them and returned to pray again.
“My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done.”
After the first prayer, which was like a storm, the second prayer showed less anguish than the first. Jesus, who often withdrew from people during His public ministry to converse with God alone, was also gaining the strength to fulfill His mission through prayer today.
After finishing His second prayer, Jesus returned to the disciples, who were now in a deeper sleep. Jesus looked at their faces for a moment before turning away. The disciples, startled by the sound of His footsteps, woke up to see Jesus walking away. They were at a loss for words, unsure how to comfort Him. Shortly after, a prayer similar to the previous two was heard. However, now the words were not about taking the cup away, but rather about doing God’s will, and much more strength was put into those words. It was as if He was now affirming His readiness to receive the cup given by the Father.
Jesus finished His final prayer and came to the disciples, saying:
“Sleep on now, and take your rest. It is enough. Behold, the hour is at hand—the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.”
As the disciples turned, they saw a procession of many torches and lanterns approaching rapidly.
* * *
Judas Iscariot was leading the crowd sent by the chief priests, Pharisees, and elders of the people to the Garden of Gethsemane. This was a place where they had often gathered during the festival, and he knew well where Jesus would be. Initially, they went to the house where they had eaten, but had the crowd hide nearby, and with Malchus, the high priest’s servant, he knocked on the door. The son of the house, who had been sleeping, came out wrapped in a blanket and told them that Jesus had already left. Upon hearing this, they went to the temple, joined more guards, and even had some Roman soldiers from the Antonia Fortress accompany them. It seemed they were able to mobilize the maximum force available without reporting to Pontius Pilate, likely due to the sensitive security situation during the festival. For them, being sensitive to the security situation during the festival, the sudden actions of the temple guards must have seemed unusual, so they were likely responding to the unexpected situation. However, as they were closely connected with the high priest, they would not interfere with this matter.
Judas Iscariot glanced around at the crowd walking with him. It was obvious at a glance how tense they all were. Of course, to them, Jesus and His disciples—so strongly supported by the people—must have seemed like formidable enemies. That must be why they were carrying so many swords and clubs. Still, Judas was certain that Jesus would allow Himself to be captured without resistance. Hadn’t He repeatedly said that this was God’s will? For His words to be fulfilled, Jesus would not fight back at all. The only thing Judas couldn’t predict was how the other disciples might react. There were so many hot-tempered ones among them. The best outcome would be for the disciples to become frightened by this crowd and run away. Judas knew that, having taken on this role, it wouldn’t be easy to face them later, but if Jesus were released, he would have to meet them again anyway. He didn’t want any of them to get hurt. Since they carried no weapons, surely they wouldn’t dare to resist.
While Judas was lost in thought, the crowd arrived at the place where Jesus was. Before their eyes, only four people were standing: Jesus, Peter, James, and John. Judas wanted to resolve the situation quickly before the other disciples arrived. The fact that only three disciples were present to witness him betraying Jesus meant that he would feel less burdened emotionally. As Judas hurriedly tried to approach Jesus, Jesus stepped forward to stand in front of the disciples and spoke.
“Who are you looking for?”
“Jesus of Nazareth.”
“I am he.”
When Jesus boldly revealed Himself, Judas was startled and stepped back. As a result, the people standing behind him also retreated, and some even fell to the ground.
Jesus asked again:
“Who are you looking for?”
“Jesus of Nazareth.”
“I told you that I am he. If therefore you seek me, let these go their way,”
Jesus pointed to the disciples standing nearby, as well as the others who had come closer, startled by the light. As things began to unfold differently than he had planned, Judas Iscariot started to hesitate. Suddenly, he wondered if betraying Jesus was truly the right thing to do. But the circumstances gave him no time to pause. When the people behind him urged him on, Judas hesitated for a moment, then, as if making up his mind, stepped forward to Jesus and spoke.
“Greetings, Rabbi! Rabbi!”
Looking at Judas Iscariot, Jesus said to him,
“Friend, why are you here?”
Judas, his face set, gave no reply but stepped closer and kissed Jesus. Then, once again, Jesus’ voice was heard:
“Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Though Jesus’ voice was filled with deep sorrow, to Judas it felt like a sharp rebuke, piercing his conscience. Overwhelmed by guilt, Judas hurriedly slipped away into the crowd, almost as if fleeing the scene. For the crowd, the kiss was the signal—now they knew for certain which one was Jesus. They drew their swords and began to approach cautiously.
Seeing this, the disciples asked,
“Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”
They thought that Jesus had prepared them to use the two swords they had brought with them to this place. Peter, ever impulsive, moved first. He swung his sword and struck the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant, cutting it off. Malchus clutched the spot where his ear had been and sat down, while his severed ear rolled on the ground. At this sight, the excited crowd was about to rush towards the disciples when Jesus’s loud voice echoed throughout the garden.
“Put your sword back into its place; put the sword into its sheath. For all those who take the sword will die by the sword. Or do you think that I couldn’t ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so? The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not surely drink it?”
When the disciples, who had tried to defend Jesus, were sternly rebuked, the crowd that had been ready to attack them stopped in their tracks. This situation was completely different from any other arrest they had ever experienced. Why did this man Jesus speak and act this way? They simply could not understand. Yet even as they paused, Jesus did not. He approached Malchus, who was suffering, in order to do what He had come to do. Jesus picked up Malchus’s severed ear from the ground and gently placed it back where it belonged. Then, with a quiet and gentle voice, He said, “Allow even this.” As His hand passed over the wound, the ear was restored—healed as if it had never been cut.
Jesus spoke to the astonished crowd:
“Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me? I sat daily with you in the temple, teaching, and you didn’t arrest me or stretch out your hands against me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness. All this has happened so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
The high priest’s servant, Malchus, sat dazed on the ground, and some were startled and cowered at this incident, but not everyone. There were those who genuinely hated Jesus. They had seen His miracles countless times, yet despite witnessing such immense miracles, they still loathed and sought to kill Him. This miracle had no effect on them. All they felt was the fear that if Jesus were left as He was, something even greater would happen. When the elders and the captain of the guard gave the order, the guards at the back moved to seize Jesus. The disciples all abandoned Jesus and fled far away.
The passages from Matthew 26:39-56, Mark 14:36-49, Luke 22:42-53, John 18:4-11 quoted in this narrative are taken directly from the World English Bible (WEB) translation. Of the parallel passages, I have combined them into a single version that includes all the content.
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