Following His agony in the garden (see
Chapter 11), Jesus knew that the H____________
was _____ __________ (Matthew 26:45) and that He must soon
D____________ from the
terrible C______ which the Father had given to Him (John 18:11).
When Judas appeared in the garden, with all those who were with him (Mark 14:43; John
18:3), do you think the Lord was taken by surprise (see Matthew 26:21-25; 26:46; John
18:4)? ______ Consider Luke 22:22 and explain how this verse declares both
God’s
sovereignty (God has devised a perfect plan) and
man’s responsibility
(man must face a just Judge) in the case of Judas.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Compare also Acts 2:23.
Judas did not come alone. Matthew says that he had with him a G___________ M___________________ (Matthew 26:47). John, another eyewitness, gives the most complete
description of those who came with Judas: "Judas then, having received a ______________
of men (soldiers) and _____________________ from the chief priests and Pharisees"
(John 18:3). The word "band" is a military term which refers to a Roman
"cohort" which at full strength consisted of one-tenth of a LEGION (a
legion was made up of 6,000
soldiers). Thus a cohort, at full strength, would equal 600 soldiers. Since Jerusalem was packed with people for the
Passover feast, the Roman rulers had numerous soldiers on hand to stop any
possible uprising or revolt. The Jewish leaders were thus able to procure the
services of a Roman cohort to arrest Christ. Whether there were actually 600
Roman soldiers present in the garden we cannot be sure, but certainly there was
a vast number.
The Jewish leaders had their officers as well (John 18:3– these were
"temple-police"; compare Luke 22:52). Were the Jewish leaders deeply
involved in the process of arresting the Lord Jesus (Mark 14:43; Matthew 26:47; Luke 22:52)?
_____ Thus the combined power of the Jews and Romans was brought against one
unarmed Man! The children of darkness carried their lanterns and torches (John 18:3) so
that they might seize the L__________ of the _____________ (John 8:12)! They were
armed with swords and clubs and weapons (Mark 14:43; John 18:3) so that they might take
the P____________ of P_____________ (Isaiah 9:6)!
Judas had previously made arrangements with the enemies of Christ and given them a
clear sign by which they could easily identify the One they should arrest. What was this
sign or token (Mark 14:44)? _______________________________________ The word "to kiss" comes from a
verb (phileo) which also means "to love, to show affection towards a friend
or loved one." The noun (philos) means "friend." Judas performed
this most horrible deed under the guise of friendship and loving affection. The word
"kissed" as it is used in Mark 14:45 and Matthew 26:49 actually indicates that
Judas kissed Jesus fervently (a kiss that was prolonged with a show of
affection). Notice what the Lord said to Judas in Luke 22:48. It would have been far more
appropriate
(more in line with his real character) for Judas to have given another sign: "Whoever
I shall spit upon, that is He, take Him and lead Him away." If you were in
the Lord’s place, would you rather have Judas kiss you or spit upon you?
_________________________________ At least the spitting would come from an
unpretending heart and it would be carried out from a greater distance. It would
still be a terrible sin, but at least it would not be hypocritical.
Before we say too much against Judas, let us search our own hearts. Do I really love
the Lord Jesus or am I a phony pretender? Is my affection for Christ sincere? Do I
"kiss" the Lord on Sunday while in church and then "betray" Him the
rest of the week by the way I live and the things I do? Do I really belong with the
disciples of Christ or do I belong with the enemies of Christ?
Carefully read John 18:4-6. When the Lord identified Himself ("I
AM"–compare John 14:26; 6:20; 8:24,28,58), what happened to the great host of
soldiers and Jews? __________________________________________________ Did Judas fall with
them (John 18:5-6)? ______ It must have been an amazing sight to see hundreds of trained
Roman soldiers and a multitude of Jews
on the ground and eleven
disciples and one unarmed Jesus being the only ones on their feet! All this took
place because Jesus simply said TWO WORDS ("I AM")!
As the great multitude was getting back on their feet it was as if Jesus were saying,
"Men, I’m going to give you permission to arrest Me, but before I do, I just
wanted to remind you Who is really in control!" The Son of God was in complete
command of the situation! He was simply reminding His supposed captors of a truth that He
had already taught in John 10:11,17,18. Jesus willingly and voluntarily GAVE HIS LIFE, and
thus they were able to take Him. Otherwise it would have been IMPOSSIBLE for them to take
Him (compare John 7:30; 8:20; Luke 4:28-30; etc.)! What was it that made the Lord give
Himself up (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:2,25)? ___________________________ If He was
willing to do that, what response should this produce in me (1 John 3:16-18; 4:9-11; John
13:34-35; 15:12-13)?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
According to John 18:10-11, Peter rushed to the Lord’s rescue, and with a great
zeal and poor aim, he sliced off the right ear of a man named Malchus! According to Luke
the physician, what did Jesus do about this situation (Luke 22:51)? ____________________________
Note: With the amazing spectacle of suddenly falling to the ground (John 18:6) and the supernatural healing of the ear of Malchus (Luke 22:51), the army that arrested Jesus was rendered without excuse! They could never say, "We had no reason to believe He was the Son of God!"
The Lord had to inform Peter that He really did not need his help. He could have
prayed, and the Father, without a second’s delay, would have given Him ________
________ twelve _______________ of ____________ (Matthew 26:53). A
LEGION at full strength
consisted of 6,000 soldiers. Thus, if we use this figure, twelve legions
would equal ___________________ soldiers. Would the Father have sent this many angels or
more than this many? ______________________________ It’s hard to imagine such an immense angelic
army! The Romans only had one cohort (perhaps as many as 600 soldiers) on duty to arrest
Christ. A cohort is one-tenth of a legion. Twelve legions would contain how many cohorts?
_________________________ Certainly one angel alone could easily wipe out an
entire Roman cohort! If Christ had made this request, then the Lord Himself and
each of the eleven disciples would have had at least
one complete legion of angels to protect them (more than twelve legions in total)!
Did Jesus pray this prayer? ______ Why not (John 18:11)? ___________________________________________________________ He could not save Himself if He would save us! The Son of man __________ be lifted up on Calvary’s Cross (John 3:14; compare
Matthew 16:21)! Amazing love!
Peter and the other disciples dispersed and fled like scared rabbits (Mark 14:50), even
as Jesus had predicted (Matthew 26:31-35; note in verse 35, "all the
disciples" said this!). Jesus was betrayed by one and forsaken by the rest. Later
another young man (probably John Mark, the one who wrote the gospel of Mark) also fled
(Mark 14:51-52). "Alone Jesus faces His enemies,
alone He suffers,
and alone He is going to lay down His life, in order that all those who accept
[receive]
Him as their Savior and Lord may never be alone. Hallelujah, what a Savior!"
--William Hendriksen
About 53 days later, Peter once again took a sword and used it against the enemies of
Christ, and this time he was successful! His sword did much more than slice off an ear; it
pierced deeply into the hearts of thousands of people! This powerful sword was not made of
metal, but it is described in Hebrews 4:12 and Ephesians 6:17. Peter is seen using this
mighty sword in Acts chapter 2. How well did this sword penetrate (Acts
2:37)? _________________________________________________________
Instead of bringing death, Peter’s sword brought life to thousands (Acts 2:41 and
compare Hebrews 4:12, "quick" or "living")! Moreover, the same sword
Peter used is the very same sword which is available for your use today (compare 2
Corinthians 10:4)!
Are you a submissive believer who rightly uses God’s Sword in
the power of God’s Spirit? If so, let the enemies of God BEWARE!!
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