Discussing Judas' Betrayal & Jesus' Arrest — From The Garden To The Cross
Welcome to a special edition of the Share Life podcast. In this episode, we're discussing Jesus' betrayal by Judas and arrest in the garden of Gethsemane. This discussion is part 2 of my book project discovery process for From The Garden to the Cross: How Jesus' Harrowing Mission Shows Us The Way Forward. Click here to check out part 1 about Jesus' prayer in the garden.
Before we jump into the specific discussion about the particular passage of Judas' betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane, we first explore how this project intersects with the state of the church today. When we look around at the church as a whole, there's a gap between who we are now and the version of us Jesus desires to transform us into. Daily, we're bombarded with stories of how Jesus' followers are betraying him in how we conduct their lives and interact with others. Why are we often elevating power aboove service? Why isn't the transformative power of Jesus changing us for the better? What false teachings have we wrongly bought into? What's going on?
From there, we jump into some context building towards the moment of betrayal in the garden and before reading my harmonization of the story from the different biographical accounts of Jesus' life (using quotes from the New Living Translation of the Bible). After the reading, we explore what this story has to teach us about Jesus, humanity, and ourselves.
This particular moment of betrayal begins right after Jesus' agonizing prayer.
Fellow Conversation Participants
In this discussion, I'm joined by Allison Miller, Benji Hollis, and Thomas Horrocks.
- Allison Miller is an author who is pointing women towards Jesus while also mentoring them on how to practically flourish in their life, relationships, and their dreams. Visit her website here.
- Thomas Horrocks is a pastor, writer, tweeter extraordinaire, and podcaster exploring what Jesus' teachings really mean and how they apply to our lives today. Visit his website here, and follow him on Twitter here.
- Benji Hollis is the vice president of sales for the annual Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and also involved in a multi-million-dollar Legacy fund, inspired by his daughter's devastating battle with acute myeloid leukemia that brought him to Jesus, to raise money for the development of the disease's cure. Connect with Benji on Linkedin here. You can also check out my discussion with Benji about Andy Stanley's book, Louder Than Words here.
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My Harmonized Account of the Betrayal Scene For Reference & Study — An Excerpt From The Book
Mark 14:43-52 | Matthew 26:47-56 | Luke 22:47-53 | John 18:3-11
Sent by the religious leaders (high priests and Pharisees), Judas led an armed group of Roman soldiers and temple police to the garden. They were to arrest Jesus using a signal, a kiss.
Judas the betrayer was now front and center of the soldiers as he kissed his Rabbi, indicating to the mob who to arrest. His action provoked a response from Jesus.
“Friend, why this charade?”
It was clear to Jesus how things were unraveling to his detriment and the danger of himself and his friends. Jesus responded to the arresting group.
“Who are you looking for?”
They responded.
“Jesus the Nazarene.”
Jesus replied.
“I AM he.”
Jesus’ answer shook them, and they stumbled back from Jesus’ presence. Jesus asked again.
“Who are you looking for?”
Again, they replied.
“Jesus the Nazarene.”
Jesus proceeded to leverage his willingness to be arrested to protect his disciples.
“I told you that I am he, and since I am the one you want, let these others go.”
They quickly grabbed and roughed Jesus up. Out of the scuffle, Peter drew his sword attacking one of the religious leader’s servants, severing his ear.
Peter’s actions elicited Jesus’ strong response to the violence as he touched and healed the servant’s wound.
“Put away your sword, those who use the sword will die by the sword… Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me? ... 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?”
Turning and speaking to the arresting crowd, Jesus also challenged their actions directly.
“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 this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns... these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.”
His once-loyal disciples deserted Jesus and ran away.
A young boy following from a distance was grabbed by the mob but was able to slip away, with only his bare skin.
Additional Resources
From The Garden To The Cross, Podcast - From The Garden To The Cross
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