Garden of Gethsemane & ArrestMatthew 26:36-56Mark 14:32-52 Luke 22:39-53John 18:1-11Go DeeperMark 14:51-52 has a brief mention of an observer of Jesus' arrest running away from the scene. This man is never mentioned again, and no other Gospel writers mention him. Follow the link and find out what the commentators have to say about the probable identity of this young man.
ReflectAs Jesus hung, dying on the cross, those who loved Him must have been wondering, "What went wrong?" Maybe they were thinking about the events of the last week saying, "if only He had never come to Jerusalem."
Today, with the Bible in hand, we have a better perspective. And even though Jesus' death was a tragic and terrible event, it was absolutely necessary. And it wasn't an accident; it was God's plan all along.
As you read through the Gospel accounts of Jesus' arrest and trial, look for all the events that almost kept Jesus from the cross.
Look at the soldiers who approached Jesus in the Garden. When Jesus identifies Himself as the one they sought,
"they drew back and fell to the ground" (
18:6). Only after Jesus reassures His disciples that this is God's will do the soldiers arrest Him (
vv. 11-12).
When the High Priests question Jesus, it is clear they have no real charge to bring against Him. The Gospel of Matthew tells us the chief priests
"were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward" (
Matthew 26:59-60). Jesus had done nothing wrong and everybody knew it.
We see this again when Jesus is brought before Pilate. When Pilate asks what the charges against Jesus are, the priests can only answer evasively,
"if this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you" (
John 18:30).
Pilate himself, after interviewing Jesus declares,
"I find no guilt in him" (
18:39). And chapter nineteen tells us that after another interview with Jesus,
"Pilate sought to release him" (
19:12).
And yet, despite all this, Jesus died. And you and I have God to thank for that. As Paul put it to the Corinthians,
"Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures…he was buried…he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (
1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
RespondWhat are some of the ways Jesus moved Himself closer to death on the cross?
What other Scripture do you know that tells us of Jesus' motivation in His last days?
We look forward to your comments and questions below!If you want to share this Bible reading plan with friends and family, here is the link:
https://bttb.org/biblehub-resurrection