1 Then Jesus got up, and he and his disciples went out to the mount of Olives, but Judas Iscariot did not go with them.
2 And Jesus said unto them, this night ye will be all scattered. But after that I am arisen in the morning, I will go to Galilee before you.1
3 Then they came to a place called Gethsemaine, and Jesus began to be greatly astonished and to be distressed: for he knew that Judas Iscariot had gone to betray him.2
4 And he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
5 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and saith unto them, My soul is grieved unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
6 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.3
7 And he remained in prayer for an hour, and when he cometh unto the three disciples, he findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour?
8 And again he went away, and prayed that the plots of the faithless against his life be defeated.
9 And when he returned, he found them asleep again (for their eyes were heavy) neither wist they what to answer him.
10 Then he heard some men, and he saith unto his disciples, Arise, let us go hence; behold, he that betrayeth me hath drawn near.
11 But while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a number of men with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
12 And as soon as they were come, Judas goeth straightway to him, and saith, Teacher, and then kissed him fervently.
13 And by this they knew the man they had come to take, and they laid their hands on Jesus, and took him.
14 And one of them that stood by (some say it was Peter) drew a sword, but when he saw the multitude of men with swords and staves, he and the other disciples fled.4
15 And they led Jesus away to the high priest.
16 And Simon Peter went to the house of a disciple who was known unto the high priest, and taking him goes to the palace of the high priest.5
17 And while Peter stood at the door without, the other disciple went into the palace, and saw Jesus before the high priest and the elders and the scribes and chief priests.
18 Then he went out, and spoke unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.
19 And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter came and stood with them, and warmed himself.
20 Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art thou of this man’s disciples.6 He saith, I am not.
21 But the maid began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
22 And he denied it again. But they that stood by said unto him, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
23 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
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Notes
- Cf. Mark 14:26-28; Matt. 26:30-32; John 16:32. After the supper and some discourse, Jesus announces his plan of returning to a safer place in, or near, Galilee. He tells his disciples that after some sleep they should set out individually or in small groups (scatter). Since Jesus was himself in the greatest danger, he planned to start before dawn, while the rest could follow him a little later. However, when Jesus and his disciples started for a place where they could rest, Judas Iscariot excused himself and went his own way to foil his Master’s plan. ↩
- As Jesus walked to the mount of Olives, he could not help thinking of Judas. His behavior lately must have looked strange to him, and now the manner of his leaving the group forced Jesus to consider the possibility that this trusted disciple might be acting against him. Once Jesus was willing to consider this possibility, his perceptive mind could easily see what Judas was up to: the apostle had gone to betray him. The thought distressed Jesus greatly. He tried to keep calm, but the prospect of imminent arrest and probable execution kept coming to his mind with increasing vividness, and as the group reached the mount of Olives, he was completely shaken. As on other moments of distress, Jesus sought strength in private prayers. ↩
- Mark 14:32-42; Matt. 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46. The Gospels try to give the contents of Jesus’ prayer, but since the three disciples supposed to be on watch were asleep, nobody could have heard what Jesus actually prayed. From their knowledge of the whole situation, the disciples could later guess only the nature of the prayer and not its exact words. ↩
- Mark 14:43-50; Matt. 26:47-51; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-12. The Gospels say that the disciple who drew his sword, and who is identified by the Gospel of John as Peter, actually struck “a servant of the high priest” and cut off one of his ears. This is unlikely, since such an action would have resulted in the disciple’s arrest on the spot. ↩
- Mark 14:66-72; Matt. 26:57-75; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:15-18, 25-26. John is most plausible here. It seems that after saving his own life, Peter thought over what he could do for the teacher. The only thing he could think of, and probably the only sensible thing he could do, was to go to a well-placed sympathizer of Jesus and to see if he could do anything. That Jesus did have influential well-wishers and disciples is supported by some evidence. Thus, the Gospels talk of a Joseph of Arimathaea, “an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God” and which took from Pilate the body of Jesus after his supposed crucifixion. The Gospel of John mentions a Nicodemus, “a ruler of the Jews” who was secretly a disciple of Jesus (12:42), and the synoptic Gospels tell us of a “ruler of the synagogue,” Jairus by name, who believed in Jesus to the point that he asked him to heal his twelve-year-old daughter. The disciple whom Peter took with him to the palace might have been one of the priests. ↩
- Any simple-looking man, waiting outside the palace at this late, cold hour of the night, while Jesus was being tried inside, will be naturally thought of as being a disciple of “this man.” The maid could not keep her curiosity to herself and put to Peter the question in her mind. Peter denied that he was Jesus’ disciple, but his denial was not convincing, and the maid could still see no reason why he was there. She turned to the servants who stood by (and who were probably thinking about the same question that she put to Peter) and suggested to them that Peter was lying. Peter again said that he was not Jesus’ disciple, but the servants, recognizing his speech to be Galilean, were convinced that the maid was right. At this point, Peter got much disturbed and began to shout denials of his connection with the man under trial. In the Gospels, this incident is presented as a fulfillment of Jesus’ prediction made a few hours earlier. ↩