Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him

 

 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him."  Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.  And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?  How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"  In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.  But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

 

- Matthew 26:47-56 

 

Yesterday we read that, following the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."  And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch with Me."  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."  Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What?  Could you not watch with Me one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."  And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.  So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."

 

 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him."  Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.  It seems quite important to note that Jesus is still making an effort to save Judas, as He greets him as "friend."  St. Matthew's text refers to Judas as His betrayer, giving us again a sense of how deep this betrayal truly is from one who was His disciple for three years, living with Him and sharing all things in common with the others.

 

 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?  How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"  In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.  But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.  Jesus rebukes St. Peter here (we know it is St. Peter as he is identified in John 18:10) for using the sword, for St. Peter still does not understand that Christ is going to His death willingly, so that salvation for humankind might be fulfilled.  A legion is 6,000 soldiers, my study Bible reports, so twelve legions is equal to 72,000 angels.  That Christ's death was foretold in the Scriptures served to strengthen the disciples at this hour of their greatest test.  

With one word of clear direction, Jesus sets out with clarity our whole understanding of this terrible betrayal and seizure of the one innocent and sinless Man.  He asks those who show up in the middle of the night to seize Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me."  Then He adds the words of clear direction for all of us, so that we understand why this is happening and what it is all about, and so that we have the lens through which to view it.  He says, "But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  The disciples will take these words and remember.  They will remember His several warnings of this time before it happened.  They will remember that He goes voluntarily.  They will remember that all that happens in Christ's ministry occurs in fulfillment of the Scriptures.  They will understand that no matter how difficult things become, how devastating these actions are, and no matter what they will witness and experience, there is a plan unfolding, a sense in which God's salvation works even through the evils they will see.  And so Jesus gives clear direction, even as He is being seized and betrayed, in the midst of injustice, even as He protests that He was with those who seize Him daily in the temple openly teaching, and they did not seize Him then.  He lays out all of it. And with His words that these events happen in fulfillment of the Scriptures we are meant to understand several things.  First, that the Scriptures of the prophets do not "make" things happen, but are written because these events are foreseen in the Spirit, where time does not exist as we understand it.  Moreover, Jesus as Christ, the Messiah, comes in fulfillment of the Scriptures in terms of His whole mission as Incarnate Lord, again as foreseen (not made to happen) by God's prophets.  We can see this indicated not simply in Jesus' words here today, but throughout the Gospels and the Epistles, as various Scripture is quoted in support of that understanding.  Jesus is, in fact, the Incarnate Lord of the Old Testament, which He clearly indicates when He says to the religious leaders, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad," and, "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:56, 58).  Jesus' repeated predictions to the disciples of what was to come in His Passion (with considerable detail), the prophecies fulfilled through Scripture, and His teachings and sayings throughout His ministry, all confirm that regardless of what they think or see, there is one Lord in charge, there is a salvation plan being fulfilled, there is a mission of Christ in this world working out as it must -- even using the evil that comes -- and moreover, all of this foreshadows and defines their own mission to come in the world, and is the foundation of the establishment of the Church.  At the Last Supper, Jesus taught the disciples, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered' " (see Saturday's reading; Jesus quotes from Zechariah 13:7).  All of this structures a way in which we are to see that not only is there an ultimate Authority, and a salvation plan that is in place, but moreover, even the evil that occurs will somehow be used by God in a way that benefits a universal salvation.  Thus St. Paul can write, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  None of these understandings take away from people's responsibility for their choices, as Jesus most starkly explains when He prophesies His betrayal by one of the disciples, "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born" (see Friday's reading).  In a certain sense, moreover, this is affirmed when Jesus tells St. Peter, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword," for He's indicating that through manipulation and force we cannot necessarily control the outcome we desire; moreover we determine our own way of demise.  All of this should give us pause when we go through our own tragic betrayals, difficulties, even undergo evil things in this world that we know are wrong.  For Christ has indicated in His Passion that even the worst of things can be used by God for ultimate salvation, and so we should consider that God can create good even in our lives from the worst of wrongs and hardships.  Let us take heart in the true depth of our faith, and seek Christ's light even in the darkest of times we might face and know.

 

 

 

 

Then they all forsook Him and fled

 

 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.  Now His betrayer had given the a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely."  As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.  And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me.  But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."  Then they all forsook Him and fled. 

 

Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body.  And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked. 

 

- Mark 14:43–52 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus said to disciples following their Passover meal (the Last Supper), "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And they all said likewise. Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to  be troubled and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch."  He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.  And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will but what You will."  Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping?  Could you not watch one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.  And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.  Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  It is enough!  The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand." 

 

 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.  Now His betrayer had given the a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely."  As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  Again, the text emphasizes the depth of betrayal by Judas, repeating that he is one of the twelve (see also verse 20).   The fact that a kiss is needed to signal the mob, my study Bible notes, is a commentary on those who comprised this mob.  The Jewish leaders and even the most common people would have recognized Jesus.  This shows that the soldiers were mercenaries, sent by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders, a group which included Romans according to St. John's Gospel (John 18:3).  

 

Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.  And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me.  But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."  Then they all forsook Him and fled.   In John 18:10 St. Peter is identified as the one with the sword.   My study Bible comments that he still does not understand that Christ is going to His death willingly, so that salvation for mankind would be fulfilled.  That His death was foretold in the Scriptures served to strengthen the disciples at their hour of greatest need.  

 

Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body.  And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.  My study Bible reports that to flee naked is a great shame and humiliation (Ezekiel 16:39; Amos 2:16).   Some teach that this young man was James, the brother of the Lord (Galatians 1:19), while others claim he is the apostle John, who was the youngest of the twelve.  Most others, my study Bible says, believe this was Mark, the author of this Gospel, as it was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13; John 21:24).  The other Evangelists do not report this incident.  They would not have been inclined to humiliate Mark, whereas Mark would have been more likely to relate such an event concerning himself.  

 

The humility of Mark possibly describing himself as the one who fled naked teaches us something about the disposition of the apostles, particularly as they went out into a hostile world to preach and teach.  This attitude of humility, even to the point of describing events that happened to himself in a way that is not just humble, but in fact humiliating and shameful, once again teaches us something powerful about our faith and especially these earliest founders of our Church.  Even such horrific events, this story seems to say, as the betrayal of Jesus by one of the twelve, does not stop our need for obedience to Christ's commandments even down to the smallest consideration for the attitude He asks of us, especially in those who are charged with spreading the gospel message.  The Gospels do not shrink from presenting the disciples even in incidents that reflect mistakes of perhaps the most serious -- and even embarrassing and humiliating --kind.  In today's reading, not only is the story of the young man fleeing naked present, but also the story of the one who wielded the sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus replies to His disciple with a rebuke:  "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" (see Matthew 26:50-55).  Notice also that today's reading tells us that once His disciples realize that Jesus goes voluntarily, then they all forsook Him and fled.  There are other incidents as well which show the apostles in even embarrassing or humiliating light, such as St. Peter being rebuked by Christ telling him, "Get behind Me, Satan!" (Matthew 16:23) and, of course, his denial of Christ as prophesied by Jesus, after his protests to the contrary (as we will read in the continuation of this chapter; verses 66-72).  There are a number of times when the disciples are presented as completely missing the point of what Christ is trying to tell them, and also somewhat failing in their faith.  We must be not only entirely grateful that our faith admits to our weaknesses as human beings, with a ready understanding that it is up to us to remain humble and return to Christ when we fail, with full offering of love and forgiveness accompanying repentance, and also remedies for sin which involve penitence which is therapeutic in nature.  In short, our faith offers to us a realistic picture of who we are and how we are nonetheless to practice our faith, and to rely on Christ, even in the most difficult of circumstances.  In the Revelation, the Lord says, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.  Therefore be zealous and repent"  (Revelation 3:19), but all of this is within the realm of love, and the invitation that follows:  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:20-21).  We are imperfect creatures, meant to be "learners" (the literal meaning of the word translated as disciples), and we're burdened by a world filled with all the effects of sin and evil.  But we have a greater good and salvation in Christ who loves us, and the great and overcoming grace of God.  Let us also learn to be humble, and to serve God's loving commandments for us all.