"Andas they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you which eateth with me shall betray me: behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table." The disciples, hearing this, "began to be exceeding sorrowful, and to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing: and one by one, they asked him, Lord, is it I? and another said, Is it I?"
It was well for the disciples to be sorrowful, and fearful of doing wrong. When we hear of sin committed, we should never say or think, "I am sureIshould not do this, or that"; because we do not know what we might do, if we were tempted as others have been. Let us, on the contrary, when we hear of others falling into sin, watch and pray the more earnestly, that we may never be led to do anything which we know to be wrong.
In answer to the question asked by each one of the disciples, Jesus repeated what He had said, that one of them should betray Him; and "said unto them, It is one of the twelve that dippethwith me in the dish; the same shall betray me." And then He told them that, although He came on earth on purpose to die, yet the man who sinfully betrayed Him would bring upon himself the utmost wrath of God. "The Son of man, indeed, goeth as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake." But though eleven of the disciples knew not the meaning of their Lord's words, there was one who could have had no doubt upon the subject—one who had sold himself to do evil, and was only waiting for a convenient opportunity to execute his wicked purpose. Even now he might have taken warning, and given up his guilty purpose; but no: he had listened to the Devil, and his heart was hardened against Jesus.
According to the custom in those times, when people did notsitas we do to their meals, but lay upon couches, so that one guest leant upon the one next to him, John, who was next to Jesus, was leaning on Jesus's bosom. John is always spoken of as "the disciple whom Jesus loved"; showing that he was, as a man, especially dear to his Master, in consequence of which, doubtless, his place at supper was next to that of Jesus.
Simon Peter, always eager and active, now beckoned, or made signs, to John, "that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then, lying on Jesus's breast, saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him,"—that is, gained more entire possession of his soul; as will always be the case when we once listen to the Devil. What our Lord said to John does not appear to have been heard by any of the other disciples. Judas himself now dared to ask, "Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said,"—which was a most solemn form of saying "Yes." Jesus then said unto Judas, "That thou doest do quickly." Judas immediately left the company, and went out.
Even then the other disciples do not seem to have understood that Judas was the traitor. St. John tells us, that "no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag (or common purse), that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that wehave need of against the feast; or that he should give something to the poor."
There were still sacrifices needed for the remaining days of the feast.
After Judas was gone out, Jesus told the disciples that, as in His life He had glorified the Father, He was now about to glorify Him still farther by his death. Then he bade them love one another, as He had loved them: and this He called "a new commandment," because the love of His followers for one another, was to be something very different from what the Jews taught and practised.
Jesus then warned Peter, that Satan would tempt him, but that He had prayed for him that his faith might not entirely fail, although he would fall into sin: and He charged him, when he should have recovered himself, to strengthen the faith of others. Peter had not yet learned the lesson of humility, which would have made him distrust himself. He knew that he loved his Master, and therefore he fancied, that for His sake he could bear and do anything. Instead, therefore, of being filled with fear at this warning, he exclaimed, "Lord, I am ready to go with thee both into prison and to death." And Jesus said, "I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me."
The Jewish day was reckoned from one sunset to another. The Passover was always eaten in the evening; and thus a new day was beginning when Jesus spake these words.
Jesus next asked the disciples, whether they had lacked or wanted anything when He sent them to teach throughout the country, taking with them neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes. They answered, that they had wanted for nothing. "Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip; and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end,"—an end or object,—that is, everything which the prophets had spoken concerning the circumstances of our Saviour's Passion, was intended to fulfil some especial purpose, and therefore all must be exactly fulfilled. In answer to what Jesus said, the disciples "said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough."
Simon Peter appears still not to have understood that his Master's death was at hand, for "he said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards." Peter was not to die with his Lord; but he did afterwards follow Him indeed, for he was crucified some years after, in the reign of the Emperor Nero. Peter, as usual in his zeal and self-confidence, lost sight of the fact, that his duty was to believe and acquiesce without questioning and gainsaying: he needed the severe lesson he received afterwards, to teach him this. Now, in his love for his Master, "he said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow till thou has denied me thrice."
We now come to a very important event in the life of our Saviour, namely, His instituting another Feast, or Ceremony, to take the place of the Passover. The Passover was a means of reminding the Jews of a past bodily deliverance, and also of keeping them in remembrance of the promised Messiah, whowas to come, and deliver them from spiritual bondage.
When the Messiah had actually come and finished His work, it would no longer be right to keep the Passover, as given to Moses. Jesus therefore, in doing away with this Feast, gave to His disciples another, which was for ever to remind men of all He had done for them. This Holy Feast we call "The Lord's Supper," "The Eucharist," or giving of thanks, "The Communion" of His blessed body and blood. "The Lord's Supper" is one of the Two Sacraments which Christ hath ordained in His Church. The other is Baptism, whereby we are admitted into Christ's Church. This is only partaken of once; just as in the natural world a child can only be born once. The Lord's Supper, on the contrary, should be partaken of constantly; just as we daily eat and drink to keep ourselves alive. But children do not partake of this Sacrament until they are old enough to understand its nature, and to fight for themselves against the world, the flesh, and the Devil.
The Four Gospels do not give us exactly the same account of what took place at the institution of the Lord's Supper. Some mention one thing, and some another; and therefore it is difficult to saythe orderin which the events took place: that is however,of little consequence, since we are sure that everything they do tell us, did happen during the Last Supper which Jesus ate with His disciples.
"As they were eating,"—probably at that part of the Feast when the master of the family broke one of the unleavened cakes (see 5, p. 123),—"Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me."
They were to look upon this bread as the body of Christ, sacrificed for them; and in the same spirit they were to eat bread in a solemn manner, from time to time, in remembrance of all the blessings which Jesus purchased for mankind, by giving up His body, or His human life, for our redemption.
"Likewise also, after supper, he took the cup,"—probably that one called the Cup of Blessing (see 6, p. 123),—"and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament. This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins."
The wine in the cup was to be taken as a memorial, or remembrance, of that New Covenant, or agreement, made between God and man, by the shedding of that precious blood wherewith the Saviour blotted out our sins.
The Old Covenant of works, made by God with the Children of Israel, was now done away with. The New Covenant of Grace was to take its place. In this New Covenant, God promised, that as Jesus bore our punishment, and washed out our sins with His atoning blood, we for His sake should be looked upon as righteous, because He was righteous: our part of this New Covenant being to repent and forsake our sins, and have such faith in Christ as will constantly show itself by our trying to please Him, and prove our love by doing His will.
Ourblessed Lord loved His disciples to the end; and in order that they might remember all the blessings secured to them byHis death on the Cross, He appointed the "outward and visible sign," of eating bread and drinking wine, which were to figure, or represent to their minds, His body and blood thus given for them: but not given for themonly, but for all mankind; and therefore it is just as necessary for all Christians to remember these things.
We consequently find, that ever since that last Supper, when Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me," Christianshaveconstantly done the same thing, that Christ then commanded His disciples to do. We, as members of Christ's Holy Church, continue to receive bread and wine in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, in token of our belief, that the body of Jesus was broken and His blood shed for us; and that we thereby hope, "that our sinful bodies may be made clean by His body, and our souls washed through His most precious blood."
When you are of an age to partake of the blessed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, you will learn more about it: mean time do not forget that it was appointed by Jesus Christ, only a few hours before He made that sacrifice of Himself, which we commemorate, or remember, in this solemn service.
After the institution of the Lord's Supper, Jesus told His disciples (John xiv.) that though He was about to leave them, it was for their good that He should go; because then the Holy Spirit would come upon them, to teach and comfort them: and that if they believed in Him, and followed in the way that He had already pointed out, they should abide with Him in heaven. He likewise declared, that all who professed to love Him must show their love by keeping His commandments. Jesus, having spoken these things, said, "Arise, let us go hence." And when "they had sung an hymn," according to the custom at the Passover, where Psalms were sung after the fourth cup of wine, Jesus came out, and went, as he was wont, "to the Mount of Olives; and his disciples followed him."
Here again Jesus spake many things to the disciples—(John xv., xvi.). He compared Himself to a vine, and His disciples to the branches. He is the root, without which there can be no tree: as long as the branches remain part of the tree, they receive nourishment from the root, and bring forth fruit: but if the branches are cut off, and so separated from the root, they wither and die, and are of no use except to be burned. In the same way all who will be His disciples, must by faith abide in Him astheir root; doing His will, copying His example, and so bringing forth the fruit of good works to the glory of God.
Amongst other things, Jesus spake to the disciples of prayer; and promised that God would give them whatsoever they should ask in His Name. He also warned them, that if they faithfully followed His precepts and obeyed His commands, they would in this world meet with troubles, and be cruelly treated and even killed, by those who would not believe in Him. The enemies of Jesus, those who knew not Him Who sent Him, would persecute His faithful servants for their Master's sake. Having warned His disciples that they must suffer for the sake of their faith, Jesus bid them fear nothing so long as they continued to love and serve Him: for whilst they did so, God would bless and comfort them, and finally take them to Himself in heaven. "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Now all that Jesus said to His disciples was meant forallHis followers in all times, even unto the end of the world.
Such promises and hopes have supported the "noble army of martyrs," who in the early ages of the Church suffered tortures, and died the most cruel death, rather than give up, or evenpretendto give up, their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The same spirit should be in us: we are not called to martyrdom as were the holy men of old; but should the Lord allow it to be so again, should we be ready so to suffer for our religion? But let us ask ourselves another question, of more practical importance at the present time: Are we willing to give upanythingfor the sake of pleasing Jesus? Do we give up our own wishes and pleasures to please Him, Who bids us deny ourselves? Do we try to conquer our evil tempers, passions, and inclinations, because He has said, "Resist the Devil"? If we have anything like the spirit which guided the martyrs, we shall force ourselves to be attentive and industrious, when we feel careless and idle: obedient, when we feel wilful and perverse; kind and generous, when we feel selfish: gentle and patient, when we feel cross and irritable; and so on. This is no easy task; no easy life. But we must remember Christ's warning, that those who will be His faithful servants,mustmeet with difficulties and hindrances in their way. Let us then pray for the Holy Spirit, to teach, and guide, and support us; so that, our hearts being filled with faith and love, we "may never be ashamed to confess the faith ofChrist crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner, against sin, the world, and the devil, and to continue Christ's faithful soldiers and servants unto our life's end."
When Jesus had said these things, He lifted up His eyes to Heaven, and prayed to His Father, to support Him through the coming trial; so that He might glorify the Father, by securing the salvation of men. Then Jesus prayed for the disciples who did already believe in Him, and besought that they might be kept in His faith and love, and enabled to teach others all that He had taught them.
Our Lord also prayed for all who should in after times learn true religion from the teaching or writings of the Apostles, and so become one of them, by having the same faith, the same wish to glorify God by obedience to His holy Will. For all who do thus join themselves to Him, Jesus prayed that they may be with Him in heaven. Our blessed Lord thus prayed for us, and for all His followers in every age: and He still prays for us, and intercedes for us in heaven. All Christians are now one body, of which Christ is the Head; one vine, of which Christ is the root; one flock, of which Christ is the Shepherd.
We call this body the Church of Christ; by Baptism we are taken into this Church, and made part of this body; therefore, we must try always to know and do the Will of our Head.
When Jesus had ended His prayer, He saith unto the disciples, "All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee."
By being "offended," Jesus meant that they would be afraid to own Him as their Master, and would forsake Him: but to show them that He would not punish their weakness by casting them off for ever, He told them where they might see Him again, after He should have risen from the dead.
Notwithstanding the warnings already received, Peter was still full of self-confidence, and "answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended." Why should Peter have thought himself more likely than others to do right? Why should any of us think so? Whenever we do thus depend upon ourselves to do right, we are almost sure to fall into sin, for the Devil takes advantage of our pride and self-conceit, to tempt us; and thenGod frequently leaves us to ourselves, that from our fall we may learn by painful experience our exceeding weakness and sinfulness. Jesus now showed Peter, that though he thought himself so safe, he would do worse than his fellow disciples; for "he saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter spake the more vehemently, and said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said all the disciples."
Poor Peter little knew himself! No doubt he and all the disciples felt what they now said: but if men would bear in mind their weakness and proneness to sin, they would never feelsureof not doing wrong; but would watch and pray, so that the Devil may get no advantage over them. "When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples" from the place on the Mount of Olives, where they were, "unto a place called Gethsemane, over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples. And Judas also knew the place, for Jesus oft-times resorted thither with his disciples." Having entered into this garden with the eleven disciples, Jesus saith unto eight of them, "Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. And he taketh with him Peter, and James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, and when he was at the place" to which he had intended to go, "he began to be sorrowful, and sore amazed, and to be very heavy."
Now began the mysterious, and most bitter part of our blessed Lord's sufferings for sinful man. What those sufferings were, we do not exactly know: they were not bodily, but spiritual; his soul suffered such agony, as we can form little idea of: we only know that sin, the sin of man,our sin, caused His sufferings; and that the holy and righteous Lord now bore for our sakes, all the agony that is the fruit of sin. It seems likely that at this time the Devil and his evil spirits again attacked Jesus, and tried by every means in their power to prevail upon Him not to finish His work, even the salvation of man, but to spareHimself, and leave His guilty creatures to the fearful consequences of their sins. In His agony, prayer was our Lord's refuge; and feeling the necessity of being alone with God, that He might freely pour out His soul before Him, "he saith unto the three who accompaniedhim, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here and watch with me." Thus He asked them to help Him with their prayers; setting, in His human nature, an example for all men to follow. Then, knowing the power and malice of the Devil, Jesus added a caution to pray for themselves, that they might not be led into sin, by any temptation which should come upon them; "he saith unto them Pray, that ye enter not into temptation."
WhenJesus had cautioned Peter, James and John, to watch and pray, "he went forward a little, and was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed"; in the earnestness of His prayer, "he fell on his face on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him." It was not the death upon the cross which Jesus prayed might pass from Him: human martyrs have borne bodily sufferings and cruel deaths, supported by the grace of God; and though in His human nature Christ might well shrink from the pain of Crucifixion, He was ready to give His body for our redemption.
But his sufferings in the garden of Gethsemane, were far beyond what any human being could suffer, or than we can understand. His heavenly Father saw fit to let Him suffer for a time, all the unspeakable agony which the just anger of God can lay upon the impenitent soul. And we may well believe that this agony was a hundred-fold increased for Him, Who was thereby to redeem countless myriads of souls. And might not this terrible agony be increased, by the foreknowledge that, in spite of His tremendous sacrifice, men would reject Him as a Saviour, and persevere in sin; until by their impenitence, they too would share those horrible agonies which for a time were laid upon Him, that by enduring them, He might save all men from so terrible a condition? When we thus consider of what nature Christ's sufferings in the garden of Gethsemane were, we can fully understand the prayer, that such an hour might pass from Him. But mark His inconceivable love, as shown in the words, "if it were possible"; that is, if man's redemption could possibly be secured without his passing through such dreadful agony; if that werenotpossible, then He was willing even to undergo that awful and mysterious extremity of suffering.
Let us not pass on without taking a practical lesson from what has been said: what made our Lord undergo such agony for us? Love. Then, if He so loved us, what should be our feelings towards Him? Love. Truly, love; sincere, heartfelt love; love that will show itself. But how? Hear His own words, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." This let us ever strive to do; and so, through the mediation of Jesus, shall we escape those agonies, which for us He endured in the garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus prostrate on the ground, prayed in the agony of His soul, and said, "Abba, Father—O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: all things are possible unto thee: if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done." All through this dreadful scene of agony, our blessed Lord sets us an example of perfect submission to His Father's Will, however much that Will may be contrary to our wishes and desires: this example we should do well to follow, in every time of trouble. We may pray, that God will, if He sees fit, remove from us the affliction or sorrow which we feel or fear; but, at the same time, our hearts must be perfectly submissive to His Will, and willing to continue to bear the suffering, should He not see fit to take it away from us. In this spirit our Lord in His human nature prayed to God; but though God saw fit to let Him for a time suffer all the agony which sin brings on man, He did vouchsafe to send Him some comfort, in this bitter time of trial; for "there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening him," to complete His work.
"And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them sleeping from sorrow."
Had they obeyed the words of their Lord, to watch and pray, their sorrow would not at such a time have made them sleep. But they had failed to do this; and Satan, whoisever watchful, had doubtless taken advantage of this, and tempted them to sit thinking sorrowfully of all that was coming upon their beloved Master, instead of obeying His command, to watch and pray. Overcome with such sad thoughts, they fell into a sort of stupor or heavy sleep, and were thus found by Jesus when He returned to them. He awoke them, and "said unto them, Why sleep ye? Simon, sleepest thou? What, could ye not watch with me onehour?" Peter had but lately declared his readiness to do some great thing, to give up his life for Jesus; and now he fails in doing a little thing, merely praying for one hour. This is another proof of man's weakness, and of the danger of self-confidence. Again our Lord repeated the needful warning, "Watch ye, rise and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." Our Lord, who knew the weakness of man's nature, was thus merciful to the failing of His disciples: but let us remember, that the more we are convinced of the weakness of the flesh, and how it hinders the spirit, the more earnestly must we strive to overcome it, and be led by the spirit only.
"And Jesus went away again the second time, and prayed, and spake the same words, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done. And when he returned, he found them asleep again (for their eyes were heavy), neither wist they what to answer him. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words."
"Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest; it is enough, the hour is come: behold the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners."
By this Jesus meant, that they had lost the opportunity of watching with Him; they could no longer show any kindness by praying for Him: He would no longer ask them to do this, for the time was come, when He was to be given up to His enemies. Jesus did not mean that the disciples were actually to lie still and sleep; for He added immediately, "Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. And immediately, while he yet spake, Judas, one of the twelve, having received a band of men and officers from the Chief Priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns, and torches, and weapons." Upon reading this passage, if we think at all, it must appear strange that as the moon was at the full, it should have been necessary to take lanterns and torches, as the light of the full moon in those countries, is far too bright to need any other. But travellers tell us, that in fact the light of the full moon only made the garden of Gethsemanedarker, for it is situated on the slope of the Mount of Olives, away from the moon; that is, the moon at the time of the Passover rises behind the Mount of Olives, and thus casts the shadow of the mountain upon the garden of Gethsemane;so that whilst all surrounding parts were lighted up, there was complete darkness amongst the trees in the garden of Gethsemane. Judas, well knowing this, had been careful to procure lanterns and torches, to render the execution of his purpose easy; and now, leading the way, he cometh, "and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the Chief Priests, and the Scribes, and the elders of the people. Now he that betrayed Him had given them a token," whereby the servants of the High Priests might surely know which was Jesus. Judas had told them, "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, hold him fast, and lead him away safely." A kiss was in those times a common form of salutation; and a sign or token of respect and regard: Judas Iscariot now made use of it for a very different purpose.
"And as soon as he was come," with his band, into the garden, "he went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" Jesus did not ask this question because He needed to be told; but in order to give Judas another warning against the sin he was about to commit.
The officers did not immediately lay hold upon Jesus; we can well believe that His calm and dignified behaviour, and His question to Judas, struck them with awe.
But Jesus, knowing all things that should come upon Him, now showed his readiness to do his Father's Will: for "he went forth and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he." As soon then as He had said unto them I am He they went backward, and fell to the ground: whether in fear or out of respect, we are not told; but in any case their behaviour made it clear that the Saviour's sacrifice was a voluntary act; for He could certainly, even as a man, have escaped. "Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way." Even at such a moment, Jesus took care for His disciples, that they might not suffer with Him: "that the saying might be fulfilled which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me I have lost none."
By this time, the officers seem to have recovered from theirsurprise and alarm: "Then came they and laid hands on Jesus, and took him." The disciples now seem to have thought that it was time for them to use the two swords, which they had brought for the deliverance of their Master. "And behold one of them which were with Jesus, Simon Peter, having a sword, stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the High Priest's and smote off his ear; the servant's name was Malchus." "And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far." These words seem to have been addressed to the Roman soldiers, who would naturally be made very angry by such an occurrence taking place; therefore he asked for their forbearance; though he at once removed the cause of complaint—"for he touched the ear of the wounded man, and healed him."
AfterHe had healed Malchus, Jesus said unto Peter, "Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" Here Jesus plainly declares that HegaveHimself to fulfil the Scriptures, which declared, that in no other way could man be redeemed from the curse of the Law. His sufferings and death were the means appointed by the Father for the redemption of man; but His sufferings and death were voluntary—no man couldtakeHis life unless He chose to give it. Hecouldhave saved Himself, but then His work would have been unfinished, and mankind for ever lost. Therefore was He willing to drink the cup which His father had given Him. "In that same hour Jesus answered and said unto the Chief Priests and captains of the temple, and to the multitudes, and to the elders, which were come to him, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me: ye stretched forth no hands against me: but the Scriptures must be fulfilled; this is your hour and the power of darkness."
Here, again, Jesus showed that those who came against Him, could only succeed because the time was now come, when they were allowed to execute their wicked purposes, "that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."
Jesus Christ had now given Himself into the hands of His enemies: the disciples seeing this, and being perhaps afraid of sharing His fate, did the very thing they had lately thought impossible when their Lord had warned them of it. "Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled." "Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, and led him away to Annas first; for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the High Priest that same year."
It has already been said that the Romans had made Caiaphas High Priest instead of Annas. Annas had filled that office for eleven years, and ought to have continued in it as long as he lived: but the Romans, who had no regard to the Jewish Law, had made this change.
The Jews, however, had a great respect for Annas as their rightful High Priest; and in spite of the Romans they still considered and treated him as such; and therefore, in the first place, they took Jesus before him, that he might advise them as to what was next to be done.
As they were on their way, leading their prisoner, "there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body": this young man felt sufficient interest in Jesus to follow Him; "but when," for some reason which we are not told, "the young men" who guarded the Lord, "laid hold on him," he gave a further proof of the fear which now prevailed amongst all the disciples and followers of Jesus; for "he left the linen cloth" upon which they had laid hold, "in their hands," and so escaping, "fled from them naked."
This young man seems to have been clothed in the manner common to the poorer sort of people in those days. Even in later times travellers tell us, that in some places the Arabs only wear a large blanket or sheet, wrapped round them in a peculiar manner; and that the same thing is done in some parts of Palestine also. Annas, it would seem, sent Jesus at once to Caiaphas; no doubt fear of the Romans who had unlawfully deprived him of his dignity, prevented his exercising that authority, which by the law of God still belonged to him, and to him only: so he sent Jesus away at once. "Then they took him, and led himaway to Caiaphas the High Priest. (Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people)." Jesus was then brought into the High Priest's house, where were assembled with him all the Chief Priests and Scribes; evidently waiting for the return of those whom they had sent out, under the guidance of Judas Iscariot, to take Jesus. Mean time, Peter and John had so far recovered themselves, as to venture to follow Jesus at a distance: for they really loved their Master, and were anxious to learn what would become of Him. "And Simon Peter followed Jesus afar off, unto the High Priest's palace, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the High Priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the High Priest." "That disciple" here spoken of, was John, who himself gives us the account of the matter. He was in some way known to Caiaphas, and was therefore allowed to go into the palace. "But Peter stood at the door without." John, who had been admitted into the High Priest's palace, was not one of those selfish people who care only for their own comfort: he thought of Peter standing outside, and went out and spake unto the young woman, who, according to the custom of the Hebrews, kept the door or acted as porter; and in consequence she "brought in Peter," who joined the servants and attendants: "and when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them, and warmed himself at the fire; and sat with the servants to see the end."
Though the month Abib, which answers to our April, is very much warmer in Palestine than it is here, still the nights are often very cold; and a gentleman who travelled in Galilee tells us, that even in the month of May, an Arab chief who entertained him, had a fire lighted in a ruined building for them to sit by, because it was cold.
The fire now kindled by the attendants, though in the same hall, was no doubt at some distance from that part where Jesus was standing before the High Priest; whilst John, being known to Caiaphas, was probably standing much nearer to his beloved Master.
"The High Priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing"; that is,He had said nothing in secret contrary to what He had taught in public, and therefore instead of now answering such questions, Jesus referred Caiaphas to those who, having heard Him, were able to bear witness as to what He had said. "Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. When he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand (or with a rod which he held in his hand), saying, Answerest thou the High Priest so?" Jesus quietly rebuked this man, showing that if he had said or done what was wrong, the officer should have accused Him of it in a proper way, and not have struck Him, contrary to the law, which forbids any one to be treated as guilty until proved to be so. "Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me?"
The Jews knew very well that they could not ask the Romans to put Jesus to death, unless they could find some fault to lay to His charge: they must get persons to witness or declare, that He had done things for which He deserved to die; and they well knew that no one could with truth do this. Therefore, "the Chief Priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus to put him to death; but found none" to answer their purpose: "yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none," whose testimony would be sufficient: "for many bear false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together." No man could be put to death unless two witnesses gave testimony as to his guilt: if witnesses speak the truth, their testimony must be the same: but naturally when witnesses tell lies, one will say one thing and one another, and therefore the words of these men who spake against Jesus, "agreed not together."
The sin of the Chief Priests and elders was very great; theysoughtfor false witnesses: unhappily, there never is any difficulty in finding men who care so little for what is right, that for a bribe or reward they are ready to tell lies; but if liars are the children of the Devil, what must those be whoencouragethem, and almost force them to speak untruly? "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour," is one of the commandments: let us be very careful not to break this commandment, even unintentionally. We may notmeanto say what isnottrue, and we may notmeanto make mischief; but we shall certainlydo both, unless we are very careful always to repeatexactlywhat we see or hear,addingnothing, andleaving out nothing. Even the manner or tone of voice in which anything is said or done, makes a difference. For instance, things may be done or said in fun, and there may be no harm in them; but if you repeat them, as if they were done or said in earnest, they may appear very wrong; and so you will cause people to be blamed, and thought ill of, when they do not deserve it.
There is, perhaps, no commandment which we all break more frequently than the ninth—not wilfully; few, it is to be hoped, would act so wickedly as to do that; but from carelessness: by chattering about other peoples' concerns; repeating things when we are notsurethey are true; telling tales; and so on. Our God is a God of truth: we are told that He loves truth in the inward parts, that is, in the heart; and therefore if we love Him, we shall always speak the truth from the heart, and be very careful to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, even in the smallest matters. The perfect truth that God requires, forbids deceit of all kinds. We may deceive others by our actions, and even by our silence; but let us ever remember, that all deception is in the eyes of God as the sin of lying, that sin which is an abomination to the Lord.
"Atthe last came two false witnesses." They did not mean to speak the truth; all that they wished was to please the Priests, who, far from desiring them to speak truly, only wanted something to be said, which would give them an excuse for having Jesus put to death. The two witnesses who now came before them, furnished them with the pretence they sought for: these men "bare false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands."
Now this is an instance of bearing false witness, by misrepresenting the words spoken, and twisting their meaning tosomething which they were never intended to express. We have read that Jesus did say in reference to His own body, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews did not understand what He meant; but that did not justify these witnesses in what they now said, for Jesus hadnotsaid, "IwillDESTROYthis temple," nor had He said one word of "building." These witnesses meant to make it appear, that He had said that He would destroy the temple so dear to the Jews, and that in three days He wouldbuildanother. "But neither so did their witness agree together." The Priests and elders were, however, too anxious to condemn Jesus, to be particular about that; for to speak disrespectfully of the temple was looked upon as blasphemy, and blasphemy was a crime to be punished with death. Blasphemy is really speaking disrespectfully of the Majesty and Power of the Almighty—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and ascribing to man that power which belongs to God alone.
After these two false witnesses had spoken, "the High Priest arose, and stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?"
Our Lord would make no reply to charges which even His enemies must have known to be false; and therefore He "held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the High Priest asked him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God."
To "adjure" was to call upon a person to speak the truth in the Name of God. Any one soadjuredwas looked upon as bound by the most solemn oath to speak the whole truth. When, therefore, the High Priest called upon Jesus in this solemn manner to say whether He really was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, our Lord kept silence no longer; but in an equally solemn manner answered the question, adding words spoken by the prophet Daniel—words always understood by the Jews to be a prophecy respecting the Messiah: therefore, by applying this prophecy to Himself, Jesus declared most plainly that He was indeed the Messiah. In His answer to the High Priest, as to whether He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed God Almighty, Jesus used the Jewish form of saying that what had been stated was true. "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said"; and then He added, "I am: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shallye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."
"Then the High Priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy." The High Priest had asked his solemn question without any intention of believing the answer: he must have felt sure what the answer would be, and therefore he had asked the question, that he might be able to accuse Jesus of claiming for Himself, a man, the honour due to God alone. To show his grief and horror at such a dreadful sin as blasphemy, he, according to the Jewish custom, rent his robe.
Then appealing to those around him, Caiaphas asked, "What further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye?"
There could be no doubt of the answer to such questions. The Priests, and Scribes, and elders were bent upon destroying their victim; and gladly seizing the opportunity now given them by the High Priest, "They answered and said, He is guilty of death,"—that is, He is guilty of a crime which the Law of Moses orders to be punished with death. "And they all condemned him to be guilty of death."
The Priests and elders had now accomplished their work, as far as they were concerned; but its final execution did not rest with them. Judæa was a Roman province, and as such the Jews could put no man to death without the permission of the Roman governor, who was at that time Pontius Pilate. To obtain Pilate's consent was the next step to be taken; and that the Jews determined to set about as soon as possible in the morning. It was now about midnight of the Thursday—the day on which Jesus had eaten the last Supper with His disciples. Some six or seven hours must pass before Jesus could be taken before Pilate, and this time the Jews occupied in ill using and mocking our innocent and holy Lord.
The Priests and elders having passed sentence upon Jesus, now left Him in the hands of the attendants and soldiers, who, as we have said, passed the rest of the night in ill treating Him. "And the men that held Jesus mocked him and smote him: and some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands."
To spit upon a person, was the greatest affront and indignitythat could be offered by one man to another: it signified the utmost scorn and contempt. Then, in mockery of our blessed Lord's claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God, He was blindfolded, and then desired to show His divine power, by telling the names of those who struck Him on the face. It is most painful to think of Jesus being so treated: for our sakes He bore meekly and patiently this savage treatment. He might with one word have put an end to it, and struck dead those who thus insulted Him. But these indignities were a part of the cup appointed for Him by the Father, and this cup He was ready to drink to the last drop, for the redemption of man. Should we not love the Lord in heart and in deed, for all that He has done and suffered for us?
"And many other things blasphemously spake they against him." Thus passed the hours of this terrible night.
All this time Peter sat in some part of the Palace; "and there cometh one of the maids of the High Priest, the damsel that kept the door, unto Peter: and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked earnestly upon him," as if trying to remember where she had seen him before. Then she said to those around, "This man was also with him"; and, referring to Peter himself to confirm her statement, she asked, "Art not thou also one of this man's disciples?" We may well believe that Peter was horrified at the treatment he had seen inflicted upon his Master; and most probably, in spite of all Jesus had said, Peter was disappointed at His not taking some signal measures to check His persecutors. This for a time weakened his faith, and made him fearful that if he confessed himself to be a disciple, he might bring upon himself similar treatment, to that which Jesus was silently and calmly undergoing. In his perplexity and fear, therefore, he committed a fearful sin; for in answer to the damsel's question, "Art not thou also one of this man's disciples?" "he saith, I am not." But the damsel was not convinced, and presently said, "And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth, of Galilee." One departure from truth is sure to lead to another: and now Peter even pretends not to understand what she can possibly mean by charging him with being one of Christ's disciples: thus "he denied him before them all, saying, Woman, I know him not. I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest."
Perhaps Peter now hoped that he had silenced his accusers, and should be left in peace; but he was shortly undeceived."The servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not. One of the servants of the High Priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off," seems, however, to have recognized Peter as the person who did this act, and saith, "Did not I see thee in the garden with him?" What had been denied before was not likely to be confessed now. "Peter then denied again; and he went out into the porch; and immediately the cock crew."
These three denials,—first, to the damsel; secondly, to the servants and officers; and thirdly, to the kinsman of Malchus,—which are related in the different Gospels, all took place much at the same time, and are therefore to be looked upon as one act: thus we see how every word spoken by Jesus on the subject of Peter's denial came true. He said that before it was time for the cock to crow at all, Peter would have denied Him three times; and this he had done, and the warning voice of the cock had been heard for the first time.
If we resist the Devil, he will flee from us: if we give way to one temptation, we shall be more likely to fall again: so it was with Peter. "When he was gone out into the porch, after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And another maid saw him, and began to say to them that stood by, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. This is one of them." Peter now added to his sin, "for he denied with an oath, I do not know the man,"—thus calling upon God as a witness to the truth of what he was saying. This was Peter's second denial of his Lord and Master.
About an hour afterwards, when it was nearly three o'clock in the morning, Peter seems to have been again in the hall, where the soldiers were waiting with Jesus, until it should be time for them to take Him before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Here the third denial took place.
Before we go further, some little explanation is necessary. You know that in different countries, as in France, Spain, China, &c., the people speak different languages; so that without learning one another's language, the natives of different countries cannot talk to each other. But even in different parts of thesame country, the people often pronounce their words in such a different manner as to make it almost a different language, so that the "dialect," or manner of speaking, in one province, would be hardly understood in another province of the same country. Even in England we have something of the same kind; and if you were to hear the people of Yorkshire or of Somersetshire talking to each other, you would not understand much of their conversation.
WhenPeter had returned into the hall where Jesus still was, another man "confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was him: for he is a Galilean." The Jews, who were natives of Galilee, used a different dialect to that of the inhabitants of Judæa; and this man, having heard Peter speak, at once perceived that he was a Galilean, and doubtless the follower of Jesus. But Peter at once said, "Man, I am not": he would not even now allow that he was a Galilean; but the fact was too plain; for his manner of speaking betrayed or showed that he was certainly a native of Galilee. They that stood by could not therefore be deceived, and said again to Peter, "Surely thou also art one of them, for thou art a Galilean: and thy speech agreeth thereto, for thy speech bewrayeth (or betrayeth) thee." Peter now went still further in his denial, and added to his sin; for getting frightened and angry, he allowed himself to use language sinful in itself. "Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man: I know not this man of whom ye speak. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew; the second time the cock crew. And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter."
What a look must that have been! a look of reproach for Peter's sin; of grief for his sad fall mixed with love for His weak and erring follower. Such as it was, it went straight to Peter's heart; bringing all things to his memory, and making him feel deeply the sin he had committed against One, whom he did truly love; though under temptation, he had acted very contrary to what that love demanded from him. But the Saviour's look awakened all Peter's better feelings: "And Peterremembered the word of the Lord, how that he had said unto him, Before the cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice. Before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept; he went out and wept bitterly."
Peter's tears were tears of true repentance: we know this, because in future we find him no longer confident in himself, and boasting of his love, but humble, and looking to God for strength; whilst he devoted his life to doing his Master's work, never letting the fear of man prevent his declaring the truth, as it is in Jesus.
When we blame Peter for denying the Lord, let us remember that he sinned,becausehe trusted too much in himself, and did not watch and pray as he ought to have done. This is a warning to us, not to do as he did. But let us also remember, that having sinned, he repented truly; and showed his repentance, by his changed conduct during the rest of his life. Here is an example for us to follow.
This terrible night was over at last. "And straightway in the morning, as soon as it was day" (about four o'clock in the morning of Friday), the Chief Priests seem to have called the whole Council of the Sanhedrim together, to consult what was next to be done to secure their object: "they took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us." Jesus had already answered this question before Caiaphas, and knowing their motive in repeating it, "he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe. And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go." Jesus would not, however, allow them to suppose that He denied being the Messiah: and He therefore repeated the words, which they chose to call blasphemy, saying, "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. And they said, What need we any further witnesses? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth."
"Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the Chief Priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood." Some feelings of sorrow and remorse for having given up an innocent man to be put to death, now led Judas to bring back the "rewardof iniquity," and at once to confess his own sin, and bear witness to the innocence of Jesus. Perhaps he had a hope of thus saving Jesus from the fate which awaited Him: if so, Judas soon learnt, what many have learnt before and since, that it is easy to do wrong, but by no means easy to undo the wrong when done. Many of us, in a moment of passion or self-will, commit acts which embitter our whole future lives. Let the young beware, lest they bring upon themselves such life-long misery; they may truly repent and mourn, and God, for Jesu's sake, may forgive the sin; but the act itself, and its bitter consequences, can never be undone.
The Priests and elders cared not whether Jesus was innocent or guilty, so as they could treat Him as if Hewereguilty. His holy life, His heavenly teaching, showed them their own sinfulness, and therefore it wasbecauseHe was good, that they sought to destroy Him. Neither did they care for Judas's sufferings: they had gladly profited by his sin, and given him the reward agreed upon: now that they had got from him all that they wanted, they cared not what became of the miserable sinner. And this is often the case amongst men, who to gain something they want, persuade others to do wrong. Those who have sinned to help them, may afterwards be filled with remorse and misery; but they will meet with neither help nor pity from those who led them into sin. Like the Priests, they will say, What is that to us?
In vain did Judas look for pity from his partners in guilt; the unfeeling answer of the Priests was, "What is that to us? see thou to that." Had Judas repented truly, he would, like Peter, have gone out and wept bitterly, and sought forgiveness of his Lord; but, unable to bear the feeling of remorse which lay heavy upon his heart, he committed a crime for which there is no repentance: "he departed, and went and hanged himself, and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out." What may be the exact meaning of this passage, it is difficult to say; but it is certain that Judas perished in some remarkable and dreadful manner.
After Judas had departed from the Council, leaving the money behind, "the Chief Priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood."
The Jews considered it unlawful to put into the treasury ofthe temple, any money which had been got by taking away life. The executioners, whose duty it was to put criminals to death, were not allowed to make any offering to the treasury, because the money that they gained was looked upon as the price of blood. These Priests, who were ready to break a positive commandment by putting an innocent person to death, would not break the Law in a small matter.
The fact is, that by this time the religion of the Jews had become a mere form: they made a great fuss about observing ceremonies and customs, which required no self-denial; but they did not care to obey the Will of God, when it interfered with their own wishes and inclinations. They had had no scruple in buying the life of an innocent man, but they would not put the price of his blood into the treasury. So "they took counsel," or consulted together, as to what should be done with the silver pieces, "and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in." By "strangers" was probably meant Jews, who came from distant parts of the country, or from some of the nations through which Jews were scattered: these people had, of course, no burial-place of their own in Jerusalem, and therefore this field was bought, in order that any foreign Jews, who died in the city, might be buried there.
The potter's field lay to the S.E. of Jerusalem, on the other side of the brook Gihon. From this time, this field was called "Aceldama," a Hebrew word, meaning the Field of Blood: now the Christians in those parts call it "the holy field."
This buying of the field, was foretold 457 years before, in the time of Ezra. "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me."
This prophecy is not, however, to be found in the book which we call by the name of Jeremiah, but in that of Zechariah (xi.), another of the prophets. The Jews had an old custom of dividing the Scriptures of the Old Testament into three parts. The First Part, called "the Law," contained the books of Moses and those of Kings and Chronicles: the Psalms formed the Second Part: and the Third Part contained the writings of the prophets. As this Third Part began with the prophecies of Jeremiah, the whole division was often called by his name; and thus any wordsspoken by another prophet, might be said to be in Jeremy or Jeremiah.
The Priests and the whole Council of the Sanhedrim had condemned Jesus to death, for what they called blasphemy; and the next step was to get Pilate's permission to execute the sentence. "And the whole multitude of them arose, and bound Jesus, and when they had bound him, they led him away from Caiaphas unto the Hall of Judgment, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor: and it was early," probably about five o'clock in the morning. "And they themselves went not into the Judgment Hall lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover."
These Jews werepreparingto eat the Passover, in the evening of that day, Friday; but Jesus and His disciples had eaten it the eveningbefore; that is, on Thursday. This difference needs some explanation. We divide our year into 12 months, some of 30 days, and some of 31, whilst, as a general rule, February has only 28. The earth on which we live goes round the sun in 365 days and 6 hours, all but a few minutes. By "the day" we mean 24 hours, or what we call a day and a night. Our 12 months, therefore, contain the 365 days; but the extra hours are unaccounted for. Now in four years the 6 extra hours amount to 24—another day: and therefore every fourth year February has an additional day to provide for them. The year in which February has 29 days is called "Leap Year," because we seem to leap over a day. For instance, suppose Christmas Day to be on Saturday one year, it would naturally fall on Sunday the next year: but if it were Leap Year, it would leap over Sunday and fall upon Monday instead. Our year is called a Solar Year, because it is regulated by the course of the earth round the sun, andSolis the Latin word for the Sun.
The Jews, on the contrary, divided their year according to the course of the Moon, which goes round the Earth in something more than thirty days. Theirs was a Lunar Year, becauseLunais Latin for the moon.
The twelve months amongst the Jews had not the same fixed number of days every year, because they reckoned the month to begin when the new moon first appeared. This practice often led to mistakes, so that what ought to have been the 14th day of any month was frequently called the 15th, or the 13th. Something of this kind seems to have taken place at this time:so that whilst Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover on the evening of the right day, the 14th of Nisan or Abib (answering to the end of March with us), many of the Jews celebrated the feast on the next day, calling that the 14th, though it was, in reality, the 15th.