Betrayal and Arrest

Betrayal and Arrest
Matt. 26:37-38

37 And [kai] he took with him [paralambano] Peter [Petros] and [kai] the two [duo] sons [huios] of Zebedee [Zebedaios] , and began [archomai] to be sorrowful [lupeo] and [kai] very heavy [ademoneo] .
38 Then [tote] saith he [lego] unto them [autos] , My [mou] soul [psuche] is [esti] exceeding sorrowful [perilupos] , even unto [heos] death [thanatos] : tarry ye [meno] here [hode] , and [kai] watch [gregoreuo] with [meta] me [emou] . KJV-Interlinear

37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He said to them, 'My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.' NASB

The savior is a man of sorrows, Isa. 53:3, despised and forsaken, He is surrounded with sorrow. The sorrow is not from within Himself, but from the source of others in His periphery and from the world. Remember that Jesus Christ is God and in God there is no fear, no uncertainty, nothing which could be construed as a flaw in character.

Jesus is grieved, deeply grieved. So what does that mean. The word in verse 38 is 'perilupos' which means from the source of His perimeter. Grief was being poured out onto Him. Again, this is not from within His own self. Jesus is not afraid, not concerned, not worried that something might go wrong.

The apostles are just sleepy and unaware of the goings on around them. Certainly they do not see nor can they detect the angelic events that are surrounding them at the moment. Christ's arch enemy is Satan. Satan has been on Jesus' back since the birth. He tested Him in the desert and throughout His ministry.

Satan's primary goal is the frustrate the Cross, to which Jesus is destined. Satan's future is on the line. God has promised a savior. He did this as far back as Adam, and now is the hour (after over 4000 years) of that promise. Satan is intensifying the attacks on Jesus. Satan is the source of the grief, the external pressure.

Peek ahead at verse 53. Jesus could call for 12 legions of angels, and He would receive them if He requested them. These are not just any angels, but the top of the line, combat ready warriors, and warriors in every sense of the word.

At the time of the reign of Marcus Aurelius, 160 AD - 180 AD there were 30 legions at the peek of the Roman military, and these 30 protected the empire. Christ had 12 legions at His immediate disposal, and more if He required them. Each legion in Roman times was approximately 6000 fighting men, plus logistical support.

So the point here is, Christ had at His disposal, a tremendous army, if He so chose to use them. This, in addition to His own power as God, and of course that divine power would be more than enough to destroy the entire universe in the blink of an eye. The next time you watch one of those Hollywood movies or documentaries, and they show Jesus as a worried wimp, full of indecision, and second guessing what is going on around Him, then just grit your teeth, and ignore the stupidity of the film makers.

Jesus left the eight where they were, and moved away a little further in the garden with Peter and the sons of Zebedee. Peter is identified by name, but James and John are not. Matthew uses their fathers name which means the 'sons of thunder.'

Peter we know means rock, but it is really a little pebble which comes off of a greater rock. With many such pebbles brought together, then a giant rock may be formed. But here is a man, Peter, the rock, and two others 'sons of thunder' accompanying Jesus away from the other eight apostles.

When the arrest comes, the eight suddenly drop out of the picture. The rock and the thunder of man will too fade, but not until after an attempt to defend Jesus, in which an ear of a soldier gets cut off. Jesus quickly repairs the ear, and reprimands the use of the sword. Verse 54 again explains that the scriptures were written to be fulfilled, and not to be set aside at this last moment. The Cross is the objective and the salvation of man, not mans futile and ignorant and emotional defense of the Lord.

Jesus asks the three, Peter, James and John (rock and thunder) to remain there with Him and help Him keep watch. Keep watch? For what? The 'for what' is not the point, it is their name and their action which speaks in these next few verses. They fall asleep. They fall asleep on the eve of the most important day in all of human history. So much for the rock and thunder.

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