Matthew 26:47-56

Judas Betrays Jesus and He is Arrested

48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him."

49 Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, "Hail, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.

50 And Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you have come for." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.

52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.

53 "Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

54 "How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?"

55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me.

56 "But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets." Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

The Betrayal of Christ - Who Did It and Who Did They Arrest?

As Jesus stated that He had sat in the temple and taught, why did Judas need to point Him out to the religious leaders (not Roman soldiers by the way)?

They knew perfectly well who Jesus was but Judas was to be the formal accuser in case of a trial so needed to "pick Christ out of a lineup" so to speak. He did so by kissing Jesus on the cheek.

Another side note is that the arrest was made in a secluded area so that the crowds of followers would not be there to interfere with the plan.

Peter Strikes Out against the Accusers

With the pending arrest, one disciple lashed out with his sword and cut off the ear of one of the servants. Peter had always been outspoken and this was just another example of his rushing to "help" Jesus not understanding the complete story of what was about to happen.

Jesus quieted him and again told of how Scripture had to be fulfilled by His obedience and faith in the Father, not by the force of a sword.

The Disciples Flee

The brave followers of Christ who vowed to go to their deaths rather than abandon Him, fled.

We can't put too much emphasis or blame on the disciples' decision to run because they did not yet know the rest of the story. Later, after the day of Pentecost ( Acts 2:1-13) , Peter and other disciples were willing to suffer or even die for their belief in Jesus.

There are Christians throughout the world putting their lives in danger each day to tell the story of Christ to those who have not heard it.

What are We Willing to Do?

I know that everyone is not called to be a foreign missionary and travel to another country or even travel across our own but we can support the effort in other ways by giving our time, talents or money to help bring the Message to others.

There are many ministries but one that comes to mind is the Lottie Moon offering. Giving to this organization keeps Christians in the field around the world so I ask that you give to this or other mission efforts. Let's not abandon Christ the way the disciples did on that fateful night.

Take a moment to go here and look at what the IMB and Lottie Moon does.

Love in Christ

- Bob

Comments are welcome. Please email me with any questions or comments you may have.

 Another Baptist Bible Study Lesson

Matthew 26:36-46 - Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethesmane - This was the most agonizing time for Jesus before the crucifixion and He still prayed for God's will to be done in His life.