Arrest of Jesus

Biblical Text and Narrative

All four Gospels record this event. On the night after the Last Supper, immediately after the prayer in Gethsemane, Judas Iscariot led a crowd armed with swords and clubs to seize Jesus. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Judas uses a kiss as the signal. The Gospel of John does not mention a kiss. Instead, Jesus first asks, "Whom seek ye?" and when He answers, "I am he," those who have come to arrest Him draw back and fall to the ground (John 18:4-6).

One of the disciples struck the high priest's servant with a sword and cut off his ear. John identifies the disciple who wielded the sword as Peter and the servant as Malchus (John 18:10). Jesus ordered the sword put away, and Luke records that He touched the servant's ear and healed it (Luke 22:51). Afterward all the disciples fled (Mark 14:50).

Background

The location is given as Gethsemane in Matthew and Mark, the Mount of Olives in Luke, and a garden across the brook Kidron in John. Matthew identifies those who sent the crowd as the chief priests and elders of the people (Matthew 26:47). The Jewish leaders feared that an uproar might break out among the people during the feast (Matthew 26:5). Jesus pointed out that they had not seized Him while He was teaching daily in the temple (Mark 14:49).

John mentions a "band" and a "captain" among those who came to make the arrest (John 18:3, 12). Interpreters differ over whether these terms refer to Roman soldiers or to the temple guard.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The Gospels present the arrest as the fulfillment of Scripture (Matthew 26:54, 56). Before the arrest, Jesus quoted Zechariah 13:7, saying that when the shepherd is smitten, the sheep will be scattered (Matthew 26:31). This saying is linked to the flight of the disciples.

The Gospels also emphasize that Jesus was not taken by force but willingly submitted to His arrest. In Matthew, Jesus says that He could ask for more than twelve legions of angels (Matthew 26:53). In John, He says that He will drink the cup the Father has given Him (John 18:11). Luke describes this hour as belonging to "the power of darkness" (Luke 22:53). The event leads directly to the trial of Jesus and the crucifixion.

Interpretations and Issues

• The saying about the sword: Mennonites in the Anabaptist tradition and the Quakers read Matthew 26:52, "all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword," as a basis for nonviolence (pacifism). Many other traditions hold that the saying forbade armed resistance in this particular situation and did not repudiate the legitimate use of force by the state.
• The young man who fled naked: This episode appears only in Mark (Mark 14:51-52). A long-standing conjecture identifies him as the Gospel writer Mark himself, but the text does not name him.
• Differences among the Gospels: Details such as the kiss, the names, and the healing vary from Gospel to Gospel. Some harmonize the accounts into a single narrative, while others regard the differences as reflecting each Gospel's distinctive emphasis (see Synoptic problem).
• Judas's motive: Explanations are often offered, such as that he acted out of greed or out of disappointment with a political messiah. The text, however, states only three things: Judas agreed to hand Jesus over for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15), he kept the money bag and stole from it (John 12:6), and Satan entered into him (John 13:27).

In the Korean Church

This passage is frequently used in Scripture readings and sermons during Holy Week. "The kiss of Judas" is commonly used in preaching as a figure for betrayal disguised as outward affection.