Having said these things, Jesus with his disciples went across the Kidron wadi, to where there was a garden; he and his disciples entered it.
Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met with his disciples there.
So Judas took a squad of soldiers, and some officers from the Chief Priests and the Pharisees and came with torches and lanterns and weapons.
Then Jesus knowing everything that was coming upon him,
went out and said them:
‘Whom are you seeking?’
They said to him: ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’
He said to them: ‘I am he’.
Judas, who betrayed him, was also standing with them.
Then as Jesus said to them ‘I am he’
they went back and fell to the ground.
So again he asked them ‘Whom are you seeking?’
Then they said ‘ Jesus of Nazareth’
Jesus answered ‘ I said to you that I am he,
So If you want me, let these ones go.’
… to fulfil the word which he had spoken ‘In regard to those whom you have given me, I will not lose anyone of them.’
Then Simon Peter having a short sword,
drew it and struck the slave of the High Priest,
and cut off his right ear.
The name of the slave was Malchus.
Jesus said to Peter
‘Put your sword in its sheath.
How can I refuse to drink the cup which the Father has given me?’
O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me.
O Love, who redeemed me,
fill up in me whatever part of your love
has fallen into neglect within me.
O Love, O God, who first loved me,
grant that with my whole heart,
and with my whole soul,
and with my whole strength,
I may love you.
Gertrude the Great
4 responses to “John 18:1-11 The Arrest in the Garden”
It struck me that Judas’s heart must have been so hard. After all that time with Jesus and his disciples and everything that he had witnessed, yet still he could betray Jesus and furthermore not from a distance, but Judas was actually there at the time of arrest. The lesson to me is to pray that I do not allow my heart to harden as I know it has done in the past.
Graham – I think that is a good point. In this story we are reading the conclusion of the hardening. Many people have speculated about what motivated Judas. Someone I knew at theological college has just published a book about Jesus and the extract in the Church Times this week teases out Judas’s cooling towards Jesus – https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2021/22-january/features/features/jesus-from-the-inside-a-new-version-of-the-gospels
The picture is very well framed, and follows the ” Rule of Thirds”.
Do you take these yourself or do they come from a Church of England website?
In Spain, in Xeres, a Sherry if produced called ” Disciples”
Every 13th barrel isn’t used to make Sherry wine- it is only used to make Vinegar, and is called the ” Judas barrel” Always seems a bit odd to me as Judas WAS one of the 12 disciples?
Hi David. It is my photo. Interesting comment about the sherry. Yes Judas was one of the 12 original apostles (there were many more disciples). After he died the 10 remaining appointed another Matthias – is that how they counted Judas as the 13th?