Matthew 26:30-75
After the Passover supper, Jesus and the eleven disciples went to a quiet place outside the city on the side of Mt. Olivet, where they had often gone before. It was night, and the disciples slept while Jesus prayed to God. He knew that He would soon be taken by the soiers and suffer cruel treatment and death.
Beside that, Jesus knew that He would bear the punishment of the sins of all His people. This caused Him such sorrow as we can never know. The disciples did not realize His sorrow, and slept on until He awakened them when He knew the soldiers were near.
Judas came leading many soldiers and men from the priests, armed with swords and other weapons. The soldiers did not know Jesus, but Judas had told them that the man he would kiss was the person to take, and he spoke to Jesus, saying, “Hail, Master”, and kissed Him. It was a custom for friends to kiss on meeting, but how deceitful in Judas to do so to the One he had betrayed!
Jesus told the disciples that if He would pray the Father, He would at once send twelve legions of angels, which were very many, to save Him. Instead of that, Jesus allowed the soldiers to take Him, that He should die for them.
When the disciples saw Jesus was taken “they all forsook Him and fled”. They fulfilled, which Jesus had quoted to them in the evening:
“I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.” Zechariah 13:9.
Jesus was as the Shepherd” to be smitten, and the disciples ran away as frightened sheep.
The soldiers took Jesus to the palace of the High Priest, the leader in the temple, to be questioned, while it was still night, for the priests did not want the people to know what they had done. Those priests and leaders taught the laws of God to the people, and should have held a fair trial, but they did not, and had witnesses to speak falsely against Jesus.
At last the High Priest demanded of Jesus to say if He were “the Christ, the Son of God”. Jesus answered, “Thou hast said”, which meant, “That is true.”
Then those leaders all cried out, “He is guilty of death”, and they treated Him in shameful ways: spit in His face, and buffeted (struck) Him. But the Lord Jesus did not resist them, He fulfilled the words of the prophet about the One to come,
“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth.” Isaiah 53:7.
ML 11/07/1943