That evening, Christ and his disciples came to the Garden of Gethsemane, located not far from Jerusalem. Walking between the trees of the garden, the disciples noticed that the face of Jesus Christ had changed greatly. Terrible sorrow and deep melancholy appeared in His eyes. They had never seen Him like this before. Then Jesus said to them: My soul is sorrowful unto death. Then He asked the disciples to wait for Him, and He Himself walked a little forward and, falling to the ground, began mournfully crying out to God the Father.
Christ knew that the time of His death for the sins of the people was approaching. The worst thing for Him was not that He would die, and not even that this death would be terribly painful, when His hands and feet were nailed to a wooden cross and then He was hanged so that He would gradually die, bleeding out. Something else was much more terrible for Him. He had to take upon himself the sins of all mankind.
What this meant, and how terrible it was for Him - we will probably never be able to fully understand. Jesus Christ, holy and sinless, had to take upon Himself torment for all the guilt, for all the evil ever done by people.
The mental torment that awaited Him was incomparably worse than the physical suffering to which the people subjected Him during. And in this Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ had to make a final decision: to go for it, or to abandon this suffering.
Prayer of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Gospel records the words of Jesus as He prayed:
“My Father! if possible, let this cup pass from Me; however, not as I want, but as You want.”
If there was any other way to save humanity, Jesus would not have taken the sins of people upon Himself. This “cup” was too heavy even for Him. But there was no other way to save people, and He understood this. Therefore, after some time spent in difficult internal struggle, Christ again prays like this:
“My Father! if this cup cannot pass from Me, lest I drink it, Thy will be done.”
With these words He made the final decision. In this Garden of Gethsemane the fate of all mankind was decided. Christ accepted what now awaited Him. If He had not done this, then all people would have been condemned to hell for their sins. But Christ loved people so much that he decided to experience this condemnation Himself in order to give us the opportunity to avoid it.
The blood of Jesus Christ flowed from His face in the form of bloody sweat.
The Gospel says that during this prayer and making the final decision, Jesus experienced such a strong state of agony and internal struggle that His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. This rare phenomenon of “bloody sweat” is medically known as hemathidrosis, when due to strong emotional stress, blood leaks out of the blood capillaries through the sweat ducts.
But now the decision has been made, and Jesus, having calmed down, returns to the disciples and says:
“The hour has come, and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners; Arise, let us go: behold, he who betrayed Me has drawn near.”
Bibliography:
- Matthew 26:38-39
- Matthew 26:42
- Gospel of Luke 22:44
On Maundy Thursday of Holy Week we remember some of the most important events from the earthly life of Christ. Including prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Gospel story about the Gethsemane prayer, which is also sometimes called the prayer of the cup, in the Gospel of Mark, obviously came to us from the Apostle Peter; according to the testimony of the early Christian author Papias of Hierapolis, Mark was a companion of the great apostle and, apparently, his Gospel is built on the stories of Peter.
And he took with him Peter, James and John; and began to be horrified and sad. And he said to them: My soul is sorrowful unto death; stay here and watch. And, moving away a little, he fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, this hour would pass from Him; and said: Abba Father! everything is possible for You; carry this cup past Me; but not what I want, but what You want. He returns and finds them sleeping, and says to Peter: Simon! are you sleeping? couldn't you stay awake for one hour? Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And, going away again, he prayed, saying the same word. And when he returned, he again found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him. And he comes the third time and says to them: Are you still sleeping and resting? It is over, the hour has come: behold, the Son of Man is given over into the hands of sinners. Get up, let's go; Behold, he who betrayed Me has drawn near (Mark 14 :33–42).
This narrative bears a surprising stamp of authenticity; it fully meets what even today New Testament scholars call the “criterion of inconvenience.” This criterion is that certain evidence is inconvenient for the early Church, and therefore there is only one explanation for it: that it actually happened that way. No one would imagine a Jesus grieving and horrified in anticipation of a painful death and begging to be spared Him, if possible, from such a fate.
The gods that people invent do not behave like this; they are more reminiscent of all sorts of supermen, spider-men and other characters of popular culture, who, brave and strong, come to the rescue of their fans, so that scraps fly from the villains through the back streets.
The Divine Savior, crushed by grief, who not only will not deal with the villains, but will Himself die at their hands, who Himself prays for deliverance - and does not receive it - this is not at all the image that people create in their imagination.
The apostles in this episode (as well as in some others) do not look their best: they fell asleep from sadness and earned a reproach from the Lord. Only they themselves could talk about the apostles in this way - in the early Church the apostles were surrounded by understandable respect, and it would never have occurred to anyone to invent such “compromising evidence” about them.
This story has always been the subject of some bewilderment - and ridicule of non-believers. What kind of God is this if He grieves and is horrified in the face of death, like an ordinary person, and not even the bravest person: many heroes and martyrs in history went to their deaths much calmer, sometimes with bravado and mockery of the executioners. The entire Roman crucifixion procedure was designed to break the will and spirit of the most determined fighters, but Jesus does not show Himself as a fighter even in the garden.
Why? What happens in Gethsemane tells us something very important about the Incarnation. First of all, the Lord Jesus is not God who pretended to be a man or acted through a man, he is a God who really became person. In the movie Avatar, a man connects to an alien body and acts through it in a tribe of aliens. Having completed the task, he can calmly disconnect and end his virtual life. But the Incarnation is a reality. In Jesus Christ, God truly became a man, with a human soul and body, and He truly became accessible to the same mental and physical suffering that people experience in the face of betrayal, injustice, pain and death.
He completely and completely took our place - placed Himself in the same conditions in which we find ourselves, and accomplished our Atonement, showing perfect love and obedience to God where we show anger and rebellion.
Therefore, in Gethsemane He endures absolutely genuine and absolutely human suffering. Sometimes they say: “But He knew that He would rise again.” Of course, he knew and told his students about it. But we also know that we will be resurrected - this is also clearly promised to us by the heavenly Father. Does this make fear and suffering any less real?
Christ completely shares all the suffering of the world, all human pain, physical and mental. Any person in the face of betrayal, abandonment, torment, death can now know that Christ is with him, He descended to the very bottom of pain and sorrow to be with everyone who suffers. Not only with heroes who bravely go to their deaths. With everyone who is crushed, confused and discouraged, who seems to be completely crushed by melancholy and horror. Christ looks weak because He is with the weak, anguished - because He is with those who grieve, horrified - because He is with those who are oppressed by horror. He descends to them to the very bottom of mental and physical suffering in order to take everyone by the hand and lead them to the eternal joy of the Resurrection.
Father, oh that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! However, not My will, but Yours be done.
Gospel of Luke Chapter 22, verse 42
After celebrating the Last Supper - His last meal, at which the Lord established the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist - He went with the apostles to the Mount of Olives.
Having descended into the hollow of the Kidron Stream, the Savior entered with them into the Garden of Gethsemane. He loved this place and often gathered here to talk with his students.
The Lord desired solitude in order to pour out His heart in prayer to His Heavenly Father. Leaving most of the disciples at the entrance to the garden, Christ took three of them - Peter, James and John - with Him. These apostles were with the Son of God on Tabor and saw Him in glory. Now the witnesses of the Transfiguration of the Lord had to become witnesses of His spiritual suffering.
Addressing the disciples, the Savior said: “My soul is sorrowful unto death; abide here and watch with Me” (Gospel of Mark chapter 14, verse 34).
We cannot comprehend the Savior’s sorrows and anguish in all their depth. This was not just the sadness of a man aware of his imminent death. This was the grief of the God-man for the fallen creation, which had tasted death and was ready to doom its Creator to death. Moving a little to the side, the Lord began to pray, saying: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; however, not as I will, but as You will.”
Rising from prayer, the Lord returned to His three disciples. He wanted to find comfort in their willingness to watch with Him, in their sympathy and devotion to Him. But the disciples were sleeping. Then Christ calls them to prayer: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Twice more the Lord walked away from the disciples into the depths of the garden and repeated the same prayer.
Christ’s sorrow was so great, and his prayer so intense, that drops of bloody sweat fell to the ground from His face.
In these difficult moments, as the Gospel tells us, "An angel appeared to Him from heaven and strengthened Him".
Having finished the prayer, the Savior came to His disciples and again found them sleeping.
“You are still sleeping and resting,” He addresses them, “behold, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners; arise, let us go: behold, he who betrayed Me has drawn near.”.
At this very time, the lights of lanterns and torches began to appear through the foliage of the trees. A crowd of people with swords and stakes appeared. They were sent by the chief priests and scribes to arrest Jesus, and apparently expected serious resistance.
Judas walked ahead of the armed men. He was sure that after the Last Supper he would find the Lord here in the Garden of Gethsemane. And I was not mistaken. The traitor agreed in advance with the soldiers: “Whomever I kiss, He is the One, take Him and lead him.”
Separating himself from the crowd, Judas approached Christ with the words: “Rejoice, Rabbi,” and kissed the Savior.
In response he heard: “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
The betrayal has already taken place, but we see how Christ is trying to evoke repentance in the soul of His foolish disciple.
Meanwhile, the guards approached. And the Lord asked the guards who they were looking for. From the crowd they answered: “Jesus the Nazarene.” “It is I,” came Christ’s calm answer. At these words, the warriors and servants stepped back in fear and fell to the ground. Then the Savior said to them: if they are looking for Him, then let them take him, and let the disciples leave freely. The apostles wanted to protect their Teacher. Peter had a sword with him. He hit the high priest's slave named Malchus with it and cut off his right ear.
But Jesus stopped the disciples: “Leave it, that’s enough.” And touching the ear of the wounded slave, he healed him. Turning to Peter, the Lord said: “Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword; or do you think that I cannot now ask My Father, and He will present Me with more than twelve legions of Angels? How will these things come true? Scriptures that this must be so? Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" And turning to the armed crowd, Christ said: “It was as if you came out against a robber with swords and staves to take Me; every day I was with you in the temple, and you did not raise your hands against Me; but now is your time and the power of darkness ".
The soldiers tied up the Savior and took him to the high priests. Then the apostles, leaving Their Divine Teacher, fled in horror.
The bitter words of the Savior, spoken to him on the eve of the night of Gethsemane, came true: “You will all be offended because of Me this night, for it is written: I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”
Christ accepts this bitter cup of suffering and painful death on the cross voluntarily, for the sake of the salvation of all mankind.
He humbled Himself, taking on the form of a slave.
Epistle to the Philippians of the Holy Apostle Paul Chapter 2, verse 7
Knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane
And the Savior prayed to the Father:
“My dear Father,” Jesus pleaded,
“Carry this cup past.”
The soul was worried and rushed to the throne
Upward the prayer of Jesus Christ.
Drops of sweat, like blood, flowing down your cheeks,
They hastily ran away from the brow.
The night shrouded the earth in black velvet
And scattered scatterings of stars.
“Cheer up, friends, I ask you to help,”
He seriously needed support.
But the men were tired, they dozed off,
Only the Son of the Most High was awake.
“If possible, Father, change your mind,
Help the living with Your Word.”
In the pre-dawn silence the voice of Jesus pleaded,
And the soul grieved to death.
“Thy will be done,” He I told my father,
And he rose from his knees slowly.
In the Garden of Gethsemane God's Son received
Reinforcement and strength of the Father.
On Golgotha the Savior accomplished all his will
Almighty God the Creator.
(Marina N.)
The prayer of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane refers to one of the events Holy (Great) Week, on which during church services we remember last days earthly life of the Savior. Each day of this week is also called great, having its own conventional name dedicated to a particular event. The prayer of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane is remembered on Maundy Thursday.
The “Prayer of the Cup” is the prayer of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before his arrest. This prayer, from the point of view of Christian theologians, is an expression of the fact that Jesus had two wills: Divine and human: the Savior, kneeling, prayed, saying: “Father! Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! However, not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 20: 40-46). John of Damascus interprets the Savior’s prayer this way: “The Lord, in accordance with His human nature, was in struggle and fear. He prayed to avoid death. But since His Divine will wanted His human will to accept death, suffering became free and according to the humanity of Christ.” As man Christ dies, as God is reborn.
“Entering the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “Sit here while I pray!” He himself, taking Peter, James and John with him, entered the depths of the garden; and began to grieve and yearn. Then he says to them: “My soul is grieved to death; stay here and watch with Me.” And, moving away from them a little, He knelt down, fell to the ground, prayed and said: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; however, let it be not as I want, but as You want.” Having prayed like this, Jesus Christ returns to the three disciples and sees that they are sleeping. He says to them: “Could you not watch with Me for one hour? Watch and pray, so as not to fall into temptation.” And he went away and prayed, saying the same words. Then he returns to the disciples and again finds them sleeping; their eyes grew heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him. Jesus Christ left them and prayed for the third time with the same words. An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. His anguish and mental anguish were so great and his prayer was so fervent that drops of bloody sweat fell from His face to the ground. Having finished the prayer, the Savior stood up, approached the sleeping disciples and said: “Are you still sleeping? It is over. The hour has come; and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us go; behold, he who betrayed Me has come near” (Matthew 26:36-56 ; Mark 14:32-52; Luke 22:40-53; John 18:1-12).
On the evening of Holy Thursday, during the reading of the 12 Gospels, a story is read about the terrible night Jesus Christ spent alone on the Mount of Olives awaiting death. This is certainly a passage to which we must approach on our knees. This is where study must turn into worship. And before icon “Prayer for the Cup” they do not pray, because at this moment the prayer of Christ Himself occurs, and we can only reverently sympathize with Him. This icon is usually placed in the altar of the temple, near the altar.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ was absolutely sure that death awaited Him ahead. Here Jesus had to endure the most difficult struggle to submit His will to the will of God. It was a struggle whose outcome decided everything. At that moment, the Son of God knew only one thing: He must go forward, and ahead is the cross. We can say that here Jesus learns a lesson that everyone must one day learn: how to accept what cannot be understood. The will of God imperiously called Him forward. In this world, events happen to each of us that we are unable to comprehend; then a person’s faith is fully tested, and at such a moment a person can be strengthened by the fact that Christ also went through this in the Garden of Gethsemane. And this means that every person at the right moment must learn to say: “Thy will be done.”
Betrayal of Judas
On the fourth day after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “You know that in two days there will be Easter, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
On this day, in our opinion it was Wednesday, - the high priests, scribes and elders of the people gathered at the high priest Caiaphas and consulted among themselves how they could destroy Jesus Christ. At this council, they decided to take Jesus Christ by cunning and kill Him, but not on a holiday (then a lot of people gather), so as not to cause disturbance among the people.
One of the twelve apostles of Christ, Judas Iscariot, was very greedy for money; and the teaching of Christ did not correct his soul. He came to the high priests and said: “What will you give me if I betray Him to you?”
They were delighted and offered him thirty pieces of silver.
From that time on, Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus Christ not in front of the people.
26 , 1-5 and 14-16; from Mark, ch. 14 , 1-2 and 10-11; from Luke, ch. 22 , 1-6.
last supper
On the fifth day after the Lord entered Jerusalem, which means, in our opinion, on Thursday (and on Friday evening the Passover lamb was to be buried), the disciples asked Jesus Christ: “Where do you tell us to prepare the Passover for You?”
Jesus Christ said to them: “Go to the city of Jerusalem; there you will meet a man carrying a jug of water; follow him into the house and tell the owner: The Teacher says: Where is the upper room (room) in which I would celebrate the Passover with My disciples? He will show you have a large, furnished upper room; there you will prepare the Passover."
Having said this, the Savior sent two of His disciples, Peter and John. They went, and everything was fulfilled as the Savior said; and prepared Easter.
In the evening of that day, Jesus Christ, knowing that He would be betrayed that night, came with His twelve apostles to the prepared upper room. When everyone reclined at the table, Jesus Christ said: “I greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering, because, I tell you, I will no longer eat it until it is accomplished in the Kingdom of God.” Then he stood up and took off outerwear, girded himself with a towel, poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.
Washing the feet
Having washed the feet of the disciples, Jesus Christ put on His clothes and, lying down again, said to them: “Do you know what I have done to you? Behold, you call Me Teacher and Lord, and you call me correctly. So, if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet you, then you should do the same. I have given you an example, so that you should do the same as I did to you."
By this example, the Lord showed not only His love for His disciples, but also taught them humility, that is, not to consider it a humiliation for themselves to serve anyone, even a person inferior to themselves.
After eating the Old Testament Jewish Passover, Jesus Christ established the sacrament of Holy Communion at this supper. That is why it is called the “Last Supper.”
Jesus Christ took the bread, blessed it, broke it into pieces and, giving it to the disciples, said: " Take, eat; This is My Body, broken for you for the remission of sins", (i.e. for you he is given over to suffering and death, for the forgiveness of sins). Then he took a cup of grape wine, blessed it, thanking God the Father for all His mercies to the human race, and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Drink from it, all of you, this is My Blood of the New Testament, shed for you for the remission of sins.”
These words mean that, under the guise of bread and wine, the Savior taught His disciples that very Body and that very Blood, which the next day after that He gave over to suffering and death for our sins. How bread and wine became the Body and Blood of the Lord is a mystery incomprehensible even to angels, which is why it is called sacrament.
Having given communion to the apostles, the Lord gave the commandment to always perform this sacrament, He said: " do this in remembrance of Me". This sacrament is being performed with us now and will be performed until the end of the century during the divine service called Liturgy or become poor.
During the Last Supper, the Savior announced to the apostles that one of them would betray Him. They were very saddened by this and in bewilderment, looking at each other, in fear, began to ask one after another: “Am I not, Lord?” Judas also asked: “Isn’t it me, Rabbi?” The Savior quietly said to him: “you”; but no one heard it. John reclined next to the Savior. Peter signaled to him to ask who the Lord was talking about. John, falling to the Savior’s chest, quietly said: “Lord, who is this?” Jesus Christ answered just as quietly: “the one to whom I dip a piece of bread and give it.” And, dipping a piece of bread in solilo (in a dish with salt), He gave it to Judas Iscariot, saying: “Whatever you are doing, do it quickly.” But no one understood why the Savior told him this. And since Judas had a box of money, the disciples thought that Jesus Christ was sending him to buy something for the holiday or to give alms to the poor. Judas, having accepted the piece, immediately left. It was already night.
Jesus Christ, continuing to talk with His disciples, said: “Children, I will not be with you long now. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love among each other. And there is no greater love than this, that someone lay down his life (give his life) for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you."
During this conversation, Jesus Christ predicted to the disciples that they would all be offended because of Him that night - they would all run away, leaving Him alone.
The Apostle Peter said: “Even if everyone is offended because of You, I will never be offended.”
Then the Savior said to him: “Truly I tell you, this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times and say that you do not know Me.”
But Peter began to assure even more, saying: “Even though I had to die with You, I will not deny You.”
All the other apostles said the same thing. But still the Savior’s words saddened them.
Comforting them, the Lord said: “Let not your heart be troubled (i.e., do not grieve), believe in God (the Father) and believe in Me (the Son of God).
The Savior promised His disciples to send from His Father another Comforter and Teacher, instead of Himself - Holy Spirit. He said, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, because He abides with you and will be in you ( this means that the Holy Spirit will abide with all true believers in Jesus Christ - in the Church of Christ). A little while longer and the world will no longer see Me; but you will see Me; because I live (i.e. I am life; and death is not can defeat Me), and you will live. But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have said to you.” "The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, which comes from the Father, He will testify of Me; and you also will testify, because you were with Me from the beginning" (John. 15 , 26-27).
Jesus Christ also predicted to His disciples that they would have to endure a lot of evil and troubles from people because they believe in Him. “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer (be strong),” said the Savior; “I have conquered the world” (i.e., I have conquered evil in the world).
Jesus Christ ended His conversation with a prayer for His disciples and for all who will believe in Him, so that the Heavenly Father will preserve them all in firm faith, in love and in unanimity ( in unity) among themselves.
When the Lord finished the supper, while still talking, He stood up with His eleven disciples and, singing psalms, went beyond the Kidron stream, to the Mount of Olives, to the Garden of Gethsemane.
NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 26 , 17-35; from Mark, ch. 14 , 12-31; from Luke, ch. 22 , 7-39; from John, ch. 13 ; Ch. 14 ; Ch. 15 ; Ch. 16 ; Ch. 17 ; Ch. 18 , 1.
Jesus Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and taking Him into custody
Entering the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “Sit here while I pray!”
Prayer for the Cup
He himself, taking Peter, James and John with him, entered the depths of the garden; and began to grieve and yearn. Then he says to them: “My soul is grieved to death; stay here and watch with Me.” And, moving away from them a little, He knelt down, fell to the ground, prayed and said: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass (pass by) Me (that is, the upcoming suffering); however, let it not be as I want, but like you."
Having prayed like this, Jesus Christ returns to the three disciples and sees that they are sleeping. He says to them: “Could you not watch with Me for one hour? Watch and pray, so as not to fall into temptation.” And he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
Then he returns to the disciples again, and again finds them sleeping; their eyes grew heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him.
Jesus Christ left them and prayed for the third time with the same words. An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. His anguish and mental anguish were so great and his prayer so fervent that drops of bloody sweat fell from His face to the ground.
Having finished the prayer, the Savior stood up, approached the sleeping disciples and said: “Are you still sleeping? It is over. The hour has come; and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us go; behold, he who betrays Me has come near.”
At this time, Judas, the traitor, came into the garden with a crowd of people who walked with lanterns, stakes and swords; these were soldiers and ministers sent by the high priests and Pharisees to capture Jesus Christ. Judas agreed with them: “Whoever I kiss, take him.”
Approaching Jesus Christ, Judas said: “Rejoice, Rabbi (Teacher)!” And kissed Him.
Jesus Christ said to him: “Friend! Why have you come? Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” These words of the Savior were the last call to repentance for Judas.
Then Jesus Christ, knowing everything that would happen to Him, approached the crowd and said: “Who are you looking for?”
From the crowd they answered: “Jesus the Nazarene.”
The Savior tells them: “It is I.”
At these words, the warriors and servants stepped back in fear and fell to the ground. When they recovered from their fear and stood up, in confusion they tried to seize the disciples of Christ.
The Savior said again: “Who are you looking for?”
They said, "Jesus the Nazarene."
“I told you it was I,” answered the Savior. “So if you are looking for Me, leave them (the disciples), let them go.”
The soldiers and servants approached and surrounded Jesus Christ. The apostles wanted to protect their Teacher. Peter, having a sword with him, drew it and struck with it a servant of the high priest named Malchus, and cut off his right ear.
But Jesus Christ said to Peter: “Put the sword in its sheath; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword (i.e., whoever lifts the sword against another will himself perish by the sword). Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, "So that He would send many angels to protect Me? Should I not drink the cup (of suffering) that the Father gave Me (for the salvation of people)?"
Kiss of Judas
Having said this, Jesus Christ, touching Malchus’ ear, healed him, and voluntarily gave Himself into the hands of His enemies.
In the crowd of servants there were also Jewish leaders. Jesus Christ, addressing them, said: “It was as if you came out against a thief with swords and stakes to take Me; I was in the temple every day, sat there with you and taught, and you did not take Me then. But now is your time and power darkness."
The soldiers, having bound the Savior, led Him to the high priests. Then the apostles, leaving the Savior, fled in fear. Only two of them, John and Peter, followed Him from afar.
NOTE: See Gospel; from Matthew, ch. 26 , 36-56; from Mark, ch. 14 , 32-52; from Luke, ch. 22 , 40-53; from John, ch. 18 , 1-12.
The Trial of Jesus Christ by the High Priests
First, the soldiers brought the bound Jesus Christ to the old high priest Anna, who by that time was no longer serving in the temple and was living in retirement.
This high priest questioned Jesus Christ about His teaching and His disciples in order to find some guilt in Him.
The Savior answered him: “I spoke openly to the world: I always taught in the synagogues and in the temple, where Jews always gather, and I said nothing in secret. Why are you asking Me? Ask those who heard what I told them; now they know what I mean.” said".
One servant of the high priest, standing close, hit the Savior on the cheek and said: “Is this how you answer the high priest?”
The Lord, turning to him, said to this: “If I said something bad, show me what is bad; and if it’s good, then why are you beating Me?”
After the interrogation, the high priest Annas sent the bound Jesus Christ through the courtyard to his son-in-law, the high priest Caiaphas.
Caiaphas was serving as high priest that year. He gave advice to the Sanhedrin: to kill Jesus Christ, saying: “You know nothing and will not think that it is better for us that one person should die for the people than that the whole people should perish.”
St. Apostle John, pointing to the importance of holy orders, explains that despite his criminal plan, the high priest Caiaphas involuntarily prophesies about the Savior that He must suffer for the redemption of people. That's why the Apostle John says: " this is him(Caiaphas) did not speak on his own, but being high priest that year, he predicted that Jesus would die for the people". And then he adds: " and not only for the people(i.e. for the Jews, since Caiaphas spoke only about the Jewish people), but so that the scattered children of God(i.e. pagans) put together". (John. 11 , 49-52).
Many members of the Sanhedrin gathered at the High Priest Caiaphas that night (the Sanhedrin, as the supreme court, according to the law, had to meet in the temple and certainly during the day). The elders and scribes of the Jews also came. All of them had already agreed in advance to condemn Jesus Christ to death. But for this they needed to find some kind of guilt worthy of death. And since no guilt could be found in Him, they looked for false witnesses who would tell lies against Jesus Christ. Many such false witnesses came. But they could not say anything for which they could condemn Jesus Christ. At the end, two came forward with the following false testimony: “We heard Him say: I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will erect another, not made with hands.” But even such testimony was not sufficient to put Him to death. Jesus Christ did not respond to all these false testimonies.
The high priest Caiaphas stood up and asked Him: “Why don’t you answer anything when they testify against you?
Jesus Christ was silent.
Caiaphas asked Him again: “I adjure You by the living God, tell us, Are You the Christ, the Son of God?”
Jesus Christ answered this question and said: “Yes, I am, and even I say to you: from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power of God and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then Caiaphas tore his clothes (as a sign of indignation and horror) and said: “What more witnesses do we need? Behold, now you have heard His blasphemy (i.e., that He, being a man, calls Himself the Son of God)? What do you think? "
Mockery of the Savior in the courtyard of the high priest
After this, Jesus Christ was taken into custody until dawn. Some began to spit in His face. The people holding Him mocked Him and beat Him. Others, covering His face, struck Him on the cheeks and asked mockingly: “Prophesy to us, Christ, who struck You?” The Lord endured all these insults meekly in silence.
NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 26 , 57-68; Ch. 27 , 1; from Mark, ch. 14 , 53-65; Ch. 15 , 1; from Luke, ch. 22 , 54, 63-71; from John, ch. 18 , 12-14, 19-24.
Denial of the Apostle Peter
When Jesus Christ was taken to trial before the high priests, the Apostle John, as someone familiar to the high priest, entered the courtyard, and Peter remained outside the gate. Then John, having told the servant-maid, brought Peter into the courtyard.
The maid, seeing Peter, said to him: “Are you not one of the disciples of this Man (Jesus Christ)?”
Peter answered: “No.”
The night was cold. The servants lit a fire in the yard and warmed themselves. Peter also warmed himself by the fire with them.
Soon another maid, seeing Peter warming himself, said to the servants: “And this one was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
But Peter again denied, saying that he did not know this Man.
After some time, the servants standing in the courtyard again began to say to Peter: “As if you were also with Him, for your speech also convicts you: you are a Galilean.” Immediately a relative of the same Malchus whose ear Peter cut off came up and said: “Didn’t I see you with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane?”
Peter began to swear and swear: “I don’t know this Man about whom you speak.”
At this time the rooster crowed, and Peter remembered the words of the Savior: “before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” At that moment the Lord, who was among the guards in the courtyard, turned towards Peter and looked at him. The gaze of the Lord penetrated the heart of Peter; shame and repentance took possession of him and, leaving the yard, he wept bitterly about his grave sin.
From that moment on, Peter never forgot his fall. Saint Clement, a disciple of Peter, says that throughout the rest of his life, Peter, at the midnight crow of the rooster, knelt down and, shedding tears, repented of his renunciation, although the Lord Himself, soon after His resurrection, forgave him. An ancient legend has been preserved that the eyes of the Apostle Peter were red from frequent and bitter crying.
NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 26 , 69-75; from Mark, ch. 14 , 66-72; from Luke, ch. 22 , 55-62; from John, ch. 18 , 15-18, 25-27.
Death of Judas
It's Friday morning. Immediately the high priests with the elders and scribes and the entire Sanhedrin held a meeting. They brought the Lord Jesus Christ and again condemned Him to death because He called Himself Christ, the Son of God.
When Judas the traitor learned that Jesus Christ was condemned to death, he realized the horror of his act. He, perhaps, did not expect such a sentence, or believed that Christ would not allow this, or would get rid of his enemies miraculously. Judas realized what his love of money had brought him to. A painful remorse took possession of his soul. He went to the high priests and elders and returned the thirty pieces of silver to them, saying: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (i.e., betraying an innocent Man to death).
They told him; “what does it matter to us; see for yourself” (that is, be responsible for your own affairs).
But Judas did not want to humbly repent in prayer and tears before the merciful God. The cold of despair and despondency enveloped his soul. He threw the silver pieces in the temple in front of the priests and left. Then he went and hanged himself (i.e., hanged himself).
The high priests, taking the silver coins, said: “It is not permissible to put this money in the church treasury, because this is the price of blood.”
Judas throws the pieces of silver
After consulting with each other, they used this money to buy land from one potter for the burial of wanderers. From then until this day, that land (cemetery) is called, in Hebrew, Akeldama, which means: land of blood.
Thus the prediction of the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, who said: “And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One who was valued, Whom the children of Israel valued, and gave them for the potter’s land.”
NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 27 , 3-10.
Jesus Christ on trial before Pilate
The high priests and Jewish leaders, having condemned Jesus Christ to death, themselves could not carry out their sentence without the approval of the head of the country - the Roman ruler (hegemon or praetor) in Judea. At this time the Roman governor in Judea was Pontius Pilate.
On the occasion of the Easter holiday, Pilate was in Jerusalem and lived not far from the temple, in praetoria, that is, in the house of the chief judge, the praetor. An open area (stone platform) was built in front of the praetorium, which was called lyphostroton, and in Hebrew gawwafa.
Early in the morning, that same Friday, the high priests and Jewish leaders brought the bound Jesus Christ to trial before Pilate, so that he would confirm the death sentence over Jesus. But they themselves did not enter the praetorium, so as not to be defiled before Easter by entering the house of a pagan.
Pilate went out to them at the lyphostroton and, seeing the members of the Sanhedrin, asked them: “What do you accuse this Man of?”
They answered: “If He had not been a villain, we would not have betrayed Him to you.”
Pilate said to them: “Take him and judge him according to your law.”
They told him: “We are not allowed to put anyone to death.” And they began to accuse the Savior, saying: “He corrupts the people, forbids giving tribute to Caesar, and calls Himself Christ the King.”
Pilate asked Jesus Christ: “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus Christ answered: “You say” (which means: “Yes, I am the King”).
When the high priests and elders accused the Savior, He did not answer.
Pilate said to Him: “You don’t answer anything? You see how many accusations there are against You.”
But the Savior did not answer anything to this either, so Pilate marveled.
After this, Pilate entered the praetorium and, calling Jesus, asked Him again: “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus Christ said to him: “Are you saying this on your own, or have others told you about Me?” (i.e., do you think so yourself or not?)
"Am I a Jew?" - Pilate answered, “Your people and the chief priests handed You over to me; what did You do?”
Jesus Christ said: “My kingdom is not of this world; if My kingdom were of this world, then My servants (subjects) would fight for Me, so that I would not be betrayed to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
"So You are the King?" - asked Pilate.
Jesus Christ answered: “You say that I am a King. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth; everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”
From these words, Pilate saw that standing before him was a preacher of truth, a teacher of the people, and not a rebel against the power of the Romans.
Pilate said to Him: “What is truth?” And, without waiting for an answer, he went out to the Jews at the lyphostroton and announced: “I do not find any guilt in this Man.”
The chief priests and elders insisted, saying that He was disturbing the people by teaching throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee.
Pilate, hearing about Galilee, asked: “Is He a Galilean?”
And having learned that Jesus Christ was from Galilee, he ordered to take Him to trial before the Galilean king Herod, who, on the occasion of Easter, was also in Jerusalem. Pilate was glad to get rid of this unpleasant trial.
27 , 2, 11-14; from Mark, ch. 15 , 1-5; from Luke, ch. 15 , 1-7; from John, ch. 18 , 28-38.
Jesus Christ at the trial of King Herod
King Herod Antipas of Galilee, who executed John the Baptist, heard a lot about Jesus Christ and had long wanted to see Him. When Jesus Christ was brought to him, he was very happy, hoping to see some miracle from Him. Herod asked Him many questions, but the Lord did not answer him. The chief priests and scribes stood and vigorously accused Him.
Then Herod, together with his soldiers, having mocked and mocked Him, dressed the Savior in light clothes, as a sign of His innocence, and sent him back to Pilate.
From that day on, Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, but before they were at enmity with each other.
NOTE: See the Gospel of Luke, ch. 23 , 8 12.
The final trial of Jesus Christ by Pilate
When the Lord Jesus Christ was again brought to Pilate, many people, rulers and elders, had already gathered at the praetorium.
Pilate, having called the high priests, rulers and people, said to them: “You brought this Man to me as one who corrupts the people; and so I examined him in your presence, and did not find Him guilty of anything of which you accuse Him. I sent Him to Herod, and Herod also found nothing in Him worthy of death. So, it’s better, I’ll punish Him and let Him go."
It was the custom of the Jews to release one prisoner, chosen by the people, for the Passover holiday. Pilate, taking this opportunity, said to the people: “You have a custom that I release one prisoner to you for Easter; do you want me to release you the King of the Jews?” Pilate was sure that the people would ask Jesus, because he knew that the leaders betrayed Jesus Christ out of envy and malice.
While Pilate was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent him to say: “Do not do anything to that righteous man, because now in a dream I have suffered a lot for Him.”
Meanwhile, the high priests and elders taught the people to ask for the release of Barabbas. Barabbas was a robber who was put in prison with his accomplices for causing outrage and murder in the city. Then the people, taught by the elders, began to shout: “Release Barabbas to us!”
Flagellation of Jesus Christ
Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, went out and, raising his voice, said: “Whom do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?”
Everyone shouted: “Not Him, but Barabbas!”
Then Pilate asked them: “What do you want me to do with Jesus, who is called Christ?”
They shouted: “Let him be crucified!”
Pilate again said to them: “What evil did He do? I did not find anything worthy of death in Him. So, having punished Him, I will let him go.”
But they shouted even more loudly: “Crucify Him! May He be crucified!”
Then Pilate, thinking of arousing compassion for Christ among the people, ordered the soldiers to beat Him. The soldiers took Jesus Christ into the courtyard and, having undressed Him, beat Him severely. Then they put it on Him purple(a short red robe without sleeves, fastened on the right shoulder) and, having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head, and gave Him a cane in His right hand, instead of a royal scepter. And they began to mock Him. They knelt down, bowed to Him and said: “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Him and, taking a reed, beat Him on His head and face.
After this, Pilate went out to the Jews and said: “Here, I am bringing Him out to you, so that you know that I do not find any guilt in Him.”
Then Jesus Christ came out wearing a crown of thorns and a scarlet robe.
Pilate brings the Savior to the Jews
and says “Here is a man!”
Pilate said to them: “Here is a man!” With these words, Pilate seemed to want to say: “look how He is tormented and mocked,” thinking that the Jews would take pity on Him. But these were not the enemies of Christ.
When the high priests and ministers saw Jesus Christ, they shouted: “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
"Crucify, crucify Him!"
Pilate says to them: “Take Him and crucify Him, but I find no guilt in Him.”
The Jews answered him: “We have a law, and according to our law He must die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”
Hearing such words, Pilate became even more frightened. He entered the praetorium with Jesus Christ and asked Him: “Where are you from?”
But the Savior did not give him an answer.
Pilate says to Him: “Do you not answer me? Do you not know that I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You?”
Then Jesus Christ answered him: “You would not have had any power over Me if it had not been given to you from above; therefore, the greater sin is on the one who betrayed Me to you.”
After this answer, Pilate became even more willing to free Jesus Christ.
But the Jews shouted: “If you let Him go, you are not a friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself a king is an enemy of Caesar.”
Pilate, having heard such words, decided it was better to put an innocent Man to death than to expose himself to the royal disfavor.
Then Pilate brought Jesus Christ out, sat down on the seat of judgment, which was on the lyphostroton, and said to the Jews: “Behold your King!”
But they shouted: “Take him, take him and crucify him!”
Pilate says to them: “Shall I crucify your king?”
The high priests answered: “We have no king except Caesar.”
Pilate, seeing that nothing was helping, and the confusion was increasing, took water, washed his hands in front of the people and said: “I am not guilty of shedding the blood of this Righteous One; see you” (i.e., let this guilt fall on you).
Pilate washes his hands
Answering him, all the Jewish people said in one voice: “His blood be on us and on our children.” So the Jews themselves accepted responsibility for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on themselves and even on their descendants.
Then Pilate released the robber Barabbas to them, and handed Jesus Christ over to them to be crucified.
Liberation of the Robber Barrabas
NOTE: See in Gospel: Matt., ch. 27 , 15-26; from Mark, ch. 15 , 6-15; from Luke, ch. 23 , 13-25; from John, ch. 18 , 39-40; Ch. 19 , 1-16
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