THE BETRAYAL &
ARREST OF JESUS
Monday of Holy Week
Read Matthew 26:47-56.
Does Jesus seem surprised by his arrest? What do you find extraordinary about this
passage?
As you reflect on Jesus’ agony in the garden and his
submission to the Father’s will, how is his obedience a model to you in your
faith journey?
Notes on the text:
Judas greets Jesus with a kiss. This was the pre-arranged signal to show the
guards whom they should arrest. Males
greeting other males with a kiss is common in Middle Eastern culture even
today.
Verse 53: Twelve is a symbolic number denoting
perfection. A legion (72,000) was the
largest unit in the Roman military.
The “crowds,” referred to in verse 55, are the Temple guards
and servants (and perhaps a few scribes and priests) who have come to arrest
Jesus.
Jesus chides his persecutors for not arresting him publicly
when they had ample opportunity but rather waiting to arrest him in secret
while the multitudes of his followers in Jerusalem were celebrating the
Passover.
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