26:31 – 56 In the Garden: Agony, Betrayal and Arrest

They went to the Mount of Olives – from Bethany? The journey from the “suburbs” into the immediate surrounds of Jerusalem is just a few kilometers. The Mount would have served as a camp site for pilgrims unable to find lodgings. There is no way that (from the historical point of view) Jesus would have been alone with his disciples. But, hey, this is a story.

The prediction of the desertion: Before this night is out you will all be saying “I’m out of here!” You will have suddenly tripped up on me. “Scandelidzomi” is a verb that Matthew returns to again and again. Perhaps here, Peter is exemplifying the response of the “Rocky ground” (13:20-21).”Such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.” Peter plays the part of the ironic fool, whose inevitable fate adds spice to the story as it unfolds.

In the place called Gethsemane: Behind the world of pilgrims and sleep there is another world in which Jesus focuses on what is really happening behind the machinations of betrayal and arrest. “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” changes to “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it” finally becomes “Get up, let us be going. See my betrayer is at hand.” The death of Jesus is neither an accident nor an absurd tragedy resulting from Judas’ momentary sin. Jesus takes charge and sets thing in motion.

Kiss and tell: Were we looking for history-like features, we could say that the sign of the kiss would have been necessary to mark out Jesus from the thousands of other pilgrims on the hill (think camping ground at the beach on New Year’s Eve). For the passion story, it is a bitter-sweet irony that has given us “the betrayer’s kiss,” intimacy gone sour. The words “Greetings Rabbi” identify the betrayer as the kiss identifies the betrayed. It’s that “Rabbi” again, forbidden in Matthew (23:7-8), perhaps because it was a mark of respect (“my teacher”) used amongst the synagogues who form the opposition of Matthew’s community (Harrington, 374).

Am I a bandit? No!: The posse arrives to overwhelm this bandit and arrest him. Although he would be crucified as a “lestes” (a messianic freedom fighter), Matthew’s Jesus has resolutely rejected the “twelve legions of angels” option and his response to the reaction of counter-violence has given us one of those biblical sayings that we can never do without: “… live by the sword … die by the sword”. How could he drop his integrity in order to reach for his sword (5:38ff)? They come with swords and clubs, and under the cover of darkness, to arrest Jesus and the disciples are afraid. Jesus sits in the Temple by day, under the protection of his good reputation and the Jerusalem leaders are afraid (21:26).