The Bible Book

254

A

fter the Last Supper, Jesus

retires to the Garden of

Gethsemane to pray, in

an event which is often called the

“Agony of Jesus.” There He is

“deeply distressed and troubled,”

and tells His disciples: “My soul is

overwhelmed with sorrow to the

point of death” (Mark 14:34). Jesus

knows that the end is near, and

indeed, the Garden of Gethsemane

is the place where Jesus is betrayed

by one of His own followers.

This story is within the Gospel

narratives called the Passion: the

cycle of Jesus’s arrest, crucifixion,

and resurrection. For the most

part, all four Gospels agree in their

depiction of the betrayal, albeit with

different emphases. Judas, one of

the 12 disciples, leads the Temple

guards to Jesus in the garden. The

three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew,

Mark, and Luke) write that Judas

betrays Jesus with a kiss, which

identifies Him to the guards. A kiss

was a significant gesture at the

time, often given by a student to

a teacher as a sign of honor and

respect. It is notable that Judas

calls Jesus “rabbi” and performs

this gesture of respect in the

very moment he hands Him to

those who would kill Him.

Necessary betrayal

John is the only Gospel not to

mention the kiss. Instead, he

focuses on a fight that breaks

out between the disciples and the

guards, and one of the 12 (John

says it is Peter) cuts the ear off a

soldier. Jesus stops the violence

and goes willingly—according to

Luke, He even heals the soldier’s

ear. He tells Peter “Put your sword

away! Shall I not drink the cup the

Father has given me?” (John 18:11).

His “cup” here is a metaphor for His

destiny. According to John 13, Jesus

Judas kisses Jesus in this scene

from the Santa Croce Altarpiece (1328)

by Italian painter Ugolino di Nerio. The

panel sat at the altar’s predella (base)

beside an image of the Last Supper.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Matthew 26:46–56; Mark

14:42–52; Luke 22:47–53;

John 18:1-11

THEME

Betrayal of Jesus

SETTING

c. 29 ce The Garden of

Gethsemane, Jerusalem, in the

last week of the life of Jesus.

KEY FIGURES

Jesus The Messiah and Son

of God at the end of His time

on earth, as He prepares to

be crucified in Jerusalem.

Judas Iscariot One of Jesus’s

12 disciples, who betrays Him

by leading the authorities to

the Garden of Gethsemane.

THE HOUR HAS COME,

AND THE SON OF MAN

IS DELIVERED INTO THE

HANDS OF SINNERS

MATTHEW 26:45, BETRAYAL IN THE GARDEN

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255

See also: The Last Supper 248–53 ■ Peter’s Denial 256–57 ■

The Crucifixion 258–65 ■ The Empty Tomb 268–71

THE GOSPELS

already knew that He would be

betrayed, and He knew that He was

going to die. In fact, Jesus’s death

and resurrection is a fundamental

pillar of Christian theology, which

makes Judas’s betrayal a crucial

act: Matthew 26:56 states that the

betrayal is necessary so that the

writings of the prophets are fulfilled.

Judas, however, had his own

motives. Despite numerous

theories, no one knows why he

decided to betray Jesus. According

to Matthew 26:14–16, Judas betrays

Jesus for money and he receives

30 pieces of silver for leading the

guards to the garden. Luke agrees

that Judas received money, but

declines to inform the reader of the

amount; according to Luke, Judas

only goes to the chief priests in the

first place because he is possessed

by Satan (Luke 22:3).

Garden motif

Whether it is the Hanging Gardens

of Babylon or the Garden of Eden,

the garden is seen as a special

place in the ancient Near East.

Gardens—especially those in the

desert—were understood as places

where the divine can interact with

the earthly. While the Garden of

Gethsemane is not the Garden of

Eden, the story of Jesus’s betrayal

is related to that in Genesis. Adam

and Eve’s betrayal of God leads to

death entering the world, while

Judas’s betrayal of Jesus leads to

Him conquering death. ■

Judas Iscariot

The Greek version of the

Hebrew name Hudahudas,

Judas means “the one who

praises.” No one knows what

“Iscariot” truly means: some

believe that it is the now-

unknown place Judas came

from, while others have

suggested that the name

might relate to a group of

Zealots called the Sicarii.

Scholars have long debated

Judas’s motives in betraying

Jesus. A popular theory was

that Judas wanted to bring

about a war between Romans

and Jews, and when Jesus

did not make this happen,

Judas turned Him in to the

officials. In the so-called

“Gospel of Judas”—a 2nd-

century ce text composed by

a Gnostic writer, comprised of

conversations between Judas

and Jesus—Jesus Himself

tells Judas to betray Him.

The betrayal ends with

not one death, but two.

Matthew 27 states that after

Jesus is condemned, Judas

returns the money and hangs

himself in remorse. Acts 1:18

has a gory alternative: Judas

buys a field with his blood

money and, falling down in it,

dies, his body bursting open

and his intestines spilling out.

Jerusalem at the time of Jesus

Valley of Hinnom

Va

lle

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of

th

e^ K

id

ro

n

UPPER

CITY

LOWER

CITY

BEZETHA

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9 10

11

12

14

13

15

Key:

1. Garden of
   Gethsemane


2. Pool of Bethesda


3. Fortress of
   Antonia


4. Herod’s Temple


5. Court of the
   Gentiles


6. Pool of Siloam


7. House of the
   Last Supper


8. Palace of
   Caiaphas


9. Herod’s Palace


10. Hasmonean
    Palace


11. Market


12. Council House


13. Pool of
    Amygdalon


14. City Wall


15. Golgotha

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