Jesus Arrested: A Light Shining in the Darkness (Mark Sermon 81)

Seven centuries before Jesus was born, the Prophet Isaiah said these beautiful words about the coming of Christ, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” There’s this idea of darkness and people walking in darkness, and you(Jesus) are the great light for us. It’s a sense of living in the land of the shadow of death, and you are salvation and life for us.

I. The Darkest Night in History

As we go to this account now in Mark 14, the night that Jesus arrested, we see the darkness of the human race, the darkest night in history, human sin at its worst. But we also see shining Christ’s glory, this account of the arrest of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, betrayed to a mob of armed and wicked people by one of his closest friends in the world. In this account, we see the sinfulness of the human race at its darkest.

We see also, if we know what to look for, the radiance of the glory of Christ shining all the brighter by contrast. The night that Jesus was born, the darkness of that night was ripped apart gloriously by the appearance of an angel. Luke 2:9, “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” Visible light in a similar way, but very different. The glory of Christ ripped apart the darkness of this night that we’re going to study today, the moral darkness of human history, and showed us the perfection of His divine nature, the darkest night in history.

In John 13, two statements are linked to Judas taking the bread by which he agreed to be and identified himself as the betrayer of Jesus Christ. In John 13:27, it says, “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.” Three verses later it says, “As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out and it was night.” If you know anything about John and the way he writes, that’s not just a chronological statement. It’s definitely a spiritual statement. It was night when Judas went out.

The darkness of that night is human wickedness, human sin, when the alliance between Satan and sinful men reached its darkest and deepest level. In an earlier sermon, I ruminated on Satan’s motives at this point. How can we really know? Why would he tempt and induce Simon Peter earlier to speak words of temptation to Jesus to not go to the cross, [Matthew 16, in  Caesarea Philippi,] but then later orchestrate through Judas directly that Jesus would go to the cross?

How do we understand Satan’s thought process? How do we understand Satan’s motives? Why did he do it? I think the answer is that Satan is a murderer. He’s a liar and a murderer. He’s been a murderer from the beginning. It is his nature. As much as he just simply wanted to throw a wrench into God’s plans and thwart it and tempt Jesus to save his own life and not go to the cross, I think he had a greater desire just to kill him, just to kill him because he’s a killer and Jesus is pure light and life. It’s just his nature.

In the end, I think his own blood lust overwhelmed his desire to throw a monkey wrench into God’s clearly revealed prophetic plan, and he orchestrated the murder of Jesus. This is Satan’s hour. Jesus called this time the time of darkness when the evil of sin was on full display. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus spoke these words to the people arresting Him. In Luke 22:53, He says, “Every day I was with you in the temple courts and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour when darkness reigns.” Think about those words, “When darkness reigns.”

The sinfulness of Judas’ treacherous betrayal culminating in the most disgusting symbol of dishonor, a kiss, the sinfulness of the chief priests, the elders of the Jewish nation who should have recognized the time of God’s coming to them in the only begotten Son of God, but instead killed him out of selfishness, jealousy, power lust, greed, and pride.

The sinfulness of the Roman soldiers and the crowd who were there to arrest the Prince of Peace with swords and clubs and lanterns, the sinfulness of Peter who, through unbelief did not accept Jesus’ repeated statements about His purpose to go to the cross, could not accept it, did not think it was true, did not understand His need to go to the cross to save him from his own sins, and in a bizarre moment, sought to derail God’s plan with the swinging of his sword. Then the sinfulness of His disciples who, in selfish cowardice, abandoned Jesus in His hour of need and fled to save their own lives.

The darkest hour, the darkest night in history when the human race arrested, tried, condemned, mocked, and tortured the only perfectly good man that has ever lived, worse, the incarnate Son of God. This darkness was a darkness that could be felt because of the thickness of human evil. Yet in this darkest night, the light of the world shone all the brighter, all the brighter. “Jesus is the light of the world,” John 8:12.  John 1 says, “In Him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Or again, in 1 John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you God is light, and in Him there’s no darkness at all.” So Jesus Christ is perfect light,  a perfect display of the attributes, the perfections of God. Hebrews 1:3, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”

At every moment, Jesus shined with the glory of God, the perfections of God. “To see Him was to see the Father,” He said that in John 14:9, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus is going to put the glory of the Father on display in this account and in the ones that are soon to follow. Christ’s light shines all the brighter when it’s contrasted so plainly with every other human being in this story.

We should just be stunned at this, just marvel at what’s happening here. The Son of God being arrested like a common criminal, and then tied up. John 18:12, “The detachment of the soldiers with its commander and Jewish officials arrested Jesus, and they bound Him.” They tied His hands. There’s only one reason that Jesus stayed bound after His arrest. You have heard of Samson, one greater than Samson is in this story. If He wanted to break those bonds, it would be nothing for Him to do so, as Samson did.  Remember how the ropes fell to the ground like they were charred thread in Samson’s story. But Jesus stayed bound, stayed bound because He wanted to stay bound, because He wanted to die because He loved you and me. As we’ve said so many times before, Jesus said, John 10:18, “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down freely of my own accord.” We see that.

II. The Darkest Act on the Darkest Night:  Judas’s Betrayal

Let’s talk about the darkness of this dark night and specifically the darkest act on that darkest night, and that is Judas’ betrayal. Look at verses 43-52, “Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. Now, the betrayer had arranged a signal with them. ‘The one I kiss is the man. Arrest Him, and lead Him away under guard.’ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Rabbi,’ and kissed Him. The men seized Jesus and arrested Him.”

The text begins with the words, “While He was still speaking.” They were in the private Garden of Gethsemane. We don’t know this for sure, but probably a walled garden. The last thing that Jesus said in Mark’s Gospel, which we studied last week, was the end of His prayer time and His going back to His sleeping disciples.  Look at verse 41-42, “Returning the third time, He said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting?’ Enough. The hour has come. Behold the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go. Here comes my betrayer.’ Just as you was speaking Judas, one of the twelve, appeared.” It’s just that quick. Jesus had been pouring out His heart to His Heavenly Father in prayer. His disciples, on the other hand, squandering their last opportunity to get ready for the hardest night of their lives, should have been getting ready for their temptations. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” But they squandered that opportunity through sleep. Jesus’ time of prayer continued right up to the last possible moment. He drank in from the Father’s presence and from the strength of the angel sent to strengthen Him and got ready for what He was about to endure. Jesus knows that Judas has arrived with his enemies. “Rise, let us go. Here comes my betrayer.” This is all the more remarkable if Gethsemane was indeed a walled garden. But Jesus had supernatural knowledge of the timing of everything.

Judas arrives with a large crowd armed with swords and clubs and torches and lanterns. John’s account gives us a much clearer display of Christ’s supernatural courage at this moment, the clarity of His sense of mission, boldness. It says there that Jesus went out to meet this entourage. He went out because I picture Gethsemane as a walled garden. He goes out through the gate and goes out and meets them. You can imagine being part of that huge mob going to arrest Jesus, and a solitary figure comes out directly to them and starts this whole conversation. You’re not even really ready, and there He is. It just gives you a beautiful picture as Jesus is the initiator. The rest of them are the responders. He’s taking charge of His own arrest.

John 18:4-6, “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to Him, went out and asked them, ‘Who is it you’re seeking?’ ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ they replied. ‘I am,’ Jesus said.” That’s much better than all your English translations that say, “I am He,” or, “I’m the one you’re looking for.” He says “I am.” You know the significance of that statement. “Before Abraham was born, I am.” It’s God’s name. Moses says, “Who should I say is sending me?” “I am.” He goes out and says, “I am.” Judas, the traitor, was standing there with them. When Jesus said, “I am,” they all drew back and fell to the ground. That’s quite a moment, isn’t it? The awesome power of His person and His identification of His name as God, and Satan, in the body of Judas, is on the ground along with everyone else. Isn’t that a beautiful picture?

“When Jesus said, “I am,” they all drew back and fell to the ground. …The awesome power of His person and His identification of His name as God, and Satan, in the body of Judas, is on the ground along with everyone else.”

It says in our account, “Judas, one of the twelve.” It’s amazing how Judas is consistently identified this way by Mark rather than resorting to insulting words like Judas, the wicked traitor or something like that. It was just simply Judas, one of the twelve. Three times in this account, that’s how Judas is identified, Judas, one of the twelve. Jesus Himself used this terminology earlier in this chapter in verse 20, Mark 14:20, “It is one of the twelve,” He said, “the one who dips bread into the bowl with me.”

One of the twelve means he was a privileged man. He was the result of a night of prayer in which Jesus had spent all night so that He would then come down and identify the twelve who would be with Him, the apostles on which the church would be founded. He is one of the most wicked human beings in history, often in popular culture; he’s portrayed as in some strange, twisted way, just trying to help, didn’t really understand Jesus’ mission and was just in some way trying to help.  This is the theme in the ’70s rock opera, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which tells its story through Judas’s perspective in a very twisted and false way. Nothing could be further from the truth. In John 6, Jesus calls Judas a devil, “One of you is a devil.” Not, will later become a devil,  but is a devil right now. By the consistent identifying of Judas as one of the twelve, they’re heightening a sense of moral outrage at the betrayal.  Psalm 41:9, “Even my close friend whom I trusted, he who shared my bread has lifted up his heel against me.” It’s a sense of very strong betrayal. That’s Judas.

Now, a crowd is with Judas. Verse 43, “With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.” The chief priests and the elders had orchestrated this whole huge crowd, armed for a fight to arrest Jesus.  According to John’s Gospel, there is a Greek word “speira”which identifies this as most likely Roman soldiers. It’s quite possible, although it could have been just the size of the detachment. But based on that Greek word, “speira”, we’re looking at 500 to 600 soldiers maybe just detached from the barracks at Fort Antonia. And if so, then also there are temple guards as well, maybe another couple hundred, maybe as many as 1,000 men to arrest Jesus, the Prince of Peace. It’s really remarkable.

Jesus had never led any kind of uprising or military, anything at all. He was just teaching in the temple area, and He calls them on this. He highlights the bizarreness of them coming like that for Him. Verse 48 and 49, “‘Am I leading a rebellion?’ said Jesus, ‘that you’ve come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me.'”

It’s very, very late at night, really more, I would say, very early in the morning. Maybe 3:00 in the morning, I don’t know, just dead of night. This mixed multitude that has come to arrest Jesus is a picture of the unbelieving world and all of its wickedness. It’s a picture of that. The crowd is unjust. Jesus had broken no law of Moses. He had broken no Roman law. He was a perfectly innocent man.

The crowd is mindless. Many of them there, I think, probably didn’t fully know what they were doing there. I’m certain that many of them had heard of Jesus, but many perhaps had not. They were just under orders. They’re just there following orders, doing their job. They’re just hired hands. So also today, most of the world’s population thinks little about Jesus, knows little or maybe even nothing about Jesus.

Throughout history, mercenaries have been hired to do a job hostile to Christ and His kingdom and to come and attack Christ’s followers in a mindless, mechanical sort of way for money. This is a picture of that. The crowd’s also cowardly. They’re coming in the dead of night to avoid any difficulty with the thousands and thousands of pilgrims that fill Jerusalem. They didn’t want any trouble. The crowd is blasphemous because it is the Son of God they were there to lay hands on, arrest, and lead to His death. That’s the crowd.

Everything’s set up now for Judas’ wicked moment. Look at verses 44-46, “Now, the betrayer had arranged a signal with them. ‘The one I kiss is the man. Arrest Him, and lead Him away under guard.’ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Rabbi,’ and kissed Him. Then the men seized Jesus and arrested Him.” This is the most repulsive, the most disgusting part of this whole affair.

Judas had already received his salary, his wages for betraying the Son of God, 30 pieces of silver, probably jingling in his purse on his person at that moment. But now he has to follow through, do what he’s agreed to do, what he’s been paid to do. This evil signal seems to have been concocted in the mind of Judas, I would say, directly under the influence of Satan. It’s a wicked twist.

A kiss is a sign of love, a sign of a loving relationship. Take back in those days a slave with a master. If the slave had that kind of love for his master, he would be willing to kiss the master’s feet or the hem of his garment, something like that or perhaps, if they were particularly close, maybe his hand or his ring, something like that. A kiss up on the cheek showed intimacy and equality, which the subject of a king or the servant of a master would never have presumed to do.

But Judas initiated this kind of intimacy and kisses Him on the cheek. Judas greeted Jesus, “Hail Rabbi,” and then he kisses him in a very strong way. The Greek word is “kataphileo”, it was a strong kind of embrace.  It’s a big show, maybe multiple kisses on the cheek, something like that. It’s exceptionally wicked because of its hypocrisy and its arrogance, and Jesus calls him out on it in Luke’s Gospel. Luke 22:48, “Jesus asked him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?'” A sense of revulsion in that.  Jesus’ last words to Judas are recorded in Matthew, not Mark. “Jesus replied, ‘Friend, do what you came for. Do what you came to do.’ Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and arrested Him.” It’s similar in John’s Gospel when He takes a piece of bread, He says, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” So it’s like Judas himself, inhabited by Satan, is under Jesus’ orders. He’s orchestrating this whole thing. He’s telling him what to do.

I like the fact that in John’s Gospel, Jesus goes out boldly and initiates with them, “Who are you looking for?” Whatever. So what is Judas’ role at that point? None. The kiss is nothing. Jesus is self-identified as the one they’re looking for. So much for Judas Iscariot.

III. The Darkest Acts of Jesus’ True Followers

But now we’ve got, sadly, the dark acts of Jesus’ closest followers, genuine followers of Christ.  Judas exposed his true nature that night, a completely wicked man, a hypocrite under the direct influence of Satan himself. But that night also exposed the moral weakness of Jesus’ closest followers, the eleven apostles, men who would be relied on to lead the gospel advance from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth. They would be the human foundations on which the entire church would be built, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the chief cornerstone.

They’re the foundation, they’re the eyewitnesses. Everything depends on them. They would eventually courageously lay down their lives for their master. All of them would die as martyrs except, church history tells us, except John who would have done it but was in the sovereignty of God exiled to the island of Patmos and gave us the gift of the Book of Revelation. But that night was not so. That night was not so.

It began with this one faithless act. Look at verse 47, “Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke all maintain this person’s anonymity. But you all know who it is because John told us, John let us know it was Peter. John also tells us the servant’s name was Malchus.  This is just connecting the dots. Peter consistently refused to believe Jesus’ mission, coming right from his lips. He consistently could not see Jesus’ work. It was the next step in that progression on and the next step in the most terrible night of Peter’s life. As I mentioned already, at Caesarea Philippi [Matthew 16], Peter overtly tempted Jesus to not go to the cross. “‘Never, Lord,’ he said. He took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ‘Never, Lord,’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you.’ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan. You’re a stumbling block to me. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.'”

Just hours before that, a short time before this arrest, Peter had boasted of his courage, a unique courage compared to all the other apostles. In verse 31, Peter had insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you. Even if all of them fall away, I never will.” Now he has to back it up, and I’m sure he remembered his words. So he pulls out his sword to fight for Jesus.

The sword, a makhaira, it’s like a long dagger. It’s not really a battle sword. I picture it really as a fisherman’s sword to cut up fish. Definitely, Peter is no trained soldier. He’s swinging wildly and accomplished really nothing except cutting off Malchus’ ear. Peter’s actions were completely faithless and misguided. He didn’t understand Jesus’ mission. He didn’t understand the real threat was the wrath of a holy God against his sins, and there was no remedy apart from the bloody death of Jesus, the Son of God. There is no other remedy.  Peter’s trying to stop the eternal plan of God. Later he would understand it was not with silver or gold, that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect. Peter wrote those words later. But at that night, he did not understand. So he’s trying to stop the eternal plan of Almighty God with his sword.  Then Jesus, we’re told in Luke 22:51, healed Malchus’ ear. “Jesus answered, ‘No more of this,’ and He touched the man’s ear and healed him.” I find this amazing, the healing power of Jesus, giving this man a new ear. It’s wonderful.

“Peter’s actions were completely faithless and misguided. He didn’t understand Jesus’ mission. He didn’t understand the real threat was the wrath of a holy God against his sins, and there was no remedy apart from the bloody death of Jesus.”

But let’s try to understand Peter, this misguided fight. Jesus will make later a clear statement to Pilate. Pilate said, “So you’re king?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest from the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is from another place.” But that’s exactly what Peter tried to do.

They’re absolutely at cross purposes here. “My kingdom isn’t like that. I’m not building an empire that way. My kingdom doesn’t advance by killing, but rather by dying.”  John 12:24, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls onto the ground and dies, it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.” That’s how the kingdom of Christ advances, not by killing, but by dying.

IV. Jesus’ Radiant Glory:  Submission to Scripture

Now we see Jesus’ radiant glory and his submission to scripture. Look at 48 and 49, “‘Am I leading a rebellion,’ said Jesus, ‘that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you teaching in the temple courts and you did not arrest me, but the scriptures must be fulfilled.'” Jesus openly declares His willingness to go and die in fulfillment of the Scriptures.  He says this more comprehensively in His conversation with Peter as recorded in Matthew 26. “Jesus says to Peter, ‘Put your sword back in its place. For all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father and He would at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels? But how then would the scripture be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?'” So let’s unfold that.

Jesus’ clear command to Peter, “Put your sword back in its place,” then three reasons in Matthew 26, three reasons. First, all who draw the sword will die by the sword. There’s a lot of different ways to understand that, but I’m not getting into pacifism or any of that. I’ll just speak practically. “Peter, take a look around you. There’s maybe 800 or 1,000 of them, and there’s you with your fisherman’s dagger. What do you think is going to happen? You are not long for this world if you keep swinging that thing. So put it away.”

I’ll just keep it simple. We don’t have to go into just war theory or any of that. Reason number two, “Peter, if I were trying to escape the cross, would I be using your sword? Do you think I could not go to my Father, who I go to my Father for everything and if I were to ask him, would he not immediately put at my disposal,” I love the words, “more than twelve legions of angels?” Let’s just start at twelve legions of angels. Legion- 6,000, times 12= 72,000 angels. One angel killed 185,000 Assyrian troops in one night. That’s one angel. You can do the unbelievable math. This would be the greatest mismatch in history. How many angels are at Jesus’ disposal? Answer, all of them. And how many are there? Daniel and Revelation: 100 million. “Those angels, if they came, would be at my disposal. They would immediately do whatever I told them to do without hesitation.”

Now let’s get to the real reason. I want you all to listen carefully to this because there is no greater moment in the entire history of the human race or of the Bible that shows a man honoring the Bible, honoring scripture than this statement. “If I were to do that, Peter, how then would the scripture be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” What is Jesus saying there? Let me put it to you this way, Jesus is effectively saying, “I would rather die than disobey scripture.”  Oh, that we might all get to that level in our sanctification. I would rather die than sin. It’s powerful.

A number of years ago, I was counseling with a student that is at one of the wonderful institutions of higher learning nearby, taking a religion class at that institution of higher learning and having serious doubts about the scripture. He grew up in a Christian home, a Christian family, but was a young man. His faith was being assaulted. He wanted help, and he came to me.  I said, “I can’t answer all of the objections that are laid out by your professor. But I’ll tell you what. You and I are Christians. This is an in-house discussion. What do you say we just agree to have the same attitude toward the Bible that Jesus does? Let’s find out what that is.” So we walked through Jesus and scripture in the Gospels and came to this as the pinnacle. You see it as the pinnacle. “I would rather die than break scripture.” I could see this man’s faith becoming robust and stronger and stronger the more we went on. He realized, like the demon said to the seven sons of Sceva, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” I can say that to any unbelieving professor that questions this book and wonders if it’s a human book or really a divine scripture. This is the highest attitude that all of us should have towards scripture. I would rather die than violate scripture.

The scriptures say it must happen in this way. What scriptures? Many. Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And then it goes on in the words of the Psalm 22 to describe, in great detail, His crucifixion. “They have pierced my hands and my feet. They’ve gambled for my clothes. I am poured out like water and my strength is dried up and I’m surrounded and I can count all my bones.” The crucifixion. Psalm 22, 1,000 years before Jesus, written by David.

Then Isaiah 53 clearly explaining the reason for his death. As it says in Isaiah 53:5 and following, “He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him. And by His wounds, we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  “So, Peter, this is the eternal plan of God for your salvation, and not just yours, but the salvation of a multitude from every tribe and language and people and nation, a multitude greater than anyone can count. I’m going to pay for their sins this very day. So put your sword away because I would rather die than break scripture.”

Then the disciples all fled. They left Jesus all alone. Verse 50-52, “Then everyone deserted Him and fled. A young man wearing nothing but a linen garment was following Jesus. When they seized Him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.” The statement here in verse 50 is, deserted. It’s a very strong word. They deserted Him. They deserted Him in His hour of need. Don’t minimize that. They were His best friends. This was His greatest moment of need, and they ran away from Him, would not help Him.

The strange account of this young man with the linen garment wearing nothing but the linen garment, and then he’s grabbed by the garment and leaves it in the person’s hand and runs away, naked. We have no idea who that is. Some people think that it’s Mark who wrote the gospel, but that’s just speculation. So we all have to wait until we get to heaven to find out who that is. It’s just here. It’s in the text, and I thought I would preach it this morning.  What the text does show is a determination that all of his close followers had, at whatever cost, to run for their lives. That at least we can get out of it.

 V. Applications

The greatest application of this text, as any, is the same, come to Christ. Trust in Christ. There’s a reason for all of this. Why did Jesus want to be arrested? Why did He let Himself be bound? Why did He not call on the Father to send the angels?

The answer is because all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We’re under the wrath of God for our sins, and we deserve it. We’re facing eternity in hell apart from salvation that only Christ can work. That’s why. There’s a reason for all of this. These are steps leading to the cross. So as we walk through the Gospel of Mark, as we understand who Jesus is, the call is there week after week. Repent of your sins. Trust in Christ, and find full forgiveness. Trust in Him.

This is a plan worked out in the mind and heart of God from before the foundation of the world. For your eternal joy and blessedness, come to Christ. If you’ve already come to Christ, trusted in Him, then the text helps you to worship Christ for that bright light shining in a dark place. Worship Him for His courage and going out and saying, “Who are you looking for?” Worship Him for His humility, making Himself nothing and being willing to be bound and beaten and spat upon, as we’ll study subsequent weeks, God willing.

Worship Him for His love because greater love is no one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends. This is the greatest display of love ever. Worship Him for His authority, that the angel would have immediately done what He said, that all of Jesus’ enemies were on the ground in front of Him when He said His name, “I am.” That’s the greatness of his majesty. Worship Him for that. Worship Him for His wisdom in restraining Himself and submitting to the Father’s plan so that we could be saved. Worship Him for all of these beautiful and perfect attributes.

On the other hand, look at the darkness of human sin. Look at it. Look at it. Look at the wickedness here. As you do, I want you to zero in in particular on Judas’ kiss. Judas was a reprobate, he was a devil. We’re children of God. I understand that. But isn’t there some warning in Judas’ kiss for all of us to some degree? As I look at that, I think there’s a hypocrisy here, an outward show when my heart isn’t in it. So that’s, I think, any time we ever do anything for Christ, and this is true of us, Matthew 15, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” It’s like, “Oh God, would you drive away such hypocrisy from me? Would you make me from the heart, a follower and a lover of Christ? Let me not do any Judas kisses ever again. Let everything I do flow from a genuine heart of affection and love for Christ.”

Finally, as I’ve urged, as I did with that young man that I met with so many years ago, embrace Christ’s view of scripture. Jesus says, “I would rather die than break this.” Isaiah 66:2 says, “God says, ‘This is the one I esteem. He who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word.'” That’s Jesus. I want it to be me. I would urge each one of you to have an infinitely high view of this, the Word of God, and seek to live it out by the power of the Spirit.

Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for this dark, sordid, twisted story, the arrest of Jesus. We thank you that in the midst of such darkness, the Son of God shines all the brighter. I thank you for His determination to go to the cross. I thank you for His love, His power. I thank you for the warning as we see the hypocrisy and the wickedness and the sin of those around Jesus, even His closest followers, in the moment of their greatest weakness, cautionary tale. Help us, oh Lord, to follow you and to love you and serve you as you deserve, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I. The Darkest Night in History

A. Wicked Humanity at Its Worst; Christ’s Glory at Its Greatest

1. The account of the arrest of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world

2. Betrayed to a mob of armed and wicked people by one of his closest friends in the world

3. In this account, we will see the sinfulness of the human heart in darkest hue

4. In this account also, we will see the radiance of the glory of Christ shining all the brighter

5. The night that Christ was born, the darkness of the night was ripped apart by the appearance of a single angel

Luke 2:9  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them

6. In a similar but very different way, the glory of Christ ripped apart the moral darkness of human history and showed us the perfection of his nature by a stark contrast with the behavior of all those around him

B. This Was the Darkest Night in History

1. John 13: two things linked to Judas taking the bread:

John 13:27  As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

John 13:30  As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

2. The “darkness” is human sin… the wickedness of the human heart, when the alliance between Satan and sinful men reached its darkest and deepest level

3. In an earlier sermon, we discussed Satan’s motives at this point; why would he lead Simon Peter to tempt Jesus to NOT go to the cross (Matthew 16), but then later orchestrate through Judas that Jesus WOULD go to the cross?

4. Answer: Satan is a murderer… and I believe though he wanted to thwart God’s plan and tempt Jesus to save his own life, I think in the end he led his own bloodlust to overwhelm him and he murdered Jesus

5. This was Satan’s hour; Jesus called this time the time of darkness… when the evil of sin was on full display

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus spoke these words to the people arresting Him:

Luke 22:53  Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour– when darkness reigns.”

What a CHILLING PHRASE:  this is YOUR HOUR, WHEN DARKNESS REIGNS!

a. The sinfulness of Judas’s treacherous betrayal, culminating in the most disgusting symbol of dishonor in history—his KISS

b. The sinfulness of the chief priests and the elders of the Jewish nation, who should have recognized the time of God coming to them in the person of Christ, but who instead killed Him out of selfishness, jealousy, power-lust, greed, and pride

c. The sinfulness of the Roman soldiers and the crowd, who were there to arrest the Prince of Peace with swords and clubs

d. The sinfulness of Peter, who through unbelief did not accept Jesus’ statements about the need for Him to die for their sins, and who sought to derail God’s redemptive plan by fighting for Jesus’ escape from arrest

e. The sinfulness of all the disciples, who in selfish cowardice abandoned Jesus in His hour of need and fled for their lives

6. This was the darkest night in history… when the human race arrested, tried, condemned, mocked and tortured the only perfectly good man that ever lived, and even worse, did that to the Son of God

7. This darkness was a darkness that could be felt because of the thickness of human evil

8. And yet, in the darkest night, the light of the world shone all the brighter

C. Christ the Light of the World

John 8:12  Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”

John 1:4-5  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

1 John 1:5  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

1. Jesus Christ is perfect light… the absolutely perfect display of the attributes of God

Hebrews 1:3  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being,

2. To see Him is to see the Father

John 14:9 Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

3. Jesus will put the glory of the Father on display in this account

4. Christ’s light shines all the brighter when contrasted so plainly with every other human being in this story

D. Marvel at the Fact:  The Son of God ARRESTED!

1. They tied up Jesus!

John 18:12  Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him

2. There is only one reason that Jesus stayed bound after His arrest:  He WANTED to stay bound… He willed it!!

John 10:18  No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.

II. The Darkest Act on the Darkest Night: Judas’s Betrayal
Mark 14:43-52  Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.  44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.”  45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.  46 The men seized Jesus and arrested him.

A. While He Was Still Speaking

1. They were in the private Garden of Gethsemane

2. The last thing Jesus said

Mark 14:41-42  Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

3. Jesus was pouring out his heart to God in prayer, but his disciples were squandering their opportunity to get ready for the temptations they were all about to face

4. Jesus’ time of prayer continued right up until the last possible moment; he drank from the Father’s presence and kept drinking until it was time to go

5. Jesus knows that Judas has arrived with his enemies: Vs. 42:  “Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

6. Judas arrives with a LARGE CROWD (armed w swords and clubs as well as torches and lanterns)

7. John’s Gospel… gives us a much clearer display of Christ’s courage, leadership, and boldness at this critical moment

a. Jesus WENT OUT to meet this entourage

“Went out” (because Gethsemane was probably a walled private garden, and Jesus went out through the gate to meet them)

John 18:4-6  Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”  5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I AM,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)  6 When Jesus said, “I AM,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

b. Clear display of Christ’s power as God the Son… He merely says “I am” and the whole lot of them falls to the ground before Him”

B. Judas, “One of the Twelve”

1. Amazing how Judas is identified this way years later by Mark

2. Rather than resorting to insulting words, like “Judas, the wicked traitor,” or something like that, Mark (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) says “One of the Twelve”

3. Three times in this account, that is how Judas Iscariot is identified

4. Jesus himself used this terminology

Mark 14:20  It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me.

5. Judas is one of the most wicked human beings in history

6. Often in popular culture he is characterized as someone with an essentially good heart with good motives who misunderstood Jesus’ true motives and tried to help Jesus accomplish his mission but failed; the 70s rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” tells its story somewhat through Judas’s perspective

7. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus called Judas a devil

8. By all the Gospel writers calling Judas “one of the Twelve,” they are HEIGHTENING the sense of moral outrage at what he did to Jesus

Psalm 41:9  Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

C. The Crowd with Judas

Mark 14:43  With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

1. The chief priests and the elders had sent this huge crowd, armed for a fight, to arrest Jesus

2. According to John’s Gospel, there was a detachment (Greek speira) of Roman soldiers, perhaps 500-600 from the barracks in Fort Antonia… along with temple guards

3. All told, there may have been as many as 1000 armed men that night to arrest one man, a leader of twelve other peaceful men… Jesus had never led any kind of insurrection against them, so He exposed the foolishness of their weapons

Mark 14:48-49  “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?  49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me.

4. It is very late at night, or perhaps very early in the morning… maybe three in the morning at this point… the dead of night

5. The mixed multitude a picture of the world and its disdain for Jesus

a. The crowd was UNJUST:  Jesus had broken no part of the Law of Moses, nor of Roman Law… He was a perfectly innocent man

b. The crowd was MINDLESS:  most of them there that night probably knew very little about Jesus and were just following orders… they had no personal knowledge about Christ and were ignorant of His person and works; they were in it just for their own personal welfare… they were hired hands just doing a job; so most of the world’s population knows little of Jesus and cares little for Him, and simply goes about their daily lives as though He didn’t exist at all; so in church history, many hired mercenaries have fought against Christ and his church without having any idea what the issues were… they wanted their paycheck and to stay out of trouble

c. The crowd was also COWARDLY:  they came at night to avoid trouble with the population of Jerusalem

d. The crowd was BLASPHEMOUS:  for it was the Son of God they were there to lay their hands on, arrest and lead to His death

D. Judas’s Repulsive Kiss

Mark 14:44-46  Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.”  45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.  46 The men seized Jesus and arrested him.

1. The most disgusting part of the whole wicked affair

2. Judas had received his thirty pieces of silver for his wicked intention… but now the time had come to betray Jesus

3. The evil signal was concocted in the mind of Judas, who by this time was inhabited by the devil himself… Satan thought up this wicked twist

4. A kiss is a sign of loving relationship… but it is given in a variety of ways

a. A slave who loved his master would only have the boldness to kiss the feet of his master; so would an enemy who was pleading for mercy from a conquering king

b. An ordinary servant would kiss the hem of the garment or the back of the master’s hand

c. A kiss on the cheek showed tremendous intimacy and closeness… but even then, it would only have been initiated by the master… the disciple or servant or son would wait for the king to initiate… he wouldn’t be so bold as to initiate such intimacy

d. Judas greeted Jesus, “HAIL, RABBI!!” and the Greek says Judas kissed him in an intense way (kataphileo)… with great affection and perhaps multiple times

e. It was exceptionally wicked because of its hypocrisy and arrogance

Luke 22:48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

E. Jesus’ Last Words to Judas (recorded in Matthew, not Mark)

Matthew 26:50 Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.

Judas must still be thinking about these words, as he will for all eternity…Judas Iscariot came to that Garden to betray Jesus… now the work was done

III. The Darkest Acts of Jesus’ True Followers
Judas exposed his true nature that night… a completely wicked man under the direct influence of Satan himself

But that night also exposed the moral weakness of Jesus’ closest followers, the Eleven Apostles, men who would be relied on to lead the gospel advance from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

They would eventually and courageously lay down their lives for Christ, all of them dying as martyrs except John, who was exiled.  But that night, the chose to save their lives by fleeing from their friend, their master, their king

But it began with this one faithless act

Mark 14:47  Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

A. Matthew, Mark, and Luke Maintains Anonymity… John Tells Us it was Peter

John also tells us the servant’s name was Malchus

B. Peter Consistently Refused to Believe Jesus’ Words About the Cross

1. The next step in Peter’s terrible night… the worst night of his life

2. As I mentioned, at Caesarea Philippi, Satan used Peter to tempt Jesus NOT to go to the cross

Matthew 16:22-23  Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”  23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

C. Earlier, Peter Had Boasted of His Courage

Mark 14:31 Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”

1. Now… he wanted to back it up with his sword

2. Peter’s sword was a long dagger or a very short sword… not a battle weapon

3. Peter was no trained soldier… he was swinging wildly and accomplished very little except severing Malchus’s ear

4. Peter’s actions were faithless and completely misguided

5. Jesus HAD to die for Peter’s sins, or the wrath of God would consume Peter forever… Peter was trying to STOP the eternal redemptive plan of Almighty God!!

D. Jesus Healed Malchus’s Ear

Luke 22:51  But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

E. Peter’s Misguided Fight in Christ’s Name

1. Jesus’ statement to Pilate

John 18:36  Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

Peter DID seek to FIGHT to prevent His arrest from the Jews… and that was, to Jesus, clear evidence of the way KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD advance

2. Jesus’ statement on how His Kingdom advances

John 12:24  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

NOT BY KILLING BUT BY DYING!!!!

IV. Jesus’ Radiant Glory: Submission to Scripture (Matthew 26:52-56)
Mark 14:48-49  “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?  49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”

Jesus openly declared his willingness to go and die in fulfillment of the scriptures…

Clearer, more comprehensively in Matthew 26:

Matthew 26:52-56  “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.  53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?  54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”  55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me.  56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Jesus’ Command to Peter:  Put Your Sword Back in its Place

1. Reason #1:  All Who Draw the Sword Die by the Sword

a. Jesus gives Peter a strong dose of reality

b. He was surrounded by 600 Roman soldier, trained killers… all of them capable of killing Peter instantly

c. If Peter insisted on fighting, he would be cut down immediately

2. Reason #2:  If I were trying to escape arrest, I wouldn’t be relying on your dagger!

Matthew 26:53  Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

a. Note the language of SUBMISSION even in this assertion

b. Jesus would never REBEL against the true source of all authority… His Father

c. His Father alone would be the source of Jesus’ military power to crush His enemies… Jesus does nothing apart from the Father’s will

d. If the Father willed to deliver Jesus from arrest that night by killing Jesus’ enemies, the amount of power He could put at Jesus’ full disposal would be amazing!!!

3. Reason #3: “I would rather DIE than break scripture!”

Matthew 26:54  But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

a. Stand in awe of the attitude of Jesus Christ toward Scripture!!!!

b. There is not a man, woman, or child alive on earth today or who has ever lived who has a higher view of Scripture than Jesus!!

c. Jesus’ reason to Peter to put the sword away is this:  SCRIPTURE HAS SAID I MUST DIE, AND THEREFORE I MUST DIE!!!

d. The word “fulfilled” is the standard one used in Matthew’s Gospel for Old Testament Prophecies about Christ

e. In the fullness of time, God revealed His plan through the Prophets

Psalm 22:1  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Psalm 22:14-18   I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.  15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.  16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.  17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.  18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

Isaiah 53:5-10  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

f. Peter… this is the eternal plan of God for YOUR SALVATION, and for the salvation of a countless multitude from every tribe and nation on earth… this is the fulfillment of every animal sacrifice that there has ever been… this is what God has been building towards for thousands of years…

g. PUT YOUR SWORD AWAY, for Scripture has said I MUST DIE… and I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN VIOLATE SCRIPTURE

B. The Disciples Flee… and Jesus was left ALL ALONE

Mark 14:50-52  Then everyone deserted him and fled.  51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him,  52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

“Deserted” is a very strong word… they turned their backs on Jesus, abandoned Him, forsook Him, gave up on Him, fled from Him to save their lives

The strange account of the young man in the linen garment is mysterious… many scholars think Mark included it because he himself was that young man. Why else would this tiny detail be included?

But we just don’t know anything more than what is written here. Everything else is speculation. The point is… Jesus was left all alone, walking to his trials, suffering, and death… facing all of it alone.

V. Applications
A. Come to Christ!!

1. The whole purpose of the arrest of Jesus was that Scripture might be fulfilled… and those prophecies were written for our salvation

2. Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested so that He might die for our sins

3. Trust in Him!!

B. Worship Christ for the Brilliant Light Shining in a Very Dark World

1. The darkness continues until this present day

2. That was indeed the darkest night in the history of the world…

3. But Christ is every bit as much the light of the world now as He was then

4. Worship Him for His attributes on display here…

a. Behold His courage:  going willingly to His death at the hands of such evil men

b. Behold His humility:  making Himself nothing and being treated so shamefully as they came out with swords and clubs to arrest Him as if He were a common criminal

c. Behold His love:  laying down His life for sinners like us, and even loving His enemy by healing Malchus’s ear so tenderly

d. Behold His authority:  in that the angels of heaven would have been put at His full disposal and would have obeyed His slightest command

e. Behold His wisdom: in reasoning with Peter and with His enemies

f. Behold His submission: by obeying Scripture and His Father’s will, even though it meant His shameful and excruciating death on the cross

g. Behold His great patience:  in not striking down His enemies with the sword of His mouth

C. Understand the Darkness of Human Sin

1. See the wickedness of the human heart on display here

2. The wickedness of the chief priests and rulers, who daily studied the Scriptures that testified to Jesus… and they refused the believe what was written, but selfishly sought to preserve their position of power

3. The wickedness of Judas, who was the hypocrite of all hypocrites in his betrayal of Jesus with a kiss

4. The mindless callousness of the Romans and the rest of the crowd who were blindly following orders to arrest Jesus

5. The unbelief of Peter, who did not understand the purposes of God in Christ death and took matters into his own hands with his sword

6. The cowardice of the disciples, who loved their lives in this world so much that they forsook Jesus (all of them!!!) and fled

7. See the sin in your own heart!!

D. Zero in on Judas’s Kiss

1. Judas was lost, and I hope, by God’s grace, you are not

2. BUT is there not some of the Judas kiss in each one of us?

3. Isn’t it true that any time we do something outwardly righteous to honor Christ, but our hearts are cold toward Him, it’s like a Judas kiss?

Matthew 15:8-9  “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  9 They worship me in vain

4. Plead with the Lord to transform your heart and make everything you do for Christ pure and holy, passionate and flowing from a deep love for Jesus

E. Embrace Christ’s View of Scripture

Matthew 26:54  how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

1. Total perfection of Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16  All Scripture is God-breathed

2. Absolute authority of Scripture

John 10:35  the Scripture cannot be broken-

3. Jesus’ attitude:  “I would rather die than break Scripture!”