John 18:2-3, Judas Arrives

2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

The story of the betrayal of Judas, one of the greatest sins ever committed in the history of the world, is an act of selfish, sinful, terror rooted in a human-based glory where the perpetrators behind him are blinded from God’s true light by the darkness of Satan.

In the darkness of the Kidron Valley, Judas leads some officers of the Temple Guard who were under Jewish control, not Roman, out of the city wall and around the valley to the other side toward Gethsemane along with a backup contingent of some 200 or so Roman soldiers. This band of Roman soldiers was usually stationed in Caesarea on the coast. However, they came into Jerusalem at great festivals, like the Passover, when Jewish nationalism was high as it was the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. It is very likely that Jesus could have seen such a large group of people with lanterns and torches from where he was praying in Gethsemane; yet he stayed put, readying himself for his encounter with death by torture.

Take some time to put yourself in the place of Jesus today. The other gospels tell us he is deep in prayer, seeking strength from his Father for the cup of judgment and wrath he will soon drink in our place. He knows these men are coming for him. Like his disciples who soon will scatter, Jesus could have run over the top of the Mount of Olives and escaped to Bethany or beyond. Yet he remains deeply committed to the will of the Father. In prayer, ask God to keep you deeply committed to his will.