Arrest and Trial before Annas and Caiaphas - Week 22

John 18:1-27


Note: The study related to these questions may be found at Catholic Exchange. Please go to their site for the complete material concerning this study. Unless otherwise noted, on scriptural references are from the Revised Standard Version (RSV). Below are my thoughts on the questions presented for the given study (Please see disclaimer at bottom).

Read John 18:1-27

1. In verse one Jesus and His disciples went to a garden. Read Luke 22:39-46 and Mark 14:32-42. What is the name of the Garden and which three disciples did Jesus take with him? (See Matthew 26:46.)
(a) From the Gospel of Luke:

39: And he came out, and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. 40: And when he came to the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." 41: And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42: "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." 45: And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46: and he said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation." (Luke 22:39-46)
From the Gospel of Mark:
32: And they went to a place which was called Gethsem'ane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I pray." 33: And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34: And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch." 35: And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36: And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt." 37: And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38: Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 39: And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40: And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer him. 41: And he came the third time, and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come; the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42: Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand." (Mark 14:32-42)
The garden is called Gethsem'ane and Jesus took Peter, James, and John.

2. Why did they go to this garden? Did they go there often? What mystery of the Rosary does this scene depict?
(a) They went to keep Jesus company while He prayed. (b) This depicts the first Sorrowful Mystery, The Agony in the Garden.

3. What sign did Judas give the soldiers? (See Matt. 26:49; Mark 14:45 and Luke 22:47-48.)
(a) From the Gospel of Matthew:
And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Hail, Master!" And he kissed him. (Matt 26:49)
From the Gospel of Mark:
And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said, "Master!" And he kissed him. (Mark 14:45)
From the Gospel of Luke:
47: While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; 48: but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:47-48)
Judas kissed Jesus as a sign to the soldiers.

4. For what reason were the soldiers arresting Jesus? (Read Luke 23:2)
(a) From the Gospel of Luke:
And they began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king." (Luke 23:2)
For "perverting" their nation and for proclaiming Himself king.

5. The occurrence St. John mentions in verse 6 is not recorded in the other Gospel accounts. What do you think John's purpose is in recording it here and why did the men fall? (See Exodus 3:14)
(a) From the Book of Exodus:
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, `I AM has sent me to you.'" (Ex 3:14)
John includes this as a recognition of Jesus' Godhood. When Jesus answers, "I am", this invoked the image of God and the fear of God in the soldiers. Remember that they would have been well aware of Jesus' miracles.

6. Peter, in his attempt to protect Jesus, cuts off the high priest's servant's ear. Read St. Luke's account of this occurrence. What did Jesus do other than admonish Peter?
(a) From the Gospel of Luke:
49: And when those who were about him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" 50: And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51: But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. (Luke 22:49-51)
Jesus also healed the stricken soldier.

7. What cup is Jesus referring to in verse 11? (See Mark 14:36 and also Isaiah 51:17 and Ezekiel 23:31-34).
(a) From the Gospel of Mark:
And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt." (Mark 14:36)
From the Book of Isaiah:
Rouse yourself, rouse yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl of staggering. (Is 51:17)
From the Book of Ezekiel:
31: You have gone the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand. 32: Thus says the Lord GOD: "You shall drink your sister's cup which is deep and large; you shall be laughed at and held in derision, for it contains much; 33: you will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. A cup of horror and desolation, is the cup of your sister Sama'ria; 34: you shall drink it and drain it out, and pluck out your hair, and tear your breasts; for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD. (Ez 23:31-34)
From these passages Jesus could be referring to suffering. However, given the Passover nature of the last supper, along with Jesus' statement that he did not drink the fourth cup of the Passover liturgy:
Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." (Mark 14:25)
The four cups of the Passover liturgy, the "Hogadash":
Cup of Opening
Cup of Thanksgiving
Cup of Blessing
Cup of Atonement
Also, the cup in which Jesus instituted the Eucharist would correspond to the third cup of the Hogadash:
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Cor 10:16)
Therefore, Jesus could have also been referring to this fourth cup, often refferd to as the "Cup of Consumation" or the "Cup of Atonement".

8. Another occurrence that is not mentioned by St. John is recorded in Matthew 26:56 and Mark 14:50. What is it? What words of Jesus were fulfilled in this action of the Apostles?
(a) From the Gospel of Matthew:
But all this has taken place, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. (Matt 26:56)
From the Gosple of Mark:
And they all forsook him, and fled. (Mark 14:50)
That all the disciples "forsook him and fled". (b) Jesus had earlier stated that they would all abandon Him.
31: Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written, `I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32: But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." 33: Peter declared to him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." 34: Jesus said to him, "Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." (Matt 26:31-34)


9. The soldiers first took Jesus to Annas, the father-in-law of the high priest, rather than to Caiaphas himself. Why do you suppose they did this? (See Points to Ponder -- "The Trial Before Annas and Caiaphas").
(a) Because while Caiaphas was the high priest, Annas was probably the one with the most political clout. This is evidenced by the fact that five of his sons and a son-in-law, Caiaphas, were all made high priest. Therefore, it would be Annas who would condemn Jesus and Caiaphas who would carry out this sentence.

10. What had Jesus foretold about Peter that took place in verses 17-27?
(a) That Peter would deny Jesus three times. However, we will see later in this Gospel that Jesus gives Peter a chance at redeeming himself.

11. Read paragraph #598 in the Cathechism of the Catholic Church. Who bears the responsibility for the death of Jesus, the Romans or the Jews?
(a) From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
In her Magisterial teaching of the faith and in the witness of her saints, the Church has never forgotten that "sinners were the authors and the ministers of all the sufferings that the divine Redeemer endured." Taking into account the fact that our sins affect Christ himself, the Church does not hesitate to impute to Christians the gravest responsibility for the torments inflicted upon Jesus, a responsibility with which they have all too often burdened the Jews alone:
We must regard as guilty all those who continue to relapse into their sins. Since our sins made the Lord Christ suffer the torment of the cross, those who plunge themselves into disorders and crimes crucify the Son of God anew in their hearts (for he is in them) and hold him up to contempt. And it can be seen that our crime in this case is greater in us than in the Jews. As for them, according to the witness of the Apostle, "None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." We, however, profess to know him. And when we deny him by our deeds, we in some way seem to lay violent hands on him. (Roman Catechism I, 5, 11; cf. Heb 6:6; 1 Cor 2:8)
Nor did demons crucify him; it is you who have crucified him and crucify him still, when you delight in your vices and sins. (St. Francis of Assisi, Admonitio 5, 3)
(CCC, 598)
In other words, we are all responsible for the death of Christ.

Disclaimer: I do not wish to present myself as an expert in either theology, history, or scriptural interpretation. I am merely someone who is attempting to answer the call of Christ. The ultimate authority and interpreter of scripture is our Holy Catholic Church. If at any point I deviate from the teachings of the Church, please correct me, alfredo@nevarez.net, as this is my shortcoming and in no way meant to be an expression of my views superceding those of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

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 Alfredo Nevarez
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