"Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?"--_Luke 22:48._
JUST as our Lord had wakened His three apostles for the last time,
there came a tread of soldiers, and lanterns gleamed through the olive
trees. For Judas Iscariot, the traitor, knew that his Master was apt
to go to the olive garden to pray at night, and he was leading them,
and he said to them, "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He: hold
Him fast." And he came up first to JESUS, and said, "Hail, master;" and
kissed Him. All our Lord said was, "Judas, betrayest thou the Son of
man with a kiss?"
Peter tried to defend Him, and drew a sword and cut off the ear of one
of the servants; but our Lord bade him put the sword back into the
sheath; and then, in His great love, our blessed Lord touched the ear,
and cured it in an instant, and begged that all the disciples might be
allowed to go their way. Indeed, they were so much afraid that they all
forsook Him and fled away, except John and Peter, who both followed to
see what would be done with Him.
The soldiers dragged our blessed Lord to the house of the high priest,
Caiaphas, where his enemies tried to make out some charge to bring
against Him; but as He was good and holy, and had no sin at all, they
could accuse Him of nothing. And when they asked Him questions, He
answered them not a word, for He knew that it was only to accuse Him.
While He stood at the upper end of the hall, John, who knew one of the
servants, had come in to the lower end, and had brought in Peter with
him. The chill of the morning had come on, and the servants lighted a
fire on the pavement, where Peter stood and warmed himself. One of the
maids there looked at him, and asked if he did not belong to Jesus of
Nazareth. Peter was afraid, and said, "I know not what thou sayest."
[Illustration: JUDAS BETRAYS JESUS.--Matt. 26:48-50.]
But then another maid said, "This fellow was also with Jesus of
Nazareth.." Peter grew more afraid, and went on declaring he did not
know such a person; but presently another servant said, "Did not I see
thee in the garden with Him?" Again Peter's fear of being punished for
wounding the man in the garden led him further astray, for he began
to curse and swear, and say, "I know not the man." Just then the cock
crew, and the Lord turned round and looked upon Peter.
That look went to his heart. He went out and wept bitterly; and
whenever he thought of his sin, he wept.
[Illustration: CHRIST BEFORE CAIAPHAS.--Matt. 26:65, 66.]