Who arrested Jesus?

The Gospel of John makes it clear that Roman soldiers led the way to arrest Jesus. Mel Gibson’s famous movie The Passion contradicts the Gospel record by having the Temple guard arrest Jesus. In the movie, the Temple guard did not want the Roman soldiers to know that they were planning to arrest Jesus. So in the movie the Romans were depicted as those who protected Jesus from the Jews. In the Gospel of John, however, the Romans made the arrest! Judas, Jesus’ own close disciple led the soldiers to Jesus. He knew where Jesus camped on the Mount of Olives. Judas brought them to Gethsemane. While others also accompanied Judas for the arrest, the strong force of Roman soldiers was the decisive component. The NASB translation was correct for John 18:3, “Judas then, having received the Roman cohort…” Also the TNT translation accurately depicts how Judas led the way for the arrest of Jesus by the, “Roman commander with soldiers…” (John 18:3). The captain of the Roman soldiers is mentioned in John 18:12. He is described with the Greek term chiliarchos which defines the arresting officer. He is literally a commander of a thousand men just like a Centurion was a commander of one hundred. This captain would have been in charge of a garrison of one to six thousand soldiers.

Temple guard police were also with them. Jesus was brought to Caiaphas the high priest for questioning. The Gospel of Luke makes it clear that Jesus was brought to “their” council or “their” committee, that is, the priestly authorities (Lk 22:63). It seems impossible that this could have been a meeting of the Great Sanhedrin as is portrayed in theater productions. The priestly faction of the Sadducees wanted a political charge to give to the Roman governor.

Who condemned Jesus to death?

Pontius Pilate was the Roman Governor with full authority given by the empire. His job was to collect taxes, to maintain full control over everything always upholding Roman sovereignty. The governor kept  the peace brutally by the sharp point of the Roman soldier’s short sword. Pilate possessed authority to crucify problem Jews. At the time of Passover, the Roman Governor was expected to release one prisoner. This Passover amnesty was required for a high profile detainee. Pilate had two prisoners from which to chose. Jesus was known as a healer, a preacher of peace, and the one who proclaimed the kingdom of heaven from realms beyond. Barabbas was a murderer, an insurrectionist, and a man wanting to lead an uprising to overthrow Roman sovereignty. The choice for Pilate was easy. Release Jesus and crucify Barabbas.

The priestly elites among the Sadducees recognized the Jesus movement as a greater threat to their Roman appointed authority. The Roman empire gave them their status. Their crowd called for the release of Barabbas so that Jesus would be eliminated.

At the arrest, Jesus asked the Roman soldiers why they did not arrest Him in the Temple where He was teaching day by day. The vast majority of Jewish people supported Jesus against the unpopular priestly elites. Enormous crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with shouts, “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the LORD!” Luke’s account includes the title “King” who comes in the LORD’s name (Lk 19:38). They said, “Blessed is the King who comes.” The Gospels describe many supporters and well wishers among the Jewish people. The Romans wanted to wait for the right time to arrest Jesus.

The Passover celebrated in Jewish homes was a very good time for the Romans to arrest Jesus when the vast majority of the people would be otherwise occupied and would not know what was going to happen. It is quite likely that Passover was celebrated on more than one day because of different views concerning the calendar. The Pharisees revered an oral tradition giving variation to the more traditional calendar followed by the Sadducees. Also the Essenes would probably have celebrated the feast on their calendar’s date. This would explain why the disciples ate a Passover meal with Jesus before the crucifixion in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  By contrast, however, John’s Gospel presents Jesus as the Passover lamb who was crucified at the time lambs were being sacrificed in the Temple for Passover (see John 19:14). These differences of time could be explained by recognizing the likelihood that the Pharisees commemorated  Passover according to their calendar and the Sadducees observed it on their calendar. Jesus ate the Paschal lamb dinner retelling the Exodus redemption and connecting the story with what was happening to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets. The Romans arrested Jesus when a large part of the population was involved in their Passover commemoration. So the crowd calling for His crucifixion was not the same group as the enormous gathering of people welcoming Jesus for the triumphal entry (Lk 19:28-44). According to John’s Gospel, it was the day of the Passover’s preparation when Jesus was condemned to die by order of Pilate the Roman Governor. So it seems that John’s Gospel is teaching that Jesus was being crucified near the time the Passover lambs were being slaughtered for the Sadducees. This means the council of the Priestly aristocracy could meet and question Jesus before their commemoration and that Jesus was arrested during the time when the common people and the Pharisees were celebrating the feast.

While one of Jesus’ closest disciples betrayed him and led a crowd with other factions to Gethsemane, it was actually Roman soldiers who made the arrest. It was Pilate who gave the sentence of death by crucifixion. It was Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus.  These are crucial points for historical accuracy.

What did Jesus teach His disciples about His sufferings?

For Christian theology, it is essential to recognize that all who have sinned made it necessary for Jesus to die. It was human need and God’s grace that put Jesus on the cross. In this respect, everyone is responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. He died to give healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Today our world is hurting, and people are yearning for healing. Every human being caused Jesus’ death. Jesus’ sufferings bring healing and wholeness.

Good Friday describes the torture of Jesus. The Gospel of Luke gives a vivid detail of great importance, “And they spoke many other words against him, reviling him” (RSV, Lk 22:65). The word translated as “reviling” here is actually the Greek word blasfemenous which would be understood in Hebrew as blaspheming the sacred name. This was the definition of blasphemy (compare Rev 13:6). Blasphemy was defined as pronouncing the name. The Hebrew Heritage Bible Newer Testament gives a clearer understanding of what happened, “They were saying many other abusive words against Him, even blaspheming God” (TNT, Lk 22:65). The physical torture is cruel and barbaric beyond our comprehension as Mel Gibson tried to show in his movie, The Passion. However, the spiritual burden of sin, the hour for the rule of darkness, and the Roman soldiers’ ridicule of Jewish faith is captured in this one verse. The soldiers served to keep peace in the Temple worship. They may even have overheard the High Priest say the sacred name in a whisper. They certainly would have know the Jewish prohibition against taking God’s name in vain and blasphemy. They blasphemed the name of God as they physically tortured Jesus in order to pierce the Jewish soul of Jesus and to inflict deep anguish with spiritual torture as well as physical brutality.

John the Baptist declared that Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In John’s Gospel Jesus is the Passover lamb. Peter saw the redemption in the agony of Good Friday, “He Himself carried our sins in His body on the tree so that we would die to sin and live for righteousness. By His wounds you were healed” (1 Pet 2:24). Highly esteemed theologian, Karl Barth encouraged all  to recognize what happened on the cross with the question, “Do we not have to realize that God’s plan of salvation is really his plan, that is, his kingdom that has already come and is victorious and has been set up in all its majesty; our Lord Jesus Christ, who has robbed sin, the devil and hell of their power, and vindicated divine and human right in his own person?” On Good Friday Jesus defeated sin, the devil, and achieved victory for the kingdom of heaven.

What is good about Good Friday? It was a terrible experience of torture for Jesus. But following the prophecy of Isaiah 53, his suffering brings healing to a tortured world. As the lamb of God, He has provided forgiveness and reconciliation. He reconciled the people of this world to God, and now, his followers are called to be ministers of reconciliation. His sufferings reveal the mystery of faith, “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.” For centuries Christians have made the affirmation of faith, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.”