In the Garden and kiss of betrayal

Our Garden Passage

Luke 22:39–40 NASB95

39 And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Luke 22:41–42 NASB95

41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

Luke 22:43–44 NASB95

43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

Luke 22:45–46 NASB95

45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

What did you notice in this passage?

What does Luke mean by saying Jesus went “as was His custom” (v.39)?

It is a subjective answer, but meaning that it was His custom to go there and pray

What does Jesus mean by “this cup” (v.42)?

Again, subjective, this burden I am about to face, but yet let Your will be done Father, not Mine

How does Jesus second call to prayer reinforce His earlier warning (v.46)?

Tells them the same reason, that they may not enter into temptation.

Jesus Chooses Prayer

Jesus chooses prayer in the face of crisis

Key truth: Spiritual preparations matters most when pressure is greatest.

Jesus Submits

Jesus submits His will to the Father

Key Truth: True obedience is not the absence of struggle, but surrender in the struggle.

Jesus Stands Firm

The disciples struggle while Jesus stands firm.

Key Truth: Spiritual weariness makes us vulnerable, but prayer keeps us alert.

Applications

Follow Jesus Example

Make prayer a habit before crisis comes

Be honest with God

He invites us to bring our fears and our struggles

Submit daily

Surrender is not a one-time decision but a continual posture.

Stay spiritually alert

Weariness opens the door to temptation.

Key Truths (Takeaways)

Prayer aligns our hearts with God’s will

Strength to obey often comes after wrestling in prayer

God may not remove the cup, but He will provide the strength to carry it.

Spiritual preparation determines spiritual resilience.

Closing: In Gethsemane, we see Jesus at His most human —and most faithful. He does not avoid suffering, deny fear, or act independently. Instead, He prays, submits, and rises strengthened to obey.

A Kiss of Betrayal

Have you ever been hurt, disappointed by someone you trusted?

Insert personal story here (ex-wife)

Can you think of a time when you have been betrayed or deeply disappointed by someone you trusted? What did it feel like? What made the moment painful? How did you respond? What did you learn about yourself?

In our passage today, Jesus experiences betrayal at the hands of a close companion, violence from a well-meaning disciple, and injustice from religious leaders. Yet, He responds with calm authority and compassion. Luke invites us to see not only what happens to Jesus, but how He responds.

The Betrayal Passage

Luke 22:47–48 NASB95

47 While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. 48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Luke 22:49–50 NASB95

49 When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, 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.

Luke 22:51–52 NASB95

51 But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber?

Luke 22:53 NASB95

53 “While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours.”

Is there anything in particular that stands out to you in this passage?

While Prophesy says the betrayal would be by a trusted person (Ps41:9, 55:12-14; Zec11:12-13) how did Judas do it, and do you think there is any significance to it (vv.47-48)?

Judas betrayed with a kiss, and normally a kiss was a greeting but here it was a betrayal. Jesus knew it was a betrayal not a greeting and knew Judas was the betrayer.

Here, in the Mark account (v.50) do we know who cut off the slaves ear?

No we do not, we can know from the other gospel accounts that it was Peter, but here we do not and we know (v.51) that Jesus touched the ear and healed him.

What did Jesus say to the chief priests, officers of the temple and elders in (v.53), what does it mean?

While I was in the temple with you, you did not lay hands on Me, but this hour, the power of darkness are yours.

What does it mean. It means the time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over, to be beaten, to die, and to rise again 3-days later to fulfill prophesy. It will appear as if the power of darkness wins on Friday but on Sunday everything changes.

Betrayal in the Presence of Love

A sign of affection, a sign of greeting was being used as a sign to deliver the Savior into the hands of sinners. Our human, sinful tendency can be tempted by false appearances or momentary gain at the cost of true loyalty. Consider if you have ever betrayed someone in a relationship, or betrayed God by your choice or action where you needed to repent and again get genuine allegiance to Christ?

Judas approaches Jesus with a kiss — a symbol of friendship, greetings — turned into deception, betrayal, treachery

Jesus confronts Judas with a piercing question, not filled with rage, but with truth: “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Key Truth: Betrayal is most painful when it comes from those closest to us.

Christ’s Compassionate Response

Christ has not forgotten His commitment to His mission, even amidst the betrayal. Christ still had compassion, healing the servants ear demonstrates His love and mercy and it should set an example for our responses. In our moments of pain or betrayal, seeking to love and show mercy reflects Christ’s heart and it leads to genuine healing.

The disciples ask if they should strike —before waiting for an answer, one acts.

Violence erupts in confusion and fear

Jesus stopes the violence: “Stop! No more of this

Jesus rebukes the action and heals the servant’s ear.

With this healing of the ear this is the final healing miracle before the cross.

Key Truth: Jesus’ kingdom is not advanced through violence or force.

Cowardly Captors in Darkness

The Kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness are contrasted here. Jesus highlights the cowardice of those who come in the darkness, pointing to the power of evil when hidden and unchallenged. Our allegiance to Christ helps illuminate the darkness and offers a call to live in truth and light, thereby thwarting the plans of evil. Even though on the outside here evil seems to be winning, God’s plan, Jesus purpose is being played out perfectly.

Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of the arrest: no swords or clubs were used when He taught publicly.

Yet He acknowledges: “This hour and the power of darkness are yours.”

They treated Him like a criminal though He taught openly in the temple.

Key truth: Jesus is not overpowered—He willingly submits to God’s plan

Discussion Questions

(Below is a slide)

Which response of Jesus stands out most to you in this passage — His words to Judas, His rebuke of violence, or His calm submission? Why?

How do we sometimes try to “defend Jesus” in ways He never asked us to?

What does this passage teach us about trusting God when situations feel unjust or out of control?

Applications

(Below is on a slide)

When betrayed: respond with integrity, not bitterness or revenge.

When tempted to react: Pause and ask whether your response reflects Christ’s kingdom.

When facing dark seasons: Trust that God’s purposes are still unfolding, even when darkness seems to have the upper hand.

Take away: Jesus is never a victim of circumstance— He is the obedient Son who chooses the cross in submission to the Father’s will.

Drawing a conclusion

In this gospel account we have seen that even in betrayal, injustice and violence, Jesus remains compassionate, authoritative, and faithful. As His disciples, we are called not merely to admire His strength, but to imitate His response —trusting God’s plan, rejecting worldly methods, and choosing faithfulness even in dark hours.