In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. Psalm 109, 4.

4th 5th 6th and 7th July During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Hebrews 5, 5 - 7 Returning the third time, he said to them: "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Mark 14, 41 It is not an ennemy who is insulting me ... but it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend. Psalm 55, 12 & 13 The men seized Jesus and arrested him. Mark 14, 46 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53, 7 On top of the Mount of Olives Let us just follow this small group in our thoughts. It is leaving town and crossing over the Kidron Valley. Do we not have intense emotions? Our Saviour starts to be deeply distressed and troubled. He says: "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Mark 14, 33 & 34). The narrative of the Gospel is temperate. The Psalms contain a lot of expressions of Jesus on his way to the cross (Psalm 69, 102 ...). He was very susceptible to the hatred which man would invent to make him suffer. Besides the physical suffering of the crucifixion he also will know the ingratitude and cruelty of his creatures. The worst suffering of all was to know that his God would be hidden for a time. He who was completely holy and pure could only be dread at the thought of being made sin for us. (2 Corinthians 5, 21) Walking in front of his disciples Jesus went further. The distance between him and his disciples was a stone's throw (Luke 22, 41). There is always a distance between the believer and his Lord, even if intimate communion unites them. With burning supplication he bows down and asks that the cross may pass away from him, but he adds: "If it is possible". But it was not possible because how could we achieve forgiveness if Jesus had not paid the price? He comes back to his three disciples and finds them asleep. Luke specifies: "They were asleep exhausted from sorrow" (Luke 22, 45). He really was alone in the moments of intense sorrow. By this the prophetic word is fulfilled: "I waited for somebody to have compassion with me but there was nobody and I looked for comforters but did not find any" (Psalm 69, 20). All the love of our Saviour is found in the words he spoke to his disciples. These words are mentioned at the top of this Internet page. The battle which he went through in prayer ends by his unreserved acceptation of his Father's will. Now he has whole trust. The hour has come. He often spoke about this hour. The hour of the cross and of God's judgement for sin but also the hour for our salvation.

He invites his disciples to stand up and adds: "Let us go". He will go alone until the end. Those who belong to him should not stay there. He knows that they cannot follow him, but that they will meet him in the evening of his resurrection. Is it not the same for us? Jesus has risen. If we can gaze at our Saviour and Lord in his way of suffering and remember his death on the cross, then we should lift up our eyes in faith to see him where he is now, sitting at the right hand of God his Father. Then our christianity would be happier and more living.

The final phases of the story of Judas rushes dramatically. The Gospel teaches us that as soon as he was pointed out by Jesus at the Passover meal he went out (John 13, 30). The prophet Isaiah announced: "Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood" (Isaiah 59, 7). The betrayer arrives with a crowd with weapons and with rods. They are going to lay hand on their Creator, their rejected Messiah. This is your hour - when darkness reigns (Luke 22, 53).

What shall we say about the sign given by Judas and his words: Rabbi, Rabbi? The devil had already taken possession of his heart. He cannot go backwards. This dark board shows us what a man pushed by Satan is able to do and this even after being in the company of Jesus for three years! Psalm 55 announces the betrayal of Judas (v. 12...). His kiss is the limit of the treacherous act.

The prophetic word of Isaiah is fulfilled: "He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53, 7). If he speaks out a word then it is only to emphasize on the fulfillment of Scriptures (Mark 14, 48-49) and on the fact that this threating band would not have needed any weapons.

The episode when Peter cuts of the right ear of Malchus with a sword shows us where best intentions can lead to (John 18, 10 & 11). By using a human weapon he pretends to help Jesus defend himself. Jesus asked God to forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23, 34). One word is enough to reverse all (John 18, 6): "It is me." If Jesus would have asked for an army of angels his Father would have given it to him (Matthew 26, 53).

The episode of a young man who is covered by linen flees naked while Jesus is arrested. This shows a religion without reality, a light covering which disappears as soon as the first difficulties arise.

After all this Jesus is taken to the high priest. It is at night. This night activity corresponds to the moral nature of the actors: "Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed" (John 3, 20). The Jewish chiefs will have a meeting for their dark need. Then they will associate with Herod and Pilate to fulfill without knowing what God had decided in advance (Acts 4, 27 & 28). They are the toys of Satan but this does not reduce their responsibility in any way. Peter will tell them later: "You have disowned the Holy and Righteous One ... you have killed the author of life" (Acts 3, 14-15). But at the moment Peter only follows this from far away and this leads him to denial of Christ.

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