Mk. 14:40. And, having returned, He found them sleeping again, for their eyes had grown heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him.
Mk. 14:41. And He comes the third time and says to them: Are you still sleeping and resting? It is finished, the hour has come: behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Mk. 14:42. Rise, let us go; behold, he who betrays Me has drawn near.
Christ always had the custom of praying alone, giving us an example so that we too would seek solitude for prayer. He takes with Him only those three disciples who were eyewitnesses of His glory on Tabor, so that they, having seen His glorious state, might also see His state of sorrow, and thus come to know that He is True Man and grieves and anguishes just as we do. For since He assumed the whole of man with his natural properties, He grieves and sorrows, without doubt, according to human nature; for we humans by nature shrink from death. Thus, when He says, "Take this cup away from Me," He reveals in Himself the human property; but then He added, "yet not what I will, but what You will" — He teaches us, despite the demands of nature, to ask for what is pleasing to God. After the prayer, coming to the disciples, He found those three disciples sleeping; but He rebukes Peter alone, as if saying to him: did you not promise to die with Me, yet could not watch even one hour — and can you despise death? But watch and pray, that you not fall into temptation and deny Me. Let your spirit be willing not to deny, as you also promised Me; but the flesh is weak, and therefore, if God does not give strength to your flesh in answer to your prayer, disaster will befall you. And again going away from them, He began to pray and say the same words as before, so that by this second prayer He might confirm that He was essentially and truly Man, and also to teach us to pray more frequently, and not in such a way that, having said something in prayer once, we immediately abandon it; one must repeat the prayer with diligence. And seeing the disciples sleeping again, He no longer rebukes them, because they were weighed down with sleep. From this, recognize human fickleness and weakness! We cannot even resist sleep, yet we often promise what is impossible for us! A third time Christ prays for the reasons we spoke of above. And again He comes to the disciples, but does not reproach them, although they deserved reproach, since even after the rebukes they did not strengthen themselves but gave themselves over to sleep. What then does He say? "Are you still sleeping and resting?" He says this to shame them. Since He saw that the betrayer was coming, He said to them as if to say: now is the time for sleep — sleep on, the enemy is already coming. He said this (repeated it) to shame them for their sleeping. And that He said this truly as a reproach, listen to what He says next: "Rise, let us go." He says this not in order to flee, but to go meet the enemies. The expression "My soul is sorrowful unto death" — some understand it thus: I grieve not because I must die, but because the Israelites — My own kinsmen — are crucifying Me, and for this they will be cast out from the Kingdom of God.
Mk. 14:43. And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, comes, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and scribes and elders.
Mk. 14:44. And he that betrayed Him had given them a sign, saying: Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He; take Him and lead Him away safely.
Mk. 14:45. And having come, he immediately went up to Him and says, "Rabbi! Rabbi!" and kissed Him.
Mk. 14:46. And they laid their hands on Him and seized Him.
Mk. 14:47. And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
Mk. 14:48. Then Jesus said to them: Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs, to take Me?
Mk. 14:49. Every day I was with you in the temple and taught, and you did not seize Me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.
Not without reason was it added: "one of the twelve," but in condemnation of the betrayer, because he, being in the first rank of the apostles, plotted against his own Master. But look at his madness, how he thought to hide from the Lord by a kiss, hoping to be received as a friend. If you are indeed a friend, why did you come with enemies? Truly, senseless cunning! "And one of those who stood by" — this was Peter. Mark concealed his name so that no one would think he was praising Peter, his teacher, for his zeal for Christ. But Peter, fittingly, cut off the ear of the high priest's servant: this indicates that the Jews were a disobedient, rebellious, and inattentive people with regard to the Scriptures. Otherwise, if they had ears attentive to the Scriptures, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. And Peter struck not some other servant, but the high priest's, for the high priests were the first to disobey the Scriptures, having become slaves of envy and self-love. Christ said to the crowd: "As though against a robber you have come out." Every day I taught in the temple! But this testifies to His Divinity. For when He taught in the temple, they could not seize Him, even though He was in their hands, since the time of His suffering had not yet come. But when He Himself willed it, then He also gave Himself up to them, that the prophetic Scriptures might be fulfilled, that "like a sheep He was led to the slaughter" (Isa. 53:7), not arguing, not crying out, but voluntarily following those who led Him.
Mk. 14:50. Then, having left Him, they all fled.
Mk. 14:51. And a certain young man, having wrapped a linen cloth about his naked body, followed Him; and the soldiers seized him.
Mk. 14:52. But he, leaving the linen cloth, fled from them naked.
Mk. 14:53. They led Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes assembled before him.
Mk. 14:54. Peter followed Him from afar, even into the courtyard of the high priest; and sat with the servants, and warmed himself by the fire.
The disciples fled, for it was impossible for the Self-existent Truth and the prophets to lie. Only a certain young man followed Him. This young man was probably from the house in which they ate the Passover. Some, however, think that this was James, the brother of God, called the righteous, for throughout his whole life he wore a single cloak, and after the Ascension of the Lord he received from the apostles the episcopal throne in Jerusalem. It was he, they say, who left behind his outer garment and fled. And there is nothing surprising that, when the chief apostles fled, he too forsook the Lord. Peter, however, showing the most fervent love for the Teacher, followed after Christ. The law commanded that the Jews should have one high priest for his entire life; yet at that time they had many high priests, who one after another each year purchased their authority from the Romans. Thus the evangelist calls "high priests" those who, having served for some time in the high priesthood, had left it.
Mk. 14:55. And the chief priests and the whole council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and found none.
Mk. 14:56. For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies were not sufficient.
Mk. 14:57. And some, rising up, bore false witness against Him and said:
Mk. 14:58. We heard Him say: I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.
Mk. 14:59. But neither was their testimony sufficient.
Mk. 14:60. Then the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus: Do You answer nothing? What is it that these men testify against You?
Mk. 14:61. But He was silent and answered nothing.