A Holy Week Pilgrimage at the National Gallery London: Days 5-6

After the Last Supper, Agony and Arrest

“I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.”

Isaiah 50:6

Holy Week Events Attributed to the Evening of Day 5 (Maundy Thursday) to the Arrest and Torture of Jesus on Day 6 (Good Friday)

• The grief of Gethsemane

• Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss

• Jesus is arrested in the Garden

• His disciples deserted Him and fled

• Taken first to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the High Priest. (Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas and also the father of five sons, all of whom became high priests in the first century. Annas held the office himself from AD 6 through 15.)

• Bound and taken to Caiaphas, the High Priest

• Peter denies Jesus three times

• Judas commits suicide

• Jesus appears before Pilate twice (between these, He appears before Herod)

• Jesus is mocked by Roman soldiers

Return to the National Gallery Holy Week Quest

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial of Him

The disciples didn’t realize that their entire existence would be dramatically and irrevocably upended in just a few hours. Behind the scenes, Judas was at work and knew where to take the soldiers to find Jesus. In the meantime, the disciples went with Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives and as they walked, Jesus informed His friends that they would be made to stumble that night, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7: “I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”

But Peter was certain—cocksure, in fact—that he wouldn’t be made to stumble. “Never,” he said. “Even if everyone else does stumble, I won’t. I’m ready to go with you to prison and to death. In fact, even if I have to die with You, I won’t deny You!”

But Jesus, knowing Peter better than Peter did, contradicted this and replied, “Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith won’t fail. Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.

But when you return to me, strengthen your brothers.”¹

The Agony in the Garden

They made their way to the Garden of Gethsemane and He told the disciples to “sit here while I go and pray over there.” But He took His very best, closest, and most intimate friends, His inner circle, Peter, James, and John, with Him. And He said to these three, “I’m so desperately distressed that I feel I could truly die of sorrow. Please stay here with Me and watch with Me.” Before any of His physical sufferings, He suffered emotionally to the point of death.²

Although asked to stay awake and keep watch with Jesus, all the disciples, including these three, soon fell fast asleep.

Jesus, knowing full well what He was to face, was in dread of it and pleaded with His Father to remove this cup from Him, to let what was about to come pass from Him. “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me.”

The Agony in the Garden. Andrea Mantegna. (c. 1455-56). Egg tempera on wood. “Mantegna came from Padua, a city on the Venetian mainland. He was Giovanni Bellini’s brother-in-law. His interest in classical antiquity and historical architecture can be seen here in his detailed painting of Jerusalem and in the solid, sculptural forms of the figures. In contrast to Bellini’s landscapes, everything appears fixed, allowing us to read God’s creative logic in the elaborate rock formations and harmoniously drifting clouds.” (Information card adjacent to painting, National Gallery London.)

“Nevertheless, not as I will but as You will,” Jesus submitted to His Father.

Then an angel came to Him from heaven and strengthened Him.

He came back to His disciples and was very disheartened to find that on this night of all nights they were deeply sleeping.

“Couldn’t you watch with Me one hour??? Watch and pray or you’ll fall into temptation. Your spirits may be willing but the flesh is indeed weak.”

And He went away to pray to His Father again.

The Agony in the Garden. Giovanni Bellini. (c. 1458-60). Egg tempera on wood. “Christ pleads to be delivered from his fate, to die on the Cross, but ends up accepting it. This is symbolised here by the chalice offered by a transparent angel. Bellini adapted the complex arrangement of the sleeping apostles from his brother-in-law Mantegna’s version of the scene (displayed nearby). The almost liquid wax and wane of the dawn-lit landscape is his personal vision of nature as a place of perpetual change.” (Information card adjacent to painting, National Gallery London)

“Oh, My Father, if this cup cannot pass from me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

Was there no other way?

No.

And He knew it.

And the agony of it made Him sweat great drops of blood which fell down to the ground.

Eventually, he got up and went back to His friends, who were sleeping again.

The Agony in the Garden. Lo Spagna. (c. 1500-1505). Oil on wood. “The disciples—Peter, James, and John—sleep while Christ prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. Beyond at the right, Judas leads the soldiers into the garden. Lo Spagna was a Spanish artist who worked in many of the smaller Italian cities in Umbria and the Marches. The painting is a variant on a composition by Perugino.” (Information adjacent to painting, National Gallery London)

This time He just let them sleep and went away again to ask His Father one last time to take this cup from Him, but for His will to nevertheless prevail. Then He returned to His disciples again and said to them, “Are you still sleeping? Well, it’s time now. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up with you. See? My betrayer is at hand.”³

[And I just think of how important it is to listen to Jesus. If He says He’s got to go soon, I’d want to be awake and with Him…But, would I also fall asleep?]

The Agony in the Garden. Ludovico Carracci. (c. 1590). Oil on canvas. “As Christ prays in the Garden of Gethsemane an angel appears, bearing a cup and pointing to an apparition of the instruments of the Passion. In the foreground are the sleeping apostles: Peter (left), and James and John (on the right). In the distance Judas leads guards to arrest Christ. The artist uses several sources of light in the painting.” (Information card adjacent to the painting, National Gallery)

Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane

Then Judas came to the garden and to the Master he knew so well. Ridiculously, he’d brought with him a huge contingent of troops and officers and some of the chief priests, Pharisees, scribes, and elders came, too, with their servants. There were lanterns and torches and swords and clubs, as if to launch a great battle.

Jesus, knowing what was to come, went forward and said to them, “Who do you seek?”

They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

Jesus replied, “I am He.” At His reply, all the people drew back and fell to the ground.

And in a slimy corrupting of a supreme and intimate gesture of love, Judas stepped forward and greeted Jesus—”Rabbi! Rabbi!”—with a kiss.

Jesus responded, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

They would know who was the One by the signal—a kiss—the One to then seize.

They seized Jesus.

And then! Peter, fully awake now, cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest, Malchus, with his sword!

Go Peter!!! (Some say he was aiming for the neck but got the ear when Malchus ducked.)

Oops. Wrong. Jesus didn’t need Peter to defend Him. “Permit even this. Don’t you think that I could pray to my Father right now and He’d send more than twelve legions of angels? The Scriptures have to be fulfilled, Peter. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” And Jesus glued Malchus’s ear back on, healing it instantly.

Jesus then spoke directly to all the people, including the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come out: “Do you think you’re coming out to punish a robber or something with your clubs and swords? I’ve been daily teaching you in the temple. You had every opportunity to seize me then. Why now? But this is your hour, and the power of darkness. The prophets must be fulfilled.”

And then every single disciple forsook Jesus and fled. (But Jesus had also said to the soldiers, “Let these go their way,” perhaps so they wouldn’t be chased down?)

Jesus was left alone to face His captors and their accusations.

Peter Denies Jesus

So, Jesus was led away to Annas’s house first, the father-in-law of the High Priest Caiaphas. Peter and John followed at a distance.

After Jesus was interviewed there, they then took Him to Caiaphas. John was known by Caiaphas and was allowed to enter his palace with Jesus and he brought Peter with him, who stayed in the courtyard. John went to get Peter to bring him in and the servant girl minding the door looked at Peter intently and asked, “Aren’t you also one of this Man’s disciples?”

Peter replied, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

He stayed in the courtyard and warmed himself by the fire of coals the servants and officers had made. It looked like he was trying to blend in with the rest of them, but they recognized him and asked, “You’re also one of His disciples, aren’t you?”

Peter replied with an oath, “I am not!”

But then a relative of the servant whose ear Peter had cut off asked, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with Him just a little while ago?”

Peter began to curse and swear and denied it the third time, “I do not know the Man!”

And immediately a rooster crowed.

Jesus, not yet inside, turned and looked at Peter. And Peter, understanding and remembering, wept bitterly.

Interrogated by the High Priest

Christ Before the High Priest. Gerrit Van Honthorst. (c. 1617). Oil on canvas. Jesus was questioned by Caiaphas about His teachings (Matt 26:57-66). “The intense atmosphere of the scene is heightened by the ingenious use of a visible light source. Painted in Rome, under the influence of Caravaggio, this picture became one of Van Honthorst’s most celebrated works.” (Information card adjacent to painting at the National Gallery.)

Caiaphas asked Jesus about His disciples and doctrine.

Jesus immediately challenged him. “I’ve been speaking openly in the synagogues and in the temple. You’ve heard me. I haven’t said anything in secret. Why do you ask this?”

And a nearby officer hit Jesus with the palm of his hand. “Do you dare speak to the high priest like this?”

Jesus answered, “If I’ve said anything evil, tell me what was evil; but if I spoke well, why did you strike Me?”

The chief priests and the council of elders who were also there all sought testimony to put Jesus to death. But they couldn’t find any evidence against Him. But then some did rise and bear false witness against Him but their testimonies didn’t agree.

Then the high priest asked Jesus, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”

Jesus answered, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Caiaphas went apoplectic at this. He tore his clothes and cried, “What further proof do we need? You have heard the blasphemy!”

And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.

Some spat on Him. They blindfolded and beat Him.

They mocked Him, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who’s the one who struck you?” And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.

Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate

And after they bound Him, they led Him away in the early morning to Pontius Pilate at the Praetorium.

“What accusation do you bring against this man?” Pilate inquired of the mob.

The mob: “We wouldn’t have brought Him to you if he weren’t an evildoer,” having no truthful and coherent response otherwise.

Pilate: “Well then you take Him and do with Him what you will according to your law.”

The mob: “It’s not lawful for us to put anyone to death [so you have to do it for us].”

Pilate then turned to Jesus and asked, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus replied, “It is as you say. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.

Pilate turned back to the multitude, “I find no fault in this Man.”

But the people grew even fiercer in their conviction that He should die.

Jesus Faces Herod

Pilate learned Jesus was Galilean and so sent Him off to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time, and who was in charge of the jurisdiction of Galilee.

Herod, when He saw Jesus, was excited because he had heard of Him and had long wanted to meet Him and see if He would perform a miracle for Him.

He questioned Jesus a long time but Jesus said nothing, while the chief priests and scribes spit vile accusations at Him.

Then Herod, too, with his men of war, began to mock Jesus and to treat Him with contempt. They put a gorgeous robe on Him and sent Him back to Pilate.

Before that day, Pilate and Herod had been enemies. Now, they were friends.

Back to Pilate

Calling the chief priests, the rulers, and the people together, Pilate said to them all, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” (for it was necessary to release one to them at the feast).

“Give us Barabbas instead!” they all cried. Barabbas was in prison for sparking a rebellion and for murder.

Still, Pilate wanted to release Jesus.

But the people cried out even louder, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

And eventually, the murderous voices prevailed. Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they dressed Him in purple and gave put a scarlet robe on Him

Christ After the Flagellation Contemplated by the Christian Soul. Diego Velazquez. (c. 1628-9). Oil on canvas. “The angel on the right side of the painting gestures to the kneeling child, the personification of a soul, directing him to contemplate the suffering Christ. The instruments of Christ’s torture are strewn in the foreground. The imagery is particular to Spain.” (Information card adjacent to painting at the National Gallery London)

Christ Mocked (The Crowning with Thorns) Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1510). Oil on oak. “One of Christ’s tormentors places the crown of thorns on his head. Another prepares to tear his garments. The spiked collar of the man, top right, resembles a dog collar. In contemporary devotional literature, Christ’s tormentors were likened to savage dogs.” (Information card adjacent to painting at the National Gallery London)

Christ Crowned with Thorns. Pietro Perugino (c. 1500-05). Oil on wood. “The artist here adapts a formula derived from Netherlandish painting, a ‘portrait’ of Christ designed to remind the viewer of His suffering during his Mocking. Christ’s expression combines accusation and pity.” (Information card adjacent to painting, National Gallery London)

Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.

Pilate brought Him out, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you that you may know that I find no fault in Him. Behold the Man!”

Christ Presented to the People (Ecce Homo). Correggio (c. 1525-30). Oil on poplar. “This is an image meant to elicit empathy: the viewer is put in the position of the crowd to whom Christ was presented. Overseeing things, the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, points to Christ and catches our gaze, while the guard at right looks on compassionately. The Virgin swoons.” (Information card adjacent to painting, National Gallery London)

Ecce Homo (Behold the Man). Rembrandt. (1634). Oil on paper, mounted onto canvas. “The subject…derives from Pilate’s words in the gospel of Saint John (19:5). Pilate presents Christ to the people who demand His execution, insisting that they have no king but Caesar. This sketch is the only known full-scale preparatory study Rembrandt made for one of his etchings.” (Information card adjacent to sketch, National Gallery London)

As Pilate presented him to the people, the chief priests and officers egged on the crowd and all cried out again, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

And Pilate said, “You take Him and crucify Him because I find no fault in Him.”

“He made Himself the Son of God and for that, according to our law, He ought to die!”

Now this scared Pilate, hearing that Jesus might be the Son of God. And he turned to Jesus and asked, “Are you not speaking to me? Don’t you know I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You?”

Jesus replied, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

And so Pilate kept trying to release Him—”What evil has He done?”—but the people wouldn’t have it.

Pilate brought Jesus out onto the judgement seat called The Pavement (or Gabbatha in Hebrew) and he said to the people, “Behold your King!”

And they called again, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Caesar only is our king!”

Then Pilate finally relented and released Barabbas from prison and delivered Jesus to them to be crucified. The soldiers led Him away to the Praetorium hall and called together the whole garrison.

And they began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.⁴

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Thoughts

Were there any parts of the story that particularly affected you today?

Did one of the National Gallery paintings today seem especially highlighted or poignant?

For me, it was quite difficult reviewing the mocking and scourging and beating of Jesus in all the gospels so I concentrated as much as possible on the writing, trying to create a cohesive storyline, combining elements and themes from all four books as I went along. I also think I tried to help myself through it all by adding a little lighter language to parts of the story: describing Caiaphas as apoplectic, for example, or cheering on Peter when He tried to defend Jesus in the Garden. I began to wonder if my writing today was turning almost flippant at times and so I paused, checking myself, and asked the Lord if the way I was recounting the story was okay and not disrespectful. This was when I sensed I was sort of in self-protection mode as I recounted the events before His crucifixion and that He was totally okay with my desire to not hurt too overwhelmingly much as I considered His suffering. God is very kind and understanding.

Regarding the paintings, doesn’t the Gallery have a nice selection fitting today’s Holy Week themes? Masterpieces, one and all. In considering a favorite (a difficult task) from today’s selection, though, I was especially taken by Christ Before the High Priest. The realism and that beautiful, beautiful glowing light. I felt like we the viewers were actually present in the room that night while Jesus was being interrogated. It is very right and very good indeed to celebrate this Van Honthorst masterwork.

I hope to hear some of your thoughts, too!

Good Friday is next. I can do this, I think, without moving into self-protection mode!

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Today’s Bible Passages

Matthew 26:30-75; 27:1-30

Mark 14:26, 32-72; 15:1-19

Luke 22:39-71; 23:1-25

John 13:36-38; 18:1-40; 19:1-16a

1. Quoted and paraphrased from Matthew 26:31-35; Mark 14:27-31; Luke 22:31-34; John 13:36-38. NKJV

2. Andrew Wommack. Free Online Bibe Commentary. awmi.net/reading/online-bible-commentary. (Note at Matthew 26:38)

3. Quoted and paraphrased from Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46

4. Quoted and paraphrased from Matthew 26:47-75; 27:1-30; Mark 14:33-72; 15:1-19; Luke 22:47-71; 23:1-25; John 18:1-40; 19:1-16a