Killing Jesus: A History

lead them in rebellion. Jesus does not believe that is his earthly purpose. So he accepts his coming fate and makes no effort to flee.
    After about an hour of prayer, Jesus returns to the garden at Gethsemane. But the disciples are sound asleep. “Could you not keep watch for one hour?” the Nazarene demands to know.
    The disciples don’t have an answer. But Jesus once again asks that they stay awake while he returns to his private spot for more prayer.
    In the solitude of the night, Jesus asks God for relief. He is a man for whom faith comes easily, and making this request should be simple. But it is not. So now he prays a different prayer—one that asks for the strength to endure all that is to come. “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done,” 3 Jesus pleads.
    The Nazarene walks back down the slope to check on the disciples. All are again asleep, seemingly untroubled by worry or anguish. They seem to have ignored every single word Jesus has spoken to them about his suffering and impending death. It is as if they are willing to believe parts of his teaching and to wonder at his accomplishments, but they cannot accept the dark side of his message.
    Jesus walks back up the hill to pray one last time. In his chronicling of the Nazarene’s final days, the physician Luke put forth that Jesus began literally sweating blood. This condition is known as hematidrosis, and it is brought on by intense anxiety. Though rare, it is most often seen in condemned men as they begin walking toward their execution site.
    His prayers finished, Jesus returns to his disciples, exhausted. The hour is past midnight, the air growing colder. Jesus wears just his cloak and sheer tunic, which allow his lean body little defense against the elements. The panic he experienced has not subsided—Jesus knows the end could come at any moment—but now, as he once again enters the garden at Gethsemane, he knows it is time to accept his fate.
    “Rise,” he tells his disciples. His voice is steady, and he can clearly see the torches and line of men approaching from across the Kidron Valley. Instead of fleeing, Jesus of Nazareth waits.
    *   *   *
    The traitor Judas leads a pack of Temple guards into the garden. Each man carries either a club or a sword, and some also wield the torches and lanterns that cut through the darkness. Yet the flames are not bright enough to ensure that the guards can see which of the bearded men before them is Jesus. Judas has anticipated this and walks innocently to the Nazarene.
    “Greetings, Rabbi,” he says coldly, kissing Jesus on the cheek. This is the agreed-upon signal between Judas and the Temple guards.
    “Friend,” Jesus replies, “do what you came for.”
    He then turns and looks at the guards. “Who is it you want?”
    “Jesus of Nazareth,” comes the reply.
    “I am he,” Jesus answers.
    The Temple guards are not Gentile Roman soldiers but Jewish employees of the Temple courts. Nonetheless, they are physical men, well acquainted with the force needed to make an arrest. Before Jesus’s wrists can be tied, however, Peter draws his new sword and cuts off the ear of Malchus, the servant of Caiaphas. 4
    “Put your sword away,” Jesus commands the ever-impulsive Peter. “For those who draw the sword must also die by the sword.”
    Then Jesus submits to being bound and led away. For Judas, all has gone according to plan. At this late hour, few have seen the commotion.
    So it is that Jesus, his captors, and Judas march to the home of the high priest on the eve of Passover. The disciples lag behind, frightened for their lives. Since it is the middle of the night, a trial is not possible. If religious law is to be obeyed, Jesus must wait until morning to face his accusers. And based on those same laws, if a death sentence is passed the next morning, the mandatory full day of reprieve before execution would mean that Jesus has at least one or two days to live.
    Jesus is not counting on the disciples to come to his rescue. Indeed, if he were, that hope would now be proven futile, for his terrified followers have turned and are now in full flight.
    The night air is crisp and cool. Most of Jerusalem is asleep as the prisoner is led to the house of the high priest. The route takes them past the room where, just a few hours ago, Jesus and his disciples celebrated their last supper.
    The Nazarene knows he will die alone. Though he is