A two-part question, the first of which revolves around the Christian religion and th

[سواها قلبي]

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

We begin by completing the elements of the crucifixion. We had already finished discussing the charge of betrayal (4- The Last Supper and the Traitorous Disciple). We saw that Satan entered Judas before the Last Supper, according to Luke's account. However, according to John's account, he entered Judas after Christ gave him the food during the Last Supper, and then left to plot against him.

And now we begin with a well-known element under the title .. The suffering in the garden or the pains and troubles of Christ in the garden .. We will read the text .. I always begin with the Gospel of Mark as it is the oldest of the Gospels .. But I hope that we focus as we read the text that describes this important and decisive period of the life of Christ .. on whether the image that the Gospel writers painted of Christ here shows that he came to shed his blood as a ransom for many .. And thus the crucifixion and the shedding of his blood was a main goal of his message .. as they say .. Or was Christ surprised by the power of injustice almost closing in on him .. And that his life was threatened with danger in a way he did not expect .. And therefore he was seized with a state of deadly terror in which he wished at every moment to escape from the danger and save himself from death ..


5-
The Passion of Christ
:

“32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch." 35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." 37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand." (Mark 14)

The simplest comment on this statement is that it is quite clear that Christ did not expect this amazing surprise, which is that his enemies would seize him. Of course, he knew that when they seized him, they would kill him. Therefore, he was praying at all times for this hour, this trial, or this cup to pass from him, so that he would be saved.

** So we can decide - in principle - that any statement that says that he came to sacrifice his life as a ransom for many... or that the shedding of his blood was necessary to atone for Adam's sin or the sins of humanity... all of that cannot be accepted.

*** If Adam's disobedience... his atonement would be by killing the Son of God against the will of the Son of God himself... then this is a greater catastrophe... because the sin is completely multiplied in this way...

Next we go to know the opinions of scholars and interpreters of the Gospels. Dennis Nineham says:

Opinions have been violently divided over the historical value of this section, and it has been questioned whether it is in fact part of the source from which St. Mark narrated.

Others assert that no one could have witnessed most of the events mentioned here, nor could anyone have known what prayer Jesus prayed alone. Therefore, they consider the typical prayer (in verse 36) and its repetition three times to be something artificial, like saying that Peter denied it three times.

A reliable decision (about the truth of what happened in the garden) is impossible.. (Interpretation of the Gospel of Mark, pp. 389-390)

As for Luke’s account of the sufferings of Christ, we find in it what makes us present it... as it says:

“39 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. 40 When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." 41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. 46 Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation." (Luke 22)

George Caird says in his interpretation of these passages: According to Mark's account (which was a source for Luke), Jesus was now seized with fear and astonishment, and he spoke to his disciples about the grief that accompanied the exhaustion and disappearance of his life. Unable to be in the company of his dearest friends (his disciples), he spent the night in successive spasms of the Anguished Prayer. But Luke's shortened account (relative to Mark's) gives us as much as possible a stronger impression of the state of confusion that befell Jesus. He tells us that it was Jesus who tore himself away from his friends, that he was in excruciating pain, and that his sweat became like drops of blood. When we remember the courage and steadfastness with which other brave men faced death in all its barbaric forms, and the excessive torture that accompanied it, we cannot help but wonder what cup Jesus was praying to God to spare him.

Jesus' prayer shows us that the torment of doubt was one element of his complex ordeal.

How many times has he predicted his sufferings, but now, on the eve of their occurrence, we find him retreating on his heels... This... and since some ancient references omit the two verses (43, 44)... which say:

“43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Despite their presence in most versions and the knowledge of Christian scholars in the second century of them, “the reason for this deletion can be traced back (as George Caird says) to the understanding of one of the scribes that the image of Jesus here... was surrounded by human weakness... was in conflict with his belief in the divine Son who shared his Father’s all-powerful power...” (Interpretation of the Gospel of Luke, p. 243).

If we accept that this is what really happened to Christ in the garden, then this clearly means that he did not expect to be killed at all. As for the torment of doubt that afflicted him, it can be attributed to the fact that he must have been reassured in advance that his enemies would not be able to catch him - which we will return to talk about in some detail under the title: (Christ’s predictions of his escape from being killed) - but when he saw his enemies about to catch him, then there afflicted him the torment of doubt as to whether he would really escape or whether they would kill him.


There's more to come... Your brother, Al-Athram

[سواها قلبي]

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

6- Arrest:

Mark 14 says: " 43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely." 45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him. 46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. 47 And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled." 50 Then they all forsook Him and fled. 51 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked. “

*** The kiss was the beginning of the arrest process. We find that Matthew, Luke, and Mark agreed on this, with a slight difference. As for John, there is no place for the kiss. He also gives a picture completely different from what the three similar gospels narrated. He says:

“3 Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" 5 They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth."
Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. 6 Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Then He asked them again, "Whom are you seeking?"
And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." 8 Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way," (John 18)

The four Gospels agreed on one important thing, which is that starting from that time, which was in the darkness of the night - because they came with torches and lamps - all the disciples left him and fled.

*** Where were the disciples' doubts?

The Gospels have previously mentioned Jesus' words to his disciples:

"All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:”

Here we are faced with two possibilities:

One is that Christ predicted to his disciples that a plot would be hatched against him. Although it would cause him pain and suffering, it would fail, and God would save him from the murder that awaited him at the hands of its plotters.

Secondly, Christ may have prophesied to his disciples that a conspiracy would be hatched against him, causing him pain and suffering and ending in his death.

If it was the first case... and the disciples saw - as the Gospels clearly narrate - that Christ was arrested that night and the forces of injustice were able to triumph over him and achieve what they wanted... then the disciples must have doubted their teacher who had predicted his salvation... and then events before their eyes later showed that it did not happen...

Only here do doubt, error and apostasy from the faith occur. It is known that doubt is not denial. This is because the thief who is caught may deny stealing, but at the same time he is the first to know for certain that he stole. He does not doubt the theft even though he denies it.

Since the Gospels all show that the disciples did not doubt Christ that night - but rather spoke of Peter's denial that he was one of his disciples - this means that events proceeded as described in that case, ending with Christ's escape from arrest and murder.

As for the second case, which is that Christ prophesied to his disciples that he would be arrested and killed, then what the disciples saw - according to the Gospels as well - is that this is what happened, and there is no room for doubt - then - in this case.

There is no doubt that denying the disciples' doubts on that night would necessarily entail making false predictions about Christ, something that could not have come from him, something we deny and condemn.

From the above, we find that the four Gospels differ regarding the story of the arrest and its circumstances:

Mark and Matthew both report that Judas kissed Christ. Luke reports that Judas was about to kiss him, while John knows nothing about the kiss.

Both Mark and Matthew mention a greeting and conversation between Judas and Christ. Luke is silent about that greeting, while John does not mention anything about Judas except for complete silence after he led the force to arrest him in the garden.

If we ignore what was mentioned in the two stories of the twelve armies of angels and the young man who fled naked, there remain three basic points that must be fully understood in order to stand upon them, and they are:

1- The kiss was the only way to introduce the members of the force to the personality of Christ (according to Mark, Matthew and Luke).. while in John this happened after Christ revealed himself to them in a way that reflects the challenge and steadfastness that the fighters of the faiths and messages possess..

2- An unusual incident occurred at that moment, which stunned the force members and caused them to step back and fall to the ground.

3- The disciples - according to what the Gospel writers narrate - did not doubt Christ for a single moment from the night in which the arrest occurred.

Since the story of Christ, with all its details, always goes back to the prophecies of the Old Testament, especially the Book of Psalms, Psalm 91, which is often cited, says:

“ 9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation."

*** Is it not right to say that God’s angels carried Christ in their hands at that moment when the hearts of the believers were about to stray... after Christ and his disciples saw that the power of darkness was about to swallow them up?

And if it is asked, "Where did Christ go after that?"

We say, "And where did Elijah (Elias) go, who was taken up to heaven?"

The Old Testament books say about this:

" 11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. (2 Kings 2)

And as Enoch (Idris) was previously raised to heaven, as the scriptures say:

“24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5)

The truth is that it is from God's mercy - Glory be to Him - to mankind that every miracle performed by Christ was preceded by those performed by the prophets before him. If he raised dead people - whose number, according to the Gospels, did not exceed three - then one of the prophets before him raised a great army of the dead. Others also raised individuals who had recently died or who had been dead for a long time.

As for the blessing and multiplication of food that Christ practiced, it also happened with the prophets before him.. and similarly was the process of healing the sick that the previous prophets practiced.. All of this is mercy from God to His creation ****** so that they do not go astray in Christ and be tempted by Him and take Him as a god *****


There's more to come... Your brother, Al-Athram