42 rise, we may go, lo, he who is delivering me up hath come nigh.'
43 And immediately—while he is yet speaking—cometh near Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude, with swords and sticks, from the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders; 44 and he who is delivering him up had given a token to them, saying, 'Whomsoever I shall kiss, he it is, lay hold on him, and lead him away safely,' 45 and having come, immediately, having gone near him, he saith, 'Rabbi, Rabbi,' and kissed him. 46 And they laid on him their hands, and kept hold on him; 47 and a certain one of those standing by, having drawn the sword, struck the servant of the chief priest, and took off his ear. 48 And Jesus answering said to them, 'As against a robber ye came out, with swords and sticks, to take me! 49 daily I was with you in the temple teaching, and ye did not lay hold on me—but that the Writings may be fulfilled.' 50 And having left him they all fled;
51 and a certain young man was following him, having put a linen cloth about 'his' naked body, and the young men lay hold on him, 52 and he, having left the linen cloth, did flee from them naked.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Mark 14:42-52
Commentary on Mark 14:32-42
(Read Mark 14:32-42)
Christ's sufferings began with the sorest of all, those in his soul. He began to be sorely amazed; words not used in St. Matthew, but very full of meaning. The terrors of God set themselves in array against him, and he allowed him to contemplate them. Never was sorrow like unto his at this time. Now he was made a curse for us; the curses of the law were laid upon him as our Surety. He now tasted death, in all the bitterness of it. This was that fear of which the apostle speaks, the natural fear of pain and death, at which human nature startles. Can we ever entertain favourable, or even slight thoughts of sin, when we see the painful sufferings which sin, though but reckoned to him, brought on the Lord Jesus? Shall that sit light upon our souls, which sat so heavy upon his? Was Christ in such agony for our sins, and shall we never be in agony about them? How should we look upon Him whom we have pierced, and mourn! It becomes us to be exceedingly sorrowful for sin, because He was so, and never to mock at it. Christ, as Man, pleaded, that, if it were possible, his sufferings might pass from him. As Mediator, he submitted to the will of God, saying, Nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt; I bid it welcome. See how the sinful weakness of Christ's disciples returns, and overpowers them. What heavy clogs these bodies of ours are to our souls! But when we see trouble at the door, we should get ready for it. Alas, even believers often look at the Redeemer's sufferings in a drowsy manner, and instead of being ready to die with Christ, they are not even prepared to watch with him one hour.
Commentary on Mark 14:43-52
(Read Mark 14:43-52)
Because Christ appeared not as a temporal prince, but preached repentance, reformation, and a holy life, and directed men's thoughts, and affections, and aims to another world, therefore the Jewish rulers sought to destroy him. Peter wounded one of the band. It is easier to fight for Christ than to die for him. But there is a great difference between faulty disciples and hypocrites. The latter rashly and without thought call Christ Master, and express great affection for him, yet betray him to his enemies. Thus they hasten their own destruction.