the passion in word and art 2018 - session 2 · the passion of the christ in word and in art deacon...

© 2018, Deacon Steve Swope

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane Heinrich Hofmann, 1890


The Passion of the Christ in Word and in Art

Deacon Steve Swope & Mrs. Carol TooleSt. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church

February 2018

www.DeaconsView.com


The Gospel of Mark - Gethsemane

§ Jesus, after the last supper had to come to terms with the necessity that he must suffer and die

§ The coming tragedy seems almost too much for Jesus

§ He separates with Peter, James and John from the other disciples to pray

§ He “Began to feel terror and anguish” and that “His soul is very sorrowful even to death” (14:34)

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§ Jesus separates from the three so he is completely alone

§ Jesus prays that “This hour might pass him by” and that the Father might “Take this cup away from me.” (14:36)

§ Mark is stark and cold – Jesus is abandoned and he is in great distress and asks to be delivered – why would he fear death and be divine?

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Rosenwald Book of Hours, 1533- US Library of Congress


The Gospel of Mark - Gethsemane§ Jewish thought of death was back to the OT – Adam and

Eve had death imposed on them – it was an evil, a loss of God

§ Jesus was indeed distressed § The Christian response isn’t to underplay Jesus’

apprehension but to stress the importance of life in this world – death is a distortion not deliverance

§ The NT speaks of death as the last enemy to be overcome – even after Jesus’ victory over it

§ Death is an enemy that cannot conquer (because of Jesus’ victory) but it is an enemy nonetheless

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§ The obedience and trust that Jesus shows toward God’s will is even more impressive when we consider the real life fear, terror, anguish and abandonment that he felt

§ He said previously “whoever saves his life will lose it” but now we seen him praying that the cup will pass

§ He predicted Peter’s denials but is upset that Peter falls asleep

§ He finds the three closest disciples asleep three times –the number three means completeness

§ They are completely abandoning him – he is completely alone

§ It is about to get worse…

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Gospel of Mark – Jesus’ Arrest

§ He rises from prayer to encounter Judas resolved to face him and drink the cup - to do God’s will

§ He doesn’t even challenge or respond to Judas – he is resigned to his fate – he says “But that the scriptures may be fulfilled”

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Gospel of Mark – Jesus’ Arrest

§ Jesus doesn’t react at all to the bystander drawing his sword or the servant losing his ear

§ Seeing this – all flee –even the young man who leaves his clothes

§ His first disciples left their nets to follow him, now this last disciple leaves even his clothes to desert him

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The Gospel of Matthew – Gethsemane

§ Like in Mark, Jesus withdraws to the Garden with his disciples and then separates with Peter, James, John

§ He then separates from the three and prays using the same words found in Mark (Soul sorrowful unto death)

§ Historical question of how anyone would know the words Jesus prayed

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The Gospel of Matthew – Gethsemane

§ Three times he withdraws to pray and three times he finds them asleep

§ This exemplifies the literary pattern of “the three” –stories are effective, balanced and complete if there are three characters or three incidents

§ The cup will not pass and his disciples are obtuse – they will not be there to help

§ His prayer has effect – he begins sorrowful, troubled and prostrate; it ends and he is on his feet, resolute and courageous facing the hour that has arrived “Rise let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand”

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The Gospel of Matthew - Gethsemane§ The betrayer is “Judas, one

of the twelve” as if we haven’t heard of him before – highlights that Jesus is being betrayed by a close friend

§ Judas kisses Jesus and unlike in Mark, Jesus answers

§ The intimacy is further stressed as Jesus calls him “Friend” or “Companion” –something unique to Matthew

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The Gospel of Matthew - Gethsemane§ Only in Matthew does Jesus rebuke armed resistance,

“Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (26:52)

§ The use of a sword changes Gospel to Gospel• Mark – A bystander• Matthew – One of the followers of Jesus• John – Simon Peter

§ The progression is to help underscore the action was not directed by Jesus

§ After the ear of the servant is cut off in Mark nothing happens, here Jesus admonishes and then heals the servant

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The Gospel of Matthew – Jesus’ Arrest

§ John reports that Peter had the sword, but why a fisherman would have a sword is a curious thing

§ In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus had been able to frustrate attempts to arrest him by “disappearing” or “walking away”

§ Now he is captured§ This is resolved by his statement “Do you think that I

cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels” (26:53)

§ Jesus allows the indignity of arrest so that “The writings of the prophets may be fulfilled” (26:56)

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The Gospel of Luke – Gethsemane

§ There isn’t much suspense in the garden scene

§ Jesus goes to a “customary place”, the Mount of Olives

§ Judas has no problem finding him

§ During the last supper, Jesus actually praised the disciples saying “You are those who have continued with me in my trials” – now Luke won’t show them falling away

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The Gospel of Luke - Gethsemane

§ Jesus doesn’t go away from the main body of disciples with Peter, James and John (like MK and MT)

§ He simply urges them to pray and withdraws a “stone’s throw”

§ If the disciples sleep, it is for sorrow (22:45), not as a demonstration of abandoning Jesus

§ They fall asleep only once, not three times§ The focus is on Jesus – he is not a person whose soul is

“sorrowful unto death” or “lies prostrate on the ground”§ He has prayed often so now praying he begins and

concludes by subordinating his will to God’s will

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The Gospel of Luke - Gethsemane

§ His prayer is answered –God sends an angel to strengthen him

§ The divine assistance brings Jesus to agōnia(from which the “agony” in the garden comes from)

§ But agōnia is a Greek term that doesn’t mean agony in the ordinary sense

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The Gospel of Luke - Gethsemane§ It means the supreme

tension of an athlete, covered with sweat, poised for action prior to a contest

§ In this spirit, he rises, tells the disciples to pray that they will be spared the trial, just as he is ready to face it

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The Gospel of Luke – Jesus’ Arrest

§ When the arresting party comes, the kiss of Judas is forestalled

§ Jesus calls Judas by name, the only time in all of the Gospels

§ Luke shows Jesus’ great mercy when after the servant’s ear is cut off, Jesus heals him – even though is an opponent

§ Those coming to arrest Jesus are not just emissaries of the Jewish authorities as in MK, MT and JN, they are the high priests, Temple officers and elders themselves

§ Jesus proclaims the hour of darkness has come

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The Gospel of John

§ If there is a sense of struggle, it is without suspense

§ The Satanic prince of this world has absolutely no power over Jesus (14:30)

§ Jesus has already conquered the world (16:33)

§ Jesus cannot be caught off guard by what is about to occur

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The Gospel of John – Gethsemane

§ He has chosen Judas, knowing in advance that Judas would eventually betray him

§ Jesus actually sends Judas off on his evil mission of betrayal (13:27-30)

§ Jesus isn’t surprised by Judas and the arresting party – he expects them (18:4)

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The Gospel of John – Gethsemane

§ Judas arrives with lanterns and torches, which is ironic; the person who prefers the darkness over the light of the world now depends on artificial light

§ In fact, he is eager to get on with it (18:11)

§ Jesus hasn’t been prostrate in prayer in the garden as in the synoptic – rather he specifically rejects praying to avoid the “cup” (12:27, 17:1)

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The Gospel of John - Gethsemane§ If anyone is prostrate in the dust, it isn’t Jesus; it is the

Roman soldiers and Jewish police that come to arrest him§ These representatives of civil and religious power are

struck down when Jesus uses the divine name “I AM”, he is the King

§ This is done to show that no one can take Jesus’ life unless he permits it (10:18)

§ These representatives have power over Jesus’ followers (17:15) so he protects them, asking that they be let go (18:8)

§ This shows care for them similar to his prayer (17:9)

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Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane - Giovanni Battista Tiepolo


The Garden of Gethsemane

- Cranach the Elder


The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio


One of 12 copies and the original..

..Can you spot five differences?


Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane Heinrich Hofmann, 1890


The Passion of the Christ in Word and in Art

Deacon Steve Swope & Mrs. Carol TooleSt. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church

February 2018

www.DeaconsView.com

the passion in word and art 2018 - session 2 · the passion of the christ in word and in art deacon...

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