Chapter 2: Chapter 2 - 01:01 AM
GETSEMANI
01:01 am – YERUSHALÁYIM, FRIDAY, APRIL 07, AD 30
A STRANGE and sepulchral SILENCE had fallen over the camp where Yeshua, the apostles, and the disciples were. Yohanan knew that this was not going to be a night like the previous ones, but despite that, he sensed a kind of turmoil in the environment, a restlessness unusual for that group, until then always cheerful.
As if thousands of ghosts have surrounded them in recent weeks – perhaps these invisible messengers that Yeshua had referred to hovered over the tops of the olive trees, he was the youngest among the disciples and he didn't have much life experience to say much, neither was he skilled with the sword and certainly not the most eloquent to become the leader of that group, he just sat and watched, as every time he spoke he had been harshly reprimanded, especially after the episode that gave them the humorous nickname of sons of thunder, by asking the Rabbi if he wanted them to pray to the heavens and send them thunder from heaven.
A shiver ran down his back as Yeshua called out to him in a gesture with his right hand. The camp slept when, at midnight, and once Yeshua and his three closest disciples had disappeared among the olive trees.
With a glimpse of his eyes as he left, Yohanan walked carefully through the tents, the pool, the sleeping bodies of the Greeks and, once certain that all was calm, he made his way following the Rabbi to the homestead of Gethsemane.
According to Yohanan Marcos, they would carry out an additional round of surveillance. He was near the top of the Mount of Olives – thus covering the eastern flank of the camp – and the boy on the path that wound around the entrance to the garden, to end up at the bridge over the Kidron ravine. In this way, if the Temple guard tried to assault the Rabbi's refuge by the shortest route, or by the top of the Mount of Olives, Yohanan Marcos could give the warning, but that was all the most fruitless plan, as Yeshua had no intention to wake them up.
Events started and unfolded differently than everyone previously imagined, and it couldn't be different, it was too supernatural for any human mind to think about it all, but in the future, Yohanan would get used to those visions when contemplating future events. and apocalyptic on the island of Patmus during his exile.
THE THREE APOSTLES followed him to where he thought to pray the Rabbi. Yeshua chose the vicinity of the grotto as a suitable place for prayer.
The Rabbi would die that day...
An increasingly insistent, gusty wind stirred the trees, whistling like an eerie omen through the twisted branches and roots of the surrounding olive trees. The canafístulas that grew close to the cave were between fifteen and twenty-five meters tall, with a trunk between fifty to seventy centimeters in diameter, their composite leaves bipinated, with twelve to twenty pairs of pines and twenty to thirty pairs of leaflets per pinion. it left the dark environment with the pitch of dawn even more haunting, its showy and yellow colored flowers and the fruits chattered more and more strongly and that created a favorable environment for any nightmare that I might have.
— Fear not for the events you will witness, - Yeshua said with eerie calm.
The three nodded and continued to follow him without asking any questions. As soon as they arrived, Yeshua told them:
— My soul is deeply sad, in a deadly sadness. Stay here and watch with me, more than ever I need you by my side.
They nodded again and watched the Rabbi walk away from them.
Upon reaching the bottom of the garden, Yohanan immediately glimpsed the figure of the Rabbi, standing with his head bowed, almost resting on his chest. It was, in fact, four or five meters from the entrance to the cave, in the middle of the small clearing between the olive grove and the rock. At the Rabbi's feet one of those layers of limestone that the full moon lit up.
The moonlight allowed them to see his figure with extreme ease. However, Yohanan, the youngest of the disciples, only twenty-one years old, had to get used to the darkness that dominated the mass of olive trees to finally discover the silhouettes of his companions, too, brothers of thunder, Cephas and James.
The disciples had seated themselves on the ground, settling themselves with their robes among the last trees, just over approximately thirty paces from the spot where the Rabbi stood. From that distance, and despite their efforts, it was impossible to tell whether the two were asleep or not, but after a little more than fifteen minutes, two of them had already fallen into a deep sleep, judging by their positions, fully lying on the ground, and by the unmistakable snores of Cephas who didn't seem to mind, even with the Rabbi's stern warnings.
Suddenly, a creaking of branches startled Yohanan, who was already starting to feel his eyelids heavy, his eyes were caught by a white figure that was slipping through the bushes, approaching the Rabbi, and that woke him up for good, although he thought that he was dreaming, but he closed and opened his eyes again and again to see if this wasn't a mirage and the Rabbi was alone again.
Yohanan watched as Yeshua collapsed, sinking his knees into the earth. The dry thump against the ground immediately made Yohanan shudder, none of them in those three years of ministry following the Rabbi had seen him with such a pale and haggard countenance, the closest to that feeling was the sadness at knowing that his longtime friend , Elazar had died and miraculously Yeshua had raised him from the dead after four days, but here, to whom would the Rabbi turn?
He was about to find out.
FOR A FEW MINUTES, Yeshua lay with his chin between the folds of the robe that covered his shoulders and chest. That deep tilt of his head didn't let Yohanan see his face clearly, though he was almost certain he had his eyes closed, commonly when he did in times of prayer and meditation. His arms, motionless and prostrated to his body, further accentuated the sudden despondency.
After a few moments, very slowly, Yeshua raised his head, until his eyes were fixed on the sky as if he was seeing something Yohanan did not see, but it was impossible to tell that he was alone. The wind began to tangle his hair. Raising his arms in the air, he exclaimed in a low, pleading voice:
— Abb!" Abb!
Yohanan was disoriented, that word was usually used when children affectionately addressed their parents, Jews never used it when addressing God.
Why was the Rabbi using that childish term?
His eyes equally impressed him, they seemed now sunken and overshadowed by a sadness that, had he not known and experienced that Man's temper during those three years together, Yohanan would have sworn he was very close to fear.
— Abb! - He muttered again. – I came to this world to fulfill Your will and I did so... I know that the time has come to sacrifice my carnal life... I do not refuse, but I would like to know if it is Your will that I really drink this cup... .
Those words echoed throughout the garden like a funeral march. Yohanan couldn't believe his ears and everything he was witnessing.
Is Yeshua frightened?
— Give me the certainty, — continued the Rabbi, — that with my death I satisfy you, as I did in life.
His hands, open, tense and pleading, slowly lowered. But the face dimly lit by the moonlight did not move. Without knowing why, Yohanan also looked up at the starry sky hoping he would see some sign, but there was absolutely nothing, whatever Yeshua was seeing or whoever he was talking to, Yohanan had neither the ability to see nor hear it.
However, the Rabbi had risen and, turning around, walked towards the disciples, bent down to their shoulders, touching them with his left hand, he did not do this to rebuke them, but he was visibly disturbed.
— You couldn't keep watch with me for an hour? – he asked Cephas – watch and pray that you do not fall into temptation. The spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak.
The two who were lying next to him awoke and Yohanan saw them half rise.
— Yes, Rabbi, we will do whatever you ask of us.
— Just watch with me.
After a while, Yeshua returned to the clearing.
The three apostles watched for a few minutes, ending up lying down again and Yohanan, as in the first instant, noticed something strange again.
Yeshua was staggering, his steps unsteady, as if he were about to fall... And, as soon as he reached the stone slab, he fell facedown. For an instant, Yohanan thought he had passed out, as part of his body lay on the rock face, face-down, motionless. Yohanan got up, ready to help him, but it was like he was trapped under some spell holding him close to the tree trunk. But Yeshua was fully aware and the young disciple was reassured.
As if an invisible force had dropped a hundred-kilogram burden on him, so the Rabbi got to his feet. Very slowly, always with his head down, he ended up sitting back on his heels. And so he remained for some time, on his knees, in anguished silence, and without looking up.
What was going on? What was this sudden despondency due to?
Yeshua raised his face to the stars and, groaning, called again to his father. The cheekbones and nose looked emaciated. The expression on his face impressed Yohanan. There was a mixture of anguish and dread. His parted lips began to tremble, and almost immediately his entire body was shaken by spasms. They were brief convulsions, very fast and almost imperceptible. As if an icy wind lashed every cell.
Yeshua crossed his arms over his chest, pushing his hands against his ribs, as if trying to quell those convulsions. And suddenly the forehead, neck and fountains were wet with a cold sweat. The tremors became more intense and prolonged, and Yeshua sagged at the waist, touching the surface of the stone with his forehead.
— Abb! Abb!
That was the only word Yeshua could utter at that moment. However, more than a call, it was a cry of anguish and terror.
Later on, Yohanan was sure that in those hard and crucial moments, the Rabbi must have experienced a poignant and indescribable feeling of loneliness, horror and who knows, fear at what the unknown had in store for him.
Yeshua continued to shiver, and suddenly, with a start, he flung himself backward, bringing his hands to his face.
Upon seeing him, Yohanan was once again petrified... His face, forehead and neck, as well as the palms of his hands, were covered in red. A thin initial film of sweat had turned to blood.
Yohanan buried his face in his hands for a few brief seconds to try to continue to see and share those horrible moments of the person he loved most in the world.
From the scalp, large bloody drops were sliding over that overflow, sliding down the inner corners of his eyes and then rolling down his cheeks until they were lost in his mustache and beard. A few large drops lingered for seconds at the corners of his mouth, turning them into strands of blood that then ran down the muscles of his neck.
In one of those tremors, Yeshua tilted His head a little, and the reflections of the moon showed His hair soaked in blood.
Yeshua said:
— Abb! – If it is not possible to take this cup away from me without my drinking it, let it be done according to your will.
The spectacle that offered his eyes was horrendous, the face, neck and hands of Yeshua became a blue-green tone. His tunic emitted a much more intense white, while his robe had a darker hue, almost black, to Yohanan it was as if he were catching an image through a dream. The green foliage of the olive grove exploded an indescribable red.
In the clearing, the Rabbi was lowering his hands. The convulsions had ceased and so had the flow of blood. Some of the strands of blood, larger than the others, had congealed.
Yeshua again raised his eyes to the firmament and, in a calmer voice, practically repeated his first prayer:
— Abb! – I know very well that it is possible to avoid this cup. Everything is possible for You... However, I have come to fulfill Your will and, despite being so bitter, I will drink, if that is Your desire.
It was then, looking up, that Yohanan noticed another strange phenomenon: the branch of the shady tree he had been leaning against suddenly went still, as if time had stopped for them at that moment. The wind had stopped. Yohanan also did not notice any movement in the tops of the olive trees or in the surrounding bush. Yeshua's hair was likewise at rest.
Suddenly, a point of light that was moving over the top of the Mount of Olives. It came straight to its position and with a trajectory that, at first, seemed completely vertical to the ground, as if it were tearing through the air and peeking through the clouds. Astonished and stuttering to himself, Yohanan was left in his own thoughts...
But what the hell is that?
Yohanan was still absolutely conscious, seeing and listening, but he couldn't move a muscle. His legs would not obey the impulses of his brain and his will. It was useless to try to force them. The closeness of that light, a white above any white he had ever seen in his brief life and would never see him again.
During the seconds that it lasted, a light of more than fifty meters in diameter stopped over the place from a cloud of heavens, illuminating Yeshua, the stone slabs and the ground, in an approximate radius of five or six meters.
The Rabbi, face up, did not look alarmed, quite the contrary, he was clearly relieved by the presence of whoever was there in his company. And he remained on his knees.
Yohanan's confusion, who seemed to be the only spectator of it all, had no limits.
How was it possible that the Rabbi wasn't as dazed as I was?
The withering descent of the light had caused the Rabbi to raise his arms over his head in an instinctive protective movement. And so he went on, with his body curled up and his face turned to the silent light.
Yohanan could not understand all the facts that were unfolding in that place, but almost at the same moment that the beam of white light touched the clearing, a human figure, it seemed to him because he lacked the words to describe what he saw – appeared over the stone slab, immediately approaching the Rabbi.
Despite the blinding light that flooded the place, its physical structure appeared to be solid and consistent, and the proof is that when it got close to Rabbi, he hid it with his body. Dread, possibly, heightened even more the scant senses that continued to control him. And all his attention was polarized in the figure of that being that he understood to be an angelic being in the mold of the writings of the prophets Isaiah and Daniel. He was very tall, taller than Yeshua, possibly more than six feet. He didn't dress like them either.
The garment appeared to be made in one piece, with a relatively wide belt and the same shade as the rest of the garment, similar to steel. He had white hair, straight to his toes and abundant as if he were a Nazarite man just like Rabbi or Samuel and even Samson. There was no doubt that he was a muscular individual with a very broad back. Though the silence was complete, Yohanan couldn't hear a word. He didn't know if there was any dialogue between them.
All Yohanan could perceive was the movement of that ethereal being's right arm, directed towards Yeshua, who was still kneeling in front of him.
At the end of those long minutes, the figure of that luminous being instantly extinguished. There wasn't, or at least Yohanan couldn't see how he could explain it, just as when Yeshua had transfigured himself accompanied by Elijah and Moshe. And he didn't see him walk away or disappear into the olive grove either...
Quite simply, Yohanan had no explanation.
Then the light swayed gently, rising vertically with an acceleration that made her dizzy. In the blink of an eye that it was impossible for him to blink, the being of light became an insignificant point in the infinite night sky. Almost immediately, both Yohanan and the others regained mobility. And the wind blew again with force through the branches of the trees, while the goats kept in the cave bleated with wails.
The truth was, the confusion in her mind had increased. For a moment Yohanan thought it had all been an unbelievable real nightmare, not even imagining that this was just the beginning.
But as he looked at the Rabbi, his bewilderment increased, a bloody film and the streaks of blood that filled his face, neck and hands had simply disappeared! The face remained pale and emaciated, but showed no signs of hematohidrosis.
It was impossible for Yeshua to have had time to go to one of the water containers in the camp and wash his face, neck, and hands. Besides, if that had happened, he would have seen him walk away and, of course, return to the rock, and more obviously, they would have followed him. On the contrary, Yohanan was absolutely sure that the Rabbi had never left his kneeling position in the clearing.
Yeshua, much more serene, raised his gaze to the heavens again and smiled. Then he got up and, with a firm step, walked towards the olive grove. Yohanan could not say how, but the sudden presence of the one had decisively influenced the Rabbi's spirits, the angel definitely comforted him.
YESHUA WENT TO HIS disciples again, two of them still asleep. After gesturing with them he walked back, kneeling for the third time by the stone. Neither of the other two disciples seemed to have realized what had happened in those ineffable moments. They were probably sleeping so deeply that the paralysis Yohanan felt had not affected them as they were in an unconscious state.
Once back there, and in the usual tone of voice, the Rabbi spoke thus, always with his eyes on the sky:
— Father, you see My sleeping apostles… spread Your mercy upon them. Indeed, the spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak...
Yeshua was silent and bowed his head, closing his eyes. Then, after a few seconds, he turned his face to the heavens again, exclaiming:
— And now, My Father, if this cup cannot be removed from me... I will drink it. May your will be done and not mine...
After remaining a few minutes in total recollection he rose for the last time, going to the spot where the three apostles were. He woke up his men, and shortly thereafter, the four of them crept through the olive grove, out of sight into the night.
***
THE KISS OF DEATH
01:20 am – YERUSHALÁYIM, FRIDAY, APRIL 07, AD 30
Breathless and excited, they asked for their boss when they returned to camp.
— Where were you guys?
It was Yohanan Marcos who pointed them out to the place where he was on guard duty and the men at first seemed not to believe it, but as Yeshua nodded, they asked no more questions.
The Rabbi advised Cephas, Yohanan and James to go to sleep. But the apostles, perhaps sufficiently rested by the brief but deep sleeps they had enjoyed near the cave, and more nervous at the sudden arrival of the messengers, refused.
Yohanan, unlike them, did not sleep, but the scene he witnessed would never let him sleep with the same tranquility for the rest of his long days.
Unable to resist the temptation, the intrepid Cephas interrogated one of Zebedee's agents.
— Did you see something? Come on man, say something.
The man, pressed by Shim-on's questions, ended up saying:
— A detachment of soldiers from the Sanhedrim and a Roman escort are making their way there, they are accompanied by one of our own.
Face contorted, Cephas backed away.
One of ours? Who would be the bastard who would betray the Rabbi?
But as he headed for the tents, intending to wake up his companions, Yeshua got in his way.
— Don't do that, Cephas, it's not wise for you to wake them up.
The Galilean's recommendation was so firm that the disconcerted disciples were as if nailed to the ground. The Greeks, who were camping in the open air, were also awakened by the entrance of Zebedee's agents and were not long in surrounding Yeshua and the three apostles, interrogating them. However, the Rabbi, who had regained his usual serenity, asked them to calm down and return to the oil tank. It was useless. None of those present moved from where they were.
Yeshua understood the attitude of the men and, without saying a word, walked away from the group, striding out of the camp.
For a few seconds, the Greeks and the apostles faltered. Once again it was Yohanan Marcos who took the initiative. In the blink of an eye he left the garden and disappeared into the darkness down the slope.
That unexpected reaction of Yeshua, leaving the homestead of Gethsemane, disorients him.
BOTH YESHUA and Yohanan Marcos had taken the path that ran along the western slope of the Mount of Olives and which at various times had led to the small bridge over the bed of Kidron. At that moment, across the bridge, the movement of a great number of torches caught Cephas' attention. Upon closer inspection, he found that he was heading towards that side of the hill.
— These must be the armed men Zebedee's messenger spoke of, - he whispered to James.
Surprised, he continued down the path until, at one of the bends, Cephas saw Yohanan Marcos, who was taking refuge in a small wooden tent, right next to the path. He stopped, clearly not knowing what to do. But his surprises that Friday night had barely begun.
Next to the tent, Cephas saw another vat, similar to the one at the entrance to Gethsemane's camp, which must have been part of one of the oil tanks, so abundant in the Mount of Olives.
The Rabbi sat on the small stone wall of the press, two paces from the path, facing where, ever closer, came the wavering swarm of yellow lights.
At first, Cephas also thought about hiding in the tent. But he gave up on the idea. He was absolutely ignorant of the course that events might take and preferred to remain in a more open place, he wanted to prove to the Rabbi that he had been mistaken in thinking he would betray him.
— Before the rooster crows three times, you will deny me three times...
He knew that he would never do that to the Rabbi, but he just couldn't imagine how much he would go wrong that day, not only deny him but abandon him, just like the other disciples with the exception of his most beloved disciple, Yohanan.
***
YESHUA'S PRISON
01:30 am – YERUSHALÁYIM, FRIDAY, APRIL 07, AD 30
ON BOTH SIDES of the path the olive groves stretched out. It could be a good vantage point. Quickly, Cephas left the path, making his way through the dark olive grove to the left of the path. He chose one of the tallest trees and hid himself in the branches. From there he saw Yeshua, a little more than five or six meters away. But, suddenly, he was assailed by a doubt that almost took him down from the olive tree.
What if the Rabbi returned to camp?
In that case, he would have no choice but to risk going after the armed group. The distance Yeshua had traveled from the gateway to the garden of Shim-on the Leper to that curve in the winding horseshoe path had been a hundred and fifty paces.
Seeing him there, so strangely serene, he began to understand. It didn't take a lot of intelligence to realize that this quick departure from the area where his men continued could only be motivated by the wish that his meeting with Yehudhah and the guard of the Sanhedrim would not affect the other disciples.
Cephas, better than anyone else, knew that many of the disciples, including himself, and the Greeks had weapons, and he probably wanted to avoid the risk of an armed clash.
There were about sixty men in the camp. It would be enough that one of them, Cephas or Shim-on the Zealot, for example, unsheathed his sword, to provoke a bloody combat. If Zebedee's secret agent version was right, the Temple Levites had to join the Roman patrol. And this, without a doubt, complicated things.
Fortress Antonia's legionaries were not distinguished precisely by their mild manners... Cephas had witnessed his ferocity in the beating of a comrade long ago.
What then could be expected of those seasoned soldiers in the event of combat?
Most likely, many of the Rabbi's disciples were wounded or killed and, at best, taken prisoner. And Yeshua, judging by the prayers in the olive grove, wanted to avoid him at all costs.
The torches appeared and disappeared in the trees, coming closer and closer. The moon continued to shine, providing him with a more than acceptable visibility. Suddenly, and when the cluster of torches was still some distance from the place where Yeshua was waiting.
Cephas saw an individual appear in the path. He was running uphill, heading towards the camp. Yeshua, seeing him, rose to his feet, and stood in the middle of the path. The hurried walker, whom he at first could not identify, soon discovered the tall figure of the Rabbi, in his white robe bathed in moonlight.
The Rabbi's unexpected presence, cutting off his way, must have disoriented him, because he stopped short. But after seconds of indecision he continued forward, this time without much haste.
The mysterious personage, wrapped in a dark cloak, must have been thirty or forty meters from the Rabbi, when, at the end of the path, the platoon bearing the torches entered the scene. It was in disarray, though forming a long line of people.
At first glance there must have been more than a hundred men, but as they got closer Cephas could make out, among the men ahead, about thirty Roman soldiers at most. They wore the same attire he had seen among legionaries throughout Judea, and they were armed with swords, some spears and shields.
Immediately behind them, almost mingling with the first, a troop of forty or fifty Levites, or Temple guards, most of them armed with sticks and spiked clubs.
The surprise Cephas experienced reached its height when, to his right, other torches appeared, scattered among the olive trees. There weren't many, maybe a dozen. But they zigzagged at great speed, descending to the point where Yeshua was.
From the direction they brought, Cephas thought it was the other disciples. And a shiver ran through his body again. If the two groups were to face each other, who knew what could happen.
The group on his left from Yerushaláyim continued to advance in silence, until they stopped within a stone's throw of the Rabbi. For their part, those who had just appeared from the right, ended up concentrating on the path. Once regrouped, they continued descending, but this time with great slowness.
When the armed group that had come to arrest the Nazarene stopped, Yeshua's adherents did the same. They were now much closer to the Rabbi. Maybe twenty or twenty-five paces away. In the light of the torches, Cephas spotted James and Yohanan in the front row and a score of Greeks and was obliged to join them.
— Before the rooster crows three times, you will deny me three times...
No... I will never betray the Rabbi...
Cephas did not see Shim-on the Zealot nor the other apostles and disciples. That meant that no one had woken them up, which he thought was somehow good to avoid any possible confrontation, it was easier to get away with a few than with the entire team following the Rabbi.
For what seemed like endless minutes, only the wind whistled through the olive trees, stirring the flames from the torches of both groups.
Yeshua, in the middle, was still waiting for the man who had detached himself from the mob coming from the Holy City. When it was only a few meters before he reached the Rabbi, the moon brought out the pallor of his face.
It was Yehudhah!
But why had he gone ahead of the armed force? - Thought Cephas, still dazed.
The mystery would be unraveled the next morning, just before the fatal and unexpected event that would lead to the death of Yehudhah Ish Qeryoth. Once again, Yehudhah had contrived his plans with as much cunning as in evil.
Cephas had always distrusted the Shim-on and Yehudhah zealots, but the latter was twice as suspicious, and with all the reasons in the world. Shim-on was a righteous man who fought for his people, but Yehudhah was the opposite, he only fought for himself.
Finally, Yeshua reacted with great dignity, advancing towards Yehudhah, but when he reached him, he strayed to the left edge of the path, avoiding the traitor. Yehudhah Ish Qeryoth, bewildered, turned, clearly following him, desperate to do something.
The Rabbi had continued towards the Roman soldiers, pausing his steps a few meters from the assembled group.
In a very loud voice, almost shouting, he challenged what appeared to be the boss:
— What are you looking for here?
The Roman soldier, who, judging by the helmet with a plume of red feathers and the sword placed on his left side, must have been an officer, advanced in his turn and, in Greek, replied:
— Yeshua of Natsrat!
The Rabbi then advanced on the supposed centurion, and with great solemnity exclaimed:
— It is me.
Hearing his serene and majestic words, the five or six legionaries who occupied the front row backed away abruptly. This sudden movement caused some to bump into the companions placed immediately behind, causing a series of grotesque falls. Among those who found the bones ashore were also some who carried torches. And these, when they fell on their companions on the ground, contributed to multiplying the confusion.
The officer, indignant, retreated to the front group and began to strike the cowardly and faltering soldiers with the baton he held in his right hand.
As the Roman soldiers rose to their feet and regained their battered dignity, Yehudhah, whose plans were not going as he had anticipated, approached the Nazarene, embracing him immediately and ostentatiously so that all could see him, She stood up on the toes of her sandals, kissing Yeshua on the forehead, at the same time saying:
— Cheers, Rabbi and Guide!
The Rabbi, without losing his serenity, replied:
— Friend... isn't it enough to do this? – Do you still want to betray the Son of Man with a kiss even after you've warned him you would?
And before Yehudhah could react, the Rabbi rudely freed himself from the traitor's embrace, a gesture rarely seen in him during those three years when the disciples followed him, looking again at the Roman officer and the remaining armed force.
— Who are you looking for?
— Yeshua ben Youseff – the officer repeated without any emotion in his voice.
— I've already told you that it's Me… So, Yeshua continued, "if it was me you were looking for, let others have their way… I'm willing to follow you without any resistance.
The officer thought the Nazarene's request was reasonable. He stood by his side, and when he was about to return to Yerushaláyim, one of the Sanhedrim's guards came out of the platoon, launching himself on Yeshua. He had a rope in his hand. And despite the fact that the leader of the Roman patrol did not give such an order, that Syrian, who answered to the name of Malchus, rushed to grab the Rabbi's arms, trying to tie them behind his back.
Seeing him, the officer raised his staff, no doubt ready to fend off the intruder. But the sudden action taken by Cephas and his companions would defeat the purpose of the prisoner.
With dizzying speed, Cephas and the others, outraged by Malchus' action, rushed at the Sanhedrim guard.
Shim-on James and some of the Greeks had drawn their swords and, uttering all manner of curses, prepared for combat. Before the Roman escort had time to protect Malchus, Cephas' sword high landed on the high priest's terrified servant, slamming a vicious blow to his head.
At the last moment, Malchus managed to dodge, preventing the intrepid Cephas' powerful blow from opening his skull. However, the edge of the sword passed him close to the right side of his face, taking his ear and wounding him in the shoulder, which was followed by a hideous cry of pain and anguish.
The Roman soldiers threatened to act, but were immediately stopped by the centurion.
"That's their business.
The soldiers nodded and returned to their positions.
Then Yeshua raised an arm to Cephas and, with great severity, rebuked him for the procedure:
— Cephas, sheath your sword... Whoever draws his sword will die by the sword." do you not understand that it is My Father's will that I drink this cup? Don't you know that right now I could send dozens of legions of angels and their companions would free me from the hands of men?
The disciples, especially Cephas, were stunned, they did not understand the Rabbi's words and, even less, his docility to the enemy.
Malchus continued to writhe and cry out in pain as Yeshua leaned towards him with great firmness, took the severed ear off the ground, gently removed his hand from the bloodied ear, placing his right palm over the wound.
— You can trust me, Malchus.
Malchus nodded and in a matter of seconds, the moans diminished, becoming ever softer and more spaced. Then the Rabbi repeated the operation, putting his hand on her shoulder and freezing the unfortunate Malchus' pain.
The bellicose attitude of Cephas and his companions only made things worse. The Roman officer ignored Yeshua's peaceful words and humanitarian gesture with Malchus and ordered the legionaries to arrest him, tying his wrists behind his back.
While they were restraining him, the Rabbi, deeply hurt by that humiliation, addressed the Levites and soldiers who, with swords and clubs prepared to repel any further attack, contemplated the scene:
— Why do you wield swords and clubs against me as if I were a thief? – Every day I have been with you in the Temple, publicly educating and teaching the people, without you doing anything to stop me...
But no one responded.
Once immobilized with thick ropes, the officer addressed his men, ordering them to arrest that group of fanatics as well, in his own words. However, the patrol did not react in time and Cephas and his companions fled from there, hurling their torches at the Romans.
This new error by the escort was more than enough for the Rabbi's twenty supporters to disperse along the slope, among the olive groves. Almost all of the legionaries were in pursuit. However, the disciples who knew the terrain better and who were panic-stricken enough to fly rather than run, soon disappeared.
The armed group returned to the path, starting the return to Yerushaláyim. Heavily escorted, the Rabbi wasted no time disappearing with them at one of the bends in the path.
The voices of the legionaries faded away.
***
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone