of the narrative. The order of things is : first, the Lord's Sup- per,— then the long discourse recorded by John alone, — then the marvellous prayer, — then the going over Cedron into the garden, — then the agony, — and then the arrival of Judas and the capture of our Lord. It is plain therefore that there is a pause in the narrative of John's Gospel at this point, and that we must allow a little space of time for the agony, after our Lord " went out " of the city and crossed the Cedron. This would make the arrival of Judas and the soldiers far on in the night.
Lightfoot mentions a curious fact which he draws from a Jewish writer, — that the blood from the sacrifices in the temple ran down a drain into the brook Kidron, and was then sold to the gardeners for the purpose of dressing their gardens. The blood having been consecrated, could not be put to common uses without sin, and therefore the gardeners paid for it as much as would buy a trespass offering. This is curious, if true.
2. — [And Judas also, etc.] This verse is one of John's peculiar explanatory comments. He tells us that this garden was a place where our Lord and His disciples were in the habit of assem- bling together, when they went up to Jerusalem at the great Jewish feasts. At such seasons the crowd of worshippers was very great ; and many had to content themselves with such shelter as they could find under trees, or rocks, in the open air. This is what Luke means when he says, "At night He went out and abode in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives." (Luke xxi. 37.) Excepting at the celebration of the first Lord's Supper, we have no mention of our Lord ever being in any 7ious6 in Jerusalem.
Chrysostom remarks, '* It is evident from this that Jesus generally passed the night out of doors."
Bucer thinks that Judas specially knew the place where our Lord used to pray. Our Lord's habits of prayer were as well known as those of Daniel.
The fact that the traitor Judas " knew the place," while our Lord deliberately went there, shows three things. One is, that our Lord went to His death willingly and voluntarily ; He went to the " garden," knowing well that Judas was acquainted with the place. — Another thing is, that our Lord was in the habit of going to this garden so " often," that Judas felt sure He would be found there. — Another thing is, that the heart of Judas must have been desperately hard, when, after so many seasons of spiritual refreshment as he must have seen in tliis garden, he could use his knowledge for the purpose of betraying his Mas- ter. He "knew the place," because he had often heard hia Master teaching and praying there. He knew it from spiritual associations, and yet turned his knowledge to wicked ends !