The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 196

n~cient manuscripts was probably due to What should wring this from thee?'-ye 1111stnkcn reverence. The two oldest o.nd lo.ugh o.nd o.sk. most_ a.uthoritative translations, the ltala Wha_t wrung it? Even o. torchlight 1111d a (Latin) and Peshito (Syrillc), contain them, noise, howe'l'er, as do the most important Fathers The sudden Roman faces, violent hands, of the second century, Justin and Irenreus. And fear of who.t the Jews might dol "'e have, then, apart from the evidence of Just that; manuscripts, the testimony of the cnrliest And it is written, 'I forsook and fled: ' Christia11ity in Italy and Syria, Asin lllinor There was my trial, and it ended thus." and Gaul, to the genuineness of these two (Drowning, • A Death in the Desert.') famous verses. They are print&d in the ordi- nary text of the Revised English Version, Vers. 47-53.-The arrest of the Redeemer. with a side-note alluding to their ab.euce All the four evangelists tell the story of the in some of the ancient authorities. Yers. 45, 46.-He found them sleeping for last hours, in the me.in the same, though sorrow, and ss.id unto them, Why sleep ye 1 the language is often quite different, a11,l rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. fresh and important details appear in ea.eh The events of the past evening; the long memou:. excitement stirred up by listening to such The general effect on the thoughtful words as tbeu: Master had been speakin"' to reader is that the Crncifixion and the events them during the sad hours of the Last Supper; the sure consciousness of coming leading up to it were very far from being sorrow; then the walk through the silent the result of the counsels of the Jewish city :-o.11 predisposed them to sleep. Com- leaders, the outcome of their relentless ment.ators are never weary with pressing enmity. The death and all the o.ttencle.nt these excuses for the slumber of the ele'l'en circumstances took place in their solemn at that awful moment. But all these things, though they may well have predisposed order, then, when the public teaching of the them to slumber, are not sufficient to ac- Redeemer was finished, becau.s11 it had been count for that strange heavy sleep which determined by some higher and gro.nder seems to have paralyzed the eleven in Geth- power than we.e possessed by J eru,;alem semane. In spite of their Master's solemn Sanhedrin or Roman Senate. injunction to watch and pray, he finds So St. ll!atthew, in hie account, twice them, several times during that dreadful watch of his in the garden, asleep, in spite (xxvi. 54, 56) gives the ground for the of his asking them for sympathy and prayer, arrest, "'fho.t the Scriptures might be ful- in spite of his evident longing for their filled." And the Scriptures were but the sympathy-each time he cast hie eyes on echoes of that other o.nd grander power. them, he sees them, not wo.tchiug, but sleep- ing I Many a time in their work-filled lives Ver. 47.-Aud while he yet spake, behold those fishermen he loved so well, John and a multitude. Different to hie diHciples, their Peter and Andrew, had toiled all uight with Master, who had prayed and received as au their nets; but ou this night of sorrow, when answer to his prayer the angel's visit, WIJ.8 their pleading voices were listened for, now, when the hour of mortal do.nger dtruck, possibly their hand-press waited for, their in possession of the profoundest calm. No- ~ileut sympathy cert.a.inly longed for, tliey thing disturbed hie serenity any more. With slept, ~eemingly forgetful of all save their calm majesty he advanced to weet the tmitor own ease o.nd comfort. Surely on this night as he guided hie Master's deadly enemie~ of tempte.tiou tliey were influenced by some into the garden. From this hour Jeeue invisible power, who lulled them to sleep welcomes the cross, from which for a brief during those precious moments when 1hey moment he had seemed to shrink. The com- should have been agonizing with their pany who we.e thus guided to Gethsemane Master in prayer, and so arming themselves to effect the arrest in the dead of the night against the supreme momeut of temptation was composed of Romo.n legiono.rioe de- just coming upon them. But swayed by tailed for this duty from a cohort on guo.rcl the power of evil of whom the Lord had in the Antonia. Fort by the temple, and of been warning tliem, but in vain, they let Levitice.1 guards belonging to the temple- the moments slip by, and the hour of temp- an armed force of police, pa.rt of the temple tation came on them unawares. We know watch at the dieposo.l of the priests. He how b'Tievously they all foll that was oalled Judas, one of tho twelve. on. :un.1-71.] THE GOSPEL ACCOilDING TO ST. LUKE. 205