Courtesy Founders Society, Detroit Institute of Art
“The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him” (Matthew 26:48), Judas tells the soldiers and police, armed with “lanterns, torches and weapons” (John 18:3). In “The Betrayal of Christ,” by the 15th-century Italian painter Sassetta, the disciples flee at right, as the soldiers bind Jesus. At lower left, Peter hacks off the ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant, while Jesus gestures at Peter. In the Bible, Jesus reprimands Peter: “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (John 18:11). Reminiscent of a crucifix, the wooden beam behind Jesus foreshadows Jesus’ crucifixion.
After the arrest a witness asked Peter, “Didn’t I see you in the garden?” (John 18:26), suggesting Jesus was with his disciples in a garden when arrested. But the Gospels also say Jesus “went out” to meet the soldiers (John 18:4). Joan Taylor argues that Jesus exited the Cave of Gethsemane, set in a walled garden, or cultivated tract.