John 18:2, “And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.”
The Garden of Gethsemane was not a new location for the disciples. It was a familiar piece of ground. The Bible says Jesus “ofttimes resorted” there. To understand the weight of this, we have to look at what that word means.
According to the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, to resort means “to go; to repair; to betake oneself.” It carries the idea of frequenting a place or going to it for help, relief, or companionship.
For Jesus and His followers, this garden was a place where:
* He taught them privately away from the crowds.
* He prayed deeply (Luke 22:41).
* He prepared them quietly for the trials ahead.
It was His place of refuge. It was where He went to “repair” His spirit and “betake Himself” to the Father.
Jesus didn’t hide in a cave or flee to the wilderness to avoid what was coming. He went exactly where everyone expected Him to be.
Earlier in His ministry, He went to the Mount of Olives and this garden to find rest after long days of teaching in the temple (Luke 21:37). He went there to show the disciples the intimacy of prayer. It was a place of safety, learning, and peace.
But because it was a place of refuge, it was also a place of predictability.
John 18:3, “Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.”
The quiet of the olive trees is shattered by the flickering light of torches and the clanking of metal. Judas didn’t have to hunt for Jesus. He knew the path because he had walked it many times before as a friend. He used the Lord’s place of prayer as a trap for His arrest.
There is a hard lesson here for anyone who follows Christ closely. It is no mistake that the Lord was taken in the very place where He usually sought refuge and helped others learn the Bible.
We often think that trouble will come from the “outside.” Maybe from the government, from the world, or from obvious enemies. But some of the greatest sufferings happen closest to where we find our comfort.
* Betrayal can happen in the church house.
* Pain can come from the people you taught and poured into.
* Rejection often hits hardest in the places where you felt most secure. A spouse, child, leader or best friend.
When a brother or sister in the church turns on you, or when a ministry you love becomes a source of grief, it feels like the end of the world.
You think, “How could this happen here?”
But look at the Master. He was betrayed in His “resort.” He was kissed by a friend in His place of prayer. If the Lord was willing to be arrested in His place of refuge to fulfill the Father’s will, we should not be surprised when our places of refuge become places of testing.
Don’t let the betrayal in the garden keep you from the garden. Jesus didn’t stop praying because Judas knew where He was. He kept the appointment because His focus was on the Father, not the traitor.
