7. Jesus is Arrested (Gay Passion of Christ series)

7. Jesus is Arrested (from The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision) by Douglas Blanchard

“Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Human One is betrayed into the hands of sinners.” -- Matthew 26:45

Jesus didn’t try to escape when the police came for him in the dead of night. He and his friends were used to police harassment and government persecution. Authorities tend to pick on the poorest, queerest and most marginalized in any society. This time they came out in force, like a small army with bright lights and far more weapons than necessary. Some of them were security guards at the temple, so Jesus asked: Why didn’t you arrest me there, when I was with you teaching out in the open? They grabbed him. He didn’t resist arrest. His friends tried to fight for him, but he stopped them, saying, those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Then they ran away and abandoned him, leaving him alone with the police.

God, you are my highest authority.

___
Next: 8. Jesus Before the Priests

More resources
Naked Lazarus flees at Jesus’ arrest (excerpt from “At the Cross” by Kittredge Cherry)
___
This is part of a series based on “The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision,” a set of 24 paintings by Douglas Blanchard, with text by Kittredge Cherry. 

Click to go to the beginning
or view the whole series.

Scripture quotation is from the Inclusive Language Lectionary (Year A), copyright © 1986 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.