But all this happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
This statement shows the fullness of the fulfillment of the divine plan and the limit of human weakness. With these words, “All this happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled,” Jesus affirms that even His arrest is not accidental: everything takes place according to prophecy, according to the path that was predetermined for salvation. Yet immediately after this it is said that “all the disciples left Him and fled”: this contrast reveals the limitation of human nature. Even when seeing the Lord’s holiness, a person easily falls into fear and helplessness. This episode reminds us that faith does not yet become strength until it is strengthened by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The disciples’ flight testifies to how deep human fear is, but it also highlights the glory of Christ’s solitude: He remains alone, and in that solitude the salvation of the world was being accomplished. The prophecies are fulfilled not only by His arrest, but also by the disciples’ flight, as it is written in Zechariah: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Zechariah 13:7). This word is at once painful and comforting: painful, because it reveals the disciples’ weakness and the depth of human fear, and comforting, because it shows that even their flight does not hinder the fulfillment of God’s will.