Matthew 26(47–56)

Introduction

Last week we read how the Lord went with eleven of the disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane; and there he began to be sorrowful and troubled as he thought about how he would soon drink the cup of suffering and bear in our place the punishment we deserve for our sins. God’s wrath — which we deserve for all that we have done wrong — was about to be poured out on him. And the thought of it was overwhelming. His natural human desire — which he shares with us — was to avoid suffering. And so he prayed for the cup to be taken from him if possible. Nevertheless, as God’s obedient servant, he was willing to do his Father’s will and to obey his Father even to the point of death on the cross. And so, he prayed ‘not as I will, but as you will.’

And last week’s passage ended with the Lord telling his disciples that his betrayer was coming. And that’s what today’s passage is about, because it tells us how Judas arrived, leading a large crowd armed with swords and clubs. They have come to arrest the Saviour of the world and to take him away so that they might try him and beat him and crucify him.

And yet, even while he was being arrested, the Lord demonstrated his royal majesty, because he rebuked Peter for trying to defend him; and he rebuked the crowd for being afraid to arrest him in public. And he tells them that he has legions of angels at his disposal and could easily call on them if necessary. And so, since he is a mighty King, it’s clear that he could only be arrested like this because he was willing to hand himself over to them. He gave himself up voluntarily in order to do his Father’s will as revealed in the Scriptures.

Verse 47

And so, Matthew tells us in verse 47 that while the Lord was speaking, Judas arrived. One of the commentators (France) says that it’s hardly necessary to describe Judas as one of the Twelve, because we all know that he was one of the Lord’s disciples. But describing him in this way underlines ‘the shocking fulfilment’ of the Lord’s prediction back in verse 21 that one of his disciples would betray him. And it also serves to underline for us the wickedness of Judas’s betrayal, because the Lord had only ever treated Judas with kindness, graciously making him one of his twelve closest friends. And yet, Judas was now willing to betray the Lord into the hands of his enemies who wanted to kill him.

Matthew tells us that there was a large crowd with Judas armed with swords and clubs, who have come from the chief priests and elders of the people. In other words, this is not a mob, but they are probably the temple guards; and they have been sent by the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish court of law. And, of course, once they arrested the Lord, they took him to the Sanhedrin to stand trial.

Verses 48 to 50

Matthew explains that Judas — who is now called ‘the betrayer’ — had arranged a signal with them so that they would know whom to arrest. It was, of course, night time and therefore dark. And so, the guards would not be able to see clearly. Furthermore, since there were no photographs in those days, it’s likely that the guards did not actually know what the Lord looked like. And therefore, they needed Judas to identify the Lord for them so that they did not arrest the wrong person. This arrangement about the signal also makes clear for us that they had come to arrest the Lord only and not any of his disciples. Instead of rounding them all up, they wanted to take the Lord alone.

And the signal was a kiss. A kiss, of course, is normally a sign of affection or respect. Someone might kiss his master out of respect and a man will kiss his wife out of love. But Judas turns the kiss into an act of betrayal. And so, he went up to the Lord, calling him ‘Rabbi’, which was another sign of respect, before kissing him.

The Lord responded by saying, ‘Friend, do what you came for.’ He’s telling Judas to get on with it. And so, these words make clear that the Lord knows why Judas has come. However, we should also note that ‘Friend’ is a form of address used in Matthew’s gospel when a friendly rebuke is called for. And so, even though the Lord is rebuking Judas for betraying him, he does it without animosity.

And as soon as Judas gave the signal to the guards, they came up to the Lord, seized hold of him and arrested him.

Verses 51 to 54

At this point, one of the Lord’s disciples reached for his sword. John, in his gospel, tells us that it was Peter. And apparently it was common in those days for men to carry swords for protection. The parable of the Good Samaritan tells us that travelling to Jerusalem could be dangerous, because there were robbers about. And so, it’s not surprising that Peter should have a sword with him. We’re told that he reached for it and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. It’s unlikely that Peter was aiming for his ear; more likely, he swung the sword at the man and that’s all he managed to hit.

And it seems that Peter was still thinking of the Lord as being the same kind of king as David from the Old Testament. Do you remember when the Lord entered Jerusalem on the donkey? At that time, the crowds hailed him as their king, because they were hoping he would do as David had done and would gather an army to fight against their enemies. They were expecting God to send them a new king to kill their enemies before re-establishing God’s kingdom on the earth. But the Lord was not that kind of king. He did not come to kill, but to be killed.

And yet, Peter still doesn’t understand. And so, when the Lord was arrested, Peter was ready to fight back. He was ready to use his sword to kill and destroy everyone who stood in the way of Christ the King and to establish God’s kingdom on the earth by force. And presumably he was expecting the other disciples to fall in behind him and do likewise.

But the Lord rebukes him in verse 52. He tells him to put his sword back in its place and he gives three reasons for doing so. Firstly, whoever draws the sword will die by the sword. Using force in this way will not bring deliverance, but death. Secondly, his Heavenly Father is able to protect him. All he has to do is to call on his Father in heaven, who will at once put at his disposal more than twelve legions of angels. With twelve legions at his disposal, there would be one legion each to protect him and his eleven faithful disciples. And, if necessary, he could call on the Father to put at his disposal even more than twelve legions. And thirdly, Peter should put away his sword, because it is the Father’s will for the Lord Jesus to be arrested and tried and killed.

We know it’s the Father’s will, because it has been revealed in the Scriptures that it must happen this way. Do you see that in verse 54? So, for example, the Old Testament Scriptures speak to us of God’s Suffering Servant whose heel would be struck by the serpent. And the Old Testament Scriptures speak to us of God’s Suffering Servant who would be surrounded by a band of evil men who would pierce his hands and feet and cast lots for his clothes. And the Old Testament Scriptures speaks to us of God’s Suffering Servant who would be despised and rejected and who would be a man of sorrows who was familiar with suffering and who would be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. God revealed in the pages of the Old Testament that his Servant would suffer for us and for our salvation. And since this was the Father’s will for the Lord Jesus, then Peter must put away his sword and let the guards arrest the Saviour.

Verses 55 and 56

And having rebuked Peter, the Lord also rebuked the guards who had come to arrest him. He said to them that it’s not as if he were leading a rebellion. If he were leading a rebellion, then it would make sense for them to come with swords and clubs to arrest him. But since he’s not leading a rebellion, since he’s not a trouble-maker, then their swords and clubs are unnecessary. So, he rebuked them for treating him like a dangerous rebel. Furthermore, for the past week, he had been sitting in the temple courts, teaching the people. They could have arrested him there at any time; and he would have gone with them peaceably. And so, he once again rebuked them for treating him like a dangerous rebel: But he’s not a danger to them at all.

And the Lord once again refers to the Scriptures and their fulfilment. And sure enough, just as Zechariah had predicted that the sheep will scatter when the shepherd is struck, so the Lord’s disciples scattered now that he had been arrested. They all deserted him and fled. He was left alone to face his accusers and he was left alone to suffer and die, because he alone is the Saviour of the world. And therefore he had to suffer on his own, with none of his disciples to help him.

Conclusion

By rebuking Peter and the crowds, the Lord demonstrated his royal majesty. He is not under them, but over them and has the right and authority to rebuke them. And since he is God’s Anointed King, then he could easily have called on legions of angels to come and rescue him. As King David’s greater Son, he could have called up an army of angels to overthrow the guards in Gethsemane and the members of the Sanhedrin who had sent them and the entire Roman Empire which had conquered Israel in those days. And he could have set himself up as king in Jerusalem, with his disciples seated on thrones next to him.

But that was not his Father’s will for him and that is not why he had come. Though he is King David’s greater Son, he did not come to kill, but to be killed and to lay down his life on the cross for us and for our salvation. And since that was the case, then he was willing to let himself be arrested. It’s not so much that the guards took hold of him, but that he handed himself over to them. And he let them lead him away to be tried and beaten and crucified, because it was the Father’s will to strike him and to crush him in order to make peace between us forever. And so, we should give thanks to God for Christ our Great King and Saviour who was willing to lay down his life for us.

And after his suffering, he was raised from the dead and he ascended to God’s right hand in heaven to become Lord over all and to receive all power and authority in heaven and on earth. But even though he now possesses all power and authority, he still does not use his power to kill and destroy, but he uses it to make the reading and preaching of his word effective to convince and convert sinners to faith in his name. And in this way he is extending his kingdom throughout the world until he comes again.