Monday, January 12, 2015

Matthew 26:45-55

Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.


This account is also found in Mark 14:43-50; Luke 22:47-53 and John 18:3-11.

There was probably an interval of time between verses 45-46.

a great crowd - Roman soldiers with swords, Jewish temple guards with staves and perhaps a crowd of onlookers. They were probably afraid of His power and of the reaction of the crowd who so recently had been following and worshiping Him.

"The arrest of Jesus was effected by the Sanhedrists through the temple police, accompanied by a part of the cohort of Roman soldiers from the tower of Antonia. This cohort of some five hundred soldiers was kept in the tower to quell any tumult among the people and act as an emergency police force. It is possible that these soldiers were granted the Sanhedrists by Pilate, in order to effect the arrest without a tumult among the people. The arrangement of this matter would account for the delay in the coming of Judas and the armed force to Gethsemane until after midnight. The temple police were under direct orders as servant-officers from the chief priests and Pharisees." (Pentecost)

Greetings, Rabbi! - 'Oh, the joy! Rabbi!' as if happy to see Him, perhaps hoping to hide the evil of what he was doing

kissed = the original uses the tense for 'kissed again and again' or 'kissed warmly and fervently'

friend = comrade or companion (Not the word the Lord used for the disciples in John 15, which indicated endearment.) Jesus knew Judas’ heart, but He may have been issuing a final appeal to Judas to believe.

one of those - Peter (John 18:10 — written after Peter was dead. This verse also reveals that the servant’s name was Malchus.)

sword - "The disciples had informed Him that they had two swords (Luke 22:36-38). These swords were the small ceremonial daggers with which the disciples had prepared the Passover lamb. Peter was one of the two who carried this small weapon. He drew it and then struck a blow to deliver Christ from the large band of soldiers. The Romans carried broad swords into battle. These swords were approximately a yard long and had a handle that could be grasped with two hands. The sword was raised high and brought down on the head of an adversary in order to crush that one’s skull. Peter evidently tried to use the small dagger as a large broad sword and attempted to crush the head of the nearest adversary but succeeded in only cutting off his right ear (John 18:10). Without doubt Peter expected to lay down his life for Christ’s sake that night." (Pentecost)

twelve legions - A Roman legion contained 6,000 soldiers, so, 72,000 angels.

"Christ meant simply a very large, not an exact, number.  A Roman legion varied in number from 3,000 to 6,000." (Ryrie)

Scriptures - During the last day before His death and the first day after His resurrection, Jesus quoted Scripture 30 times.

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