Matthew 26: 47-56 – The night they arrested Jesus

In the garden, Judas Iscariot found the perfect opportunity to betray Jesus. He had been on the lookout since receiving the 30 pieces of silver. He knew the exact spot where Jesus would be. So leading a band of men from the chief priests and elders, all armed with swords and clubs, he came to where Jesus was. Judas had already arranged a sign for them to recognize Jesus. He had taken a sign, a kiss that meant to express affection and turned it into a betrayal. How sad! Judas walked forward to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and then kissed Him. That kiss was a treachery of the highest degree. Judas betrayed his friend with a kiss. But, even at that treacherous moment, Jesus still dealt with Him graciously. His words to him was still as gentle. They were not words of condemnation. At worst, they were words of disappointment. But He still addressed Judas as a friend.

Here we see the rashness of Peter, though his name was not mentioned. From John 18:10 we know he was none other than Peter. As usual, we see his impulsiveness and loyalty displayed. It was also a display of his failure to understand the mission of the Messiah. Jesus did not want the brandishing of swords. He knew that those who use the sword would perish by the sword. In calmness and composure, Jesus told Peter to sheath his sword. His Kingdom was not to be fulfilled with the sword. Had He meant to do it that way, He would have deployed at least 12 legions of angels at His disposal. Furthermore, He wanted the Scripture to be fulfilled the way it was prophesied.

Turning to the mob that came to arrest Him, He rebuked them. He asked them why they came to Him in secrecy. Why did they need to use force? Why did they need to treat Him as if He was a robber? Wasn’t He with them in the Temple and they heard His teachings? Sadly, we are told that every one of His disciples fled and left Him alone. We would have discovered that Matthew was always searching to show that whatever Jesus did, He was fulfilling the Scriptures. And He certainly did.

This passage teaches us to be careful not to mask deceit and betray our calling as Christ’s followers. In God’s work, prayer is of prime importance. The advancement of His Kingdom is best achieved through prayers. So we must prize prayer above our muscle. As we see the importance of prayer, remember that after prayer we could still let our flesh leap into action instead. We must learn to wait on God’s counsel and not act in haste, only to make waste.