How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?

 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him."  Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.  And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?  How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"  In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.  But all this was done so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

- Matthew 26:47-56

Yesterday we read that Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."  And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me."  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."  Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What?  Could you to watch with Me one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."  And he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.  So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."

  And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him."  Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"  Many commentators have observed Jesus' response to Judas here.  By asking, Friend, why have you come? He is still giving Judas an opportunity to save himself through repentance.

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.  And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?  How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"  In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.  But all this was done so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.  Here Jesus rebukes Peter (who is identified in John 18:10) for using the sword.  Peter still has not accepted that Christ goes to His death willingly, so that salvation for mankind might be fulfilled.  A legion is 6,000 soldiers, according to my study bible.  Therefore twelve legions are 72,000 angels.   That Christ's death was prophesied in the Scriptures will serve to strengthen the disciples at the time of their greatest test.

Jesus' disciples are scattered; it is a time of the fulfillment of prophecy, as Jesus says in today's reading, and also indicated when He quoted from Zechariah at the Last Supper:  "I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered."  The text tells us that all the disciples forsook Him and fled.  This is the time of the greatest danger.  It is unclear what is going to happen. But we notice that throughout this text, at this time of final confrontation with these leaders and their followers who come to seize Jesus in the middle of the night, Jesus' confidence is supreme.  He tells Peter to put away his sword, noting that He could ask the Father for more than twelve legions of angels which would be provided to Him.  He tells Peter, "How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"   And He affirms and repeats for everyone, "But all this was done so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  This is the final chance before His Crucifixion to shore up the faith of all of His followers, to affirm that He goes voluntarily, that there is a plan in place here, and that all things are in the hands of God.  Once again, we note that Jesus sets the example here for what confidence truly is.  This is not a supreme confidence in Himself alone, and surely not merely in His human abilities and intelligence, but a supreme confidence in God the Father, in the holy will He shares.  Although He is the Christ, and the only-begotten Son, as the fully human Jesus He teaches each of us what true and surpassing confidence is:  a full reliance on and faith in God.  His rebuke of Peter shows us clearly that we are not to trust in swords for our life; if that is what we put our faith in, so we will perish by it.  As He goes, so we may rely on Him to help us in our deepest challenges; it is our own self-emptying and capacity for faith that gives us the transcendent thread through all things and the power to endure.  It is our capacity for salvation that is supremely important, transcendent, and essential.  Note how Jesus tries still to save Judas by addressing him as Friend.   It may seem paradoxical and even irrational, but through all things, including through our greatest trials and threats to our well-being, it is really our salvation that remains of central and crucial importance.  That connection we have to Christ, to the Source of life itself, to the abundance of life He offers, is our one remaining capacity for strength and resources in short supply.  It is this that makes the difference in our hope for a silver lining, for the intelligence to see what we might otherwise be blind to, for opportunities for growth and change, and especially for creative imagination to see beyond the limits that we find are placed upon us in difficult times.  Christ emphasizes the fulfillment of the Scriptures -- not to say that all things must happen because the Scriptures are written, but rather to teach us that the Scriptures pour out of a place that sees beyond what we see, a Source that has foreseen what will happen and why it will happen, from the prophets who were given a glimpse of that which surpasses time and our own understanding of how all things work together for good to those who love God.  Scripture gives us a reassurance that surpasses time, so that we may taste and see the life in God, the reality of our union in Christ.  Let us look to Him and hear those reassurances He offers to us.