Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?

World's oldest known sword, discovered at the San Lazzaro Armenian Monastery in Venice (link)

 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 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 the disciples 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 not 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?"  If we look carefully at the text, we see that Jesus is still trying, even at this moment possible, to save Judas.  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.  Even though he comes with a great multitude with swords and clubs, Jesus calls him "Friend."  And although Jesus knows perfectly well why Judas is there with such a mob, Jesus asks him, "Why have you come?"  The text does not tell us that Judas made any reply at all.

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 that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.   The one who stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear is identified as Peter in John 18:10.  Jesus rebukes Peter for using the sword, as Peter still does not understand that Christ goes to His death willingly, and so that salvation for mankind might be fulfilled.  (See also this reading.)  A legion is 6,000 soldiers according to my study bible, which means that twelve legions equals 72,000 angels.  That Christ's death was foretold in the Scriptures served to strengthen the disciples in this time of their greatest test.

Jesus is taken willingly, for this is the way the plan for salvation for all is unfolded.  It is what He has known, and the very thing for which He has sought numerous times to prepare the disciples in advance.  Here Jesus emphasizes once again to the disciples -- through Peter's action with the sword to defend Him -- that He goes as the Scriptures say He will.  He emphasizes that should He desire, He could pray to the Father and more than twelve legions of angels (the "military" of God, if you will) could appear to defend Him.   St. Hilary of Poitiers comments on this passage asking us to note that there is a particular order to the different facets of the suffering of Christ.  He writes that the reason for Judas’ kiss is that we might learn that we should discern all our enemies and those who we know would delight in raging against us. But the Lord knows why Judas has come, and does not resist his kiss.  Why does Jesus not resist?  Why was it wrong for Peter to draw a sword to defend Christ?  In this topsy-turvy time of the greatest evil, the salvation plan does not call for worldly solutions to problems that essentially lie within the heart of human beings.  Jesus does not force faith on anyone.   His "army" of believers is one of volunteers, as faith comes from a mysterious place deep in the heart where we love God and seek to cooperate with grace.  In John 16, Jesus tells the disciples at the Last Supper:  "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged" (John 16:7-11).  The solution Christ brings to the evil in the world, and part and parcel of this salvation plan into which all have entered at this time depicted in the Gospels, is rather the judgment that is to come at His return.  In the meantime, it is the work of the Spirit through which all will be reproved:  of sin, righteousness, and judgment, for the choices of the depth of the heart cannot be known and understood any other way.  Christ allows Judas to betray Him with a kiss, but consider His words in Matthew at the Passover supper:  "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!" (see this reading from Friday).  Everything comes down to this power of choice and action, the promptings of the heart upon which we choose to act.  In the Revelation, the vision of "one like the Son of Man" includes that "out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword" (Revelation 1:16).  In Hebrews 4:12, St. Paul describes the reality of this image quite distinctly:  "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  It is through the word of Christ that judgment will happen.  Indeed, this is the word that Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit will bring to mind:  "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26).  In the time in which we now live, as we await His return, the Holy Spirit is active and present, at work in the world.  An Orthodox prayer which begins every service tells us that the Spirit is "everywhere present and filling all things."  Jesus meekly accepts Judas' kiss without resistance, but this does not mean Judas' action will not have its consequences for Judas and for so many others participating in this scene, and far beyond.  Jesus will state to Pilate:  "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here" (John 18:36).  Christ's kingdom is present with us now, within us and among us.  It does not work as does a worldly kingdom, but nevertheless our lives are under its influence one way and another, and whether we know it or not.  We may explicitly comprehend its work beginning this night that is described in today's passage, if we might discern the power in Christ's acceptance even of those things done against Him.  Let us consider Christ's constant emphasis on the importance of the heart and its spiritual condition.  We "watch and pray" (see yesterday's reading, above) especially to guard the heart, so that we are truly aware of where and how we go through our lives, and to what we really respond.  Let us understand with St. Hilary of Poitiers that we are beings called to discernment, and not simply the surface of life.  We are to learn to know ourselves, and thereby to know others as well, as we remain in Christ's word.