26:47 The reader, who has been aware of Jesus' submissiveness to lay down His life voluntarily, may view the large armed mob as unnecessary. However the religious leaders had feared the reaction of the people if they arrested Jesus. The people who accompanied Judas probably did not come along to restrain Jesus but His disciples and other sympathizers. They probably thought they were going to have to contend with at least 11 frightened and belligerent disciples. Roman soldiers carried short swords, and the Jewish temple police customarily carried clubs.1020
26:48-50 Judas needed to identify Jesus because it was dark and because even though many people knew about Jesus far fewer had really seen Him up close. Judas turned the symbol of friendship, a kiss, into a symbol of hypocritical betrayal with his action. His greeting was to mark Jesus, not to greet and honor Him.
Jesus' greeting, "Friend,"was not intimate but gracious. Jesus' following words could have been either a statement or a question. If they were a statement, they reflect Jesus' sovereign control in this situation. If they were a question, they offer an ironic rebuke. Of course, Jesus knew why Judas had come.
26:51-54 John identified the aggressor as Peter and the wounded man as Malchus (John 18:10). Perhaps the other evangelists did not record their names to focus attention on Jesus. His control of this situation, even though He was the one being arrested, is an obvious emphasis of Matthew's. Peter's response was predictable in view of his earlier protestations (vv. 33-35). Peter's courage was admirable if misdirected. He rushed in to defend Jesus. However, Jesus' forbidding violence and submission to arrest made Peter look foolish. Evidently the disciples had brought two swords with them in view of Jesus' predictions (Luke 22:38). Probably Judas' guards did not restrain Peter because Jesus did.
Jesus' words to Peter in verse 52 showed that violence in defense of Himself was not proper. Jesus did not mean that violence in any situation is wrong.1021Jesus had at His disposal more than 6,000 angels to assist Himself and each of His 11 faithful disciples (v. 53); He did not need Peter's help.
"It is characteristic of this gospel that the authority and kingly majesty of Jesus should be suggested at a moment when every hope seemed to have perished."1022
It was necessary for Jesus to experience arrest to fulfill many Scriptures, all that pertained to His death and resurrection. Jesus again voiced His commitment to the Father's will (v. 54; cf. vv. 39, 42).
26:55-56 The mob did not need to arrest Jesus secretly and violently at night. They could have found Him easily any day during the Passover season teaching in the temple courtyard. Their nighttime arrest made Jesus look like a dangerous criminal. Jesus pointed out that their time and manner of arresting Him said more about them than it did about Him. They were the stealthy ones, not He.
"The Lord not only reprimands His disciple, but He also reproves the crowd which is taking Him. Even in His arrest Jesus is King."1023
"The characterization of the crowds [in Matthew's story] develops along two lines: through their interaction with Jesus; and through their being contrasted with their leaders. Until Jesus' arrest, the reader's attitude toward the crowds is largely one of approval and sympathy."1024
"On balance, then, the Jewish crowds are well-disposed' toward Jesus but without faith' in him. In being without faith in Jesus, they contrast with the disciples. And in being well-disposed toward Jesus, they contrast with their leaders."1025
Matthew again pointed out that all these events fulfilled Scripture, a point of particular interest to his Jewish readers (v. 56). It was imperative that Messiah fulfill prophecy. The writers of the Old Testament Scriptures were prophets, God's authoritative representatives. By fleeing, the disciples fulfilled one of these prophecies, as Jesus had predicted (cf. v. 31).
Matthew stressed Jesus' righteousness for his readers by highlighting the injustice of His trials.
"The breaches in law are so numerous as to be unbelievable . . ."1026
". . . even the ordinary legal rules were disregarded in the following particulars: (a) The examination by Annas without witnesses. (b) The trial by night. (c) The sentence on the first day of trial. (d) The trial of a capital charge on the day before the Sabbath. (e) The suborning of witnesses. (f) The direct interrogation by the High Priest."1027
It may be helpful to take a brief overview of Jesus' trials since none of the Gospel evangelists gives the complete picture. There were essentially two trials, one Jewish and one Roman. The Jewish trial began when Annas informally examined Jesus late Thursday night (John 18:12-14, 19-23). During this examination, members of the Sanhedrin were evidently assembling. His accusers then brought Jesus before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin who decided He was guilty of blasphemy (Matt. 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65). At sunrise on Friday the Sanhedrin decided to send Jesus to Pilate for trial (Matt. 27:1-2; Luke 22:66-71). The Roman trial began with Jesus appearing before Pilate (Matt. 27:11-14; John 18:28-38a). Pilate then sent Jesus to Herod for interrogation (Luke 23:6-12). Finally Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate for a second examination (Matt. 27:15-31; John 18:38b-19:16). The trials were over and Jesus was at Golgotha by mid-morning, about 9:00 a.m. (Mark 15:25).
