Matthew 26:47–56. 47 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. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 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. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 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. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. (ESV)
As Jesus Road into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday, this Triumphal Entry was demonstrating a new Kingdom reality. He did not come as a conquering Hero, but as a suffering servant. He did not come to overthrow a political and military entity, but explain the realities of a new spiritual kingdom. The kingdom of God does not advance with fleshly weapons or by fleshly strategy. The battleground is spiritual, and it makes no sense to fight with physical weapons. Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm” (John 18:36). Wars such as the Crusades that are fought in the name of Christ are an affront to Christ. In reality, they are crusades against the very One who is claimed to be served.
Both the faithful and unfaithful disciples of Christ have forgotten this reality. In Matthew 27, Peter sought to defend Christ through the use of a sword. Jesus restrained Peter and explained a much different kingdom reality. Peter was well meaning but mistaken. When corrected by Christ, he heeded the requirements of this new kingdom life. Judas, who followed Jesus for years and managed the financial resources, was also mistaken in the expectations of this new kingdom reality. He loved the ways of the world and betrayed his professed master when he had the opportunity.
Matthew 27 is a frightening lesson in “The Darkness of Betrayal”. Although we may profess to be a follower of Christ, we look at the events here and must ask ourselves if we are seeking to do the Lord’s work in the world’s way. Are we following Jesus merely to enrich ourselves, avoid disaster, be a part of the inner circle, or have the inside track? If unchecked, our emotions and mistaken understanding will lead to either rebuke or ruin.
Matthew 26:47-56, present the failure to head the new kingdom reality that Christ displayed in His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. In this “Darkness of Betrayal” we see four pictures in 1) The Attack of the Crowd (Matthew 26:47), 2) The Kiss of the Traitor (Matthew 26:48–50a), 3) The Presumption of Peter (Matthew 26:50b–53) and finally 4) The Fulfillment of Prophecy (Matthew 26:54-56).
The Darkness of Betrayal, rejecting the new kingdom reality is first shown through:
1) The Attack of the Crowd (Matthew 26:47)
Matthew 26:47. 47 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.
While Jesus was still speaking to the eleven disciples in the garden, admonishing them to be spiritually vigilant and announcing to them His imminent betrayal (vv. 45–46), behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up. It seems strange and inappropriate that Judas would still be called one of the twelve while he was in the very act of betrayal. One would think Matthew would have been loath to refer to him in such a way. By the time the gospels were written, Judas’s name had long been a byword among Christians, a synonym for treachery and infamy. Why, we might wonder, was he not referred to as the false disciple or the one who counted himself among the twelve? But, in fact, all four gospel writers specifically speak of Judas as “one of the twelve” (Matt. 26:14, 47; Mark 14:10, 20, 43; Luke 22:47; John 6:71), whereas no other disciple is individually designated in that way. The writers clearly identify Judas as the betrayer of Jesus, but they do not speak of him with overt disdain or hatred. They are remarkably restrained in their descriptions and assessments of him, never using derogatory epithets or fanciful episodes, as did many extrabiblical writers. Rather than minimizing the heinousness of Judas’ treachery, this heightens the insidiousness of his crime more than any list of epithets could do. Judas is a warning to all mere adherents of religion. Judas was a chosen apostle, an eyewitness of the miracles, a hearer of the Lord’s sermons, a fellow laborer with the eleven, and a reputable professor of religion. Not one of the eleven seems to have doubted him. Yet Judas was no friend of Jesus. He was lost and is now in hell. Learn from Judas how important it is to make your calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). (Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 575). Baker Books.)
• For someone now to reject the church for which Christ died, think of Judas. The 11 other disciples did not ultimately stop working together for the cause of Jesus, because of the actions of Judas. If the actions of the unfaithful derail your obedience to Christ’s calling you need to ask yourself if your faith is in people or in Christ.
Please turn to John 7
When the traitor came to the garden, he was accompanied by a great crowd/multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people. This great crowd/multitude was not the typical spontaneous crowd of admirers that often sought Him out. It was rather a carefully-selected group brought together for the sole purpose of arresting Him and putting Him to death. The great crowd/multitude included officers of the Temple (Luke 22:52), who were granted limited police powers by the Romans in matters concerning Jewish religion and society. This group was armed with clubs. The great crowd/multitude also included a cohort of Roman soldiers (John 18:3), which, at full strength, comprised 600 men. Because they had to have Roman permission to exercise the death penalty, the Jewish leaders had requested Roman soldiers to join in the arrest. These soldiers from Fort Antonia in Jerusalem, and perhaps some of the Temple police as well, were armed with swords. The soldiers probably were also included because on a previous occasion when the Temple police were sent to arrest Jesus, they came back empty handed (John 7:32, 44–46). In total, the opposition to the kingdom of God was a great crowd/multitude Those who are against Christ will generally outnumber those who are for Christ. But popularity does not validate evil. (Butler, J. G. (2008). Analytical Bible Expositor: Matthew (p. 438). LBC Publications.)
It should have been obvious from the previous attempts to arrest Jesus, that He was not a mere criminal, but divine. John records the previous attempt, showing this:
John 7:32–36. 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” (ESV)
• Those who reject Jesus will never come to where He was going when He ascended and currently rests at His Father’s right hand in heaven, because they will die in their sins (8:21). Like Isaiah, who wrote, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near” (Isa. 55:6), Jesus was warning His opponents not to delay conversion until it is too late. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’ ” (2 Cor. 6:2); and the writer of Hebrews pleaded, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 4:7; cf. 3:15). Jesus Himself promised, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37)
Back in Matthew 26:47, apparently, the Jewish leaders had intended for some time to accuse Jesus of rebellion against Rome. In that way His death could be blamed on the Roman government, and they themselves would be safe from reprisal by the many Jews who as yet still admired Him. In order to take advantage of the opportunity, the chief priests and elders must have hurried to Pilate to request the immediate use of his troops. Or perhaps they previously had arranged with the governor to have the soldiers available on short notice. Under intimidation because he did not want to risk another insurrection, especially in the midst of an important Jewish feast (see Mark 15:6–7), the Roman governor granted the request. When he left the upper room, Judas must have rushed to meet with the Jewish leaders and inform them that the propitious time they had been waiting for was at hand. Although Judas’s original arrangement had been only with the chief priests and other Temple officials (Luke 22:4), the Pharisees also became involved in the plot (John 18:3), as did the Sadducees and the entire Sanhedrin (Mark 15:1; Acts 23:6). And because the multitude not only included representatives from the chief priests and elders but the chief priests and elders themselves (Luke 22:52), those leaders obviously wanted to make sure Jesus did not overpower them or slip through their fingers again. When all four gospel accounts are compared, it becomes evident that the total number of men who came with Judas to the garden may have been as high as a thousand. That mixed multitude was a prophetic portrait of the world’s treatment of Christ, a vivid illustration of its wickedness, mindlessness, and cowardice. Instead of humbly welcoming the Son of God, embracing their long-awaited Messiah, and falling at His feet in adoration and worship, they arrogantly came to put Him to death. Their wicked intent was manifest first of all in the gross injustice of their accusations and actions, which had no relation to truth or justice. Judas gave the leaders information that led them to think that, in spite of the difficulties they faced, this was indeed the opportunity they had been waiting for. (Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 575). Baker Books.)
• The majority of the mob, probably had little idea of what they were doing or of the reasons for it which reflects the countless millions who have been incited against the cause of Christ without having the least notion of who He is or of what He taught. Instead of dealing with the claims of Christ in public, the majority, like this mob, attempt to kill the work of Christ. People fear what impedes their lawlessness, so they attempt to unjustly change the law to protect their sinfulness, and punish anyone who attempts to point out their rebellion against the Kingdom of God.
Illustration: In the fourth century, there was a rural farmer named Telemachus who traveled to Rome. When he arrived in the city at the time of a great festival. He followed the crowd surging down the streets into the Colosseum. He saw the gladiators stand before the emperor and say, “We who are about to die salute you.” Then he realized these men were going to fight to the death for the entertainment of the crowd. He cried out, “In the name of Christ, stop!” As the games began, he pushed his way through the crowd, climbed over the wall, and dropped to the floor of the arena. When the crowd saw this tiny figure rushing to the gladiators and saying, “In the name of Christ, stop!” they thought it was part of the show and began laughing. When they realized it wasn’t, the laughter turned to anger. As he was pleading with the gladiators to stop, one of them plunged a sword into his body. He fell to the sand. As he was dying, his last words were, “In the name of Christ, stop!” Then a strange thing happened. The gladiators stood looking at the tiny figure lying there. A hush fell over the Colosseum. Way up in the upper rows, a man stood and made his way to the exit. Others began to follow. In dead silence, everyone left the Colosseum. The year was B.C. 391, and that was the last battle to the death between gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. Never again in the great stadium did men kill each other for the entertainment of the crowd, all because of one tiny voice that could hardly be heard above the tumult. One voice—one life—that spoke the truth in God’s name. (Larson, C. B. (2002). 750 engaging illustrations for preachers, teachers & writers (p. 94). Baker Books.)
The Darkness of Betrayal, rejecting the new kingdom reality is now shown through:
2) The Kiss of the Traitor (Matthew 26:48–50a)
Matthew 26:48–50a. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” (Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him). (ESV)
Because it was dark and because many in the multitude probably did not know Jesus by sight, Judas, the betrayer, had prearranged a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” Kiss is from phileo, a verb referring to an act of special respect and affection, much as is still displayed today in many Arab cultures and even among some Europeans. In the ancient Near East such a kiss was a sign of homage. Because of his lowly status, a slave would kiss the feet of his master or other notable person, as would an enemy seeking mercy from a monarch. Ordinary servants would perhaps kiss the back of the hand of the one they greeted, and those above the level of servant would sometimes kiss the palm of the hand. To kiss the hem of a person’s garment was a sign of reverence and devotion. But an embrace and a kiss on the cheek was the sign of close affection and love, reserved only for those with whom one had a close, intimate relationship. A kiss and embrace were an accepted mark of affection of a pupil for his teacher, for example, but only if the teacher offered them first. Therefore, of all the signs Judas could have selected, he chose the one that would turn out to be the most despicable, not because of the act itself but because he perverted it so hypocritically and treacherously. He could have pointed out Jesus in countless other ways that would have been just as effective. It is hard to imagine that even so wicked a person as Judas could have flagrantly displayed his treachery in the very face of the one who had graciously taught and befriended him for three years. Judas’ sign, therefore, was not only a final repudiation of his relationship with Jesus and a signal to the mob, but also a studied insult.” (Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel according to Matthew (p. 674). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.)
• But what does this mean for us? God has called us, forgiven us of our sin, cleaned us, adopted us into His family, given us His Holy Spirit, gifted, guided and continually blessed us, yet we sin. Every time we come to worship Him and fail to confess our sin, we kiss Him on the cheek while in active rebellion.
It is impossible to imagine what our Lord must have felt when Judas brashly approached Him in verse 49 and said, “Greetings/Hail, Rabbi!” and he kissed Him. Jesus’ grief was not for Himself but for this man who was so engulfed by greed and self-will that he would stoop to betray the dearest Friend he ever had or could have. Kissed translates an intensified form of the verb used in verse 48 and carries the idea of fervent, continuous expression of affection. When Judas greets Jesus with a typical salutation, greetings (?a?^?e, chaire), followed by the title Rabbi, recalling his earlier insincerity during the meal: “surely not I, Rabbi?” (v. 25). Judas evidently played his part well as he lavished Jesus with a particularly affectionate kiss (?atef???se?, katephilesan). His hypocritical display of affection aptly underscores the depth of his alienation from Jesus (Chouinard, L. (1997). Matthew (Mt 26:48–49). College Press.).
• It is so easy to get into patterns in life that we forget why we are doing them. It’s easy to go from ignoring Christ, to mocking Christ to hate everything about Christ. The tragic story of Judas is a reminder of an eternal consideration of the consequences of rejecting Christ.
In verse 50, with deep sadness, but with perfect composure in the face of Judas’s deceit, Jesus said simply, “Friend, do what you came to do/have come for.” The Lord did not use the usual word (philos) for friend, which He used of the Twelve in John 15:14. Instead He addressed Judas merely as hetairos, which is better translated “fellow,” “comrade,” or “companion.” Jesus had offered Himself to be Judas’s friend, and more than that, to be his Savior. But the opportunity for salvation had passed, and in light of Judas’s unspeakable treachery, even fellow was a gracious form of address. Do what you came to do/have come for.” was Jesus’ farewell statement to the son of perdition. For Judas those were the last words of Christ, and one can imagine that the words will ring as a torment in his ears throughout all eternity in hell. The religious leaders had not arrested Jesus in the temple for fear of a riot. Instead, they had come secretly at night, under the influence of the prince of darkness, Satan himself. Jesus offered no resistance and was duly arrested. Everything was proceeding according to God’s plan (Barton, B. B. (1996). Matthew (p. 527). Tyndale House Publishers.)
• Judas is the archetype of Christ rejecters and the supreme example of wasted privilege and opportunity. He is the picture of those who love money, having forsaken the priceless Son of God for thirty pieces of silver (cf. Matt 13:22). He is the classic hypocrite, who feigned love and loyalty for Christ even as he delivered Him up for execution. He is the supreme false disciple, the son of Satan who masquerades as a son of God.
Illustration: “Following the Judas Goat”
Shepherds and ranchers tell us that sheep are virtually defenseless against predators, not very resourceful, inclined to follow one another into danger, and absolutely dependent on their human masters for safety. Thus, when Isaiah wrote, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray,” he was referring to our tendency to move as an unthinking herd away from the watchful care of the Shepherd. A documentary on television was filmed in a packinghouse where sheep were being slaughtered for the meat market. Huddled in pens outside were hundreds of nervous animals that seemed to sense danger. A gate opened that led up a ramp and though a door to the right. To get the sheep to walk up that ramp, the handlers used a “Judas goat.” The goat did his job very efficiently. He walked to the bottom of the ramp and looked back. Then he took a few more steps and stopped again. The sheep looked at each other skittishly and then began moving toward the ramp. Eventually, they followed the goat to the top, where he went through a little gate to the left, while they were forced to turn to the right and to their deaths. It was a dramatic illustration of unthinking herd behavior and the deadly consequences it often brings. (James Dobson, Life on the Edge (Word, 1995)
The Darkness of Betrayal, mistaking the new kingdom reality is now shown through:
3) The Presumption of Peter (Matthew 26:50b–53)
Matthew 26:50b–53. 50 (Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do).” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 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. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? (ESV)
As soon as Jesus was identified by Judas, the soldiers came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. When they saw their Master being arrested, the disciples asked, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” (Luke 22:49). The arresters had no warrant in law with no charge against him. In fact, in the trial, they had to hunt around for witnesses to bring up some evil charge against Christ. Also, “The arrest occurred at night which was a violation of the law. No official action of this nature was permitted after the sun went down except in cases of extremely serious crimes. But evil people pay no heed to the law. (Butler, J. G. (2008). Analytical Bible Expositor: Matthew (pp. 439–440). LBC Publications.)
As verse 51 notes, one of those who were with Jesus did not wait for a reply but stretched/reached out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the servant/slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear. As we might guess, this act was performed by the impulsive and volatile Peter (John 18:10), who obviously was one of the two disciples who had armed themselves (Luke 22:38). It may have been that the synoptic writers did not identify Peter here because their gospels were written earlier than John’s, when Peter could have been in danger of reprisal from the Jewish authorities. The only weapon Christ has given to his church is his Word, which is “sharper than any double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12) (Albrecht, G. J., & Albrecht, M. J. (1996). Matthew (p. 394). Northwestern Pub. House.).
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 10
John also informs us that the man Peter struck was named Malchus (John 18:10), who, because he was in the forefront of the multitude, was probably a high-ranking servant/slave of the high priest. Peter doubtlessly had aimed for Malchus’s head but cut off only his ear when the man ducked. Peter probably was emboldened by the fact that a few moments earlier when Jesus told the multitude who He was, “they drew back, and fell to the ground” (John 18:6). Seizing that time of vulnerability, Peter perhaps thought he would kill as many as he could before he himself was slain. Or perhaps he assumed he was invincible, thinking that Jesus would not allow Himself or His disciples to be harmed. As was often the case, however, Peter reacted in the wrong way. As Jesus had made clear many times, and as Paul later declared to the Corinthian church, in 2 Corinthians 10:
2 Corinthians 10:1–6. I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (ESV)
• The church has never made advances by physical warfare, and every time it has tried, the cause of Christ has been severely harmed. There are no holy wars. Every war fought in the name of Christ has been utterly unholy, contradicting and undermining everything His Word teaches.
In verse 52, Jesus gave Peter two important reasons that explain why the use of physical weapons cannot be used to defend, much less extend, His kingdom. First of all, to do so is fatal. “Put your sword back into its place,” Jesus told Peter; “for all those who take the sword will/shall perish by the sword.” Jesus was not philosophizing by declaring that everyone who takes up arms will himself be killed by arms or that a person who uses violence will be killed violently. His point was that those who commit acts of violence to achieve personal ends will face punishment by civil authorities, the sword representing a common means of execution in the ancient world. He was simply reiterating the divine standard set forth in Genesis: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man” (Gen. 9:6). To protect the sanctity of human life, God declares that the one who wantonly takes the life of another person is subject to capital punishment. God has given human government the right to execute murderers. “It does not bear the sword for nothing,” Paul said; “for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil” (Rom. 13:4). The apostle willingly applied that law to himself. In his defense before Festus he said, “If then I am a wrongdoer, and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die” (Acts 25:11). Great human weapons are no match for God’s weapons. (Butler, J. G. (2008). Analytical Bible Expositor: Matthew (p. 438). LBC Publications.)
• This is all explaining the great misunderstanding of the crowd, the religious leaders and even Jesus’ disciples regarding the new kingdom reality that Jesus was illustrating in His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
In telling Peter to put his sword back into its place Jesus was saying, in effect, “No matter how wicked and unjust my arrest is, you have no right to take vigilante action. If you take a life while doing that, your own life will justly be forfeited as punishment.” Jesus’ arrest and subsequent trials were clearly unjust, but they were nevertheless carried out within the framework of the legal systems of that day. Although it exercised its power only by the permission of Rome, the Sanhedrin was a civil as well as religious governing body in Israel. Pilate was the duly appointed Roman governor. Jesus’ point was that personal violent action against even an unjust governing body is wrong. God has the sovereign right to overrule human governments, as He has done frequently throughout history, but no individual has such a right. Jesus was not speaking about self-defense or the defense of loved ones or friends from an attacker. Nor was he talking about fighting in the armed forces of one’s country. He was referring to violently taking justice into one’s own hands. Under no circumstances does a Christian or anyone else have the right to dispense personal justice, even to defend Christ’s name or Word. Peter saw the use of his sword as the way of deliverance from the present trouble, but Jesus viewed it as out of character with all that he stood for. It was, moreover, the means of bringing trouble to the user. Peter was overlooking the fact that people who are hit with a sword have the very nasty practice of retaliating in kind; in the end the user of a sword is apt to finish his days on the end of someone else’s sword. The warlike will perish at the hands of the warlike, and this is a most unfitting end for those who are servants of the Prince of peace. Jesus’ repudiation of force and his acceptance of the way of the cross are important for his followers. It comes naturally to us to seek to impose our will on others. But that is not God’s way. His way is the way of the cross with its repudiation of compulsion and its call for us to trust him. (Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel according to Matthew (p. 675). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.)
Trying to defend Christ and His kingdom by physical force is foolish. As Jesus says in verse 53: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once send me more/put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Trying to defend Christ with a sword not only is morally wrong according to God’s law but is also pointless. After having seen Jesus’ divine power demonstrated hundreds of times, why did Peter think his Lord needed the puny help of one sword, or even a thousand swords? Jesus now in explaining His resources uses a measurement known at the time. A full Roman legion was composed of 6,000 soldiers. More than twelve legions of angels therefore would be in excess of 72,000. If a single angel of God could slay 185,000 men in one night, as with the Assyrian troops of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35), the power of 72,000 angels is unimaginable. Jesus explained to his impetuous disciple that He had immediate access to supernatural forces that easily could destroy the entire Roman army, not to mention the mere cohort of 600 soldiers (John 18:3) they now faced. Peter’s demonstration of self-willed bravery was therefore unnecessary and absurd. The Lord’s battles are won in His power alone, and any human efforts on His behalf that are not made in submission to His divine will and strength are presumptuous and futile. Jesus had incalculable resources available to him if resistance had been an appropriate action. In this instance passive submission alone was consonant with the will of God (Hagner, D. A. (1995). Matthew 14–28 (Vol. 33B, p. 791). Word, Incorporated.).
• As you face obstacles in life, do you sometimes doubt that God is really able to fix the problem? Do you think that if you could just nudge things along, it could put the solution to the problem a little closer? Do you sometimes think that the means justify the ends? The new kingdom reality Jesus brings to us through his Triumphal entry is the realization that His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways.
Illustration: “We Have an Intercessor”
Sometimes we see people make professions of faith, come into the church, get excited about evangelism and other things, only to later renounce the faith. We wonder: Will this happen to us? A Christian is capable of a radical fall, but never of a total and final fall. Consider Peter and Judas. Peter rejected Christ, as did Judas. Peter denied Christ, as did Judas. But Christ was praying for Peter, while Christ said that Judas was a son of perdition from the beginning. Judas was never truly converted, while Peter was. Thus, Peter returned to Christ after his season of sin and apostasy. Judas never did. Because Christ intercedes for His own, we can have confidence that we also will never fully depart from Him. (Rom. 8:31-35: Ligonier Ministries. Tabletalk, August 25, 1985)
The Darkness of Betrayal, explaining the new kingdom reality is finally shown through:
4) The Fulfillment of Pr ophecy (Matthew 26:54-56)
Matthew 26:54. 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 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. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. (ESV)
For Peter to violently oppose Jesus’ arrest was also to oppose the fulfillment of God’s prophesied plan of redemption. According to God’s own Scriptures, He reminded Peter again that “it must be so/happen this way.” The plural “Scriptures” probably continues Matthew’s focus on how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, and so pointed to many passages describing the suffering Servant (such as Psalms 22; 69; Isaiah 53; Zechariah 13:7). Jesus’ suffering would be necessary to God’s plan; no one must stand in the way of God’s will (Barton, B. B. (1996). Matthew (p. 529). Tyndale House Publishers.)
Please turn to Isaiah 53
On at least three other occasions (see Matt. 16:21; 17:22–23; 20:18–19; cf. 12:40; 17:9, 12) He had told the disciples that it was necessary that He suffer, die, and be raised from the dead. As David predicted, a close and trusted friend would betray the Messiah (Pss. 41:9; 55:12–14). In one of the most profound explanations of what exactly would happen to the Messiah, Isaiah foretold exact events in Isaiah 53
Isaiah 53:1-5. Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (ESV)
• On that first Palm Sunday, the people looked for a king and saw none. If they had remembered Isaiah, they would have realized who it was who was before them. Because Peter boasted too loudly, prayed too little, slept too much, and acted too fast, he seemed invariably to miss the point of what Jesus was saying and doing. The Lord therefore had to explain to him again that what was happening was in God’s perfect plan. “Put the sword into the sheath,” He said; “the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11). Then, in the only instance recorded in Scripture of Jesus’ healing a fresh wound, “He touched [Malchus’s] ear and healed him” (Luke 22:51). In a sovereign act of miraculous grace, Jesus undid Peter’s damage.
Back in Matthew 26:55, with an overtone of sarcasm Jesus pointed up the dishonesty and cowardice of the crowds/multitudes who now confronted Him in the garden. He said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber”, in such great numbers and with swords and clubs to capture/arrest me? Am I so elusive that you had to capture me by stealth in the dead of night? You know very well that “Day after day I sat in the temple teaching. Why did you not seize Me then?” Jesus knew that no amount of truth or logic would dissuade His enemies from executing their plot against Him. They knew their charges were spurious and unjust and that they had had countless opportunities to arrest Him publicly. But when evil people are determined to have their way, they will not be deterred by such considerations as truth, justice, legality, or righteousness. The fact that they had determined to seize him by treachery, outside of the city, and in the middle of the night, was an admission on their part that Jesus was innocent. They could not refute his doctrine. They were not interested in the truth (Albrecht, G. J., & Albrecht, M. J. (1996). Matthew (p. 395). Northwestern Pub. House.).
Finally, in verse 56 Jesus then told the crowd what He had just reminded Peter of: All this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might/may be fulfilled. “Whatever your personal reasons and motivations may be,” He was saying, “you are unwittingly accomplishing what your own Scriptures have said through the prophets that you would do to your Messiah. Completely apart from your own evil intentions, God is sovereignly using you to accomplish His righteous and gracious purposes. And in doing so, He will demonstrate that His infallible Word through the prophets will be fulfilled.”. Judas’s treachery, the coming mockery of a trial against Jesus, and its ultimate outcome had all been prophesied (see, for example, Psalms 22:7–8, 14, 16–17; 41:9; Isaiah 50:6; 53:7–8). ( Barton, B. B. (1996). Matthew (p. 530). Tyndale House Publishers.)
Those words obviously gave little comfort or courage to the disciples. At last, it dawned on them that their Lord was finally a captive of His enemies and that He would neither do anything Himself nor allow them to do anything to interfere. Although the leaders of the multitude had said they sought only Jesus (John 18:5), the disciples were fearful they would be arrested as accomplices, and therefore all the disciples left Him and fled. The “little faith” disciples did not trust Jesus to save them and were afraid to risk suffering and perhaps even dying with Him. Just as He had predicted earlier that evening, when the Shepherd was struck the sheep scattered (Matt. 26:31). It is easy to criticize the disciples for their faithlessness and cowardice. But every honest believer knows that at times we have run from possible embarrassment, ridicule, or mockery because of our association with Christ. We have to confess that we, too, have left our Lord and fled when the cost of discipleship has seemed too high. Moments before, they had been sleeping rather than praying. Now they are fleeing rather than standing by their Lord… Like them we are often weak and fearful, more concerned for our own well-being than for Jesus. But look at them again a few weeks later, after the resurrection.. Look at Peter and John before the Sanhedrin, the same judicial body that condemned Jesus to death. They cry, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). What a difference the presence and power of Jesus Christ makes. He is able to turn cowards into heroes, foolish persons into those who are wise, and sinners into saints. He will do it for you if you will turn from your foolish self-confidence, embrace the gospel, and lean on him for your daily strength and courage (Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 579). Baker Books.).
In His confrontation with Judas, the Lord demonstrated His majesty and His sovereignty. He not only had predicted Judas’s betrayal but had declared that even that vile act would fulfill God’s prophecy (Matt. 26:21, 24). When the moment of arrest came, He faced it without resistance, anger, or anxiety. He was as perfectly confident of following His Father’s plan and of being under His Father’s care at that moment as when He performed His greatest miracles or was transfigured on the mountaintop. In His confrontation with Peter and the other disciples, Jesus demonstrated His perfect faithfulness in face of their utter faithlessness. While they demonstrated their absence of trust in the Son, the Son demonstrated His absolute trust in His Father. In “The Darkness of Betrayal” we come to one who forgives us our sins and perfectly accomplishes the Father’s will. In that triumphal entry, He demonstrates that He is the king that we need even when not the king we might want.
(Format Note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew (Vol. 4, pp. 181–195). Moody Press.)
