Matthew 26:51-55

Mat 26:51 (KJB)
And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.

Then Simon Peter took his sword and drew it and wanted to fight and had wielded it and took off the ear of Malchus. (John 18:10 KJV) Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Peter stated that he would die with Jesus instead of forsaking Him but this would be the last time Peter would be brave until after the resurrection. Maybe Peter thought that when Jesus saw the sword drawn it would have been a good time for Jesus to rebuke those who came for Him. Peter was forgetting that this was savoring the things of men and not the things of God. That is what Jesus told him back in chapter 16 when he made his confession that Jesus was the Christ.

Mat 26:52 (KJB)
Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

Then Jesus told Peter to put away his sword because if Peter was going to try and live by the sword, then he faces perishing by the sword. Jesus was comparing His ways to that of those earthly conquerors who use force and violence to get what they want. (Luke 22:51 KJV) And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. Then Luke tells us that Jesus performs a miracle right there by healing the man’s ear. I am sure that Malchus would have a different opinion of Jesus after that.

Mat 26:53 (KJB)
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

Another reason that the sword was unnecessary was because if Jesus desired, He could have asked His Father to free Him by sending twelve legions of angels to the earth and wipe out all those who were trying to kill Him. A Roman legion consisted of six thousand soldiers, so if Jesus was making the comparison to an earthly legion, then He could have had seventy two thousand angels at His call plus He stated more than twelve legions. There is an innumerable amount of angels in Heaven and each one has tremendous power but can you imagine what seventy two thousand could do to the earth?

Mat 26:54 (KJB)
But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

If Jesus would have asked for deliverance at that time, then how would the Scriptures have been fulfilled? It was written in the Scriptures that the Messiah was to suffer, die, and be resurrected from the dead which was the plan of God. If Jesus would have abandoned that plan, then what could be said of the Scriptures except they are false and then what other Scriptures would be declared false, especially since there would be no salvation by Grace. There was too much at stake for Jesus not to uphold all the Scriptures and go to the cross. In fact the entire Mosaic sacrificial system was a foreshadow of the sacrifice of Christ.

Mat 26:55 (KJB)
In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.

Jesus then expresses His surprise at the way the crowd had approached Him to arrest Him. They came out with enough weapons to subdue a riot and then Jesus poses a question to them that are you coming to get me as you would a thief? Did they expect that there would be much opposition in His arrest. Jesus then tells them that every single day I was with you teaching in the temple and no one had laid hands on me. Why would they come in this fashion now? They were probably in fear to take Jesus just as in the time of Elijah when he called down fire from Heaven, they probably feared that Jesus would do the same thing.

Back