The quiet of the garden was interrupted by the noise of nearly a thousand men. 600 among them were Roman soldiers brandishing swords, another large group of temple guards carried clubs (or staves).
A smaller group among them were the religious rulers, most of them of the group called Sadducees who had control of the Jewish temple and its market for sacrificial animals.
These all were led by Judas Iscariot who was part of Jesus' inner circle. Judas was so trusted that the other disciples of Jesus made him treasurer of the group.
However, Judas was disillusioned with Jesus when it became clear to him that Jesus was not going about the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel in the way that Judas thought it should be done.
So, Judas designed a plan that would allow him to salvage something out of the past three years that he wasted thinking that Jesus was the true Messiah of Israel. Judas made a deal to lead the religious rulers to the place and time where they could arrest Jesus without risking a riot from the Passover crowd.
Judas had no idea that He was fulfilling prophecies concerning Jesus.
All that the Lord Jesus said was: "I Am" and this mercenary band fell backward to the ground. This declaration asserted the Deity of Christ even as He had spoken it years before to Moses. From the burning bush God said, "I am that I am". Yet, this same Jesus, Jehovah in the flesh, was led by His creatures and nailed to the cross.
A smaller group among them were the religious rulers, most of them of the group called Sadducees who had control of the Jewish temple and its market for sacrificial animals.
These all were led by Judas Iscariot who was part of Jesus' inner circle. Judas was so trusted that the other disciples of Jesus made him treasurer of the group.
However, Judas was disillusioned with Jesus when it became clear to him that Jesus was not going about the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel in the way that Judas thought it should be done.
So, Judas designed a plan that would allow him to salvage something out of the past three years that he wasted thinking that Jesus was the true Messiah of Israel. Judas made a deal to lead the religious rulers to the place and time where they could arrest Jesus without risking a riot from the Passover crowd.
Judas had no idea that He was fulfilling prophecies concerning Jesus.
All that the Lord Jesus said was: "I Am" and this mercenary band fell backward to the ground. This declaration asserted the Deity of Christ even as He had spoken it years before to Moses. From the burning bush God said, "I am that I am". Yet, this same Jesus, Jehovah in the flesh, was led by His creatures and nailed to the cross.
He
asked them twice who they wanted in order to establish that it was Him that
they were after and not the disciples. He sought to protect His disciples and
not give them more than they could handle.
Now
we learn of how they handled it.
The first thing that they ask is whether they should smite with the sword. Well... at least they asked, except for Peter of course. As others have pointed out, Peter was much better with a fishing net than he was with a sword. He was impulsively aiming to inflict a mortal wound but only hit the ear.
The first thing that they ask is whether they should smite with the sword. Well... at least they asked, except for Peter of course. As others have pointed out, Peter was much better with a fishing net than he was with a sword. He was impulsively aiming to inflict a mortal wound but only hit the ear.
The
other gospel accounts give us a fuller picture of what took place. What could
have turned into a massacre with the Roman cohort reacting against Peter's
actions, was immediately stopped by the Lord when He spoke, "Enough of that!" He
rebukes Peter very strongly and then does a marvelous thing by instantly
healing the ear of Malchus.
The
Lord's rebuke tells us several things.
First,
the kingdom of God is not advanced by violence. The Kingdom of God is not of
this world. God instituted government for being a check on evil (Romans 13:3), not for advancing
religious ideas.
Second,
life is precious. In Matthew 26 the Lord says that he that lives by the sword
dies by the sword. Capital punishment is the role of a just government. If you
take a life, government has the authority to take your life.
Third,
violence is unnecessary except for personal protection. The disciples were instructed to take swords for their protection, but no more than what is necessary. Their impulse was to fight the government in order to protect Jesus. They were reminded that God has angels at his disposal and Scripture must be
filled in accordance with God's will.
Fourthly,
God is able to restore what we have
destroyed. As we see in the Lord's
dealings with Peter when we over-reach, He is able to restore the ears that we cut off.
The apostle John tells us in his gospel that the man who Peter struck was the servant of the high priest and his name is Malchus. It is likely that Malchus' name is mentioned by John because Malchus was well known to to the believers.
It is reasonable to think that as a result of the Lord's actions, Malchus at some point received Christ Jesus as his Savior and took his place among the disciples. John establishes his testimony by referring to Malchus as a primary source who is known to those who were the first to read his gospel and could verify the truth.
The apostle John tells us in his gospel that the man who Peter struck was the servant of the high priest and his name is Malchus. It is likely that Malchus' name is mentioned by John because Malchus was well known to to the believers.
It is reasonable to think that as a result of the Lord's actions, Malchus at some point received Christ Jesus as his Savior and took his place among the disciples. John establishes his testimony by referring to Malchus as a primary source who is known to those who were the first to read his gospel and could verify the truth.
As the events in this passover morning unfold, we see the power of Deity displayed in Jesus. He willingly submits Himself to the will of God. From here He is led by His creatures to an unjust condemnation and nailed to the
cross. In this way He exposes the depravity of our hearts and reveals the grace of
God.
I am so thankful that God has provided Himself, a Lamb, to pay the price of my depravity.
smc
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