John 18:11, commentary and pictures

When Jesus told Peter to put up his sword, He was forbidding violent resistance and refusing to be defended or rescued by force. The cup the Father had given Him was the suffering and death appointed by the Father, and to drink it meant willingly accepting that suffering in submission to the Father's will. That cup embraced His betrayal, His agony in Gethsemane under the weight of humanity's guilt and God's wrath against sin, His condemnation, humiliation and rejection, and His crucifixion and death. His submission was deliberate, not inability to escape, for the same power that struck the mob prostrate could have kept them helpless, and He could have called for more than twelve legions of angels to deliver Him. He freed His own bound hands to heal the servant's severed ear, showing He needed no defense, and He permitted Himself to be bound and taken so the Scriptures would be fulfilled and He would bear the penalty for man's transgression.

Setting and Meaning

The saying belongs to the arrest after the agony in Gethsemane on the night of the Passover, and it began the train of events that led to trial and condemnation. Jesus and His disciples were making their way to Gethsemane while the city of pilgrims' tents lay quiet beneath a full moon.

The cup the Father has given is the suffering and death appointed by the Father, and to drink it is to accept that suffering willingly and submit to the Father's will rather than resist arrest or seek rescue. It is the suffering He had to endure, which He would not turn aside from, and His telling Peter to put away the sword is His refusal to be defended by force.

That cup embraces His betrayal, His agony in Gethsemane, His condemnation in the judgment hall, His humiliation and rejection when the multitude that had hailed Him reviled Him and cried for His crucifixion, and His crucifixion and death. In the agony leading to the arrest He bore humanity's guilt and was counted among transgressors. The weight of sin and of God's wrath against it brought Him sorrow unto death and made Him fear being shut out from His Father's love.

The command to put the sword into its sheath means Peter must stop violent resistance, since Jesus refuses to be defended by the sword or rescued by force. His submission to the mob was deliberate and not inability to escape, and the disciples did not understand it.

Willing Submission and Purpose

His submission was deliberate and not from inability to escape, for the same power that struck the mob prostrate could have kept them helpless and let Him pass on unharmed, and He could have prayed for more than twelve legions of angels to deliver Him had He chosen. He refused to be defended by force or rescued by violence, accepting suffering and death as what the Father had given Him.

At His arrest He freed His own bound hands to heal the wounded servant's cut-off ear, giving proof of divine power and showing He did not need Peter to defend Him. He rebuked Peter and commanded the sword put away, permitting Himself to be bound and taken. He did this so that the Scriptures that thus it must be would be fulfilled, for His arrest and suffering had to take place. He had taught openly in the temple, yet the authorities came to seize Him as though He were a criminal.

The disciples did not understand His deliberate submission, so their hope faded and they were disappointed and forsook Him and fled when He allowed Himself to be led away. He knew beforehand that this trying ordeal awaited Him and knew which followers were unbelieving and of weak, inconstant faith. He deliberately brought a testing crisis while still present to comfort and strengthen His chosen and prepare His faithful few for His betrayal and death, sifting away faint-hearted followers beforehand. So when professed lovers turned from Him in His trouble the Twelve would not be overwhelmed with surprise and grief, sink beneath fear and disappointment, be carried away by apostasy, or hang their faith on the fickle favor and opinions of the world.

He was sent to bear the sins of the world and must pay the penalty for man's transgression, and He could have delivered Himself from His enemies had He chosen to do so. As part of the account of Christ's suffering and death, the verse strengthens those who suffer for their faith.