And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?
The night belonged to Passover, when Jesus went in company with His disciples to the garden of Gethsemane, while the broad full moon shone from a cloudless sky and the city of pilgrims' tents was hushed into silence. It was the night of His last agony, for He who had always walked in the light of God's presence and could say the Father had not left Him alone because He always did what pleased Him now seemed shut out from sustaining light. Numbered with transgressors, He had to bear the guilt of fallen humanity with the iniquity of all laid on Him who knew no sin, and seeing how dreadful sin is and feeling how terrible God's wrath against transgression is, He was tempted to fear being shut out forever from His Father's love and said His soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death. After that long agony in the garden He was betrayed by Judas, one of His professed disciples, when a band of men and soldiers with staves and spears took Him.
In that arrest He confronted the armed party sent to seize Him, a crowd or mob made up of chief priests, temple captains or officers, and priests and elders. He asked why they had come out with swords and clubs or staves to take Him as against a thief, robber, or violent criminal. His words exposed the contrast with His public ministry, since He had taught openly among them in the temple each day and they had daily opportunity to arrest Him there but did nothing. Their coming by night in this manner revealed that this was their hour and the power of darkness.
He submitted to being taken in this manner so that Scripture would be fulfilled, accepting arrest because the Scriptures must be fulfilled. The disciples could not understand why He made no effort to escape, and they fled in fear. He keenly felt the shame of being treated as a criminal by the armed mob, and though the death of a criminal was fitting for the basest offenders, He as the guiltless Lord of glory endured that humiliation and pain to ransom guilty people. That betrayal, humiliation, and hostility of the crowd were part of the ordeal He knew His disciples would face with Him, and He had prepared His faithful disciples to endure such trials so they would not be surprised or base their faith on the changing approval of others.
The night belonged to Passover, when Jesus went in company with His disciples to the garden of Gethsemane, while the broad full moon shone from a cloudless sky and the city of pilgrims' tents was hushed into silence. It was the night of His last agony, for He who had always walked in the light of God's presence and could say the Father had not left Him alone because He always did what pleased Him now seemed shut out from sustaining light. Numbered with transgressors, He had to bear the guilt of fallen humanity with the iniquity of all laid on Him who knew no sin, and seeing how dreadful sin is and feeling how terrible God's wrath against transgression is, He was tempted to fear being shut out forever from His Father's love and said His soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death. After that long agony in the garden He was betrayed by Judas, one of His professed disciples, when a band of men and soldiers with staves and spears took Him.
In that arrest He confronted the armed party sent to seize Him, a crowd or mob made up of chief priests, temple captains or officers, and priests and elders. He asked why they had come out with swords and clubs or staves to take Him as against a thief, robber, or violent criminal. His words exposed the contrast with His public ministry, since He had taught openly among them in the temple each day and they had daily opportunity to arrest Him there but did nothing. Their coming by night in this manner revealed that this was their hour and the power of darkness.
He submitted to being taken in this manner so that Scripture would be fulfilled, accepting arrest because the Scriptures must be fulfilled. The disciples could not understand why He made no effort to escape, and they fled in fear. He keenly felt the shame of being treated as a criminal by the armed mob, and though the death of a criminal was fitting for the basest offenders, He as the guiltless Lord of glory endured that humiliation and pain to ransom guilty people. That betrayal, humiliation, and hostility of the crowd were part of the ordeal He knew His disciples would face with Him, and He had prepared His faithful disciples to endure such trials so they would not be surprised or base their faith on the changing approval of others.