47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” 55 In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled. (Matthew 26:47-56)
Last time we talked about the Lord Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, and He asked the disciples to be alert and pray. After that, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, brought a group of people to arrest the Lord Jesus. Judas gave them a signal, kissing Jesus, and then let them arrest Jesus. Here it says that a man drew a sword and slashed the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. From the parallel passage, we know that this person is Peter. The Lord Jesus did not want them to use the sword, saying that whoever uses the sword must die by the sword. The parallel passage says that he immediately healed the ear of the high priest’s servant. The Lord Jesus said that he could ask the Heavenly Father to send twelve legions of angels. How many people are there for the twelve legions of angels? Each legion of the Roman army is divided into ten cohorts, and each cohort is 600 people (John 18:3, 12 says that Judas brought a cohort of soldiers, and it was led by a chiliarch). One legion is 6,000 people, and twelve legions are 72,000 people. Of course, they can defeat the cohort that captured Jesus. But the Lord Jesus did not do this. If he did so, the prophecies about him in the different prophetic books of the Old Testament would not be fulfilled. Just as the Old Testament predicted, when the Lord Jesus was arrested, the disciples all left him and fled.
4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
This is a prophecy about the Lord Jesus in the Old Testament. the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. In order to save the world, the Lord Jesus was arrested and then crucified on the cross, becoming the sin offering to save the world. I hope that more people will believe in Him and accept Him as the Lord and Savior, so that they can be born again, saved, and receive eternal life.
May God bless you and your family!
