Matthew 26:51-56 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
The hour had come. Jesus was finally being handed over to the officials for the death march to begin. He had said it would happen, now it was. How would His disciples react? Were they prepared? Also in view here is the reaction of this mob, this posse'. They had seen him publicly, in the City, every day for the past several days. Why arrest Him now, in this way? We tend to let things simmer, then explode. We do not prepare properly, and prayerfully, for what He has told us is sure to happen. We miss the big picture; God is in control, at work, and to be trusted. At this point, none of them were trusting Him: His followers thought they had to protect Jesus or run, as if He could not longer protect them like He had in the storm, as if this small ragamuffin band must be greater than God. And for all the things they had seen and truths they had heard, the crowds would not believe Who He was or what He had said. How will we react to life today? With Him or without Him?
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