Who's in charge here?

And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?  --Mark 14:48

I am a big fan of police dramas on television.  I like the fact that the hero always gets the bad guy, and lives to arrest a new perp next week.  One thing I have noticed, though: no matter how much of a lone wolf the hero might be, he always know when to call for backup.

I have heard a number of sermons on the radio in the days leading up to Passion week about the arrest of Jesus.  It got me started thinking about Judas and the Pharisees who wanted Jesus silenced.  The thoughts led me to this question:  how many people were required to arrest Jesus?  In other words, what were the resources, human and otherwise, necessary to get the job done?

From the intel gathered from Judas, the disciple who betrayed him, they knew several things for sure.  First, there were at least twelve grown men.  There was Jesus--a man with a history as a violent criminal.  Remember when He was at the Temple and accused the vendors of turning His Father's House into a den of robbers?  He flipped over the tables of the money-changers, tore down the stalls, and drove out the livestock with a hand-made whip.  Twice.  With Him were eleven others, some of whom were used to physical activity, so they probably were in fairly good shape.  Three of them, Peter, James, and John, were local fishermen before becoming His disciples, and now they were part of His inner circle.  Among all the disciples, these three men were closest to Him, and would probably be the last line of defense before apprehending their target.  The other eight may be dispatched easily, but those three would be most likely to put up a fight.

In addition, he likely knew that Peter owned a sword.   Luke 22:35 says that Jesus told His disciples, "But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack.  And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one."   Even if Judas was not present when Jesus made this statement, it could have been reported to him by one of the servants or maybe one of the women who followed Jesus closely.  Judas was the treasurer, the one of the disciples who kept the money (John 12:6).  When he heard what Jesus said about swords, he could have misinterpreted it as the words of an insurrectionist.  Ever hear of Barabbas?  Judas had.  Judas may have been disillusioned, or he may have thought he had wasted three years of his life following somebody who was no better than a common criminal.  All this could have been what Judas shared with the Pharisees when he made the deal to betray Jesus.

The Pharisees saw what they were up against, and prepared for the absolute worst.  They had access to the Temple guards, but extra-biblical historical sources tell us that they were armed only with clubs.  Just like the saying goes, you don't take a knife to a gun-fight; or in this case, you don't take take a club to a sword fight.  The Roman soldiers, on the other hand, had swords.  Matthew 26:47 says Judas arrived with "a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people."  We know that the chief priests and elders had access to the Temple guard, who brought their clubs with them.  John 18:3 says Judas had procured "a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees."  The Greek word for "band" is speira, which usually means a tenth of a legion.  If a legion was 6000 men, then the speira that came with Judas could have been as many as 600 soldiers.  Even if the word "band" didn't literally mean 500 to 1000 soldiers, it was more than a few.  Can you say "back-up"?

Let's take stock:  ambushing Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane were Judas, the High Priest and his servant (the one that Peter attacked), other priests and members of the Sanhedrin, members of the Temple Guard with their clubs, and up to 600 Roman soldiers with their swords.  In military terms, this was an example of "shock and awe" (technically known as rapid dominance), a show of overwhelming power and a spectacular display of force designed to paralyze the enemy.  They really didn't want to leave anything to chance.  They wanted to make sure there was no question they were in control. 

But were they, really?  John 18:4-12 says this:

Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to Him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?"  They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth."  Jesus said to them, "I am He."  Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.  When Jesus said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground.  So He asked them again, "Whom to you seek?"  And they answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."  Jesus answered, "I told you that I am He.  So, if you seek Me, let these men go."  This was to fulfill the word that He had spoken: "Of those whom You gave me I have lost not one."  Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear.  (The servant's name was Malchus.)  So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given Me?"  So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him."

So all of these soldiers and officers and Jewish leaders and priests arrive, and they all believe they are large and in charge; but one word from Jesus stops them in their tracks.  In fact, when Jesus invokes God's Name "I AM," the whole army falls back.  Not only that, they are driven to their knees.  Such is the power of the Name of God; such is the power of Jesus.

Ignoring the chance to escape and hide, He asks again, "Whom do you seek?"  The army regains their composure and speaks again, but  maybe with less authority this time, "Jesus of Nazareth."  When they were humbled, Jesus made Himself available to them, but He struck a bargain with them.  "You seek me," He said, "so let these men (the disciples) go."  Jesus was protecting them, the ones who were in His fold.  Can you say security of the believer?

Oblivious to what is going on in the moment, Peter finds his courage and draws his sword.  Not being a trained swordsman, Peter holds the sword directly over his head, and swings downward, intending to split the nearest skull.  He misses, and the sword glances off the guy's helmet.  A severed ear is not lethal, but it is not pleasant, either.  Jesus, in the midst of this chaos, is still in control.  He calmly tells Peter to stand down, and He heals the young man.  He even knew the servant's name: Malchus.  The name is a Hebrew name, and it means "king" or "kingdom."  Jesus, the King of kings, restores the kingdom by healing the servant's ear.  "Let him who has an ear, hear the word of the Lord."

So now we circle back to the question, how many people would it take to arrest Jesus.  Thousands?  No, because Jesus spoke, and the great throng fell to their knees.  Was it only one, then?  If so, who?  Judas?  The High Priest?  Jesus told them in Matthew 26:55, "I was teaching in the synagogue, and you didn't arrest me there."   Would He have gone to the cross if only they had asked Him?  But they did not ask Him, because they did not believe He would go.  Yet I believe He went to the cross voluntarily.  So the answer to the question is God alone.  Jesus volunteered to go to the cross, to take on the sins of the world, to become the perfect sacrifice.

No one asked Him to die, but He did.  No one could have forced Him to die, He laid down His life.  It was His will that none would perish, so He willingly died in our place.  In my place.  In your place.  As we prepare to enter Passion Week, starting with Palm Sunday and culminating in Easter, stop for a moment and think.  Have you got back-up?  Who are you going to call when the forces against you are overwhelming?