Are You Come Out as Against a Thief? - Matthew 26:55

Matthew the apostle wrote after Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, Judas betrayed Him, and the religious leaders and multitudes captured Jesus, “one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again your sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?”, and in chapter twenty-six and verse fifty-five of his book, Matthew writes how Jesus asked the multitude, “are you come out as against a thief with swords and stave for to take me?” where we read:

In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and you laid no hold on me.

The verse reads, “In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are you come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me?” Matthew began words, “In that same hour” which means “in that selfsame hour in which Jesus told Peter about praying for twelve legions of angels” “said Jesus” or “Jesus uttered, declared, proclaimed and requested” “to the multitude” which means “to the crowd and group of people”, “Are you come out” or “did the multitude including the religious leaders appear and come forth” “as against a thief” which means “like, in likeness to and in the same manner as a robber, plunderer, freebooter and brigand” “with swords” or “having curved cutting and straight swords” “and staves” which means “and beams, timbers, logs, sticks and staffs” “for to take me” or “for the cause and reason of capturing Jesus and seizing and taking Him as a prisoner”? Matthew shared how Jesus questioned the entire “multitude” as to why they came forth to capture Him like people would do for a “thief”.

The verse goes on to say, “I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and you laid no hold on me? Matthew continued with the words, “I sat daily” or “Jesus was seated in the daytime” “with you” which refers to “alongside the multitude and religious leaders” “teaching” or “holding discourse with others in order to instruct them and giving didactic discourses” “in the temple” which means “within the sacred place and temple located in Jerusalem”, “and you laid no hold on me” or “and the multitude did not take hold, capture, seize or retain Jesus”. Matthew shared how Jesus said he was regularly instructing people in the temple in Jerusalem so He questioned them as to why they did not 'capture and seize” Him at that time.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see Jesus question the religious leaders and multitude concerning why they did not “arrest or seize” Him while He was “teaching” in the “temple in Jerusalem”. In other words, they had ample opportunity to “capture” Him then, so why did they not do so? Jesus knew the answer was their “fear” of the people and insufficient evidence to prove He was the menace they deemed Him to be. Jesus knew all these things would happen to Him, and He endured them so prophetic “scripture” would be fulfilled. Jesus is the Savior and Messiah of the world, and because He followed every “scripture” concerning this “appointed time”, all who consider these things should seek out the truth of the “scriptures” and put their “faith and trust” in Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”.

Next time Matthew shares how “all the disciples forsook him, and fled”, and “all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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