The Sovereign Surrender Text: Matthew 26:47-56
Introduction: The Script of Sovereignty
We come now to the moment in the story where all the powers of darkness, all the machinations of wicked men, and all the fears of fainthearted disciples converge in one garden. On the surface, it is a scene of chaos, betrayal, and tragic defeat. A renegade disciple, a mob armed with clubs, a well-meaning but misguided friend, and a band of followers scattering like frightened sheep. If you were to watch this scene through the lens of CNN or any modern news outlet, the headline would be "Local Teacher and Rabble-Rouser Apprehended in Midnight Raid." The story would be about the failure of a movement, the triumph of the establishment, and the sad end of a good man's misguided dream.
But the Bible is not written by journalists; it is written by the Holy Spirit. And the story it tells is not one of tragic defeat, but of triumphant, sovereign control. Every event in this dark garden, from the traitor's kiss to the disciples' flight, is unfolding precisely according to a script. But this is not a script written by the Sanhedrin, or by Judas, or by Pontius Pilate. The script was written in eternity, before the foundation of the world, by God the Father, and the central actor, Jesus Christ, knows every line by heart. He is not a victim of circumstances; He is the Lord of them. He is not being cornered; He is advancing His plan.
This is the central issue we must grasp, for it is the central issue of our own lives. Do we believe that history is a chaotic jumble of random events, driven by the lusts and ambitions of men? Or do we believe that history is a story, being told by a good and sovereign God, who works all things, even the malice of His enemies, together for the good of those who love Him? This passage forces the question. Here, the greatest evil in human history is perpetrated. The sinless Son of God is betrayed and seized by sinful men. And yet, at every turn, Jesus insists that all of it, every last detail, is happening "in order that the Scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled." God is not losing control; He is demonstrating it in the most profound way imaginable.
We must therefore read this account not as a tragedy, but as a display of divine power. This is not the story of a martyr being overwhelmed, but of a King surrendering Himself according to His own timetable, for the accomplishment of His own purposes. And in it, we find not only the foundation of our salvation but the pattern for our own lives in a hostile world.
The Text
And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up, and with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” And immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.
And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew out his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? Therefore, how will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”
At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. But all this has taken place in order that the Scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.
(Matthew 26:47-56 LSB)
The Traitor's Kiss and the King's Courtesy (vv. 47-50)
The scene opens with the vilest act of hypocrisy in the history of the world.
"And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up... Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, 'Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.' And immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, 'Greetings, Rabbi!' and kissed Him. And Jesus said to him, 'Friend, do what you have come for.'" (Matthew 26:47-50)
Notice the description: "Judas, one of the twelve." The horror is not just that a man betrayed Jesus, but that one of His own inner circle did so. He was a man who had heard the Sermon on the Mount from the Lord's own lips, who had seen the dead raised, who had eaten with Him and walked with Him for three years. This is a profound warning against nominal, external religion. You can be in the very presence of Christ, a member of His visible church, and still have a heart full of treachery. Proximity to grace is not the same as possession of grace.
The sign Judas chooses is a kiss. In that culture, a kiss was a sign of friendship, respect, and affection between a disciple and his master. Judas weaponizes intimacy. He turns a symbol of love into a signal for arrest. This is the very essence of diabolical evil: to take what is good and twist it into an instrument of destruction. The world still does this. It takes the good gift of sexuality and twists it into pornography and perversion. It takes the good gift of authority and twists it into tyranny. It takes the good gift of language and twists it into lies. The kiss of Judas is the native language of the fallen world.
But look at Christ's response. "Friend, do what you have come for." What astonishing composure. What sovereign grace. Jesus is not caught off guard. He is not flustered. He addresses His betrayer as "friend." This is not sarcasm. The word here is hetaire, which means comrade or companion. It is a statement of fact. For three years, Jesus had treated Judas as a friend. He had given him every opportunity, every kindness, every warning. Even in this final moment of betrayal, Jesus extends a courtesy that is meant to pierce the conscience. He is in complete control, not just of the mob, but of His own spirit. He will not be provoked into sin. He is demonstrating what it means to love your enemies, even as they are in the very act of destroying you.
Misguided Zeal and Divine Restraint (vv. 51-54)
In the midst of this treachery, we see another kind of failure, not of malice, but of misguided zeal.
"And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew out his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, 'Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.'" (Genesis 26:51-52 LSB)
John's gospel tells us this was Peter. Good old Peter. Impulsive, loyal, and almost always wrong-headed in a crisis. He sees his Master being arrested, and he does what any red-blooded man would want to do. He fights. He was a fisherman, not a swordsman, so his aim was poor. He was likely aiming for the man's head and only managed to get an ear. But his intent was clear: to start a revolution right then and there.
And Jesus rebukes him immediately. "Put your sword back into its place." Why? Because Peter is trying to accomplish God's will with the world's methods. He is trying to build a spiritual kingdom with carnal weapons. Jesus's statement, "for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword," is not an endorsement of absolute pacifism. The Bible clearly gives the sword to the civil magistrate for the punishment of evil (Romans 13:4). This is a statement about jurisdiction and means. Peter, as a disciple, had no authority to wield that sword. The kingdom of God does not advance by vigilante violence. It advances by the preaching of the gospel and the power of the Spirit. To try and build the church with the sword is to misunderstand the very nature of the church. Those who live by the principle of carnal force will find themselves destroyed by it.
Jesus then reveals the true nature of His power and the true reason for His submission.
"Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? Therefore, how will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?" (Genesis 26:53-54 LSB)
This is the heart of the passage. Jesus is not a helpless victim. He is not being arrested because the mob is too strong. He is being arrested because He chooses to be. A Roman legion was about 6,000 soldiers. Jesus says He could summon more than twelve legions of angels, over 72,000 of them. One angel in the Old Testament killed 185,000 Assyrians in a single night. A legion of angels for each of the eleven faithful disciples, and a legion for Himself. The power at His disposal is astronomical, incalculable. He could have obliterated this pathetic little mob with a word. But He doesn't. Why? Because there is a higher law in operation here than the law of self-preservation. It is the law of Scripture. The plan of redemption, foretold by the prophets for centuries, required this. "How will the Scriptures be fulfilled?" This is the question that governs everything. Jesus is not submitting to Judas or Caiaphas; He is submitting to the written Word of His Father.
Cowardly Accusations and Prophetic Certainty (vv. 55-56)
Having disarmed His disciple, Jesus now turns and disarms His accusers with the truth.
"At that time Jesus said to the crowds, 'Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me.'" (Genesis 26:55 LSB)
He exposes their cowardice and their hypocrisy. If He were a genuine threat, a robber or a revolutionary, why didn't they arrest Him in broad daylight, in the temple, where He taught openly? They know the answer. They were afraid of the people. Their actions are not those of righteous lawmen, but of shady conspirators operating under the cover of darkness. They treat Him like a brigand because their own deeds are brigandage. He shines the light of truth on their pathetic, fearful hearts.
And then, He brings it all back to the central point, the anchor of reality in this swirling chaos.
"But all this has taken place in order that the Scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled." (Genesis 26:56a LSB)
This is the third time in this short exchange that He has appealed to the fulfillment of Scripture. This is the ultimate presupposition. This is the grammar of the event. The betrayal, the swords, the clubs, the illegal arrest, all of it is being woven into a tapestry of redemption that God designed long ago. This is not fate. This is not bad luck. This is providence. This is the sovereign hand of God using the sinful hands of men to accomplish His sinless purpose.
The immediate result of this sovereign declaration is, ironically, the final failure of His men.
"Then all the disciples left Him and fled." (Genesis 26:56b LSB)
Even this was prophesied. Jesus had told them this would happen, quoting Zechariah: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered" (Matt. 26:31). Their failure was not a surprise to Him. Their fear, their panic, their desertion was all part of the script. He had to tread the winepress alone. He had to be forsaken by His friends so that He could be forsaken by His Father in our place. Their weakness serves to magnify His strength. He stands alone, the solitary, sufficient Savior.
Conclusion: Our Only Comfort
What are we to take from this dark scene in the garden? We must take from it the same thing Jesus held onto: the absolute, unshakable sovereignty of God as revealed in His Word.
The world will always come at the church with swords and clubs. It will use the hypocrisy of the Judas kiss, accusing us of bigotry while demanding tolerance for their own intolerance. It will misunderstand our mission, thinking we are trying to build a political kingdom with carnal means, just as Peter did. And in the face of this opposition, our own friends may flee. Our own strength will fail.
In those moments, what is our only comfort? It is this: that nothing happens apart from the will of our Father in heaven. The story has already been written. The victory has already been secured. Our King was not defeated in that garden; He was advancing on the cross. He did not call the angels because the Scriptures had to be fulfilled. And because He was obedient, because He drank the cup the Father gave Him, we who trust in Him will one day see those angels. We will stand with them, not as a rescue party, but as a victorious choir.
Therefore, we do not need to take up the sword in panic like Peter. We do not need to despair when betrayed like Judas. We do not need to flee in terror like the other disciples. We need to stand in quiet confidence like our Lord, knowing that our lives, like His, are governed not by the whims of wicked men, but by the sure and certain promises of the fulfilled Word of God.