Judas therefore having received a band of soldiers and servants from the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.
ο ουν ιουδας λαβων την σπειραν και εκ των αρχιερεων και φαρισαιων υπηρετας ερχεται εκει μετα φανων και λαμπαδων και οπλων
11 Church Fathers comment on this verse
They had often sent men before to seize Him, but they could not. From this it is clear that now also He gave Himself up voluntarily.
But how did they persuade the cohort? They were soldiers, ready to do anything for money. Why then do they come with weapons, intending to seize Him? They feared His followers. For this same reason they also attacked Him late at night.
They bribe a band of soldiers to help them, for soldiers are such that they can be bought with gold. Many come because they fear the followers of Jesus, who were attached to Him on account of His teaching and miracles.
They carry lanterns and torches with them, lest Jesus hide in the darkness and flee from them. But He had so little need to flee that He Himself goes out to them and gives Himself up.
Again the divine Evangelist necessarily points out that Jesus was "in the garden." No multitude of other people or the populace had gathered there with the intention of defending Him.
He alone was there with only His disciples, so that the corruption of the betrayer's heart might be shown in relation to sound reason. For conscience in each person is very capable of producing fears and causing great timidity when we conceive anything impious.
In this very state, in my opinion, the betrayer brings even the "cohort" of soldiers, equipped with military weapons, and the Jewish "servants," as though he intended to seize some notorious criminal.
He ought to have known that he could never have taken Him if He had not wished to suffer and had not gone to this by His free will. Yet his mind was corrupted by impious deeds and, as it were, drunk with excessive audacity.
He no longer sees where he is rushing, and he does not understand the impossibility of his undertaking. Yes, he thought that with the help of the crowd following him and of human hands, he would overcome His divine power.
Do not be surprised that the wretched man suffers such a disease and is shown to have conceived something ridiculous. Having already handed over the rule of his soul to another, and having sold the authority over his desires to the devil, he now belonged wholly to the devil's frenzy.
For the devil had once attacked him and watched for him like a venomous serpent. Yet with every justice one may marvel and call the betrayer's fall worthy of ceaseless tears.
He had just supped with Christ and shared bread with Him. He was a participant in the holy table, and together with the others he tasted the teaching of piety.
He clearly heard Him say, "One of you will betray Me" (Jn 13:21). Yet he leaps, so to speak, from the seats around the table.
Rising from his recent reclining at supper, he hastily departs to serve the Jews for pay. He did not wish to remember the teaching of piety, nor did he come to desire the hope of the future.
He cared very little even for the apostolic dignity given to him. In short, before all eternal goods he preferred such small and insignificant money.
He is shown to be both a trap and a net of the devil for Christ, and the chief and fellow-worker of Jewish godlessness. Besides this, I must also laugh not a little at the following.
The crowd that comes with the betrayer is concerned about attacking Christ while holding lanterns and torches. Probably, I think, they were guarding against stumbling in the dark and involuntarily falling into pits.
But behold their madness. In their great stupidity, the wretched men do not see that they are stumbling over that Stone of which God the Father says: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" (Rom 9:33; Is 8:14).
Greatly fearing a pit for a time, they do not perceive that they are falling into the fountains of the abyss and the depths of the earth. Avoiding the evening twilight, they count eternal and unceasing night as nothing.
For, by impiously plotting against the divine Light, that is, Christ, they had to walk in darkness and midnight, according to the word of the Prophet (Is 59:9). Nor is this all.
They will go into the "outer darkness" itself (Mt 8:12), to give account there for their impiety against Christ and to undergo severe and unending condemnation.
This was a detachment not of Jews, but of soldiers. Authority had been given to them by the governor to seize an alleged criminal, breaking any possible resistance.
It was a cohort of Roman soldiers, not of Jews.
Therefore it must be understood that it had been taken from the governor, a praeside, as if for the arrest of a criminal and the protection of the order proceeding from lawful authority.
This was so that no one would dare oppose those who were to carry out the arrest.
Such a large crowd was therefore gathered, and accompanied by soldiers, either to frighten others or to repel anyone who might suddenly dare to defend Christ.
Of course, His power was so hidden and His weakness so evident that His enemies thought such measures were necessary against Him.
Yet all of this would have been powerless against Him if He Himself had not willed that arrest.
He used the impious in a good way and brought about good through the wicked, so as to turn the wicked into good and separate the good from the wicked.
They resorted to weapons because they feared the followers of Jesus Christ. For this same reason they came late at night.
This was said in the explanation of the words in the twenty-sixth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 26:47): "And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the Twelve, came."
John omits everything that happened before this, since it had been told by the other Evangelists, as he very often does.
First take the Cross as an unshakable foundation, and build the other manifestations of faith upon it.
Do not deny the Crucified One. For if you deny Him, many will be found to accuse you.
Judas the betrayer will accuse you first. For he who betrayed Him knows that Jesus was condemned to death by the chief priests and elders.
The thirty pieces of silver bear witness to this. The garden of Gethsemane bears witness to this, for the betrayal happened there.
I do not even mention the Mount of Olives, on which they were with Him that night and prayed.
The night moon bears witness to this, the day bears witness, and the sun that was darkened. It could not endure the sight of the conspirators' crime.
The fire will accuse you, by which Peter stood warming himself.
If you deny the Cross, eternal fire will await you. I speak harsh words so that you may not have to experience harsh torments.
Remember those swords that were drawn against Him in the garden of Gethsemane, so that you may not come to know the sword of eternity.
The Jews arrayed themselves and came with lanterns, torches, and weapons. They were many, but they sought one.
The sons of darkness came bearing light in their hands. By it they would reveal to others the true Light, though they themselves, being blinded, could not contain it in their heart.
And behold, the radiance of the Light of truth, until then hidden beneath the cloud of flesh, touches the darkness and casts it to the ground.
But so that the Light might fulfill that for which He came, the darkness rises again. And He gives it authority over Himself.
The darkness takes the Light, not to follow Him, but to kill Him.
The Light allows the darkness to take Him, lead Him away, hang Him up, and kill Him.
Thus, freed from the cloud of flesh, He would reveal the radiance of His majesty.
Cf. Jn 1:4-10.
The taking of Jesus into custody.
The three chosen Apostles woke up, rose, and went with Jesus toward the exit from the garden, where the others were sleeping.
As they approached the exit, they could see a crowd drawing near with lanterns and other lights.
Judas was leading a detachment entrusted to him by the Sanhedrin. It consisted of Roman soldiers, temple guards, and servants of the chief priests, armed with swords and clubs.
The chief priests had given Judas a secret charge to take Jesus, bind Him, and bring Him to them, doing all this cautiously.
Of course, they could not tell the detachment exactly whom it was to arrest. They had to limit themselves to ordering them to take the One whom Judas would indicate.
Such caution on the part of the chief priests was required for two reasons.
Those sent might accidentally meet people still awake, let slip whom they were going after, and thereby attract a crowd that might free their arrested Prophet.
Moreover, there had already been an occasion when the temple guards and servants of the chief priests, sent to arrest Jesus, did not dare to seize Him, Jn 7:45-46.
That is why the detachment was ordered to take the One whom Judas would indicate.
Judas, carefully guarding the secrecy of the charge given to him, limited himself to this one indication: "The one I shall kiss is the man whom we are going after. Take Him and lead Him away cautiously."
From Judas' subsequent conduct and from the question Jesus put to him, one may conclude that he intended to separate himself from the detachment.
He meant to approach Jesus with the customary greeting, kiss Him, then go back to the Apostles and thereby conceal his betrayal.
But he did not succeed. When he hastily approached Jesus and said in confusion, "Rabbi! Rabbi!" Jesus gently asked him, "Friend, why have you come?" Mt 26:50.
Not knowing what to say, Judas said in embarrassment, "Hail, Rabbi!" and kissed Him, Mt 26:49.
To show Judas that he could not conceal his betrayal, Jesus said, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?"
"Judas, having taken a band of soldiers." This was a cohort, or regiment, part of the legion occupying the fortress Antonia near the temple; see note on Mt 27:27.
It is hardly likely that an entire cohort was sent against a few men, the Lord and His eleven disciples.
Nevertheless, a commander, a tribune, was with it, Jn 18:12.
It is therefore probable that this was done with the knowledge and permission of the procurator himself.
This is partly indicated by Matthew's account of how Pilate's wife sent to intercede with him for the Lord, Mt 27:19.
The Sanhedrin considered it necessary to ask for such reinforcement in order to preserve an appearance of legality, and also for any possible contingency.
"And officers," that is, servants attached to the Sanhedrin and the temple, Jn 8:32, 45.
To them were joined the slaves of the high priests, Jn 18:10, and even some of the chief priests, Lk 22:52.
"With lanterns and torches." It was a full moon, but those in command probably supposed that the Lord would hide from them in secret places of the garden or in the buildings that were there, cf. Theophylact.
"And weapons." Probably only the Roman soldiers were armed, while the others took clubs, cf. Mt 26:47 and parallels.
Judas showed the way to this whole detachment. Therefore it is said that Judas took the detachment, and so on.
The enemies of Jesus had long been preparing how to seize the Nazarene Teacher whom they hated. There had been enough time to think through the whole plan in all its parts.
Not a word is needed to say that offended pride, wounded vanity, black envy, and other savage passions caused the Sanhedrin, headed by the high priest Caiaphas, to rise against the Lord Jesus.
So many honorable men, so many learned men, so many men experienced in governance, such as the members of the Sanhedrin were.
How did they conduct their first attempt against Jesus? How did they take Him into custody?
How great our Savior appeared in this case also, and how pitifully low the members of the Sanhedrin were through their base passions.
"And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people," Mt 26:47.
The Lord had said, "Rise, behold, he who betrays Me is at hand." And so it proved. His foresight was true, far truer than the sight of the Sanhedrin.
The betrayer knew well where and when his Teacher and Friend was. Without doubt, he could have delivered Him, if this had been necessary, at any time, without any noise, to two or three men.
How do the enemies of Jesus act? They take the strongest measures.
They send whole crowds of armed men with Judas, only to seize in a defenseless place the One who was so meek that He did not quench a smoking wick, Mt 12:20.
A cohort was given to Judas, a detachment of Roman soldiers numbering five hundred men.
There were also detachments of servants of the Sanhedrin from all three of its classes: priestly, learned, and elders of the people, Mk 11:13.
With the cohort there was a commander, a tribune. With the servants there was an elder, Jn 18:12.
The Roman guard was armed with swords. The servants of the Sanhedrin had clubs.
Even this was not enough for the honor of the Sanhedrin. The captains of the temple, commanders of the temple guard, and even chief priests had to appear there, Lk 22:52.
Add also that they did not dare do the dishonorable deed by day, but resolved to do it by night.
And although it was a full moon, and therefore a bright night, they carried torches and lanterns, as if they had to hunt in underground chambers.
What was all this for?
If it was to show the people that they were dealing with a disturber of ecclesiastical and civil peace, then who, in the deep night, saw what these wretched men were doing?
Is not the fear of cowardice clearly visible here? Is there not confusion of thought and impiety trembling for its own safety, when no one is pursuing it?
A band of soldiers and officers. This was a band of soldiers with many officers from the chief priests, scribes, and elders of the people.
With lanterns and torches. It was nighttime. Therefore this whole crowd had supplied itself with lanterns and torches. The soldiers were armed with swords, while their companions, the officers of the leaders of various ranks, carried clubs.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 23 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS