Matthew 26:53Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Who is the person who severed the ear? According to the evangelist John, it was Peter (Jn. 18:10). This action stemmed from his passionate zeal. However, it warrants examination: for what reason did the disciples of Jesus carry swords? It is clear not only from this incident but also from their response indicating that they possessed two swords. Why, then, did Christ allow them to have swords?

He did not proclaim, "I could summon twelve legions of angels," but rather, "to plead with My Father," expressing this with understanding, as a human, due to the frailty of His disciples. He exhibited profound humanity—sweating and feeling dread—so it would not have been persuasive for Him to assert, "I alone can command the angels." Instead of the twelve, it is the disciples he mentions. If I had desired, twelve legions of angels would have come to My aid. A legion represents the largest contingent, comprising six thousand cavalry. However, He states that it is necessary for all these events to transpire, so that the Scriptures predicting these occurrences may be accomplished. The wrongdoing of the Jews does not stem from the Scriptures’ foreknowledge of these events, but rather from their willingness to act wickedly, as revealed by the Spirit.

I do not require the support of twelve apostles, even if they were all standing by my side, as I have the power of twelve legions of heavenly hosts at my command. In ancient times, a legion consisted of six thousand soldiers. We will not delve into the specifics of these numbers due to our limited time; it suffices to note that twelve legions equal seventy-two thousand angels, reflecting the multitude of nations that humanity comprises. Furthermore, His additional words reveal His willingness to endure suffering; if the Lord had not validated the truth of the prophets through His own suffering, their prophecies would have held no significance.

A legion represents the largest unit within an army. He refrained from stating, "I can destroy them," to avoid making His words sound unbelievable, particularly in light of His prior sufferings including heartbreak, sorrow, despair, perspiration, and all that He had recently endured in human form. Their understanding of Jesus Christ was still incomplete; hence, He referred to Himself with modesty. He mentioned numerous legions of angels to uplift the disciples, who were overwhelmed by fear, recalling that one angel had once dispatched one hundred and eighty-five thousand in a brief moment (4 Kings 19:35).

Through these words, He revealed that He restrained the might of His divinity so that the mystery of the divinely foretold edifice could be accomplished through Him.

It may seem that I am unable to seek the aid of my Father. The Lord, embodying gentleness and humility, places all trust in the Father. If it were vital and aligned with the Father's will, He would have requested all that was needed for Peter's protection. In response to the Master’s supplication, God the Father could have dispatched more than twelve legions of angels. Given that even a single angel from heaven was capable of destroying 185,000 men in one night among the wicked troops of Sennacherib, what might twelve legions achieve? The Lord of all creation could have summoned fire from the heavens upon His adversaries, just as He did for Sodom, and the earth could have opened beneath them at His command, mirroring the fate of Korah and Dathan. However, He does not desire such outcomes.

But the Lord did not want to ask the Father for help. In His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said to the Father: Thy will be done. And He immediately knew the will of the Father and that it would be necessary for Him to suffer; and He immediately united Himself with the will of the Father and set out on the path of suffering.

OR DID YOU BELIEVE THAT I CANNOT NOW REQUEST MY FATHER, and if I so wished, HE WOULD SEND MORE THAN TWENTY LEGIONS OF ANGELS instead of these twelve disciples? But in such a scenario, HOW WOULD THE SCRIPTURES fulfill their purpose, how would the prophecies come to pass, and WHY SHOULD IT BE that the Messiah must endure suffering and die for the sins of humanity? ‘In guiding Peter toward the life of the Gospel, the Lord instructs him not to draw the sword, even though anyone may think to seek vengeance for God’ (Blessed Theophylact). ‘The Lord healed the servant,’ St. Chrysostom observes, ‘performing a wondrous miracle that demonstrated both His gentleness and power, His loving kindness, and the obedience of the disciple. Why did He not ask, Do you believe that I cannot vanquish them?

Jesus proceeded to address Peter's impulsiveness, stating: “Do you believe you can obstruct the fulfillment of my Father's purpose? Is it conceivable that I could refuse the cup that my Father has placed before Me? (John 18:11). How feeble is your faith! Do you think they can seize Me against My will? Or do you suppose I cannot now request My Father to send more than twelve legions of angels to protect Me?”

"Do you believe," etc.: Peter's response, although born from genuine devotion to the Lord, not only proves unproductive and potentially hazardous but also reveals a deficiency in trust in God’s assistance and a failure to surrender to His divine plan. Had God intended to rescue His Son, He could have dispatched legions of angels at the mere utterance of His prayer. There are two reasons He aimed to comfort His followers: first, through a warning of retribution for those who initiate violence, for He stated, "they that take the sword shall perish by the sword"; and secondly, by demonstrating that He willingly accepts this suffering, as He declared, "I can beseech My Father" (Chrysostom).