Matthew 26:54Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

So Luke relates, the Lord had said to His disciples at supper, He that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip; and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one; (Luke 22:36.) and the disciples answered, Lo, here are two swords. It was natural that there should be swords there for the paschal lamb which they had been eating. Hearing then that the pursuers were coming to apprehend Christ, when they went out from supper they took these swords, as though to fight in defence of their Master against His pursuers.

That is, every one who uses the sword. And he uses the sword, who, without the command or sanction of any superior, or legitimate authority, arms himself against man’s life. For truly the Lord had given commandment to His disciples to take the sword, but not to smite with the sword. Was it then at all unbeseeming that Peter after this sin should become ruler of the Church, as Moses after smiting the Egyptian was made ruler and chief of the Synagogue? For both transgressed the rule not through hardened ferocity, but through a warmth of spirit capable of good; both through hatred of the injustice of others; both sinned through love, the one for his brother, the other for his Lord, though a carnal love.

In another Gospel, (John 18:10.) Peter is represented as having done this, and with his usual hastiness; and that the servant’s name was Malchus, and that the ear was the right ear. In passing we may say, that Malchus, i. e. one who should have been king of the Jews, was made the slave of the ungodliness and the greediness of the Priests, and lost his right ear so that he might hear only the worthlessness of the letter in his left.

He states, if I am not to be put to death in this manner, how will the prophetic Scriptures related to my death come to pass, as they declare that it must happen this way and that I must face this end.

For though they seem even now to hear the Law, yet is it only with the left ear that they hear the shadow of a tradition concerning the Law, and not the truth. The people of the Gentiles is signified by Peter; for by believing in Christ, they become the cause of cutting off the Jews’ right ear.

Otherwise; The ear of the High Priest’s servant is cut off by the Apostle, that is, Christ’s disciple cuts off the disobedient hearing of a people which were the slaves of the Priesthood, the ear which had refused to hear is cut off so that it is no longer capable of hearing.

Through these statements, He demonstrated that He willingly constrained the might of His Divinity so that the mystery of the house-building foretold by the prophets could be realized in Him.

The Lord of the zealous Apostle will not suffer his pious feeling to proceed further, Then saith Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place. For it was contrary to the sacrament of our redemption that He, who had come to die for all, should refuse to be apprehended. He gives therefore licence to their fury against Him, lest by putting off the triumph of His glorious Cross, the dominion of the Devil should be made longer, and the captivity of men more enduring.

Or, Peter does not take away the sense of understanding from them that hear, but opens to the careless that which by a divine sentence was taken away from them; but this same right ear is restored to its original function in those who out of this nation believed.

Otherwise; Every one who uses the sword to put man to death perishes first by the sword of his own wickedness.

Can the Word of God, which declared this long ago, be questioned? The Scriptures that the Savior primarily references here are the proclamations of the two Prophets. Isaiah spoke of the Lord’s servant: ‘Jehovah hath pleased to smite him with torment: if he lay down his life for sin: he shall see seed, he shall live long, and the will of God shall be successfully accomplished in his hands’ (Isaiah 53:10). The Prophet Daniel foretold, ‘after sixty-two weeks the Anointed One (Messiah) shall die’ (Dan. 9:26). More specifically, he indicates that this will occur at the conclusion of half a seven weeks, meaning at the end of the Messiah's three-and-a-half-year ministry (Dan. 9:27). Thus, Christ Jesus spoke before those who sought His life. They remained steadfast in their intentions.

OR DID YOU BELIEVE THAT I CANNOT AT THIS MOMENT ASK MY FATHER, and if I chose to do so, HE WOULD SEND ME MORE THAN TWENTY LEGIONS OF ANGELS instead of just these twelve disciples? However, HOW WILL THE SCRIPTURES BE FULFILLED, and why must it be that the Messiah would endure suffering and death for the sins of humanity? ‘In guiding Peter to embrace the life of the Gospel, the Lord teaches that the sword should not be wielded, even though it might seem just to exact vengeance for God’ (Blessed Theophylact). ‘The Lord healed the servant,’ states St Chrysostom, ‘performing a remarkable miracle that demonstrated both His gentleness and power, as well as the compassion of love and the disciple's willingness to submit. Why did He not declare, Do you think I cannot annihilate them?

In this account, the Evangelist John recounts how, after Judas had signaled the soldiers with a kiss to identify Jesus, they approached Him. Jesus asked them whom they were seeking, and they responded, "Jesus of Nazareth." He replied, "It is I." Upon hearing these words, the mob recoiled and fell to the ground. This display of His divine sovereignty served to illustrate that their attempt to seize Him stemmed not from their strength or authority, but from His willing decision to surrender to death. Jesus then repeated His question to the crowd, consented to be taken, and requested that they leave his disciples unharmed. According to the Evangelist, this was essential to fulfill what Christ had stated in His high priestly prayer in John 17:12.

If all of this remains unclear to you, consider what is currently unfolding as a fulfillment of the prophetic words concerning Me.

How will the sacred writings be realized? How will the foretold prophecies be brought to fruition that declare the Messiah must endure suffering and perish for the transgressions of humankind? It is necessary for the Messiah to experience death as a suffering servant; this was predicted by the prophets long ago. If this did not come to pass, the prophetic message would be proven false; however, that cannot be the case, and therefore Peter's defense is without merit. These statements were undoubtedly meant to reassure the disciples, illustrating that the Master’s death was neither unintentional nor unforeseen, thus they should not be led into despair by it.

The disciples, likely recalling the Lord's teaching about maintaining courage in peril (Luke 22:36), believed that the moment foretold by the Master had arrived, prompting them to approach him with an inquiry: Lord, should we use a sword? Amidst the confusion where some questioned and others remained uncertain, the impulsive Peter took action: armed with his sword, he drew it and struck, severing the right ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. This bold gesture influenced the others, and they began to gear up to confront their attackers. However, the Lord intervened, saying to them, “Let it be for now,” and directing his admonition at Peter, he cautioned against his hasty fervor: “Put your sword back in its sheath; for all who take up the sword will perish by the sword.