It’s so easy for us to condemn Judas. He calls Jesus his rabbi, his teacher. He gives him a kiss in greeting. And by these outwardly reverent, loving actions, he points Jesus out to the mob waiting to arrest Him. The hypocrisy is as breathtaking as the application is obvious: all who claim to follow Jesus should make sure that our outward actions fit with our profession of faith.

But the focus of today’s passage seems rather to be the role of force in the life of faith. The crowd came out against Jesus with swords and clubs, and He points out how ridiculous that was. They obviously didn’t believe He was the Messiah, or they wouldn’t have turned on Him. So, who did they think He was? A teacher? That’s what He had been doing in the Temple since His arrival in Jerusalem. Did they really think they needed such a show of force to arrest a teacher?

On the other hand, perhaps they thought He was a prophet of God, like Elijah of Old Testament times. If so, they had another reason to put away their swords and clubs – after all, Elijah had called down fire from Heaven two times on armed soldiers who came to arrest him (see II Kings chapter 1). Swords and clubs could have no effect on Someone Who could command divine power, as Jesus demonstrated when He had raised Lazarus from the dead.

And what about the disciples? They also seemed to think that they could aid the Kingdom of God by force, as they defended Jesus with their own swords. But Jesus steadfastly refused to do what so many other religious leaders have done – to compel others to submit to His authority. And when He refused to share the disciples’ faith in the use of force, they simply ran off.

But this passage makes clear that all the force brought against Jesus simply served to accomplish His true purpose – verse 49 says that as He was arrested, beaten, and crucified, the Scriptures were being fulfilled. All His worst enemies could do by betraying Him and killing Him was to further God’s plans to save sinners – they simply offered the sacrifice God had prepared from before the foundation of the world.

So, how should we respond to Jesus? Not with the hypocrisy of Judas. Not by putting our trust in physical force, as did the crowd, and not by imagining that force could overcome the gospel, as the disciples did. No, we must simply trust our Messiah, in spite of whatever force the world may bring against Him, or against us. For He is able to use even the greatest injustices to accomplish His plans to save even the worst of His enemies.

Mark 14:43-50 (ESV)

43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.”
45 And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him.
46 And they laid hands on him and seized him.
47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?
49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.”
50 And they all left him and fled.