“…having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.”
Let’s look at the division between God’s elect and that son of perdition. The other disciples have Jesus only and Judas brings the world’s most fearsome soldiers and weapons of war. Judas comes in the night. He and his allies have every advantage in case there’s a battle. They’ve plotted well.
Roman soldiers against a traveling and homeless preacher. Trained warriors, armed with shields and sharpened swords versus fishermen, tax collectors and misfits. It’s a veritable mismatch. Judas and his side can’t lose.
We do well to remember that Jesus has just told his disciples that they shouldn’t worry and that He had overcome the world. Really? This is a strange way of showing it.
Thus it is that when the world’s weapons and powers are aligned against us – be they the media, the universities, or even the governments – Jesus walks right over to them and confronts them as we see in the next verse. These are the gates of hell aligned against the church but they did not and will not and cannot prevail. We don’t fight with weapons of war, with soldiers and political tricks. Our sword is the living Word. His power is sufficient. Judas prevails on this night – or so it seems to man’s worldly eyes. But, Christian, look deeper and see our risen Savior. He is triumphant over death. He has burst forth from the grave and Judas, he of the weapons and soldiers, dangles lifeless from a tree. The world and its minions may prevail in this round and that. Here in this present evil age they will always seem to have the advantage. We will appear as sheep to be slaughtered. They will have their connections, their political power, weapons and money and we will have our Bibles and our heads bowed in fervent prayer. We have Jesus; they have Judas. Do not despair. Stand firm in the faith. We know how this will end.
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