D. The arrest (22:47–54a)
D. The arrest (22:47–54a)
Luke’s account of the arrest is shorter than those of the others, but he yet includes matter of his own, such as the disciples’ question (49), the healing of the ear (51), and the reference to the power of darkness (53).
47–48. The arrest followed immediately upon Jesus’ return to the disciples. Judas and his aides came up while Jesus was still speaking. Luke contents himself with the mention of a crowd and does not tell us, as Matthew and Mark do, of their connection with the Sanhedrin and of the arms they carried (which points come out later), nor of the Romans who were with them, as John does. He confines himself to the essentials. Judas’s crime is brought out again only with the reminder that he was one of the twelve. Luke says that Judas approached Jesus to kiss him, though he does not mention the actual kiss. Nor does he say that this was the sign Judas had given the soldiers, though this is clear from Jesus’ reaction, Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss? The kiss was a not unusual form of greeting when men met (cf. 1 Thess. 5:26). It was thus a convenient way for Judas to show the soldiers which of the group was Jesus and to make sure that they did not arrest the wrong man. But the kiss of greeting expressed friendship and esteem, even love, and accordingly this method of betrayal has always seemed particularly heinous.
49–50. The disciples tried armed resistance. Seeing the trend of events they asked Jesus whether they should use force. He had already spoken to them about having swords (36), and elicited their reply that they had two (38). Evidently their minds ran along such lines and they now leapt to the conclusion that they should use what swords they had. One of them (we learn from John 18:10 that it was Peter) did not wait for the question to be answered. He struck out with his sword, though the best he could do was to cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave.
51. Jesus promptly forbade this swordplay, though the precise meaning of the words he used is not clear. It is not even beyond doubt whether he was speaking to the disciples or to the soldiers (cf. Goodspeed, ‘Let me do this much!’ which presumably is addressed to the arresting party). But the former is nearly certain. Jesus does not speak to the arresting party till verse 52 and his words here ‘answer’ (RSV omits this verb, but it is in the Greek) the actions of the disciples. They mean something like ‘Permit until this’, which might mean No more of this! (RSV) or perhaps better, ‘Let them have their way’ (NEB). Some see the meaning as ‘Let events take their course’, but this is perhaps not quite so likely. At any rate Jesus made it clear that he wanted no fighting and he went on to demonstrate this by healing the wounded men with a touch. This healing is important. Later Jesus was to tell Pilate that his kingdom is not ‘of this world’ (John 18:36) and adduce the fact that his servants were not fighting as proof. Peter’s action might have cast doubt on his words, but the healing of the wounded ear cancelled out that action and showed unmistakably Jesus’ concern for peace.
52–53. If the chief priests were in the garden in person it will indicate the seriousness with which they took the arrest. But Luke may mean no more than that important men in the hierarchy, leading men among the priests, represented the chief priests. The officers of the temple will be the captains of the temple police and the elder lay members of the Sanhedrin. Their age would probably make them of little use in the arrest, but their presence lent dignity and weight to the proceedings. Jesus drew attention to the weapons the party carried, suitable indeed for those who went against a robber, but singularly inappropriate in the case of one who had been with them day after day in the temple. The clear implication is that there is something underhand in this clandestine arrest. You did not lay hands on me might mean ‘you did not try to arrest me’ (GNB) or ‘you did not raise a hand against me’ (Rieu). Jesus sees the reason for the way they acted in that this is your hour, and the power of darkness. The hour in the Fourth Gospel is the destined hour, the hour of the cross (cf. 17:1) and there may be something of that here. There is also the thought that the evil one is implicated in the passion (cf. Col. 1:13, where the same Greek expression is used; cf. also Eph. 6:12). In this arrest the forces of evil are attacking God. Moffatt translates, ‘the dark Power has its way’. 54a. The arrest followed immediately. They seized him (the term has no necessary implication of violence) and took him off to the house of the high priest. It was he rather than the Romans who had taken the initiative in the arrest and it was to him accordingly that the prisoner was taken.