Matthew 26:47-56 - Characters at the Betrayal

Well, it is good to be back with you. We are in a mini-series in the book of Matthew called “The Last Days.” What we’re doing is taking the book of Matthew and breaking it down into bite-sized chunks. The reason we call it “The Last Days” is because Jesus is literally hours away from the cross.

Two weeks ago, we covered Jesus in the upper room—the last meal with the disciples, the last Passover meal. Some call it the Last Supper, where Jesus breaks bread and redefines the ancient Passover tradition to be not just a lamb that was sacrificed, but the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for the sins of the world.

Then last week, Judas set the betrayal in motion, sending Jesus into the garden. As Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane praying, He experiences this rich time of oneness with the Father. There is a contrast happening in that moment. Jesus is enjoying sweetness with God in prayer, being both physically present and spiritually aware. He is delighting in the Father. In that time of being spiritually aware, His calling and identity are affirmed. It gives Him a sense of strength and courage to continue on the road before Him and to handle the cup God asked Him to partake of—this cup of God’s wrath poured out upon Jesus as He takes upon Himself the sins of the world. Jesus, physically present and spiritually aware, walks down this road in agony.

In contrast, the snoozers over here—the disciples—are sleeping. Though physically present, they are spiritually unaware. They have no concept of what is happening or what God is doing. In verse 46, after His time with the Lord in prayer, Jesus is able to say, “Get up, let us be going. Behold, the one who betrays me is at hand.”

Today, we are going to cover verses 47 through 56, focusing on a cast of characters. As we walk through the text, I encourage you to listen and see if you can find yourself in the story. At the very end, we are going to draw out some application for our lives today.

The Betrayal in the Garden

Jesus said in verse 46, “Get up, let us be going. Behold, the betrayer is at hand.”

Matthew 26:46 (NASB)

‘Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!’

While He is still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrives accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs from the chief priests and elders.

Matthew 26:47 (NASB)

While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, [who came] from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Notice that contrast again: Jesus is physically present and spiritually aware, while the disciples are physically present and spiritually unaware. Because Jesus is aware of His Father’s presence, He responds in obedience and surrender. The disciples, on the other hand, react in the flesh.

Matthew makes note in verse 47 that the one coming to betray Him is Judas, “one of the twelve.” This entire section is ripe with emotion. Matthew reminds us that the betrayer is not some random stranger who had nothing to do with Jesus, but someone who had been with Him the whole time. The wound of a friend’s betrayal cuts much deeper than that of a stranger. Here comes Judas, one numbered among them, well-acquainted with Jesus, leading a crowd.

How large was this crowd? In John’s account, it says:

John 18:3 (NASB)

Judas then, having received the [Roman] cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

Judas received the Roman cohort along with officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, coming with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Luke adds that officers of the temple and elders were there too. A Roman cohort could be up to 600 men. Combined with the temple guards, chief priests, and elders, you potentially have hundreds of men walking across the Kidron Valley. That is likely why Jesus could see the torches coming from a distance.

Remember, God gave us four Gospel accounts. By the testimony of two or three witnesses, a matter is confirmed. God in His wisdom didn’t give us just one account where someone could claim the writer made it up; He gave us four distinct perspectives. Matthew, writing to a Jewish audience, highlights Jesus as King. Mark highlights Jesus as a Servant. Luke, a physician, highlights His humanity. John highlights that Jesus is God.

In John 18, when Judas shows up with the crowd, John captures a detail highlighting Jesus’ deity:

John 18:4-6 (NASB)

So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’ They answered Him, ‘Jesus the Nazarene.’ He said to them, ‘I am [He].’ And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, ‘I am [He],’ they drew back and fell to the ground.

Jesus asks them, “Whom do you seek?” They answer, “Jesus the Nazarene.” When He says, “I am He,” they draw back and fall to the ground! The divine power is revealed, and they collapse. John highlights that Jesus is God.

In verse 48, Judas gives the crowd a prearranged signal: “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.”

Matthew 26:48 (NASB)

Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.’

Judas immediately walks up to Jesus and says, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kisses Him.

Matthew 26:49 (NASB)

Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, ‘Hail, Rabbi!’ and kissed Him.

It was a greeting of honor, though notice he calls Him “Rabbi” rather than “Lord.” Judas distances himself slightly, yet still greets Jesus with outward respect. Judas is torn up inside. When he left the upper room, Satan entered him; he is being driven by a darkness beyond comprehension. Next week, we will see that he is immediately wrecked by remorse.

What scares me about Judas is that he spent three-plus years walking, eating, resting with, and listening to Jesus. He watched Jesus pray and perform miracles, yet he still betrayed Him. Is it possible to be in close proximity to the Lord—to carry the multiplied bread and fish—and still lack personal faith in Him? Absolutely. Judas proves it.

Proximity does not save. Being near the things of God does not save. Jesus warns us about this:

Matthew 7:21-23 (NASB)

’Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven [will enter]. ’Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ ’And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Many will say, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy and do miracles in Your name? Weren’t we close to You?” And He will declare, “I never knew you; depart from Me.” First John echoes this truth:

1 John 2:19 (NASB)

They went out from us, but they were not [really] of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but [they went out], so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

They went out from us because they were not really of us. The warning for us is clear: how many of us have proximity to the Lord, but no personal faith? You might have grown up in church, memorized verses, and gone to youth group, but never personally trusted Christ. Judas should give us pause.

The Sword and the Cup

In verse 50, Jesus looks at Judas and says, “Friend, do what you have come for.”

Matthew 26:50 (NASB)

And Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, [do] what you have come for.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

The Greek word for “friend” used here appears only three times in Matthew—in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20), the wedding feast (Matthew 22), and here. In every case, it addresses someone who is in the wrong. It is a formal, distant term, like saying, “Pal” or “Buddy” to someone you don’t truly have a relationship with.

Then the crowd lays hands on Jesus and seizes Him. In verse 51, things get chaotic:

Matthew 26:51 (NASB)

And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.

One of the disciples draws a sword, strikes the high priest’s servant, and cuts off his ear. Matthew graciously leaves out the disciple’s name, but John doesn’t hold back. In John 18:10, John tells us plainly that Simon Peter drew the sword and struck Malchus, the high priest’s servant.

John 18:10-11 (NASB)

Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?’

Here is Peter, operating completely in the flesh and spiritually unaware, swinging a blade. Jesus rebukes him: “Put the sword into the sheath. The cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

Peter missed the memo: the cross was always the point. Back in Matthew 16, Jesus clearly explained that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and be raised on the third day.

Matthew 16:21-23 (NASB)

From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God forbid [it], Lord! This shall never happen to You.’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.’

Back then, Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” Jesus told him, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Now in the garden, Peter is doing it again. He thinks he can fight 600 soldiers ninja-style, completely hindering the plan of God.

Before the foundation of the world, the cross was the plan. If Peter’s reckless swing had caused the Roman cohort to execute Jesus right there on the spot, the prophecies would not have been fulfilled. Peter almost ruined everything in his fleshly reaction. But Jesus steps in, tells everyone to stop, touches Malchus’s ear, and heals him. Imagine how Malchus slept that night!

Jesus tells Peter:

Matthew 26:52-54 (NASB)

Then Jesus said to him, ’Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. ’Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ‘How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, [which say] that it must happen this way?’

“Put your sword back in its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.” Christianity is not an armed revolution. We are not storming the castle with pitchforks. Jesus reminds Peter that if He wanted rescue, the Father would immediately send more than twelve legions of angels—over 72,000 angels—to wipe out the soldiers. But the Scriptures had to be fulfilled.

Jesus then addresses the crowd:

Matthew 26:55-56 (NASB)

At that time Jesus said to the crowds, ’Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as [you would] against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. ‘But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.’ Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

“Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. But all this has taken place to fulfill the scriptures of the prophets.” At that moment, all the disciples abandoned Him and fled, exactly as Jesus predicted.

Jesus heads to the cross, abandoned by His friends, yet not alone. He walks in perfect obedience to the Father’s will.

Dangers from the Cast of Characters

What can we learn from this passage today? Let’s look at the dangers represented by this cast of characters.

1. Judas: The Danger of Faith by Proximity

Judas represents the danger of assuming that being around Jesus is the same as knowing Jesus. In our culture, many assume, “I was born in America, my dad was a deacon, I grew up in church, so I must be a Christian.” But proximity is not personal faith. We see young people graduate high school, leave home, and walk away because their faith was inherited, not owned.

If you are a student or young person, your faith cannot be your parents’ faith. It has to be yours. It is about you recognizing your sin, trusting what Jesus did on the cross, and saying, “I am denying myself, taking up my cross, and following Jesus.” Salvation requires personal trust and surrendered belief in Jesus Christ.

2. The Crowd: The Danger of Living by Fear Instead of Faith

The religious leaders operated out of fear because Jesus did not fit their religious box. He ate with tax collectors and sinners, loved the broken, and challenged their traditions. Because He didn’t meet their expectations, fear drove them to reject Him.

The Romans were equally baffled. Early Roman records, like the letters of Pliny the Elder to Emperor Trajan, show how confused Rome was by Christians. In a culture of drunkenness and sexual indulgence, Christians practiced sobriety and marital fidelity. In a rigid caste system, Christians treated rich and poor, slave and free, male and female as equals. When plagues struck, Christians cared for the sick and adopted abandoned orphans. They loved their enemies. Because the Romans couldn’t control or understand them, their fear turned to persecution: “Christians to the lions!” When we live by fear instead of faith, we miss what God is doing.

3. The Disciples: Three Critical Dangers

The disciples demonstrate three specific warnings for us:

• The Danger of Spiritual Unawareness: They fell asleep in the garden and reacted violently when crisis hit. When was the last time you lived with a spiritual expectation that God might move, surprise you, or answer prayer? In Acts 12, the church prayed for Peter’s release from prison, but when Peter knocked on the door, they thought the servant girl was crazy. We must be spiritually awake, asking God to open our eyes and ears to His activity.
• The Danger of Soft-Handed Faith: The disciples lacked spiritual fortitude when difficulty arrived. Proverbs 24:10 says:

Proverbs 24:10 (NASB)

If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited.

If your faith has no grit, you will collapse when pressure comes. Following Jesus is not going to get easier in our culture; it will require durable, resilient faith.

• The Danger of Unprocessed Disappointment with God: When Jesus was arrested, the disciples scattered, crushed and disillusioned. Their expectations were shattered. When disappointment hits, we need authentic Christian community. That is why we gather, pray, bear one another’s burdens, and remind each other that God is faithful even when circumstances make no sense.

Closing Challenge

Jesus was hours away from the cross. In the middle of the night, betrayed by a companion and abandoned by His closest friends, He willingly drank the cup of God’s wrath for our salvation.

Let us not be people who are physically present but spiritually unaware. Let us cultivate a personal faith, courageous trust, and a deep reliance on God and His church.

Let’s pray.

Father, thank You for Your Word. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Help us to be faithful to live out Your plan, whether in prosperity or difficulty, joy or sorrow. In uncertain times, may our lives demonstrate the goodness and faithfulness of our God. Thank You for Jesus, who was willing to drink the cup for our sins. In Jesus’ name, Amen.