Have you ever used a sledge hammer to kill an ant? How about rented a semi tractor trailer to bring home a new pair of shoes you just purchased at the store? Or built an art because it rained? Sometimes our reactions to events are out of proportion to the event itself. Sometimes the medicine prescribed is worse than the sickness itself.
In recent years the financial crisis has spawned a number of cures that have all but killed the economy. Greece has gone through such great financial turmoil that it is barely surviving. The cutbacks that were demanded by the European Union has all but crippled their economy. There were riots in the streets. Savings lost or taken by the government. Retirement plans emptied. Half of the workers are unemployed or unpaid, some with no income for several years. People who should have paid taxes, didn’t on a monumental scale. Wages and benefits packages were through the roof. And it has all come crashing down.
It is the middle of the night, Jesus has been praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, a very dangerous activity. It must be because an armed crowd comes to arrest Him. I know it wasn’t for praying, but it might as well have been. He had done nothing wrong. But they arrive with weapons better suited for a Jihad attack than a praying Rabbi.
The people in this crowd are probably two groups of people. The Roman soldiers would have been the ones carrying their short swords, their normal weapon for close combat. They were highly trained professional soldiers. They would have had special training in riot control and peace keeping activities since they were stationed in Jerusalem, a place known for rebellions. They knew how to defend against any angry mob that might come at them.
The second group of people were probably the Temple guards. They carried the clubs, a weapon well suited for stopping the forward movement of someone trying to enter a building. Think about a billy club that police use in riot situations. Getting hit with it would certainly make me think twice about moving forward!
These two groups would have been the groups that the chief priests would have had at their disposal. They would have been given some discretion by the Romans in the use of their forces. They came to arrest Jesus in order to prevent a future uprising that might jeopardize peace and security. They had arresting powers, but not judicial powers. They could pick Jesus up, but not punish Him.
And who is the official guide for this evening stroll? That’s right, Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples. He had given Jesus up to the ruling Jews for a few thousand bucks in today’s money. And it was all the leaders who conspired together to arrest Jesus and stop His teaching. All those in power were against Him. They were afraid of His growing influence and the content of His message. Jesus threatened everything they held important, or at least that is what they thought.
So they sent an armed response unit to arrest someone praying.
The Arnold Journey 