Mark 14:48-49

‘And Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you come out as against a brigand, with swords and staves, to seize me? I was with you daily in the Temple teaching and you did not arrest me. But this is done that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.” '

Jesus clearly recognised members of the Temple police. So He charged those who were there to arrest Him with their hypocrisy. They were pretending to act justly but were quite aware that they were acting against the wishes of the people, otherwise why were they there in the darkness on Passover night rather than arresting Him in the temple?

He had two charges against them. Firstly that they had not dared to arrest Him by day in front of the crowds because they knew that the crowds were on His side. And secondly that, although He had taught peacefully in the Temple with no show of force, they now came with a large force as though He was a brigand. (Indeed he knew that that was the impression they were dishonestly trying to give to Pilate). There may have been in Jesus' mind His own description of those who controlled the Temple trade as brigands (Mark 11:17), with the thought, ‘do you really think that I am like them? They use force of arms but I do not'.

‘I was with you daily in the Temple.' The same men who had not dared to deny John the Baptiser before the crowd (Mark 11:32) had also not dared to arrest Him during the day before the crowd, because they knew what the reaction of the crowd would be. But if they had been honest, and their case had been honest, it had given them ample opportunity for His arrest. It was not the Jews as a whole who were arresting Jesus, but their bigoted leaders and their supporters.

‘Are you come out as against a brigand --(by night)?' But now, with the crowds absent, they made a bold show in the darkness, and had come with a huge show of force as though He were a fierce brigand. And this in spite of the fact that He had never once offered resistance against them, but instead had peacefully preached among them in the Temple. Their whole behaviour was inconsistent and self-contradictory and demonstrated that they loved darkness in order to disguise what they did. They wanted it hid from men's eyes.

And why such a large contingent, and the swords and staves? It was because in their hearts they were admitting that they were afraid. That had to mean that they knew that He was someone Who had revealed the power of God and that they somehow thought that with their superior physical force they could prevent interference from whatever powers He could use. Thus inwardly they were subconsciously admitting that they knew that the power of God was on His side. He was thus challenging them to recognise their own inner thoughts, thoughts which would only have been fortified by their first experience on approaching Him (John 18:4). Jesus always gave men the opportunity to recognise that they were mistaken.

‘But this is done that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.' But He knew in the end that they would not listen to Him for the Scriptures had already revealed that this would be the situation. Was he thinking of the words of the Psalmist which he had cited earlier, “They hate me without a cause --- they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.”? (See Psalms 35:19 - a Psalm of David, and thus suitable for a son of David. Compare also Psalms 69:4 and see John 15:25). Or did He have in mind the betrayal of the Suffering Servant by the leaders of the people (Isaiah 53:7)?