Not by Might nor by Power

Who would blame Peter for drawing his sword and taking a swing? Jesus had just manifested … well, something profound (John 18:6). Unfortunately, John didn't detail the mechanics of what occurred at that moment between Jesus and the guards, but whatever happened, it had a real, physical effect on those seeking to take him into custody.

Peter might have believed that Jesus had just attacked those seeking to detain him. "Finally," Peter may have thought, "Jesus has become a warrior-king." But Jesus rebuked Peter: “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” If Jesus had wanted to get away from harm's way, he could have simply asked God for a way out. Remember, at one point during his life, a mob was about to murder Jesus by throwing him off a cliff, but he “passed through” in their midst. Moreover, Jesus further corrected Peter by saying that his ways are not of violence or other aggression “by the sword.” Instead, his purpose that night was to allow himself to fall into the hands of those who practice karmic vengeance, violence, and aggression daily, all while claiming the mantle of God’s representatives.

Jesus is the true representative of God here among these opposing groups. And just as Jesus had taught his followers all along, he used his power to overturn the results of violent vengeance—he loved his enemy by healing a person whose duty was to take Jesus into harm’s way. Jesus even acted in his followers’ interests, opening a way to let Peter and the rest of his disciples avoid arrest that night even though he knew some would betray him.

So why the display of power that caused the guards to draw back and fall to the ground? It seems violent; it seems to go against Jesus’ character. Perhaps it’s understood best by going back to when the Israelites would not draw near to Moses even though he came to them in peace (Exodus 34:30). Moses wasn’t on the offensive, but his radiant face caused a defensive reaction.

Likewise, God wasn’t on the offensive when he walked in the garden, but Adam and Eve reacted defensively.

And that night, Jesus wasn’t on the offensive, but the guards reacted defensively. Further, as seen in the Passover supper, Jesus’ nature was that of a humble servant even though he demonstrated great power in his ministry. It would be a stretch to suggest Jesus was doing something to show off or to antagonize anyone.

No. Instead, he was demonstrating something in a way that those around him would not and could not understand otherwise. “Look,” he’s saying, “Over the next few hours, I’m going to be tortured and murdered. I’m providing a little needed physical evidence that says I can end this violently at any moment. I merely need to speak the words and it will be. So when I say to your king and to your priest that none of this would happen unless it were my will, you’ll know it’s true.”

For three years, the disciples saw tremendous power coming from Jesus—he created food, he healed the sick, he controlled the weather, he raised the dead. If anyone could escape a stacked trial, sustained torture, and death on a cross, it was Jesus. He even asked to avoid it, but he went through it anyway. (Another miracle event in the life of Jesus suggests he could have teleported to another location.) Instead, he spent his final moments caring for his mother, forgiving his enemies, and bringing comfort to a wayward thief. These are the things that mattered to Jesus, even when the Pharisees taunted him to save himself. Their mocking command was the culmination of the temptation put to Jesus in the wilderness—save yourself, serve Satan, and bend your enemies to your will. “I could do that,” Jesus said, staying on the cross. “I could call fire down from heaven—but I’d rather love these people even unto the point of my death. That’s how my kingdom operates.”

Jesus said that those who give up their lives selflessly will take their lives up again. He gave up his life in a selfless act of love, and he took it up again. Just as Jesus demonstrated that he was allowing evil men to take him into custody, he demonstrated that those who align with God’s kingdom might indeed sleep, but they will not die.

This matters because we live in a world that favors karmic vengeance, violence, and anger. It’s poured out from church pulpits as much as it’s poured out by pop culture. We character assassinate, we boycott, we employ ad hominem on our opponents online when we don’t get our way, when our enemies don’t bend to our will. We win so often, our enemies are desolated so easily, if merely in our own minds, that we take it to mean that God is on our side.

But Jesus was reaching out to us to say, “When vengeance and violence win, it will seem to humanity like my kingdom and your faith is a failure. The world considers you a loser. The world considers you a fool. But I consider you my friend, and you have not lost. The gates of hell will not keep you in the grave forever.” Jesus demonstrated that some two thousand years ago by staying on the cross. He gave you the evidence you need to have faith that, one day, the meek really shall inherit the earth.

Zechariah 4:6