Discovery BoxMatthew 26:49-63 
Context26:49 Immediately 1 he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi,” and kissed him. 2 26:50 Jesus 3 said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.” Then they came and took hold 4 of Jesus and arrested him. 26:51 But 5 one of those with Jesus grabbed 6 his sword, drew it out, and struck the high priest’s slave, 7 cutting off his ear. 26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! 8 For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword. 26:53 Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions 9 of angels right now? 26:54 How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?” 26:55 At that moment Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me like you would an outlaw? 10 Day after day I sat teaching in the temple courts, yet 11 you did not arrest me. 26:56 But this has happened so that 12 the scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
26:57 Now the ones who had arrested Jesus led him to Caiaphas, the high priest, in whose house 13 the experts in the law 14 and the elders had gathered. 26:58 But Peter was following him from a distance, all the way to the high priest’s courtyard. After 15 going in, he sat with the guards 16 to see the outcome. 26:59 The 17 chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were trying to find false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 26:60 But they did not find anything, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally 18 two came forward 26:61 and declared, “This man 19 said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’” 26:62 So 20 the high priest stood up and said to him, “Have you no answer? What is this that they are testifying against you?” 26:63 But Jesus was silent. The 21 high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, 22 the Son of God.”
1 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
2 sn Judas’ act of betrayal when he kissed Jesus is especially sinister when it is realized that it was common in the culture of the times for a disciple to kiss his master when greeting him.
3 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
4 tn Grk “and put their hands on Jesus.”
5 tn Grk “And behold one.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
6 tn Grk “extending his hand, drew out his sword, and struck.” Because rapid motion is implied in the circumstances, the translation “grabbed” was used.
7 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
8 tn The translation “put your sword back in its place” for this phrase is given in L&N 85.52.
9 sn A legion was a Roman army unit of about 6,000 soldiers, so twelve legions would be 72,000.
10 tn Or “a revolutionary.” This term can refer to one who stirs up rebellion: BDAG 594 s.v. λῃστής 2 has “revolutionary, insurrectionist, guerrilla” citing evidence from Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]). However, this usage generally postdates Jesus’ time. It does refer to a figure of violence. Luke uses the same term for the highwaymen who attack the traveler in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30).
11 tn Grk “and” (καί, kai), a conjunction that is elastic enough to be used to indicate a contrast, as here.
12 tn Grk “But so that”; the verb “has happened” is implied.
13 tn Grk “where.”
14 tn Or “where the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
15 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
16 sn The guards would have been the guards of the chief priests who had accompanied Judas to arrest Jesus.
17 tn Grk “Now the.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
18 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
19 tn Grk “This one.”
20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the false testimony.
21 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
22 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
