“Put back your sword in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” — Matthew 26:54

Here’s the context: Jesus is nearing his death and he finds his way to a place called Gethsemane, accompanied by his disciples. He asks them to sit while he goes to pray, taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. The thought of the imminence of his death is overwhelming. “My anguish is so great that I feel as if I’m dying. Wait here, and stay awake with me” (Matthew 26:51), he says to his disciples. He goes on to pray that if possible, the cup of suffering and death be taken from him, all the while submitting to the Father’s will. The human companionship that his human nature craved in this difficult moment isn’t fit for purpose – several times he returns to find them sleeping. He ends up leaving them to go fight his battle in prayer alone.

He returns to inform them that the hour has arrived. While still speaking, his betrayer arrives with a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the powers that be. Judas acts out his kiss sign and the men step forward and arrest Jesus. Amid this milieu, one of Jesus’ companions reaches for his sword, draws it out and strikes the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

Scripturally-Minded In the Most Difficult Occasions

As a human, I’m thinking of how good it must feel to have your men stand up for you in such a time. Not the Lord. He orders his companion to put his sword back in its place saying all who draw the sword will die by the sword. He even offers a rebuke: “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” I gather that a legion was about 6,000 men, so a legion of angels would be at least 6,000 angels. However, Jesus said if he only asked, the Father would at once put more than twelve of such at his disposal. That was more than 72,000 angels. If at his resurrection, the mere appearance of one angel made the guards at the tomb so afraid that they shook and became like dead men (Matthew 28:2-4), what would the appearance of over 72,000 angels do the arresting party?

To remember Scripture in such a trying moment must also have come from a heart filled with the word and knowledgeable about the prophecies of Scripture.

Jesus then followed that up with a most profound statement that revealed what governed his life. He asked: “But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” Jesus was asking in effect: “What would happen to God’s predetermined plan if I put my faith in human resources or if I were to save myself through divine intervention”?

Think about that for a moment. This same person, whose soul was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38) and prayed to the Father that, “if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matthew 26:39) had at this moment the presence of mind to subject his adverse circumstances to the authority and fulfilment of the Scriptures! What manner of man is this?

This is what obedience to death means: that his personal comfort and security were willingly (without coercion) made secondary to the demands of the word, even when that subjugation meant certain death.

This must have come from a heart fully submissive to the Father’s will above his; a heart conformable to the Scriptures and unreservedly committed to their fulfilment. To remember Scripture in such a trying moment must also have come from a heart filled with the word and knowledgeable about the prophecies of Scripture. This is what obedience to death means: that his personal comfort and security were willingly (without coercion) made secondary to the demands of the word, even when that subjugation meant certain death.

Not a Fluke

This submissiveness to the Scriptures was not a one-off event in the life of Christ; it was his lifestyle all through. At his baptism, John tried to restrain Jesus from subjecting himself to what was a baptism of repentance, which he didn’t need as he had nothing to repent of. John even said Jesus was supposed to be the one baptizing him (John) but the Lord refused. He said, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). John also consented.

This submissiveness to the Scriptures was not a one-off event in the life of Christ; it was his lifestyle all through

When he was tempted, the Scriptures were the deciding authority for his reactions. He chose not to turn stones to bread because, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). When Satan quoted Scripture to get him to test God, he countered with the Scriptures. When he was offered the world, the basis for his rejection of such an offer was the Scriptures (Matthew 4:5-10).

In choosing his twelve disciples, he knowingly included Judas, who would later betray him, to fulfil the Scripture: “He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9; John 13:18). The Lord lost none of the souls the Father had given to him “except the one doomed to destruction [Judas] so that Scripture would be fulfilled” (John 17:12). The choice of who to work with, who to save and who to let doomed was influenced by the Scriptures.

Once when he was in Jerusalem, some Pharisees told him to leave because Herod wanted to kill him. He rebuffed the threat because, according to him, no prophet can die outside Jerusalem (Luke 13:31-33). He faced the prospect of his own death in honour of the Scriptures, telling his disciples, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled” (Luke 18:31).

When the hour of his passion drew close, he deliberately told his disciples, “If you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one” (Luke 22:36). That too was not a spur-of-the-moment action, influenced by fear. It was done with the fulfilment of Scripture in mind: “It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfilment” (Luke 22:37). The guiding light of his entire life can be summed up in this statement of his: “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). His birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit were all in accordance with the Scriptures (Luke 22:46-49). His was a life lived with the fulfilment of Scripture in mind on all occasions. It meant he must have been well acquainted with the Scriptures and knew which was relevant for each moment of his life.

God’s Commitment to His Word

God is sovereign yet he doesn’t act like some human authorities who would live above their laws; he chooses to act by Scripture. When Jesus, the God-man, came to earth, he too subjected himself to the Scriptures in all his doings. In fact, he said the whole purpose of his coming was to fulfil the Scriptures: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them” (Matthew 5:17).

Jesus then went ahead to state God’s unshakeable commitment to the fulfilment of his every word: “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18).

If the Almighty is that committed to the written word, how much more should you be?

Implications for You and Me

We have seen how Jesus subjected all his moments, including painful ones, to the authority of the Scriptures, ensuring their fulfilment. One of the reasons why that example was written down was so that you and I would know how to act when it fell to us.

This means that you must know the Scriptures and be well-acquainted with them so that at any given moment, you can act in accordance with them.

Friend, God is sovereign and powerful and can do all things, yet he chooses that the fulfilment of his word should be dependent on the willful and joyful obedience/deference of his loyal followers.

Friend, God is sovereign and powerful and can do all things, yet he chooses that the fulfilment of his word should be dependent on the willful and joyful obedience/deference of his loyal followers. Now that you are here on earth, can he count on you? Or should he look for another? If the fulfilment of the Scriptures or any part of them depends on you, can heaven count on you? Jesus had options – he could have chosen to ask, and would at once have had at his disposal, more than twelve legions of angels, acting promptly at his every command. Yet he chose to fulfil Scripture. He could have permitted his disciples to fight. But you know what? The Scriptures had already predicted that he would be “led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). If he resisted but was overpowered and crucified, perhaps that would still be a sufficient sacrifice but Isaiah’s prophecy would not be fully accomplished. The great lesson here is this: When faced with challenges, God’s word must take precedence over our personal desires or self-preservation. We should never act or attempt anything that contradicts Scripture or threatens its fulfilment. Even if that means enduring pain, hardship, or danger, fulfilling God’s will as revealed in Scripture must be our priority. Our attitude should be: ‘May God’s word and will prevail, and may his law be honoured, whatever the cost to us.’

When your comfort is at stake, what will you choose – to honour the word or your solace? When Jesus boldly declared that “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35), part of that rests with loyal followers, who follow his example of being the fulfilment of Scripture.

Jesus declared, ‘Behold I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book’ (Hebrews 10:7). May we turn his declaration into a prayer and a resolution.

When Jesus obeyed, he was given by God, a name that is above every other name (Philippians 2:9). That same “God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the labour of love, that ye shewed to His name” (Hebrews 6:10).