But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
All Commentaries on Matthew 26:54 Go To Matthew 26
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Hom. lxxxiv: So Luke relates, the Lord had said to His disciples at supper, “He that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip; and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one;” and the disciples answered, “Lo, here are two swords. "It was natural that there should be swords there for the paschal lamb which they had been eating. Hearing then that the pursuers were coming to apprehend Christ, when they went out from supper they took these swords, as though to fight in defence of their Master against His pursuers.
To move the disciple to this, He adds a threat, saying, “All they that take the sword, shall perish by the sword.”.
He not only soothed His disciples, by this declaration of punishment against His enemies, but convinced them that it was voluntarily that He suffered,“Thinkest thou that I cannot pray to my Father” Because He had shewnmany qualities of human infirmity, He would have seemed to say what was incredible, if He had said that He had power to destroy them, therefore He says, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father?”.
And He quiets their fears not thus only, but by reference to Scripture, “How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be?”
