Think you that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
All Commentaries on Matthew 26:53 Go To Matthew 26
John Chrysostom
AD 407
And by these two things, He comforted them, both by the punishment of them that are plotting against Him, For all they, He says, that take the sword shall perish with the sword; and by His not undergoing these things against His will, For I can pray, He says, to my Father.
And wherefore did He not say, Think ye that I cannot destroy them all? Because He was more likely to be believed in saying what He did say; for not yet had they the right belief concerning Him. And a little while before He had said, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death, and, Father, let the cup pass from me; Matthew 26:38-39 and He had appeared in an agony and sweating, and strengthened by an angel.
Since then He had shown forth many tokens of human nature, He did not seem likely to speak so as to be believed, if He had said, Think ye that I cannot destroy them. Therefore He says, What, think ye that I cannot pray to my Father? And again He speaks it humbly, in saying, He will presently give me twelve legions of angels. For if one angel slew one hundred and eighty-five armed thousands, 2 Kings 19:35 what need of twelve legions against a thousand men? But He frames His language with a view to their terror and weakness, for indeed they were dead with fear. Wherefore also He brings against them the Scriptures, saying, How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled? alarming them by this also. For if this be approved by the Scriptures, do ye oppose and fight against them?
