A Cohort of Soldiers
Since today is Good Friday, today is a Good Friday post. Several years ago, I heard someone saying that the Bible describes a very large number of Roman soldiers were sent to arrest Jesus. This was contrasted with my impression at the time (where I got it, I do not know) that probably 5-10 unlucky saps had been sent out to apprehend this incredibly popular "Healer" who had come to the city and stirred up so much controversy with the pampered religious elites.
However, John 18:3 in several English translations is a bit more specific. This verse in some translations refers to the number of Roman soldiers sent to arrest Jesus as either a 'cohort' or a 'detachment' which are terms given to specifically describe a group of 600 soldiers. Since I am a numbers guy, I became and still am rather intrigued with this number.
If it was a group of soldiers anywhere near that number sent at night to avoid the crowds, this would strongly imply that Jesus was viewed not as a typical person of the times but rather as someone who in record time was seriously threatening both the long-standing oppressive religious establishment of the religious elite and Roman's own oppressive occupation of the region.
Perhaps our understanding of Jesus impact on his times and on the individual people of his day, though dramatic as it is, has been even more watered down over the years or key details have been lost in translation over time. It does seem reasonable that WHAT he did an HOW he did it electrified everyone's attention very quickly and put him at odds with those who had assumed power and who were abusing it.
The accounts of his life are now taught as the way to live that set us free from worldly entanglements. The account of what happened during his arrest, death and resurrection ironically gives us hope and provides a way for us to see a way beyond death itself. This seems like the most dramatic story ever told.
