“As if I were a robber...”

When Judas Iscariot, who was to betray Jesus,

came to Jesus with a large crowd of us

sent by the chief priests and elders,

the crowd came with swords and clubs

(Matthew 26:46-47, Korean Modern Bible).

Jesus looked at them and said,

“Are you coming out with swords and clubs

to arrest me as if I were a robber?”

(v. 55, Korean Modern Bible).

When I think about how Jesus,

who was not a robber, was treated like a robber,

I wondered if the chief priests and elders,

who were the masterminds of the crowd,

perhaps thought of Jesus as a robber.

So in the end, they took Jesus to Pilate,

the Roman governor, and accused him

(Luke 23:1-2).

They manipulated the crowd to

“Crucify him! They cried out, “Crucify him!” (v. 21)

Jesus was crucified with two real “thieves”

(Matthew 27:38).

In the midst of all this, Jesus, the Savior,

said to one of the two thieves, “Truly I tell you,

Today you will be with me in paradise”

(Luke 23:43, Korean Modern Bible).