I was always with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest Me. But all this happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
The Lord reminds them that His ministry was open. He had not hidden Himself, had not plotted, and had not acted in darkness. They did not seize Him in the temple because they feared the people and because His hour had not yet come. But now all this is happening so that the Scriptures may be fulfilled. This shows that people’s lawless deeds are under the supreme authority of God’s word. Christ does not view His arrest as a defeat, but as the fulfillment of the prophecies. God’s word is more certain than all the schemes of men.