Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 26:55

"In that hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a robber with swords and staves to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and ye took me not." — Matthew 26:55 (ASV)

Are you come out as against a thief? — This is better translated as as against a robber with swords and clubs. The word is the same as that used in John 18:40 for Barabbas, and it points to a brigand chieftain of a lawless band, as distinct from the petty thief of towns or villages.

I sat daily with you teaching in the temple. — The statement referred primarily, perhaps, to what had taken place in the three preceding days. In its broader scope, however, it is an important indication—found in one of the first three Gospels—of a ministry in Jerusalem that their narratives otherwise pass over. The “sitting” in the Temple implied that our Lord took the position of a teacher who was more or less recognized as such (compare the note on Matthew 5:1), not that of someone addressing the multitude without authority.