Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 14:43

"And straightway, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders." — Mark 14:43 (ASV)

The fact that Judas is described as “one of the Twelve” (cf. v.20) keeps this tragic element of the story. Judas was accompanied by a crowd sent from the three constituent groups of the Sanhedrin: chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders. This was not a motley crowd, but consisted of a detachment of soldiers and some official attendants of the Sanhedrin . They came armed with swords and clubs, apparently expecting to meet with resistance.