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Matthew 26:53
ESV Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?
NIV Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
NASB Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
CSB Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels?
NLT Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?
KJV Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
NKJV Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?

What does Matthew 26:53 mean?

Peter may have thought he was proving himself to Jesus. He lashed out with a sword, probably with the clumsy wildness of an amateur, and maimed a servant who was part of the crowd (Matthew 26:51; John 18:10). This may have been an effort to win back the Master's respect, after Jesus said Peter would deny Him that night (Matthew 26:30–35). This earned Peter an immediate rebuke (Matthew 26:52) and a command to put his sword back into its sheath. Other gospels note that Jesus explicitly told the arresting mob to let the disciples go (John 18:8–9). Peter's actions are liable to get him killed.

Not only was this reaction dangerous, but incredibly foolish. Of all people, Jesus Christ is the last who would need to be defended using an earthly weapon (John 18:36). Jesus makes that point in dramatic fashion, comparing angel armies to Roman armies. A Roman legion at full strength had approximately 6,000 soldiers. Taken literally, Jesus is saying God the Father could send 72,000 angels to defend Him if asked. A single angel is credited, in the Old Testament, with killing 186,000 Assyrian soldiers (2 Kings 19:35). Does the Son of the living God really need a fisherman to step in and attack those who came to arrest Him?

Jesus' words may sound belittling, but He wants everyone listening to understand clearly that these men cannot arrest Him against His will. He will go with them by His own choice. He is submitting to the will of His Father. He does not want to be defended from fulfilling His purpose. John's account of these events makes that even more obvious (John 18:4–8).
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