Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
They didn’t need their lanterns and torches because Jesus, the last Adam, had no intention of hiding among the trees of the garden as did the first Adam (Gen 3:8) and their weapons would have been useless against His anyway (2 Cor 10:4).
Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
2 Corinthians 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
It is between verses 3 and 4 that Judas must have given the sign to the soldiers by hailing and kissing Jesus (Matt 26:47-49). Judas’ greeting to Jesus must have been loud enough for the soldiers following to hear and his kiss (kataphileo = to kiss much; to kiss again and again) was done repeatedly. One wonders at the callousness of the betrayer even in the face of Jesus’ question (Luke 22:48). John leaves out this part because it doesn’t necessarily fit into what he is supposed to say about that night. The Holy Spirit through the writing of John wants to show us that Jesus was completely in charge of the situation. The Lord knows exactly what is about to befall Him and yet He ignores the danger and goes out to meet the armed band.
Matthew 26:47-49 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
Luke 22:48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
“went out” = “went forth” (KJV) could mean one of several things: He may have gone out of the gloom and into the light of the torches; He might have gone out of the recesses of the garden into the open area where the troops were; or, which is more likely, Jesus went out from the garden to meet them.
Note that Jesus is not captured by the troops; He gives Himself up. It is interesting to note that when the people wanted to make Him a king, He withdrew and hid Himself (6:15), but when the soldiers come to bring Him to a cross, He offers Himself. Perhaps we are not given the knowledge of all things that are coming upon us because we just wouldn’t have the courage to be able to face up to them if we knew that they were coming. Not so with Jesus.
John 6:15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.