Scripture reading – Luke 22
Today’s Scripture reading is Luke 22 as we follow Christ’s journey to the Cross. The Mount of Olives was the setting of our prior study in Luke 21. The disciples, having heard Jesus foretell the destruction of the Temple, asked, “Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?” (Luke 21:7)
Jesus then foretold the signs that preceded the destruction of the Temple and would also come to pass before His Second Coming (Luke 21:5-36). While His enemies plotted to kill Him, they dared not arrest Him for fear of the crowd who came to hear Him. So, Jesus continued teaching in the Temple during the day, “and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives” (Luke 21:37). “All the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him” (Luke 21:38).
Luke 22
An Act of Betrayal (Luke 22:1-6)
Like the other Gospels, Luke records that “the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people” (Luke 22:2). We read that Satan entered Judas’ heart, and he covenanted to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16), fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy, “So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver” (Zechariah 11:12; Luke 22:3-5; Matthew 27:3-10).
Judas left his meeting with the chief priests and scribes and began to seek “opportunity to betray [Jesus] unto them in the absence of the multitude” (Luke 22:6).
Christ’s Last Passover (Luke 22:7-20)
Jesus commanded Peter and John to prepare for the Passover (Luke 22:7-8). He directed them to the place by describing where and to whom they were to seek accommodations (Luke 22:9-12). The disciples found everything as the Lord had said and “made ready the Passover” (Luke 22:13).
Luke’s record of Christ’s last supper with His disciples parallels our earlier study in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 26:17-29). Though brief compared to Matthew’s record, Luke’s Gospel is faithful to the events of that night (Luke 22:15-20).
Christ’s Prophecy of His Betrayal (Luke 22:21-23)
After Jesus passed the cup, which symbolized “the new testament in [His] blood,” He forewarned His disciples that one of them would betray Him (Luke 22:21). Jesus then said, “Truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined [i.e., predetermined]: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!” (Luke 22:22)
Christ’s words implied that His betrayal into the hands of His enemies was predetermined in the foreknowledge of God. Judas’ betrayal of Christ fulfilled the treachery King David described when he wrote, “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, Which did eat of my bread, Hath lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9).
Though God foreknew that Judas would betray Jesus, he was nevertheless responsible for his decision and the consequences of God’s judgment that followed. He proved to be, as Jesus described, “a devil” (John 6:70).
Christ’s Agony in the Garden (Luke 22:39-46)
An entire volume might be written about that fateful night God foresaw before the earth’s foundations were laid. Yet, the conclusion of this Bible study will briefly consider Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39). He knew well the unfolding events that night that would conclude with His suffering and death on the Cross.
Withdrawing from the disciples, Jesus began to sorrow. He prayed, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). The word “cup” symbolized God’s judgment that Jesus was to bear for our sins and the sins of the world. He was the incarnate Son of God. Although a man of flesh, He was nevertheless the only begotten Son of God, having never known sin (Philippians 2:6-8).
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Amid His sorrow, we read that “there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” (Luke 22:43). As He prayed, “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
Jesus then rose and came to His disciples whom He found sleeping, for they were laden with grief from the things He had foretold (Luke 22:45).
Judas’ Treacherous Kiss (Luke 22:47-48)
So, Judas came to Jesus, with our Lord’s enemies following close behind. That wicked, traitorous man betrayed Him with a kiss (Matthew 26:47; Mark 14:43). Judas’ fate was sealed, for he had opened his heart to Satan (John 13:27). He was, as Luke said, “a traitor” (Luke 6:16).
Jesus asked, “Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48) Judas had rejected and betrayed Christ, the only begotten Son of God. He was filled with remorse when he realized Jesus’ enemies would put Him to death (Matthew 27:3-4); however, there was no more opportunity for redemption. The fate of his lost soul was sealed, and he “went and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).
Copyright © 2024 – Travis D. Smith
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