The Rejected Savior

Luke 22:39-71

Main Idea: The Lord Jesus Christ accepted complete rejection so that sinners with faith in Christ might receive complete acceptance.

1. Jesus Was Rejected by the Father (22:39-46).
2. Jesus Was Rejected by Judas (22:47-53).
   1. Betrayal (22:47-48)
   2. Violence (22:49-51)
   3. Cowardice (22:52-53)
3. Jesus Was Rejected by Peter (22:54-62).
4. Jesus Was Rejected by Mockers (22:63-65).
5. Jesus Was Rejected by Priests (22:66-71).

We all have fears. One fear nearly everyone has in common is the fear of rejection. Men feel it every time they hope to ask someone out on a date. Perhaps you felt the fear of rejection when you went on a job interview for a position you really wanted. Most people would never want to work as telemarketers; they face rejection all day long.

Where does fear of rejection come from? Researchers tell us it comes from a basic desire to belong and a desire to avoid appearing or feeling like failures. We don’t want to be rejected by social groups or cast off by others. So fear grows in our hearts, and we shrink back from rejection.

However, rejection is a part of life. I asked my wife out six times before she said yes! We have all felt it. But here is the question: What if rejection could be redemptive? What if being rejected actually led to your blessing?

Not everything we desire is good for us. Getting everything we want can ruin us. Spoiled children who grow up receiving everything they want and yelling a possessive “Mine!” toward everything they see tend not to be the most generous people in the neighborhood. A touch of rejection might have been good for them.

The events in our text occur in two locations—the Mount of Olives (v. 39) and the home of the high priest, Caiaphas (v. 54)—and five scenes: Jesus praying before he is betrayed; Judas betraying the Lord with a kiss; Peter denying the Lord three times; the soldiers mocking and beating the Lord; and the priests and scribes condemning the Lord. At the heart of the passage is one central action: Everyone around Jesus rejects him.

Jesus Was Rejected by the Father

Luke 22:39-46

You will remember that verses 1-38 record the Lord Jesus having the Last Supper with his disciples. As he eats with his followers, two things are revealed: (1) he is the true Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world, and (2) Judas will betray him to his enemies.

Verse 39 tells us they have finished that supper. They have come out of the upper room where they had the meal. Jesus had a habit or routine: “as usual” he went “to the Mount of Olives.” His disciples followed him.

On that fateful night the Lord had prayer on his mind. He instructs the disciples to pray (vv. 40,46). With the cross just hours away, you’d think the Lord would ask them to pray for him, but he doesn’t. He tells them to pray so that they “may not fall into temptation” (v. 40). The Lord is not the only one in danger that night. The disciples will face threats from within—temptations of various sorts.

At the center of this scene are Jesus’s prayers. He walked off by himself and asked God, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (v. 42). The other Gospel writers tell us Jesus made this petition three times that night. “If you are willing . . . if you are willing . . . if you are willing.” The time of prayer was so strenuous that an angel from heaven had to strengthen him, and in agony he sweated great drops of blood.

The “cup” has two references. On the one hand, it refers to the cup of God’s wrath. The Bible often symbolizes God’s wrath as a cup full of strong, destructive drink. Like wine that intoxicates and causes men to stumble, so the wrath of God will make men stagger in his judgment (Isa 51:17; Rev 14:9-10). In order to save sinners from their sin the Lord Jesus will have to “drink,” or suffer, that wrath in our place. The cup contains God’s righteous fury against all the sins of the world for all time. Christ will suffer for it all. The Lord knew that he came into the world for this very hour and purpose (John 12:27). But this hour and purpose is so unimaginably stressful that even the Son of God asks three times that this cup be removed from him. Can you imagine being judged for every sin of every person who ever lived? That is the cup of God’s wrath.

But this is also the cup of God’s salvation. The bitter wrath results in our sweet rescue from condemnation and hell. In that agonizing scene of prayer, God the Father did something that had never happened between Father and Son. The Father rejected his Son. Though the Son of God prayed three times to have this cup removed, each time God the Father returns a silent no from heaven. The prayer that saves sinners was actually a prayer denied. The Father said no to Jesus in order to say yes to us. We tend to think that God’s plans are accomplished by his saying yes to us, but here with his only Son, the Father accomplishes our salvation by saying no. Jesus must drink the cup. Our greatest deliverance came from an unanswered prayer.

Applications

The entire scene teaches us a great deal about prayer.

Prayer protects us from temptation (vv. 40,46). The Lord instructs his disciples to pray so that they would not be tempted. We are never far from some beguiling suggestion from the world, the flesh, and the devil. We are never far from some whisper that would destroy us. So we must pray as an inoculation against temptation.

Prayer is submission (v. 42). “Not my will, but yours, be done.” Here’s how we know whether we’re praying in ultimate trust in God or we think our ways are best: Can we conclude our prayer request this way? If we are sure our way is the right way then we don’t want to hazard the idea that God may have a different plan in mind. True prayer is not bringing God in line with our plans but rather submitting our plans to the Lord’s designs.

Prayer is always answered, yet sometimes with a no (v. 42). We must learn to welcome the no just as much as we welcome the yes. The Lord may do more with a no than we could ever dream. And since he is infinitely good, we can expect his no to be filled with that goodness. If God withholds something from us, the withholding is better than our receiving. We must trust that.

God saying no to our prayer request does not equal abandonment (v. 43). See how the angels ministered to our Lord, “strengthening him.” The Father was right there with the Son even though he did not grant the Son’s request. We can be tempted to think the silence of heaven and the no to our prayers represents God abandoning us. But God promised to never forsake us or abandon us. He remains just as present with us in the no as he is in the yes.

God saying no to our prayer requests does not equal a bad outcome. How quickly our spirits are downcast when we think our prayers are unanswered. Here the Lord pleads, and heaven answers no; but on the other side of that no is our redemption. It’s not a bad outcome. Ultimately, it’s the greatest outcome imaginable. Christ will suffer and die, but for the joy set before him Christ endured the cross and despised the shame (Heb 12:2). On the other side of the cross is our salvation in Christ. We must learn that a no from God does not equal a bad result.

Prayer requires effort and self-denial (vv. 44-46). The disciples were tired from excessive sorrow. That’s why they found it difficult to pray. However, prayer is warfare against our flesh. We must not let our flesh have the last word when it comes to prayer. That itself would be giving in to temptation. We war against the flesh and press in to the Spirit to pray. We must pray until we pray.

See the Savior in Gethsemane on his knees sweating blood and hearing a no from the Father. See in that no his rejection and our salvation. He rescues us by enduring our punishment and shame. He removes our guilt and condemnation by what he suffered on the cross. Three days later God raised him from the dead, proving his sacrifice was accepted and we are justified in him. Hope in him and follow him. He will make you new and whole. Trust him.

Jesus Was Rejected by Judas

Luke 22:47-53

In the middle of calling the disciples to pray, Judas came leading a crowd against Jesus (v. 47). You’ll remember from verse 6 that Judas has agreed with the Lord’s enemies to look for a time to secretly betray the Lord. That betrayal depends on Judas exploiting his close, intimate relationship with Jesus.

Betrayal (22:47-48)

First, Judas exploits his membership among Jesus’s disciples. Verse 47 calls him “one of the Twelve.” That’s the inner circle. Those are the twelve men the Lord Jesus chose to carry out his mission as apostles. Judas exploits this trust.

Second, Judas had intimate knowledge of the Lord’s routine. He knew the Lord liked to retreat to the Mount of Olives. He knew when the Lord would be there. In fact, Judas had been there with the Lord many times himself. He used that intimate knowledge to betray the Lord to those who wanted to murder him.

If that wasn’t enough, Judas used an intimate gesture—a kiss—to betray the Lord. Think of all the things we communicate with a kiss:

• A couple signifies their marriage with a kiss.
• A married couple communicates their love with a kiss on the lips, or their romance with a kiss on the neck.
• Kissing a person’s hand may communicate admiration or respect.
• Many people communicate friendship with a kiss on the cheek. That would have been true in the culture and time of Jesus’s day.
• The early church was encouraged to greet each other with a holy kiss.

Here’s the thing: no matter what way you kiss, a kiss always symbolizes something good. Not until Judas betrays our Lord does betrayal become associated with a kiss. He exploits the greeting of friendship and loyalty.

With that gesture Judas rejects Jesus as his Lord and Savior. With a gesture meant to communicate intimacy and partnership, Judas actually communicates rejection and the breaking of fellowship.

Violence (22:49-51)

But just as striking as Judas’s betrayal is the Lord’s composure. Verse 49 says, “When those around him saw what was going to happen, they asked, ‘Lord, should we strike with the sword?’ Then one of them struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear.”

At this point the disciples are like, “Ride or die!” They wake up, and they recognize that Judas has sold out the Lord. They’re like, let’s do this. The other Gospel writers tell us that it was Peter who cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. I love what Leonce Crump says about this passage: “If your first reaction in a scrape is to cut a man’s ear off, then chances are you’ve done that before!”

But here’s the thing: The Lord’s kingdom is not accomplished by violence. The disciples had asked once before if they should call down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans who rejected Jesus. The Lord told them that they didn’t know what spirit they were acting in. He has not come in violence but in love. So he says, “No more of this!” (v. 51). Our Lord is in control. He limits the evil being done. Under his rule there will be no violence. The Lord Jesus stands for what’s good and right, even when it costs him his life.

Not only does the Lord oppose violence, he heals the victims of it. Right in the middle of this potential riot, the Lord Jesus performs a miracle by putting a man’s ear back on his head.

Now here’s my question: Why didn’t everyone who came to arrest Jesus change their minds? At least the servant should have switched sides. I don’t care what’s going on, but I am going to join forces with the guy who just put my ear back on my head. He’s the good guy. It’s an amazing and stubborn fact of life: People don’t always believe in God even when he does good things for them. His kindness is meant to lead us back to him in repentance (Rom 2:4), but some people reject him and his kindness.

Cowardice (22:52-53)

One reason people don’t change their minds and follow Jesus is cowardice. They commit to their secret plans, and they’re afraid to change direction. The Lord rebukes the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders for their cowardice.

The “hour—and the dominion of darkness” (v. 53) refers to that moment when the betrayal of Jesus and his sacrifice is carried out. They could not take him before it was time, but at the appointed time the Lord gave himself over to them to accomplish the Father’s will. The power of darkness has the upper hand now, but it’s only an “hour.” It’s only for a brief time, and it’s only for God’s purpose. Satan thinks he has conquered the Son of God. What he has really done is help complete the plan of God. Even cowardice and darkness are made to do God’s bidding.

Application

Betrayal, violence, and cowardice never win. Jesus suffers rejection at the hands of one of his close friends. That should never be. It should never be among us. Let us make all our expressions of affection and loyalty to Christ genuine and true. And let us make our loyalty to one another true. We live in a world where loyalty is in short supply. People sell you out quickly and cheaply, just as Judas did. But among God’s people, among those of us who see our Savior betrayed, this should never be.

Jesus Was Rejected by Peter

Luke 22:54-62

We come now to the third rejection in this passage: Peter’s three rejections of the Lord.

After the temple guards seized the Lord, they “led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house,” and “Peter was following at a distance” (v. 54). That’s loaded with meaning. He’s gradually disassociating himself from the Lord. But let this be known: We cannot safely follow Jesus from a distance. We are meant to be close to him.

The Lord had warned Peter that Satan was looking to destroy him, and Peter responded very confidently: “Lord, I’m ready to go with you both to prison and to death” (v. 33). Peter is like those brothers that be talkin’ ’bout, “I ain’t scared to go to prison.” But you remember what the Lord said in return in verse 34: “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you deny three times that you know me.”

In the courtyard the people make a fire. They plan to be there a while. “Peter sat among them” (v. 55). Psalm 1:1 says,

How happy is the one who does not

walk in the advice of the wicked

or stand in the pathway with sinners

or sit in the company of mockers!

Apparently Peter has forgotten that verse. He goes from following or walking with the crowd some distance from Jesus, to standing in the courtyard, to sitting among them. That’s when the three denials happen.

First, “a servant” girl (v. 56) takes a good look at Peter. You can see her leaning in by the light of the fire, observing Peter. When she’s sure, she says, “This man was with him too.” Peter denies it in verse 57. He sounds indignant. “Woman, I don’t know him.” What a lie!

Second, an unnamed man, simply called “someone else,” saw Peter. He didn’t have to study Peter’s face the way the servant girl did. He merely saw Peter and knew Peter was one of the Lord’s followers. He says, “You’re one of them too” (v. 58). But Peter denies the Lord again, saying, “Man, I am not!” Two opportunities to be loyal. Two opportunities to claim Jesus as his Master. Two lies. Two rejections. The rooster is stirring.

Verse 59 begins, “About an hour later.” Perhaps Peter began to relax in that hour. Perhaps he thought no one else would bother him. Maybe he thought his lies had worked. Maybe in that hour the very earliest rays of dawn began to crack the sky. A third man speaks up: “This man was certainly with him, since he’s also a Galilean.” This unnamed man not only recognized Peter as a disciple but also Peter’s connection with Galilee and Jesus’s ministry in that area. The followers of Christ are better known by the world than we recognize. “But Peter said, ‘Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!’” The third denial. As the words left Peter’s mouth, “Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed” (v. 60).

I imagine the sound of a rooster has never been more terrifying or heartbreaking. Verse 61: “Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter.” Everything that needed to be said was in their eyes. All they needed to understand was transferred in a look. What if Peter had responded differently to the servant girl’s look or the man’s look of recognition, or taken a moment to acknowledge that, yes, he looked like a Galilean? If Peter had been honest in those earlier looks, could he have avoided this final look? If he had thought nothing of the knowing looks of the people in the courtyard, could he have avoided the knowing look of the Lord?

That look from the Lord was followed by Peter’s memory of what the Lord had said regarding a rooster. Then came the bitter tears of a man who’d rejected his Lord.

In the looks and the tears we’re meant to learn something of ourselves: We cannot try to avoid looking like Christ’s followers and ever hope that the Lord would look at us with approval. In fact, Jesus says that if we deny him on earth before men he will deny us in heaven before God (21:9).

On Weakness and Wickedness

But there’s a tremendous difference between Judas and Peter in this chapter. Judas intentionally sold Jesus out. Judas was “the son of destruction” (John 17:12). He was an unrepentant man destined for condemnation. But Peter failed the Lord despite his honest commitment to the Lord. That’s why the Lord restores Peter before the story is over. Peter really did want to ride or die with Jesus. He really intended to stand with Jesus. But in the hour of darkness, Peter’s courage failed him.

There’s a tremendous difference between wickedness (Judas) and weakness (Peter). Wickedness receives condemnation. Weakness receives help and comfort. Nothing could be more important than making an accurate diagnosis of our failures. Do they come from wickedness or weakness? Is our heart darkened with sin, or are our frames but dust?

The Lord rejects the wicked, but he will receive the weak. He invites them, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). In fact, Christ knew Peter’s weakness, and he knows our weakness. He places himself in this position of rejection so that he might be familiar with our weakness and help us with it. Are you weak? Christ is strong! Are you unable to stand in the hour of temptation? Run to Christ, who defeats your temptation. Do not try to stand in your own strength. Fall into your weakness and discover the strong arms of God. Weakness is but an invitation to trust the Lord Jesus Christ with what we cannot trust ourselves: our souls.

Jesus Was Rejected by Mockers

Luke 22:63-65

The Lord’s friends were not the only ones to reject him on that night. Consider the nature of this rejection. It’s both physical and personal. They not only beat the Lord; they also mock him. The previous rejections were personal in the sense that they betrayed the intimacy of friends. This rejection is personal in the sense that it assaults Jesus psychologically and attacks our Lord’s character. They aim to discredit and disgrace the Lord.

Specifically, they’re mocking the Lord as a prophet. A prophet was one who brought the word of God to the people. These soldiers reject the idea that Jesus Christ really brought God’s message.

They play a little game. They blindfold him and take turns hitting him. Then they say, “Prophesy! Who was it that hit you?” (v. 64). No doubt that seemed like a funny taunt, but can you imagine the day of judgment when they appear before Christ and he says, “By the way, I know it was you who hit me”?

Verse 65: “And they were saying many other blasphemous things to him.” To blaspheme someone is to slander them, to speak against their person. Luke simply gives us that summary statement. You can imagine the things that were said would not be fitting to say or to write.

Good News for Blasphemers

Many of us have committed blasphemy against the Lord—especially before we were convinced of our sin and came to believe he is indeed a prophet and the Son of God. When I was a Muslim, I blasphemed him by rejecting that he was the Son of God. How many of us have used Jesus’s name in vain? Some of us mocked the Lord with accusations like, “If Jesus is really God, why doesn’t he . . . ?”

We see this rejection of the Lord, and we tend to feel anger; perhaps we think these men deserve to be condemned. If they never repented then they were, in fact, condemned. But there’s good news for blasphemers, too:

Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. (Matt 12:31-32)

What kind of God forgives blasphemers? Only the kind of God who willingly suffers that blasphemy in order to save the blasphemer. Only the Lord Jesus Christ is so full of love and mercy that he makes a way for those who dishonor him to share in his honor.

Maybe that’s you. Hear the promise again: “Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people. . . . Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven.” Through faith in the Son of God there is forgiveness for the worst blasphemer. The only rejection that is final is his rejection of us in the judgment. Repent and submit to his lordship before it’s too late.

Jesus Was Rejected by Priests

Luke 22:66-71

Finally, the established religious leadership put Jesus on religious trial. According to verse 67, their main concern is whether or not Jesus is “the Messiah.” The Lord is put on trial for who he claimed to be.

They, of course, don’t really want to know the answer to the question. The Lord knows that these men are willfully blind. They are committed to unbelief. It does not matter what he tells them. They will find a way to reject or avoid it.

Here is the hardest heart of all: the heart that refuses all proof and reason, the heart that refuses to admit what it knows. These men have hardened their hearts in this way.

But the hardness of man’s heart cannot stop the advancement of God’s plan. Despite their unbelief, the Lord goes on to say, “But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God” (v. 68). In other words, there’s nothing you can do to keep me from reigning in honor with God.

In using the title “the Son of Man,” Jesus does tell them that he is the Christ and the Son of God. That’s why they respond the way they do in verse 70. They knew that the “Son of Man,” a title taken from Daniel 7, was a reference to the Deity. They ask: “Are you, then, the Son of God?” The Lord hangs them with their own words: “You say that I am.” Then comes the final rejection. They said, “Why do we need any more testimony, since we’ve heard it ourselves from his mouth?” (v. 71).

Larry King once said that the person he’d most like to interview is Jesus Christ. Mr. King said he’d ask one question: Were you really born of a virgin? For Mr. King, the answer to that question would define human history. That’s the further testimony Mr. King would like even though that’s the plain testimony of the Bible in the Old and New Testaments.

You see, it’s easy to reject Jesus by claiming to need more information. Many people hide behind what they don’t know in order to avoid what they do know. These elders knew Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. They also knew Jesus performed miracles to prove it. But they didn’t want to follow the evidence. They only wanted to confirm their rejection of him. There are many like them today.

What about you? Will you reject Jesus? Will you pretend that you need more information while clinging to your bias? Or will you be honest? There’s more than enough information and testimony to know the truth. It’s why this Gospel was written—so we could be certain that the things we’ve been taught about Jesus are true. What further testimony do you need?

Conclusion

Do not reject Christ. Believe in him. Sincerely seek answers for your questions. When you have them, trust them. If you accept Christ, he will accept you. If you reject him, he will reject you.

Reflect and Discuss

1. If you can, think back to your life before you became a Christian. Were there ever any incidents where you rejected the gospel? Why did you reject it?
2. How does the Father’s rejection of Jesus’s prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane ultimately lead to our salvation and Jesus’s glory?
3. Have you ever been rejected or had to reject someone for your good or their good? What was that like? How did the vision of a good outcome help you during the rejection? How does this help us with our rejections as a Christian?
4. What is it about God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that enables them to receive those, like Peter, who once rejected them? What aspects of God’s character does the forgiveness of rebels, backsliders, and blasphemers reveal?