Luke 22 Footnotes

22:17,20 Some ancient manuscripts do not have vv. 19b-20, and thus in Luke the order of the elements of the Last Supper are reversed, from bread-cup in Matthew and Mark to cup-bread. However, because the manuscripts that support this reading come from the same text-type, and because a more viable explanation can be given for the scribal omission of the words than for their later insertion, many conclude that vv. 19b-20 are original. Thus Luke mentioned two cups (vv. 17,20). The traditional Passover meal involved at least three (perhaps four) ceremonial drinks. The cup in v. 17 was probably the first of the series, given Jesus’s introductory remarks. The cup in v. 20 was then probably the third cup, drunk at the conclusion of the meal.

22:24-30 Jn 13:2-17 confirms that Jesus addressed the topic of humility and mutual service at the Last Supper, raising the plausibility of this episode from Luke, especially Jesus’s response to it in Lk 22:27. Mk 10:39-45 records a separate event and suggests that the dispute about greatness among the disciples was constantly simmering and surfaced again here as the obviously climactic events in Jesus’s ministry were unfolding. This was a major theme of his teaching and makes probable it achieved an established form during his lifetime, accounting for the similar language of Mk 10:42-44 and Lk 22:25-26.

22:36 In contrast to his earlier instructions to depend on the kindness of others when preaching, Jesus now required his disciples to provide for themselves, including for their defense against enemies. He was in effect telling his disciples that their message would be met with hostility.