Luke 22

1 Now the feast of unleavened bread, which [is] called the passover, drew nigh,

2 and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.

3 And Satan entered into Judas, who was surnamed Iscariote, being of the number of the twelve.

4 And he went away and spoke with the chief priests and captains as to how he should deliver him up to them.

5 And they were rejoiced, and agreed to give him money.

6 And he came to an agreement to do it, and sought an opportunity to deliver him up to them away from the crowd.

7 And the day of unleavened bread came, in which the passover was to be killed.

8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare the passover for us, that we may eat [it].

9 But they said to him, Where wilt thou that we prepare [it]?

10 And he said to them, Behold, as ye enter into the city a man will meet you, carrying an earthen pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he goes in;

11 and ye shall say to the master of the house, The Teacher says to thee, Where is the guest-chamber where I may eat the passover with my disciples?

12 And *he* will shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.

13 And having gone they found it as he had said to them; and they prepared the passover.

14 And when the hour was come, he placed himself at table, and the [twelve] apostles with him.

15 And he said to them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.

16 For I say unto you, that I will not eat any more at all of it until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

17 And having received a cup, when he had given thanks he said, Take this and divide it among yourselves.

18 For I say unto you, that I will not drink at all of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God come.

19 And having taken a loaf, when he had given thanks, he broke [it], and gave [it] to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

20 In like manner also the cup, after having supped, saying, This cup [is] the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

21 Moreover, behold, the hand of him that delivers me up [is] with me on the table;

22 and the Son of man indeed goes as it is determined, but woe unto that man by whom he is delivered up.

23 And *they* began to question together among themselves who then it could be of them who was about to do this.

24 And there was also a strife among them which of them should be held to be [the] greatest.

25 And he said to them, The kings of the nations rule over them, and they that exercise authority over them are called benefactors.

26 But *ye* [shall] not [be] thus; but let the greater among you be as the younger, and the leader as he that serves.

27 For which [is] greater, he that is at table or he that serves? [Is] not he that is at table? But *I* am in the midst of you as the one that serves.

28 But *ye* are they who have persevered with me in my temptations.

29 And *I* appoint unto you, as my Father has appointed unto me, a kingdom,

30 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to have you, to sift [you] as wheat;

32 but *I* have besought for thee that thy faith fail not; and *thou*, when once thou hast been restored, confirm thy brethren.

33 And he said to him, Lord, with thee I am ready to go both to prison and to death.

34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, [the] cock shall not crow to-day before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

35 And he said to them, When I sent you without purse and scrip and sandals, did ye lack anything? And they said, Nothing.

36 He said therefore to them, But now he that has a purse let him take [it], in like manner also a scrip, and he that has none let him sell his garment and buy a sword;

37 for I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned with [the] lawless: for also the things concerning me have an end.

38 And they said, Lord, behold here are two swords. And he said to them, It is enough.

39 And going forth he went according to his custom to the mount of Olives, and the disciples also followed him.

40 And when he was at the place he said to them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and having knelt down he prayed,

42 saying, Father, if thou wilt remove this cup from me: -- but then, not my will, but thine be done.

43 And an angel appeared to him from heaven strengthening him.

44 And being in conflict he prayed more intently. And his sweat became as great drops of blood, falling down upon the earth.

45 And rising up from his prayer, coming to the disciples, he found them sleeping from grief.

46 And he said to them, Why sleep ye? rise up and pray that ye enter not into temptation.

47 As he was yet speaking, behold, a crowd, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went on before them, and drew near to Jesus to kiss him.

48 And Jesus said to him, Judas, deliverest thou up the Son of man with a kiss?

49 And they who were around him, seeing what was going to follow, said [to him], Lord, shall we smite with [the] sword?

50 And a certain one from among them smote the bondman of the high priest and took off his right ear.

51 And Jesus answering said, Suffer thus far; and having touched his ear, he healed him.

52 And Jesus said to the chief priests and captains of the temple and elders, who were come against him, Have ye come out as against a robber with swords and sticks?

53 When I was day by day with you in the temple ye did not stretch out your hands against me; but this is your hour and the power of darkness.

54 And having laid hold on him, they led him [away], and they led [him] into the house of the high priest. And Peter followed afar off.

55 And they having lit a fire in the midst of the court and sat down together, Peter sat among them.

56 And a certain maid, having seen him sitting by the light, and having fixed her eyes upon him, said, And this [man] was with him.

57 But he denied [him], saying, Woman, I do not know him.

58 And after a short time another seeing him said, And *thou* art of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not.

59 And after the lapse of about one hour another stoutly maintained it, saying, In truth this [man] also was with him, for also he is a Galilaean.

60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he was yet speaking, [the] cock crew.

61 And the Lord, turning round, looked at Peter; and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he said to him, Before [the] cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice.

62 And Peter, going forth without, wept bitterly.

63 And the men who held him mocked him, beating [him];

64 and covering him up, asked him saying, Prophesy, who is it that struck thee?

65 And they said many other injurious things to him.

66 And when it was day, the elderhood of the people, both [the] chief priests and scribes, were gathered together, and led him into their council, saying,

67 If *thou* art the Christ, tell us. And he said to them, If I tell you, ye will not at all believe;

68 and if I should ask [you], ye would not answer me at all, nor let me go;

69 but henceforth shall the Son of man be sitting on the right hand of the power of God.

70 And they all said, *Thou* then art the Son of God? And he said to them, *Ye* say that I am.

71 And they said, What need have we any more of witness, for we have heard ourselves out of his mouth?

Luke 22 Commentary

Chapter 22

The treachery of Judas. (1-6) The passover. (7-18) The Lord's supper instituted. (19,20) Christ admonishes the disciples. (21-38) Christ's agony in the garden. (39-46) Christ betrayed. (47-53) The fall of Peter. (54-62) Christ confesses himself to be the Son of God. (63-71)

Verses 1-6 Christ knew all men, and had wise and holy ends in taking Judas to be a disciple. How he who knew Christ so well, came to betray him, we are here told; Satan entered into Judas. It is hard to say whether more mischief is done to Christ's kingdom, by the power of its open enemies, or by the treachery of its pretended friends; but without the latter, its enemies could not do so much evil as they do.

Verses 7-18 Christ kept the ordinances of the law, particularly that of the passover, to teach us to observe his gospel institutions, and most of all that of the Lord's supper. Those who go upon Christ's word, need not fear disappointment. According to the orders given them, the disciples got all ready for the passover. Jesus bids this passover welcome. He desired it, though he knew his sufferings would follow, because it was in order to his Father's glory and man's redemption. He takes his leave of all passovers, signifying thereby his doing away all the ordinances of the ceremonial law, of which the passover was one of the earliest and chief. That type was laid aside, because now in the kingdom of God the substance was come.

Verses 19-20 The Lord's supper is a sign or memorial of Christ already come, who by dying delivered us; his death is in special manner set before us in that ordinance, by which we are reminded of it. The breaking of Christ's body as a sacrifice for us, is therein brought to our remembrance by the breaking of bread. Nothing can be more nourishing and satisfying to the soul, than the doctrine of Christ's making atonement for sin, and the assurance of an interest in that atonement. Therefore we do this in rememberance of what He did for us, when he died for us; and for a memorial of what we do, in joining ourselves to him in an everlasting covenant. The shedding of Christ's blood, by which the atonement was made, is represented by the wine in the cup.

Verses 21-38 How unbecoming is the worldly ambition of being the greatest, to the character of a follower of Jesus, who took upon him the form of a servant, and humbled himself to the death of the cross! In the way to eternal happiness, we must expect to be assaulted and sifted by Satan. If he cannot destroy, he will try to disgrace or distress us. Nothing more certainly forebodes a fall, in a professed follower of Christ, than self-confidence, with disregard to warnings, and contempt of danger. Unless we watch and pray always, we may be drawn in the course of the day into those sins which we were in the morning most resolved against. If believers were left to themselves, they would fall; but they are kept by the power of God, and the prayer of Christ. Our Lord gave notice of a very great change of circumstances now approaching. The disciples must not expect that their friends would be kind to them as they had been. Therefore, he that has a purse, let him take it, for he may need it. They must now expect that their enemies would be more fierce than they had been, and they would need weapons. At the time the apostles understood Christ to mean real weapons, but he spake only of the weapons of the spiritual warfare. The sword of the Spirit is the sword with which the disciples of Christ must furnish themselves.

Verses 39-46 Every description which the evangelists give of the state of mind in which our Lord entered upon this conflict, proves the tremendous nature of the assault, and the perfect foreknowledge of its terrors possessed by the meek and lowly Jesus. Here are three things not in the other evangelists. 1. When Christ was in his agony, there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. It was a part of his humiliation that he was thus strengthened by a ministering spirit. 2. Being in agony, he prayed more earnestly. Prayer, though never out of season, is in a special manner seasonable when we are in an agony. 3. In this agony his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down. This showed the travail of his soul. We should pray also to be enabled to resist unto the shedding of our blood, striving against sin, if ever called to it. When next you dwell in imagination upon the delights of some favourite sin, think of its effects as you behold them here! See its fearful effects in the garden of Gethsemane, and desire, by the help of God, deeply to hate and to forsake that enemy, to ransom sinners from whom the Redeemer prayed, agonized, and bled.

Verses 47-53 Nothing can be a greater affront or grief to the Lord Jesus, than to be betrayed by those who profess to be his followers, and say that they love him. Many instances there are, of Christ's being betrayed by those who, under the form of godliness, fight against the power of it. Jesus here gave an illustrious example of his own rule of doing good to those that hate us, as afterwards he did of praying for those that despitefully use us. Corrupt nature warps our conduct to extremes; we should seek for the Lord's direction before we act in difficult circumstances. Christ was willing to wait for his triumphs till his warfare was accomplished, and we must be so too. But the hour and the power of darkness were short, and such the triumphs of the wicked always will be.

Verses 54-62 Peter's fall was his denying that he knew Christ, and was his disciple; disowning him because of distress and danger. He that has once told a lie, is strongly tempted to persist: the beginning of that sin, like strife, is as the letting forth of water. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter. 1. It was a convincing look. Jesus turned and looked upon him, as if he should say, Dost thou not know me, Peter? 2. It was a chiding look. Let us think with what a rebuking countenance Christ may justly look upon us when we have sinned. 3. It was an expostulating look. Thou who wast the most forward to confess me to be the Son of God, and didst solemnly promise thou wouldest never disown me! 4. It was a compassionate look. Peter, how art thou fallen and undone if I do not help thee! 5. It was a directing look, to go and bethink himself. 6. It was a significant look; it signified the conveying of grace to Peter's heart, to enable him to repent. The grace of God works in and by the word of God, brings that to mind, and sets that home upon the conscience, and so gives the soul the happy turn. Christ looked upon the chief priests, and made no impression upon them as he did on Peter. It was not the mere look from Christ, but the Divine grace with it, that restored Peter.

Verses 63-71 Those that condemned Jesus for a blasphemer, were the vilest blasphemers. He referred them to his second coming, for the full proof of his being the Christ, to their confusion, since they would not admit the proof of it to their conviction. He owns himself to be the Son of God, though he knew he should suffer for it. Upon this they ground his condemnation. Their eyes being blinded, they rush on. Let us meditate on this amazing transaction, and consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.

Footnotes

• [a]. As Mark 14.13.
• [b]. Or 'bread,' as 1Cor. 11.23.
• [c]. As ch. 9.46.
• [d]. Lit. 'hast returned back;' 'confirm' is sterizo, as 'establish,' Rom. 16.25; 1Pet. 5.10.
• [e]. A strong negative.
• [f]. Isa. 53.12.
• [g]. Hieron, Matt. 4.5.