Luke 23:35-71
We have been going through Luke line by line all year, and we are rapidly coming to the end of the book and the end of our journey in this series. Last week we talked about the Last Supper, where in the midst of a traditional Passover service, Jesus forever changed the meaning of it all by saying that we should take the cup and the bread in the future not especially in remembrance of the delivery of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, but in remembrance of Jesus. The former things were but foreshadows of the much greater things which were about to happen before the disciples’ very eyes. Jesus said of the bread, “this is My body, broken for you,” and of the cup, “this is My blood, poured out for you.”
Now Jesus had been trying to tell them that He would soon die, for quite some time. But in the past, Luke says the disciples didn’t understand any of it. Once, in response, Peter said, “surely not, Lord!” and Jesus responded, “get behind Me, Satan.” The disciples, I think, didn’t understand any of it because they didn’t want to understand any of it. They have been following Jesus for more than three years, now, and have come to love Him because of who He Is. He showed strength, majesty, holiness, righteousness, purity, love, kindness, compassion, mercy. He showed all the attributes of God because He was God. And yet, He was man. He hungered, He thirsted, He became tired – in short, He was 100% human, God in the flesh, subject to all the weaknesses and limits of the human body. He could feel pain, He could bleed, and He could die.
How did the disciples respond to the first “communion”? Was what Jesus was saying to them beginning to sink in? I think, with all of the events of the past week, it was starting to sink in. But still they were arguing about who was the greatest and other trivialities. We pick up the account today with Luke 22:35, still at the Last Supper.
Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered. He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: 'And He was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in Me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment." The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." "That is enough," He replied. – Luke 22:35-38
What is Jesus talking about here? Are we supposed to walk around carrying swords, or the modern equivalent, guns? Are two swords really enough against a Roman military contingent? As we go forward in the passage, we will see Jesus rebuke Peter for using one of the swords. So what is Jesus saying here?
First of all, Jesus refers to the past when Jesus sent the twelve, and then the seventy-two, without money, or food, or spare clothing. In each case, by Christ’s power, they were miraculously able to cast out demons, heal the sick, and tell people about the kingdom of God. So what is Jesus saying? He is saying that now, it won’t be like this. “I am not going to be with you,” He was saying. “Now, you will be on your own. Take what you need, and take care of your yourselves, because My time on earth – being with you day and night – is rapidly coming to an end.”
Now some try to interpret this passage in light of a belief in total Christian pacifism, believing that Christians should be 100% pacifist at all times and in all situations. Others try to use this passage as justification against pacifism. I don’t think this verse really settles the pacifism question at all, because I don’t think this is Jesus’ point. The vast majority of the time, the disciples have not operated under the special miraculous conditions that were a part of the sending out of the twelve or the seventy-two. These were special short-term circumstances. So I don’t think the question of what to bring, wear, or carry, is really what Jesus is getting at here. What He is saying is, “I’m not going to be with you. We’re not going to have any more of these special times, not like that.” Miracles will still happen; healings will still occur; demons can still be cast out, but the world will not accept you with open arms. Reread the Book of Acts to see how true this is.
Did the disciples really understand what Jesus was saying? I don’t think so. They are taking Him very literally, stopping what they are doing (having a Passover meal) and searching among themselves to see how many swords they have. If you took Jesus literally, that having a sword was so important that you should sell your outer cloak (so that having a sword was more important than freezing), two would not have been enough.
The phrase “He was numbered with the transgressors comes from Isaiah 53:12. The entire chapter of Isaiah 53 is an incredible prophecy of Jesus’ purpose, life, and death. The last half of verse 12 says this:
He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.
For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. – Isaiah 53:12b
Continuing on with our passage in Luke:
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and His disciples followed Him. On reaching the place, He said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. – Luke 22:39-44
“Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” What temptation was Jesus talking about here? Jesus is about to be arrested, jailed, beaten, and ultimately, crucified. Given what is going on, I don’t think Jesus was talking about lust, or anger, or something like this. What was Jesus talking about? What temptation?
I believe the temptation was to give up on faith entirely, to leave and never look back, to pretend the last 3 ½ years of teachings never happened, to pretend that they hadn’t seen the miracles, heard the teachings, observed the God-Man, known His love. The temptation was to go back to fishing, or tax collecting, or whatever you used to do, and never think about or talk about these experiences again – in short, to renounce your faith. Given what was about to happen, this was a powerful temptation, and I have no doubt that Satan was pulling out all the stops trying to get the disciples to do exactly this. Satan knew that Jesus had big plans for these guys, that they were crucial to Jesus’ plan, and so he was doing everything he could to get them to renounce everything. Personally, I think that except for Jesus, nobody probably was ever more intensely attacked by Satan and his demons than the disciples. Never before or again did so much ride on so few people.
But now let’s look more closely at Jesus’ prayer. It has four components. The first part is the address: Father. When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, He began with “Our Father” – the same opening. We take this for granted, but do you realize what an immense privilege it is to address God as Father? What does that make us? Sons and daughters! We are family! I would challenge you to make an appointment to personally have a phone call with Barak Obama. It’s not going to happen! And yet the Creator of the Universe is infinitely more powerful than our president-elect! But it is as if He keeps a special phone on His desk just for you, and drops everything when you call. “It’s family,” He says, smiling, as He answers that phone on the first ring every time.
The second part of Jesus’ prayer is a conditional clause: if You are willing. This short little phrase shows tremendous respect of God the Father. It doesn’t say, “if You permit it,” by the way. That is something totally different. Jesus, in the midst of agony of soul knowing what is about to happen, still says, “if You are willing.” He doesn’t want to even ask for something that might be out of God’s will! To say “if You are willing” is to tell God that you only want what He wants, irregardless of the challenges of that path, no matter what is involved.
The third part is Jesus’ actual request: Take this cup from Me. What does “cup” mean? In the Old Testament, the “cup” refers again and again to the cup of God’s wrath. What does this mean? It means that Jesus knows that on the cross, He will experience the totality of God’s wrath for the sins of mankind. Remember what Isaiah 53:12 said: For He bore the sin of many. Jesus, without sin, was to receive the consequences of the sin of the entire world. Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. What is Jesus saying? He is saying, if there is any other way to reconcile the world, to rescue them from their sin, please do this. I believe Jesus also prayed this because He knew not only how much this would cause excruciating pain in Him, but also how it would equally cause pain in His Father. Abraham didn’t have to give up his son Isaac, because God would provide a lamb – well, Jesus was that Lamb, and it was time for the sacrifice.
The final part of Jesus’ prayer is a statement of total submission: yet not My will, but Yours be done. Jesus did not want to take the cup of God’s wrath. But if it was God’s will, He would submit to that will. By the way, what was God’s answer to this prayer? It was that, in fact, it was God’s will that Jesus take the cup of God’s wrath. Why? Because there was no other way to take away the sins of the world! There was no other way for you and me to be redeemed. If there had been another way, whether by good works, by another prophet, by keeping the Law, or by being “spiritual,” God certainly would have honored Jesus’ prayer. But there was, and is, no other way.
And then it says that an angel ministered to Him, and then He prayed even more earnestly, to the point that sweat with blood, or blood-sweat, came out from Him. This is a known medical condition, called hematidrosis. There are blood vessels around the sweat glands. In times of great stress, the vessels constrict, and as they again relax, they can rupture, and the blood then comes out of sweat glands, mixed with sweat.
All of this happened within a “stone’s throw” from the disciples. Did they hear this? Did they see the blood mixed with sweat? Yes, they heard it.
When He rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. "Why are you sleeping?" He asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." – Luke 22:45-46
Jesus repeats His message to the disciples: Pray so that you will not fall into temptation. In fact, in the parallel gospels, we see that this happens several times. They keep on falling asleep! Now I think it is a bit unfair to be too hard on the disciples, because of what it says here in verse 45: They were exhausted from sorrow.
I think Jesus’ message of His impending death has finally started to sink in. One reason for this, I believe, is that they have heard Jesus’ heart-wrenching prayers. They have never heard Jesus like this before, in all their time with Him. They love Him, and hearing Jesus like this has made them weep.
Jesus knew how they were feeling. But even so, Jesus made it clear that, despite their exhaustion, despite their emotions, prayer at this particular point in time was even more important than sleep! Do you believe Jesus was right? I hope so – I hope you don’t think you know more than Jesus!
Do you think like this? When was the last time you prayed that you would not fall into temptation? Has it been awhile? Maybe you don’t remember the last time you prayed this particular prayer. Maybe you aren’t sure you have ever prayed this particular prayer.
But when was the last time you prayed for forgiveness for falling into temptation? If you are like me, you pray the latter a lot more than you pray the former. “Oh, Lord, forgive me for doing such and such… again.” I am going to go out on a limb and say that the real reason that we prefer the forgiveness prayer to the prevention prayer is that we often really would rather have our cake and eat it too – we would rather get to have our sin and then be forgiven instead of forgoing the sin altogether. Maybe I am wrong to suggest such a thing. Maybe I am the only one here who has such a wicked heart that I believe it is possible that this is the reason I resist the prevention prayer.
Now I want to say something you know in your head, but I want it to go to your heart. The belief that “sin” is like “cake” is itself a lie of Satan! In fact, it is the first lie of Satan, straight from the beginning of Genesis. If God has declared something as sin to us, it is not because it is good, but because it is terrible. You can make the deadliest poison taste as sweet as cake, and that is what sin is. It is poison. Why would you want to eat poison and then ask forgiveness for doing so? That’s crazy!
The Christ-centered twelve-step programs for alcoholics and drug addicts know the power in praying that you would not fall into temptation. By the way, this is not at all the same thing as praying you would not be tempted. I think it is OK to pray this too, but the main thing to pray is that you would not fall. And it is good to take steps that keep you away from temptation – indeed, the Bible says you should flee from it – but if you are going to live in this world, you are going to be tempted. It is impossible to completely avoid temptation in this life. But it is possible not to fall. Pray that you would not fall into temptation!
While He was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss Him, but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" – Luke 22:47-48
From the way this is worded in the Greek, we know this is a kiss on the cheek. Now, the Roman society had strong cultural rules about kisses. An inferior kissing a superior, like among people of different rank in the army, would kiss the palm of the higher-ranked person. If the inferior was only a servant, then he could only kiss the back of the other person’s hand. In the master-slave relationship, the slave could kiss the master’s feet, or could kiss the hem of the master’s garment. But Judas does not kiss in any of these ways – he kisses Jesus’ cheek. Kissing on the cheek was an ancient tradition – it was reserved for a sign of love between equals. Judas didn’t have to do this – he could have simply pointed Jesus out when they got close. I believe it reveals a lot about Judas’ heart. Twisted by Satan, he thought himself an equal with Jesus, if not superior to Him. Blinded by the same pride that blinds Satan, he thought Jesus wrong about many things, and thought he knew better than Jesus.
We too really do a kind of betrayal against Jesus when, after we have previously told Him that we will serve Him, we later decide in a particular area to do our own thing. We would never actually admit that we think we know better than Jesus, but isn’t this in effect what we do when we refuse to obey Him? And when we choose to completely ignore Jesus in an area of our life but continue to sing to Him and praise Him and pretend that we fully and completely love Him, are we really doing something all that different from kissing Jesus on the cheek?
How do you view Jesus? Yes, He is our friend – Yes, He loves us. But we are not His equal. We aren’t just to praise Him as a good or great person – we are to worship Him as God. There is a vast difference. We need to search ourselves and make sure there is not even a hint of Judas in us. Recall that there was some of Judas in Peter when he told Jesus “surely not, Lord” in response to Jesus’ statement that He was going to Jerusalem to be killed. Jesus rebuked Peter and called him Satan for that.
When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And He touched the man's ear and healed him. – Luke 22:49-51
From John’s account we know this was Peter who used the sword. Peter was bold in this – you cannot accuse him of timidity. He was also foolish – they were vastly outnumbered. The crowd, as we will see in the next verse, included officers of the temple guard, well-trained and well-armed Levite military men whose normal job was to protect the temple and keep the “unclean” from entering. Peter didn’t know what he was doing – he was confused by Jesus’ earlier statement about swords and also was probably half asleep. Like the other disciples, he had not prayed as Jesus had instructed, so his heart was not ready for this trial.
A few weeks ago someone mentioned the scene from Return of the King, the last of the Lord of the Rings movies, when, hopelessly outnumbered, Aragorn raises his sword and rushes towards the giant crowd of enemies shouting, “For Frodo!” I can picture Peter here with similar but terribly misguided visions of grandeur picking up his short sword and shouting, “For Jesus!” But unfortunately, this is totally the wrong thing to do! And I think it is safe to say that Peter is not much of a swordsman. I am pretty sure that Peter was not aiming for the ear. Again, the bottom line is that Peter’s heart was not ready, because he had not been praying through the night as Jesus had instructed.
But Jesus was ready. Immediately he put an end to the violence and miraculously healed the servant’s ear. I have to think that made for a rather awkward moment. Here is this group of people come to arrest Jesus, who has just not only prevented a violent situation but has shown His incredible power and authority with this healing. Who really should be arresting who? What about this servant who has been healed – what was he thinking? Perhaps he was thinking, “Now why am I arresting this man? I want to worship Him, not arrest Him!” And the rest of them, looking at that ear – how many of them began to doubt, just a little, about whether they were doing the right thing?
Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for Him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on Me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns." – Luke 22:52-53
It was a large group that came to arrest Jesus, and it contained representatives of all the various groups of the power elite. I find it interesting that Jesus has something to say to this group that is similar in tone to what He says to Judas. What is He doing? To me, it sounds like He is being their conscience. He is reminding both Judas and this group that they have a choice. Even now, they are choosing to do what is evil rather than what is good. In effect, Jesus’ words are a reminder that even now, they could still choose to come to their senses and do what is right.
The Holy Spirit has this role in us today. This is why a disobedient Christian is, generally speaking, a miserable Christian. The Holy Spirit pricks us with statements like this. The Holy Spirit reminds us we have a choice, that at any moment we can choose to repent, or turn, from what we are doing and return to Christ. May we listen!
Then seizing Him, they led Him away and took Him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him." But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know Him," he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly. – Luke 22:54-62
Perhaps you are like me and having read some of the incredible faith-filled responses of the Christian martyrs of history, wonder how you would do. Peter did not wonder. He was sure of himself, and told Jesus so. But Jesus told him how wrong he was, and predicted that Peter would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. And of course, Jesus was right.
I want to be clear here: Peter failed in his test of what could have been martyrdom. Why did he fail? Precisely because he was sure of himself! He trusted in his own strength. I can tell you that if you trust in your own strength you too will surely fail when the real trials of your life come.
At the very moment that Peter knew he had failed, he saw Jesus look right at him, and he knew that Jesus knew. Jesus always knows our failures. And I believe He knows them before they happen, just like Jesus knew about Peter. I don’t believe Jesus’ look was one of condemnation, or anger, or even disappointment. I believe it was simply a look of love. I believe Jesus’ look said, “I love you, Peter! When will you really love and trust Me?”
The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating Him. They blindfolded Him and demanded, "Prophesy! Who hit you?" And they said many other insulting things to Him. At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. "If you are the Christ," they said, "tell us." Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe Me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God." They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He replied, "You are right in saying I am." Then they said, "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips." – Luke 22:63-71
I am not going to spend time today going into the details of the trials and final horrific events of Jesus life. But I do want to say a little about Jesus’ answer. First they ask if He is the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus refused to answer directly, perhaps because He knew they would misunderstand and misuse His words. They wanted that label, Christ, because Rome knew about “Christs.” In Rome’s view, these were people who wanted to start revolutions and overthrow the Roman government. They were to be killed as enemies to Rome. But Jesus refused to make it so easy for His Jewish questioners. And in fact this was false. Yes He was the Messiah, the Christ, but no, He had not come to start a military revolution against Rome. And He was precisely correct in that if He said He was the Christ, they wouldn’t believe Him. They would only believe that He said He was a Christ. Because if they really believed it, the last thing they would do is put Him on trial for such a statement!
Jesus’ answer, as He has done in the past, goes back to the use of the phrase “Son of Man.” This refers to someone much more than just a military Messiah. It refers to someone who can only be God, and yet is with God:
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. – Daniel 7:13-14
The claim of Jesus to be the Son of Man should have inspired intense fear. But again, they didn’t believe Him – they only wanted words to use against Him. How could they do this? What about the miracles, the wisdom, healings, casting out demons, and all the rest? Their hearts were blinded because they, like Judas, thought they were better than Jesus. Indeed, their betrayal was no less than that of Judas.
I have talked about several applications throughout this message, but I will repeat them here, in case you missed them:
1.We should not have a naïve view of the world. Yes we are to go forth and share the gospel, but the world hates us because it hates Him. Unless the Lord specifically leads you otherwise, take your wallet with you when you go, and do not be surprised at opposition.
2.We should pray that we would not fall into temptation. We should pray proactively, not just reactively. Much of the victory over sin can come simply from getting your heart to the place where you can even honestly pray this prayer!
3.We should watch our attitudes about Jesus. He is never wrong. His views are never simplistic, or limited by His culture, or any such nonsense. We are not His equals!
4. We should heed the warning messages from the Holy Spirit. Often they come in the form of hesitation, or the form of a question. “Are you sure you want to do this?” We always have a choice in what we do, and just as Jesus asked questions of Judas and the crowd who had come to arrest Him, the Holy Spirit asks questions of us when we are about to tumble into sin.
5. We should not trust in our own strength. Don’t think you have even a chance of making it through the trials of life without Christ. Have a sober view of yourself, and an unlimited view of Christ’s power to enable us to follow Him. He is the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of God! His strength flowing through us will never fail.
Now Jesus had been trying to tell them that He would soon die, for quite some time. But in the past, Luke says the disciples didn’t understand any of it. Once, in response, Peter said, “surely not, Lord!” and Jesus responded, “get behind Me, Satan.” The disciples, I think, didn’t understand any of it because they didn’t want to understand any of it. They have been following Jesus for more than three years, now, and have come to love Him because of who He Is. He showed strength, majesty, holiness, righteousness, purity, love, kindness, compassion, mercy. He showed all the attributes of God because He was God. And yet, He was man. He hungered, He thirsted, He became tired – in short, He was 100% human, God in the flesh, subject to all the weaknesses and limits of the human body. He could feel pain, He could bleed, and He could die.
How did the disciples respond to the first “communion”? Was what Jesus was saying to them beginning to sink in? I think, with all of the events of the past week, it was starting to sink in. But still they were arguing about who was the greatest and other trivialities. We pick up the account today with Luke 22:35, still at the Last Supper.
Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered. He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: 'And He was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in Me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment." The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." "That is enough," He replied. – Luke 22:35-38
What is Jesus talking about here? Are we supposed to walk around carrying swords, or the modern equivalent, guns? Are two swords really enough against a Roman military contingent? As we go forward in the passage, we will see Jesus rebuke Peter for using one of the swords. So what is Jesus saying here?
First of all, Jesus refers to the past when Jesus sent the twelve, and then the seventy-two, without money, or food, or spare clothing. In each case, by Christ’s power, they were miraculously able to cast out demons, heal the sick, and tell people about the kingdom of God. So what is Jesus saying? He is saying that now, it won’t be like this. “I am not going to be with you,” He was saying. “Now, you will be on your own. Take what you need, and take care of your yourselves, because My time on earth – being with you day and night – is rapidly coming to an end.”
Now some try to interpret this passage in light of a belief in total Christian pacifism, believing that Christians should be 100% pacifist at all times and in all situations. Others try to use this passage as justification against pacifism. I don’t think this verse really settles the pacifism question at all, because I don’t think this is Jesus’ point. The vast majority of the time, the disciples have not operated under the special miraculous conditions that were a part of the sending out of the twelve or the seventy-two. These were special short-term circumstances. So I don’t think the question of what to bring, wear, or carry, is really what Jesus is getting at here. What He is saying is, “I’m not going to be with you. We’re not going to have any more of these special times, not like that.” Miracles will still happen; healings will still occur; demons can still be cast out, but the world will not accept you with open arms. Reread the Book of Acts to see how true this is.
Did the disciples really understand what Jesus was saying? I don’t think so. They are taking Him very literally, stopping what they are doing (having a Passover meal) and searching among themselves to see how many swords they have. If you took Jesus literally, that having a sword was so important that you should sell your outer cloak (so that having a sword was more important than freezing), two would not have been enough.
The phrase “He was numbered with the transgressors comes from Isaiah 53:12. The entire chapter of Isaiah 53 is an incredible prophecy of Jesus’ purpose, life, and death. The last half of verse 12 says this:
He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.
For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. – Isaiah 53:12b
Continuing on with our passage in Luke:
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and His disciples followed Him. On reaching the place, He said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. – Luke 22:39-44
“Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” What temptation was Jesus talking about here? Jesus is about to be arrested, jailed, beaten, and ultimately, crucified. Given what is going on, I don’t think Jesus was talking about lust, or anger, or something like this. What was Jesus talking about? What temptation?
I believe the temptation was to give up on faith entirely, to leave and never look back, to pretend the last 3 ½ years of teachings never happened, to pretend that they hadn’t seen the miracles, heard the teachings, observed the God-Man, known His love. The temptation was to go back to fishing, or tax collecting, or whatever you used to do, and never think about or talk about these experiences again – in short, to renounce your faith. Given what was about to happen, this was a powerful temptation, and I have no doubt that Satan was pulling out all the stops trying to get the disciples to do exactly this. Satan knew that Jesus had big plans for these guys, that they were crucial to Jesus’ plan, and so he was doing everything he could to get them to renounce everything. Personally, I think that except for Jesus, nobody probably was ever more intensely attacked by Satan and his demons than the disciples. Never before or again did so much ride on so few people.
But now let’s look more closely at Jesus’ prayer. It has four components. The first part is the address: Father. When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, He began with “Our Father” – the same opening. We take this for granted, but do you realize what an immense privilege it is to address God as Father? What does that make us? Sons and daughters! We are family! I would challenge you to make an appointment to personally have a phone call with Barak Obama. It’s not going to happen! And yet the Creator of the Universe is infinitely more powerful than our president-elect! But it is as if He keeps a special phone on His desk just for you, and drops everything when you call. “It’s family,” He says, smiling, as He answers that phone on the first ring every time.
The second part of Jesus’ prayer is a conditional clause: if You are willing. This short little phrase shows tremendous respect of God the Father. It doesn’t say, “if You permit it,” by the way. That is something totally different. Jesus, in the midst of agony of soul knowing what is about to happen, still says, “if You are willing.” He doesn’t want to even ask for something that might be out of God’s will! To say “if You are willing” is to tell God that you only want what He wants, irregardless of the challenges of that path, no matter what is involved.
The third part is Jesus’ actual request: Take this cup from Me. What does “cup” mean? In the Old Testament, the “cup” refers again and again to the cup of God’s wrath. What does this mean? It means that Jesus knows that on the cross, He will experience the totality of God’s wrath for the sins of mankind. Remember what Isaiah 53:12 said: For He bore the sin of many. Jesus, without sin, was to receive the consequences of the sin of the entire world. Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. What is Jesus saying? He is saying, if there is any other way to reconcile the world, to rescue them from their sin, please do this. I believe Jesus also prayed this because He knew not only how much this would cause excruciating pain in Him, but also how it would equally cause pain in His Father. Abraham didn’t have to give up his son Isaac, because God would provide a lamb – well, Jesus was that Lamb, and it was time for the sacrifice.
The final part of Jesus’ prayer is a statement of total submission: yet not My will, but Yours be done. Jesus did not want to take the cup of God’s wrath. But if it was God’s will, He would submit to that will. By the way, what was God’s answer to this prayer? It was that, in fact, it was God’s will that Jesus take the cup of God’s wrath. Why? Because there was no other way to take away the sins of the world! There was no other way for you and me to be redeemed. If there had been another way, whether by good works, by another prophet, by keeping the Law, or by being “spiritual,” God certainly would have honored Jesus’ prayer. But there was, and is, no other way.
And then it says that an angel ministered to Him, and then He prayed even more earnestly, to the point that sweat with blood, or blood-sweat, came out from Him. This is a known medical condition, called hematidrosis. There are blood vessels around the sweat glands. In times of great stress, the vessels constrict, and as they again relax, they can rupture, and the blood then comes out of sweat glands, mixed with sweat.
All of this happened within a “stone’s throw” from the disciples. Did they hear this? Did they see the blood mixed with sweat? Yes, they heard it.
When He rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. "Why are you sleeping?" He asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." – Luke 22:45-46
Jesus repeats His message to the disciples: Pray so that you will not fall into temptation. In fact, in the parallel gospels, we see that this happens several times. They keep on falling asleep! Now I think it is a bit unfair to be too hard on the disciples, because of what it says here in verse 45: They were exhausted from sorrow.
I think Jesus’ message of His impending death has finally started to sink in. One reason for this, I believe, is that they have heard Jesus’ heart-wrenching prayers. They have never heard Jesus like this before, in all their time with Him. They love Him, and hearing Jesus like this has made them weep.
Jesus knew how they were feeling. But even so, Jesus made it clear that, despite their exhaustion, despite their emotions, prayer at this particular point in time was even more important than sleep! Do you believe Jesus was right? I hope so – I hope you don’t think you know more than Jesus!
Do you think like this? When was the last time you prayed that you would not fall into temptation? Has it been awhile? Maybe you don’t remember the last time you prayed this particular prayer. Maybe you aren’t sure you have ever prayed this particular prayer.
But when was the last time you prayed for forgiveness for falling into temptation? If you are like me, you pray the latter a lot more than you pray the former. “Oh, Lord, forgive me for doing such and such… again.” I am going to go out on a limb and say that the real reason that we prefer the forgiveness prayer to the prevention prayer is that we often really would rather have our cake and eat it too – we would rather get to have our sin and then be forgiven instead of forgoing the sin altogether. Maybe I am wrong to suggest such a thing. Maybe I am the only one here who has such a wicked heart that I believe it is possible that this is the reason I resist the prevention prayer.
Now I want to say something you know in your head, but I want it to go to your heart. The belief that “sin” is like “cake” is itself a lie of Satan! In fact, it is the first lie of Satan, straight from the beginning of Genesis. If God has declared something as sin to us, it is not because it is good, but because it is terrible. You can make the deadliest poison taste as sweet as cake, and that is what sin is. It is poison. Why would you want to eat poison and then ask forgiveness for doing so? That’s crazy!
The Christ-centered twelve-step programs for alcoholics and drug addicts know the power in praying that you would not fall into temptation. By the way, this is not at all the same thing as praying you would not be tempted. I think it is OK to pray this too, but the main thing to pray is that you would not fall. And it is good to take steps that keep you away from temptation – indeed, the Bible says you should flee from it – but if you are going to live in this world, you are going to be tempted. It is impossible to completely avoid temptation in this life. But it is possible not to fall. Pray that you would not fall into temptation!
While He was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss Him, but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" – Luke 22:47-48
From the way this is worded in the Greek, we know this is a kiss on the cheek. Now, the Roman society had strong cultural rules about kisses. An inferior kissing a superior, like among people of different rank in the army, would kiss the palm of the higher-ranked person. If the inferior was only a servant, then he could only kiss the back of the other person’s hand. In the master-slave relationship, the slave could kiss the master’s feet, or could kiss the hem of the master’s garment. But Judas does not kiss in any of these ways – he kisses Jesus’ cheek. Kissing on the cheek was an ancient tradition – it was reserved for a sign of love between equals. Judas didn’t have to do this – he could have simply pointed Jesus out when they got close. I believe it reveals a lot about Judas’ heart. Twisted by Satan, he thought himself an equal with Jesus, if not superior to Him. Blinded by the same pride that blinds Satan, he thought Jesus wrong about many things, and thought he knew better than Jesus.
We too really do a kind of betrayal against Jesus when, after we have previously told Him that we will serve Him, we later decide in a particular area to do our own thing. We would never actually admit that we think we know better than Jesus, but isn’t this in effect what we do when we refuse to obey Him? And when we choose to completely ignore Jesus in an area of our life but continue to sing to Him and praise Him and pretend that we fully and completely love Him, are we really doing something all that different from kissing Jesus on the cheek?
How do you view Jesus? Yes, He is our friend – Yes, He loves us. But we are not His equal. We aren’t just to praise Him as a good or great person – we are to worship Him as God. There is a vast difference. We need to search ourselves and make sure there is not even a hint of Judas in us. Recall that there was some of Judas in Peter when he told Jesus “surely not, Lord” in response to Jesus’ statement that He was going to Jerusalem to be killed. Jesus rebuked Peter and called him Satan for that.
When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And He touched the man's ear and healed him. – Luke 22:49-51
From John’s account we know this was Peter who used the sword. Peter was bold in this – you cannot accuse him of timidity. He was also foolish – they were vastly outnumbered. The crowd, as we will see in the next verse, included officers of the temple guard, well-trained and well-armed Levite military men whose normal job was to protect the temple and keep the “unclean” from entering. Peter didn’t know what he was doing – he was confused by Jesus’ earlier statement about swords and also was probably half asleep. Like the other disciples, he had not prayed as Jesus had instructed, so his heart was not ready for this trial.
A few weeks ago someone mentioned the scene from Return of the King, the last of the Lord of the Rings movies, when, hopelessly outnumbered, Aragorn raises his sword and rushes towards the giant crowd of enemies shouting, “For Frodo!” I can picture Peter here with similar but terribly misguided visions of grandeur picking up his short sword and shouting, “For Jesus!” But unfortunately, this is totally the wrong thing to do! And I think it is safe to say that Peter is not much of a swordsman. I am pretty sure that Peter was not aiming for the ear. Again, the bottom line is that Peter’s heart was not ready, because he had not been praying through the night as Jesus had instructed.
But Jesus was ready. Immediately he put an end to the violence and miraculously healed the servant’s ear. I have to think that made for a rather awkward moment. Here is this group of people come to arrest Jesus, who has just not only prevented a violent situation but has shown His incredible power and authority with this healing. Who really should be arresting who? What about this servant who has been healed – what was he thinking? Perhaps he was thinking, “Now why am I arresting this man? I want to worship Him, not arrest Him!” And the rest of them, looking at that ear – how many of them began to doubt, just a little, about whether they were doing the right thing?
Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for Him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on Me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns." – Luke 22:52-53
It was a large group that came to arrest Jesus, and it contained representatives of all the various groups of the power elite. I find it interesting that Jesus has something to say to this group that is similar in tone to what He says to Judas. What is He doing? To me, it sounds like He is being their conscience. He is reminding both Judas and this group that they have a choice. Even now, they are choosing to do what is evil rather than what is good. In effect, Jesus’ words are a reminder that even now, they could still choose to come to their senses and do what is right.
The Holy Spirit has this role in us today. This is why a disobedient Christian is, generally speaking, a miserable Christian. The Holy Spirit pricks us with statements like this. The Holy Spirit reminds us we have a choice, that at any moment we can choose to repent, or turn, from what we are doing and return to Christ. May we listen!
Then seizing Him, they led Him away and took Him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him." But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know Him," he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly. – Luke 22:54-62
Perhaps you are like me and having read some of the incredible faith-filled responses of the Christian martyrs of history, wonder how you would do. Peter did not wonder. He was sure of himself, and told Jesus so. But Jesus told him how wrong he was, and predicted that Peter would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. And of course, Jesus was right.
I want to be clear here: Peter failed in his test of what could have been martyrdom. Why did he fail? Precisely because he was sure of himself! He trusted in his own strength. I can tell you that if you trust in your own strength you too will surely fail when the real trials of your life come.
At the very moment that Peter knew he had failed, he saw Jesus look right at him, and he knew that Jesus knew. Jesus always knows our failures. And I believe He knows them before they happen, just like Jesus knew about Peter. I don’t believe Jesus’ look was one of condemnation, or anger, or even disappointment. I believe it was simply a look of love. I believe Jesus’ look said, “I love you, Peter! When will you really love and trust Me?”
The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating Him. They blindfolded Him and demanded, "Prophesy! Who hit you?" And they said many other insulting things to Him. At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. "If you are the Christ," they said, "tell us." Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe Me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God." They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He replied, "You are right in saying I am." Then they said, "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips." – Luke 22:63-71
I am not going to spend time today going into the details of the trials and final horrific events of Jesus life. But I do want to say a little about Jesus’ answer. First they ask if He is the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus refused to answer directly, perhaps because He knew they would misunderstand and misuse His words. They wanted that label, Christ, because Rome knew about “Christs.” In Rome’s view, these were people who wanted to start revolutions and overthrow the Roman government. They were to be killed as enemies to Rome. But Jesus refused to make it so easy for His Jewish questioners. And in fact this was false. Yes He was the Messiah, the Christ, but no, He had not come to start a military revolution against Rome. And He was precisely correct in that if He said He was the Christ, they wouldn’t believe Him. They would only believe that He said He was a Christ. Because if they really believed it, the last thing they would do is put Him on trial for such a statement!
Jesus’ answer, as He has done in the past, goes back to the use of the phrase “Son of Man.” This refers to someone much more than just a military Messiah. It refers to someone who can only be God, and yet is with God:
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. – Daniel 7:13-14
The claim of Jesus to be the Son of Man should have inspired intense fear. But again, they didn’t believe Him – they only wanted words to use against Him. How could they do this? What about the miracles, the wisdom, healings, casting out demons, and all the rest? Their hearts were blinded because they, like Judas, thought they were better than Jesus. Indeed, their betrayal was no less than that of Judas.
I have talked about several applications throughout this message, but I will repeat them here, in case you missed them:
1.We should not have a naïve view of the world. Yes we are to go forth and share the gospel, but the world hates us because it hates Him. Unless the Lord specifically leads you otherwise, take your wallet with you when you go, and do not be surprised at opposition.
2.We should pray that we would not fall into temptation. We should pray proactively, not just reactively. Much of the victory over sin can come simply from getting your heart to the place where you can even honestly pray this prayer!
3.We should watch our attitudes about Jesus. He is never wrong. His views are never simplistic, or limited by His culture, or any such nonsense. We are not His equals!
4. We should heed the warning messages from the Holy Spirit. Often they come in the form of hesitation, or the form of a question. “Are you sure you want to do this?” We always have a choice in what we do, and just as Jesus asked questions of Judas and the crowd who had come to arrest Him, the Holy Spirit asks questions of us when we are about to tumble into sin.
5. We should not trust in our own strength. Don’t think you have even a chance of making it through the trials of life without Christ. Have a sober view of yourself, and an unlimited view of Christ’s power to enable us to follow Him. He is the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of God! His strength flowing through us will never fail.
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