Dig In:
Passage: Luke 22
Dig Deeper:
Chapter Summary
v1-6 - The tension that has been building between Jesus and the Establishment (chief priests, religious lawyers, Pharisees & Sadducees) finally reaches its zenith and Judas sells out. I think it's fascinating that the Establishment wanted to 'get rid of Jesus' because 'they were afraid of the people (v2).' Think of how backwards that is!
v7-38 - Jesus has been preparing His disciples for His death for His entire ministry, but especially in the days preceding this, and now He brings that ministry to a close by celebrating the Passover with them, and in doing so inaugurates a new sacrament for the coming Church to observe. Notice the level of control Jesus demonstrates, even though from the disciples' perspective things seem to be spiraling out of control: He sends them in with specific instructions which all fall into place, He knows Judas will betray Him and that Peter will deny Him.
v39-46 - With tension and emotions rising, Jesus went out as usual to pray late at night. One of the ways that the very human Jesus maintained the control and composure He did was by practicing the Spiritual Disciplines of silence & solitude and prayer. Notice also how important it was for Jesus to be surrounded with fellow believers, even if they would let Him down immensely. You need these things as well.
v47-53 - Judas, who knew Jesus practiced these Spiritual Disciplines like clockwork, takes advantage of the opportunity to get his five minutes of glory. Jesus' response in v52 drips with irony, asking if He's leading a rebellion, when it's because of man's sinful rebellion against God which necessitated the death that Jesus is about to take on.
v54-62 - Peter's denials, which Jesus had predicted hours earlier at a time where they seemed so unlikely, take place exactly the way Jesus said they would.
v63-71 - Jesus is hauled before an early morning assembly of the Establishment and scorches them with His assertion that He is the Son of Man who will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God (v69), and then goes on to associate Himself with the holiest name of God, I AM in v70. Luke doesn't record the reaction of the Establishment at this point, but we know from the other gospel accounts that they flipped out.
Old Testament Reference -
Daniel 7:1-14 prophesy about the coming Son of Man. Jesus appropriates these claims for Himself, and it's the primary reason that the Establishment wants Him dead.
Discuss:
Use the comment box below to discuss one or more of these questions.
EYE FOR DETAIL—From what you recall seeing in this chapter, try answering the following question without looking at your Bible: When Judas led a crowd into Gethsemane to arrest Jesus, what question did Jesus ask him?
What in this chapter do you think might be most surprising to a new Christian reading it for the first time? Questions taken from The Complete Bible Discussion Guide: New Testament
Follow the AAA Prayer Pattern:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The mighty God who reigns in total power and authority with the Son of Man at His right hand (v69)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray as Jesus did: yet not my will, but yours be done (v42)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
