Luke 22: 39-65
Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
39 He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. 40 When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” 41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” [[43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. 44 In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. 45 When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
47 While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?”49 When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” 50 Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!”
Peter Denies Jesus
54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. 55 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 Then about an hour later still another kept insisting, “Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
The Mocking and Beating of Jesus
63 Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him; 64 they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?”65 They kept heaping many other insults on him.
What does the Passage say?
This passage deals, in several parts, with Jesus public and ultimate acceptance of his rightful Kingship, which he had previously been willing to avoid in public. At the outset of the passage, Jesus seeks out Zacchaeus, the despised tax collector, much to the surprise of his fellow Jews. Zacchaeus is completely changed by the encounter, and exhibits a 180 degree turn from his previous mistreatment of those paying taxes, going so far as enthusiastically vow to generously repay those who he has cheated and to give away much of what he has to the poor. Jesus once more does the unexpected and flies in the face of cultural convention, showing that he has come to offer salvation to all who will embrace it, even those who don’t “deserve” it.
In the second part of the passage, Jesus expands on the nature of his kingship and on how it will affect those who will accept it. In the parable of the man leaving 10 minas with each of his servants, Jesus explains that what he leaves for us is a great gift, but that we are expected to live in a manner consistent with the growth of the gift and the growth of his kingdom. In the parable, the people despise the new king, just as those in authority rejected and hated Jesus. We have the ability to accept Jesus as Lord or reject him, but for those of us who love and accept him, more is expected of us.
In the passage’s final section, Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We experience the joy and excitement of the jubilant crowd, but the mood is quickly altered by the hatred, fear and rejection of the Pharisees. Jesus kingship is a spiritual one, not one of territory, earthly power or nationalism, and he would quickly be abandoned by all because of the nature of it.
What does the Passage say to me/us?
How do we know who is good and who is not? We know people by their actions, by the company they keep, by how they spend their time. But we really don’t know that much of the inner person, because that is beyond our ken. Like looking into a large body of water, we can see the surface but not much of what is below it.
Jesus knows our hearts, he knows our strengths and our weaknesses, and not only ours, but all of mankind’s. And he loves us all. Just as he reached out to Zacchaeus, the despised tax collector, he reaches out to all of us, regardless of where we are or who we are in this world. Even to the people we don’t necessarily like or who don’t fit into our social circle or who are different than we. Salvation is available to all. All we have to do is accept Jesus and the change that it brings in us. And we need to live out that change so that others can see it, can realize that it comes from Christ and can themselves be changed by a new relationship with him.
You see, our new lives aren’t free. Jesus paid a heavy price for them, and we have a responsibility to live as changed people, people who others will notice, people who know the value of growing throughout the world what has been so generously and undeservedly given to us.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
We thank you for the blessing of each day and for the love that you embrace us with as the subjects of your Kingdom. May we live in a manner that shows you at work within us so that others will see your love and want to share in it. Let us be devoted followers and eager workers for you in this and every day.
In Christ Name, Amen.
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