Luke

By Joyce Webb  2021

Chapter 22 Verses 39-53

Verse 39 The Passover supper is finished. This is the last time Jesus has this supper with the disciples. So people call it “The Last Supper”.

Jesus went to a place called the Mount of Olives. It is a garden with olive trees. Jesus often went there to pray.

The disciples followed Jesus to the garden.

Verse 40.41 Jesus told them, You need to pray so that you do not give in to temptation.

The disciples did not understand what he meant, or why he said that. They had no idea of what was about to happen.

Jesus went away from them a little way to pray alone.

Verse 42 Jesus prayed, Father if this “cup” can pass from me–please let it. But—not my will—but Thy will be done.

The “cup” that Jesus was talking about was the thing that was about to happen to him. He was talking like it was a cup of something bad tasting and awful that he had to drink.

Jesus knew that he had come to earth in the body of a man —-to die for man’s sin.

Part of what was going to be hard— was the way he would die.
He would be put on a cross and all the pain and suffering that would mean. Jesus prayed —if there was a way he could not have to go through that suffering. But he knew that he would do God’s will —whatever it meant.

Verse 43, 45 The Bible says an angel came to give him strength.

Jesus continued to pray. It seems he prayed for strength to go through the pain and beatings—the nails in his hands —his body would be hanging from his hands. He knew it would be terrible pain.

He also knew he wanted to go through all that without failing. He wanted to complete what he had been sent to earth to do.

He prayed so hard and was under such great stress and heavy thoughts—that his sweat came out of his skin as blood drops.

Verse 45, 46 After a time, Jesus got up to go see about the disciples. He found them sleeping !

Imagine, Jesus is sweating drops of blood in prayer and they are not even praying. They are sleeping!

Jesus knew that they would need courage and strength for themselves in just a few more minutes—because of what would happen.

He said to them—you need to pray! So you will not give in to temptation.

Verse 47 While Jesus was talking to them, a group of men came into the garden, Judas was leading them to Jesus.

Judas came near to Jesus to give him a kiss of greeting. (People in that part of the world greet each other with a kiss on each cheek, rather than shake hands, as we do in America.)

Verse 48 Jesus asked Judas–”Judas, are you going to betray the Son of man with a kiss?”

Verse 49, 50,51 The disciples said, Should we hit them with our swords?

One of them (we learn in the other gospels –that it was Peter) used his sword and he cut off the ear of one of the men. He was a servant to the high priest of the Jewish church.

Jesus told Peter to stop. The he took the ear and put it back on and healed the ear.

You would think that this would have made them all stop and think about what they were doing.

They were about to arrest Jesus and wanted to kill him, and they just saw him pick up a man’s ear and put it back on and healed it!!

No ordinary man could do that! Yet—they just kept on trying to take Jesus.

Verse 52 Jesus said to them, some were chief priests and captains,
—-he said, You come after me with swords and spears—like I was a thief. I was with you every day in the temple church and you did not try to take me then.

But this is your hour—in the darkness for cover.

(In other words, they did not have the courage to take him in the day time—they waited until dark—when no one would see what they were doing.

Another meaning also, “this was your hour and the power of darkness—meaning —this was the time for Jesus to be arrested—this was God’s timing and because of that—they were able to take Jesus—and the “power of darkness” was at work to kill Jesus.)