Sermon preached on Luke 22:35-62 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/18/2022 in Petaluma, CA.
Sermon Manuscript
Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
We pick up where we left off last Sunday on the night of Jesus’ Last Supper. They had finished the Passover dinner where Jesus had instituted the Lord’s Supper. Then Jesus had taught them about true greatness in his kingdom through servant leadership modeled after himself. Yet, he then warned about the Satanic sifting that would soon happen to them all, how their faith would be greatly tested and they would even falter for a time. But Jesus left them with hope, including that Peter would be used to strengthen them all, even after he himself faltered by denying Jesus three times. All of this was in light of the impending suffering and death that Jesus was to endure. Clearly, these disciples were still trying to understand all of that. Jesus had told them repeatedly, but still their minds did not fully understand. So then, as we pick up the action today, we see Jesus yet preparing them. And this preparation would have application not just for that immediate moment when he was arrested and then crucified. It would especially have application beyond that for the ministry that Jesus has planned for them.
So then, we’ll study today’s passage pretty much in the order that we find it. For our three points, we’ll follow the distinct scenes at verses 35-38, then verses 39-46, and then verses 47-53.
Let us begin first then look at verses 35-38. There we see Jesus giving his disciples some final instructions and frankly prophecy about the future ahead for them. Basically, he is warning them that the times are going to be changing for them and that will impact their ministry going forward. Notice he begins in verse 35 by referencing how he had sent them out before. Twice, Luke’s gospel records that Jesus had sent out disciples in his name. In Luke 9 he had sent the twelve and then in Luke 10 he had sent out the seventy-some. They were sent with Christ’s message, to proclaim the coming of the kingdom. When they were sent out, they were surely understood to be coming in the name of Jesus as his disciples and messengers. Jesus here reminds them how when he had send them earlier on those mission trips that they were not to make elaborate preparations for their journeys. They were to rely on the welcome and hospitality of the people that they were being sent to. And as they confirm here to Jesus, when that was the case, they did not go hungry or freeze out in the cold. No, they did not lack anything, according to verse 35.
But now Jesus tells them that is going to be changing. Why would it be changing? The answer he gives them is in verse 37. He says that he is going to be numbered with the transgressors. As Jesus points out, that is a prophecy from Scripture. It is from Isaiah 53:12. Jesus says that this prophecy is referring to himself; he says this Scripture must be fulfilled with me, verse 37.” So Jesus refers to how he himself would be treated like a criminal. In other words, he is going to be arrested and punished like a criminal would be. Jesus says that this Scripture must be fulfilled. But then he adds a final thought in verse 37 that I think gets lost in translation when he says, “For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” The word in Greek there for fulfillment is telos and often involves purpose. So, the KJV translates it as “end” like in the question, “What is the chief end of man?” So, Jesus is basically telling them, that he is going to be falsely arrested and condemned, but that this is okay because it is God’s plan. God has a purpose, an “end” in it all.
Jesus offers this as his reason for why things are going to be changing for them. He says this is why they would need to start packing a moneybag, and a knapsack, and even get a sword if they don’t already own one. In other words, he’s saying that before they didn’t need to bring elaborate provisions and protection, but going forward they will need to start bringing such. Notice what all we can infer here from this. First, that after Jesus is numbered like a transgressor, they will still be going out and bearing witness to Christ and his kingdom. But second, at that time, they will no longer be able to count on being warmly welcomed and received by people like they were before. Before they could rely on generous hospitality by the people they were being sent to, so that they brought no provisions but they never lacked anything. Now, after Jesus is arrested, they won’t be able to rely on that. In fact, will they need to bring provisions for their sustenance, they’ll even need to bring a sword for their protection.
Again, think further of what this is inferring. Before, Jesus was generally well received by the people. So, when his disciples were sent out in his name, they too were being warmly received. But when Jesus is denounced by the religious leaders and condemned as a criminal, public opinion will change in various places. Being a disciple of Jesus won’t guarantee a warm reception always. In fact, they often will receive a bad reception. They need to be prepared for the worst. Realize, that this suddenly makes sense of things Jesus told them earlier. Remember, back in Luke 6:22, Jesus told that they would be blessed when people hate them and persecute them on account of him. And then in Luke 21:12, Jesus told them how they might be persecuted or arrested or brought on trial for his name’s sake. At the time, they might have been confused. Jesus seemed at the time to have such a good and popular name among the people. But Jesus tells them here that things are going to change. He’s going to called a criminal. And that will present challenges for each of his disciples who claim his name. Jesus warns them about this, but is telling that nonetheless they are to bear witness to such a world.
Let me pause and make an application. This basically speaks of how being a follower of Christ would fall out of favor in society. Instead of it being a badge of honor it is made a point of shame by the culture. Sound familiar? Let us be reminded that we are still called to bear witness to Christ even in such circumstances. But Jesus also tells us that during such circumstances we should make practical and prudent plans. We should exercise wisdom in planning for our provisions and protections in such a situation.
Let us turn next to verses 39-46 where we see Jesus going with his disciples to pray on the Mount of Olives. This is a short walk from Jerusalem and you note that it was his custom to go and pray there. Take some quick application. Jesus had a custom to go and pray. Do you have a custom and rhythm for regular times of personal prayer and devotions? And do you have a custom and rhythm for family prayer and devotions? Jesus did and while life might get in our way of our devotional rhythm, Jesus didn’t even let something like his impending death change his custom. In fact, it was his impending death that meant his custom of prayer was all the more something he needed. I mean, just stop and think about that. For example, if you knew you were going to die the next day, do you still go to Wednesday Bible Study, or do you maybe do something big and out of the ordinary? I don’t know what I would do. But Jesus prayed, and surely thought more than ever, he needed his custom of prayer. We see that here how much he needed this.
So then, Jesus here exhorts his disciples to prayer as well. Specifically, he tells them that they need to pray that they don’t enter into temptation. He tells them that twice, in verses 40 and 46. I think this is a very helpful admonition of Jesus after the previous verses. He had just told them about the importance going forward of being prepared physically for the trials ahead. But then he immediately tells them of how they also needed to be prepared spiritually. There are certainly physical needs we have, even for things like sleep, but there are various ways our spiritual concerns need to take precedence over our physical concerns. Here, the case in point, is that this was a time that they needed to not be sleeping but praying. Jesus had just told them about how he was about to be betrayed and how they would all be tested and tempted to fall away. This was an urgent hour where prayer was very much needed!
In our passage for today, we see a very clear example of why they would need to pray to not enter into temptation. I draw your attention to the final verses from today’s passage. In verses 54-62 we see Peter’s sinful failings where he denies Jesus three times after Jesus is arrested. This was something that Jesus had just foretold to Peter, and Peter had vehemently denied that it would happen. But then just hours later, it did happen. And right when Peter fulfilled the prophecy with the third denial, the roosted crowed and Jesus turned and looked right at Peter, verse 61. Oh man, poor Peter. Peter broke down and went out and wept bitterly. But one could imagine that had he been more faithful to watch and pray, then the circumstances might ended differently for Peter in that specific trial. Jesus tells them and us here today that we need to be spiritually prepared for the tests and trials that will come as his disciples.
And so we see Jesus doing what he was commending. He himself, faced with the unthinkable horror of his impending death on the cross where he would bear the wrath of God for sin in our place, he prays. And he prays fervently. In a very real prayer, we see him put the request to the Father, that if there be any other way, take this coming cup from him. But then he says what we all need to say in our prayer life, “Nevertheless, not my will, by yours be done.” May our prayer life not be us demanding our will of God, but us learning to submit to God’s will for us. But we can understand why Jesus would need to put this prayer before the Father. The Bible teaches that Jesus took on our sin on the cross. When Jesus would cry out that God had forsaken him on the cross, he was expressing how the divine wrath for sin was that cup that was being poured out on him. Jesus endured “unspeakable anguish, pain, terror, and agony” for us and for our salvation. His suffering was about to culminate in the cross. And so he experiences such agony of soul that his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground. That may be intending to describe the very real medical condition known as hematidrosis which can happen to someone under intense anguish, where someone’s sweat contains blood by blood vessels rupturing due to your stress. But the point is that Jesus was earnest in prayer in light of what he knew was about to happen. You could imagine the temptation for Jesus to flee this cup. He could have just left that garden, left the land of Israel, and never looked back. But he prayed that he wouldn’t fall into that temptation, real as it surely was.
God began to answer Jesus’ prayer right then and there. Of course, he didn’t remove the cup like the prayer proposed. But God did send an angel to strengthen Jesus. And that’s how answered prayer often works. God’s answers to our prayers are not always to give us the thing we wanted, but the good things that God would bless us with in our hour of need. In Jesus’ hour here of need, God sent an angel to somehow strengthen him. I love how that contrasts with the start of Jesus’ ministry. Right after Jesus was baptized he went into the wilderness and there Satan tempted him. One of Satan’s temptations was to have Jesus throw himself down from the temple, because Satan quoted Scripture that God would send angels to guard him. Jesus responded that such would be wrong because it would be to put God to the test. So then, now at the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus endures a final time of temptation here in the Garden. He does not put God to the test. Yet, God in his own way fulfills that Scripture to provide angelic help to the Messiah.
So then, my point here in this second section is to see that Christians need spiritual provision as well. Yes, the persecutions and trials that lay ahead for Christians mean we will need to make preparations for our physical provisions and protection. But we especially need to be preparing spiritually for our protection and provision. Prayer and the Word of God are to be chief in our preparations.
Let us turn now to our third point for today by looking at verses 47-53. Here, we see Jesus’ arrest. While they are still there in the Garden a big crowd comes to them. It is made up of the religious leaders and Jewish temple guards, and Roman soldiers, led by Judas. There Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, which is hypocritical since a kiss was a gesture of love and friendship. Speaking of the disciples praying to not fall into temptation, here is the disciple Judas falling full into the temptation of the devil. Woe to Judas.
So then, look at how Jesus’ disciples respond when they come to arrest Jesus. They ask Jesus if the should strike with the sword, verse 49. There is surely something commendable in their proposal, albeit their zeal is misplaced. Before Jesus can even answer, one of the disciples, whom we know to be Peter, doesn’t wait for an answer and strikes with the sword, cutting off the right ear of one of them. But Jesus then speaks up to tell them to stop. “Permit even this,” he literally tells tell.
I’d like to make sure we really appreciate this. In verse 52, Jesus mentions how many clubs and swords that they brought out against him to arrest him, as if he was some violent robber or insurrectionist. But Jesus’ disciples only had the two swords that they mentioned back in verse 38. His disciples had asked Jesus if two swords were enough and he said they were enough. But then here, they suddenly don’t seem like enough if you compare it with how many weapons his opponents bring. And yet, their two swords were enough when you understand what Jesus’ intention was. Jesus didn’t want them to have swords so they could lead an armed battle to conquer and take Jerusalem by force. That’s why Jesus tells his disciples here to not strike with the sword to defend him. Later Jesus would tell Pilate when he is on trial that his kingdom is not of this world, otherwise, his disciples would fight to defend him. So then, we can understand then that when Jesus in the first section told them to bring a sword, he was referring to being prepared for basic self-defense, not in preparing to fight a full-scale war. As a similar example, a church might hire some security guards for Sunday services, but that’s different than them forming a militia. Jesus’ kingdom is coming, and even now it is advancing, but it is not doing so using physical swords. We don’t compel or coerce people into Christ’s kingdom by force. No, we bear witness to Christ and the gospel and call then to repent and turn in faith to Jesus, to acknowledge him as Lord and Savior.
While going forward Christian’s don’t advance the kingdom with a physical sword, it is especially the case that his disciples weren’t to fight to save him here. Remember, our passage started off with Jesus saying he had to fulfill Scripture by being numbered with the transgressors. His point in verse 53 that they have come out against him as a robber signals that fulfillment. He goes on to say that this was their hour. But of course, that also acknowledges that it was according to God’s plan. God allotted them his hour. For them, it was their hour of darkness. But as Jesus had said, it was for God’s purpose. God’s end in this was our salvation. So, Jesus had to suffer like this.
Trinity Presbyterian Church, we then live in the aftermath of all this. Jesus has suffered for us and for our salvation. Because Jesus was numbered like a transgressor, we have been made a part of his coming kingdom as citizens of heaven. This is true for all who have put their faith in him. And so, as his disciples, he now has sent us to the world with his gospel message. We are to call people to faith and repentance. But we are reminded her to not be unaware that the world will not always receive us. Let us by the grace of God be prepared both physically and spiritually for the trials ahead.
I think there is something refreshing about hearing such a practical lesson today from Jesus when it comes to being so prepared. Christians don’t usually fault each other for being prepared spiritually by spending time in prayer. But I have occasionally heard some Christians foolishly fault other Christians for making physical preparations for ministry. They might say that you aren’t walking in faith or you aren’t trusting in God if you actually plan ahead. Maybe you’ve had someone tell you that. But that is not biblical as we’ve seen here today. Jesus has told us to plan ahead both spiritually and physically for the ministry that he calls us unto. To do such planning is not a lack of faith but it should be an expression of our faith. Let us indeed so endeavor to do so.
Amen.
Copyright © 2022 Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
All Rights Reserved.
