On the Mount of Olives

 Hello everyone.

Today, we will continue our journey through Luke 22, this time verses 39-45, as Jesus prays and his disciples sleep on the Mount of Olives.  Here is my translation: 

39 As was his custom, Jesus then went out to the Mount of Olives.  His disciples followed him.  40 When they got to the place, Jesus said to his disciples, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”  
41 Then Jesus went about a stone’s throw away and got on his knees and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me, but not what I want, let what you want be done. 
[43 An angel from Heaven came to him and strengthened him. 44 Jesus was in agony, and prayed with great intensity. His sweat began to fall like drops of blood.]  
45 Then he got up from his prayer and went back to his disciples.  He found them sleeping from their sorrow.  46 He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation.   

Jesus had apparently established a pattern of going out to the Mount of Olives.  Judas could not alert the Jewish leadership of the location of Jesus’ Passover meal, but he likely knew that Jesus would be here at some point in the evening.  It seems that Jesus orchestrated this whole thing, even to the place of his arrest. The other eleven disciples come along to the Mount of Olives with Jesus, and he leaves them to pray, while he goes a little further to pray in solitude.  They were to pray that they would not fall into temptation.  

In light of the recent conversation about Satan asking to sift them like wheat, this sifting would be coming very soon, and Jesus is asking them to pray that they will not fail.  Satan is not just after these men abandoning Jesus in this desperate hour,  His goal is to get them to defect and leave Jesus entirely.  Satan does have a temporary victory here.  The apostles do abandon Jesus in the Garden, but ultimately, only Judas is lost to Jesus here. All of the others flee at this moment, but remain faithful to Jesus.  

How much of this prayer to not fall into temptation did the apostles actually pray? We don’t know.  When Jesus returns from his time of prayer, they have fallen asleep.  

Jesus’ prayer is one of submission to God's will.  He does not want to do what must be done, nevertheless, he submits to the will of his Father. Jesus asks that ‘the cup’ be taken away from him.  What is this ‘cup?’ Jesus is about to suffer horrible persecution and death at the hands of his enemies, as he takes on the sins of the world before God, his Father.  In that moment, he will be forsaken by his Father.  Jesus dies, savagely beaten and alone.  I would assume that this is ‘cup’ that he refers to, because what could possibly be worse than what he is about to suffer? 

Jesus has already stated several times that this upcoming time of betrayal, suffering and death is necessary, but we can see here that Jesus does not want to do  this.  Jesus’ decision to face the Cross is the ultimate act of service and sacrifice.  In Luke 22:27 Jesus has stated that he was among them as one who serves.  Now he is proving it, as Jesus becomes the 'suffering servant' of Isaiah 53. 

I would think that this is the moment that the Hebrew writer tells us about in Hebrews 5:7-10:

“7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”  (NIV)

There is a lot to unpack here.  Jesus may have offered up prayers like before, but certainly we see that he is offering it now.  We can see the kind of prayer that Jesus is offering.  It has fervent cries and tears.  Ultimately we see that Jesus obeys in reverent submission to his Father.  God could have saved him from this grueling death, but chose not to.  It is here in the Garden that Jesus learns obedience.  We see Jesus’ submission in the words, “Not my will, but yours be done.”  The Hebrew writer tells us that Jesus was heard by his Father, but that didn’t change the outcome.  Instead, it was Jesus’ submission to this that made him the perfect sacrifice. 

There is a parenthetical statement in verse 43, that an angel came and attended to Jesus, to strengthen him in this time of need.  While the Father is not taking this cup away, He is not unfeeling.  Jesus still has to do what must be done, but God sends an angel for this moment to strengthen Jesus.  The statement that the angel comes to strengthen would indicate to us how incredibly difficult this all was.  Jesus is being strengthened to complete the task. Even after the angel appears, Jesus is still struggling with this.  He continues to pray and it appears, with even greater intensity. 

Also, within that parenthetical statement we see that Jesus was in agony over this, even reaching a place in his suffering that he began to sweat like drops of blood.  We see Jesus' humanity clearly here.  If he were not human, just deity, would any of this be difficult for him? 

When Jesus returns to his disciples he finds them sleeping.  Luke tells us that they were sleeping from their sorrow.  The sadness has worn them out.  Jesus challenges them to wake up and pray.  They were to pray that they would not fall into temptation.  Jesus has already been praying about this for them.  

Matthew and Mark tell that Jesus goes away multiple times to pray and returns to find his disciples sleeping each time.  Luke is a little kinder to the disciples, mentioning it only once, rather than three times.

At this point in our story, we have a very human Jesus, struggling in anguish over what must be done, but ready and willing to submit to God's will, as he does his part in our redemption story. 

Swords

 Hey.

Today, we continue with Luke 22, this time we will look at verses 35-38.  Jesus has just predicted Peter's denial, and now as they head out to the Mount of Olives, Jesus makes sure they are armed with swords.  Here is my translation: 

35 Jesus said to his disciples, “When I sent you out without a bag for money or a pack or sandals, did you lack anything?”

36 They responded, “Nothing.”  

37 Then he said, “But now, if you have a money bag, take it. Do the same thing, if you have a pack. And if you don’t have one, sell your cloak and buy a sword, 37 because I am telling you that what has been written about me must be fulfilled, “He will be numbered among the outlaws.” These words are reaching their fulfillment.” 

38 His disciples said, “Lord, look, we have two swords.” 

 Jesus responded, “That’s enough.” 

Jesus recalls for his disciples the missionary journeys that he had sent them on back in chapters 9 and 10.  He had sent them without any provision, and reminded them that even though they took nothing with them, they still lacked for nothing.  They had been asked to trust God for their provision, and God had provided.  However, now Jesus changes this command.  Now, they are to take such items with them as bags, extra clothes and even a sword.  

God is not going to stop providing for them, but the circumstances have changed. Now they were no longer going on a short missionary journey of a few days and rejoining Jesus later.  They would instead be living missionary lives. Previously, they had relied on the kindness of strangers to be sheltered and fed.  Again, this was for a short time.  Now, the command is to be self-sufficient. 

An interesting thing here is Jesus' command to sell the cloak and buy a sword.  Just thinking out lud here, but I wonder, why did Jesus tell them to bring a sword, and then not allow Peter to use it? 

When the apostles state that they have two swords, Jesus declares, “That’s enough.”  Enough for what?  They were not going to drive out the Romans, or even fight off the mob coming for Jesus with only two swords. Then, later, Jesus rebukes Peter for using it on the servant of the high priest. Certainly, the early church responded to all persecution non-violently. So, why would they carry two swords with them now? 

Jesus ends this talk swords, by saying that what has been written about him must be fulfilled.  He quotes Isaiah 53:12 where the suffering servant is numbered among the ‘transgressors’ or ‘outlaws.’  Are the two thoughts connected?  I really don’t know.  His point, in bringing Isaiah 53 into the conversation here is that his suffering is necessary, and that indeed he would very soon be crucified between two criminals.  This had been the plan all along, and it was foretold centuries earlier by Isaiah.  It was now time for those words to reach their fulfillment.  

A quick look at some of the things Isaiah says might be in order:

• Verse 3 - He was despised and rejected.  A man of suffering and familiar with pain.
• Verse 4 - Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering.  
• Verse 5 - he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. 
• Verse 6 - The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
• Verse 7 - He was oppressed and afflicted.
• Verse 8 - for the transgression of my people, he was punished. 
• Verse 10 - Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush and to cause him to suffer. 
• Verse 12 - because 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. 

Jesus is calling attention to Isaiah’s prophecy, because that is exactly what was about to happen.  For their part, the disciples did not understand any of this.  They think that this conversation is about swords.  It isn’t, it is about Jesus suffering and fulfilling the prophecies about him. 

The apostles respond that they have two swords.  Jesus responds, “That’s enough.”  Some speculate that Jesus' response of "That's enough” on the swords is that he is essentially saying that it is enough talk about swords. It could also be that Jesus is simply saying that two swords are enough for their purposes.  That seems to make the most sense to me, since it was Jesus who brought up swords in the first place, and he did not tell the apostles to put the swords away.  Sadly, because Jesus is having one conversation, and the apostles are hearing a different one, they are completely unprepared for what is about to happen. 

The Prediction

 Hello everyone.

We will continue our journey through Luke 22 today, by looking at Jesus' conversation with Peter, where Jesus predicts Peter's three denials.  Here is my translation of verses 31-34:

31 “Simon, Simon, watch out! Satan is demanding to sift you like wheat. 32 But, I am praying for you, that your faith will not falter.  When you return, strengthen your brothers.  
33 Peter responded, “Lord, I am prepared to go to prison or even death, with you.” 
34 Jesus answered him, “Peter, today, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

In addressing Simon Peter, Jesus uses the Greek word ἰδοὺ (idou), which is often used a marker of emphasis, and often translated as ‘behold.”  The NIV leaves it out.  However, I translated it as ‘watch out!’ as it seems Jesus is really wanting to call attention to what he is saying to Peter here. 

Then, he uses the Greek word ἐξῃτήσατο (exetesato) to describe Satan's actions.  It is often translated as “asked,” but it really means something much stronger than that.  According to the Greek-English Lexicon of New Testament Words, it means “to ask for with emphasis and with implication of having the right to do so.”  It can be translated as ‘demand.’  

Robert Stein makes a very interesting point in regard to this scripture.  The Greek word ὑμᾶς (hymas) for ‘you’ is plural.  So, the passage could be translated as “Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat.” (Stein, 552.) Darrell Bock takes a slightly different approach, recognizing that the ‘you’ is plural, meaning all of the leadership, but that Peter, as the de facto leader, is Satan’s specific target.  (Bock, 1742.)  It is easy to imagine, with Satan being who he is, that he would target all of the remaining eleven Apostles and try to destroy their faith.  It is also not hard to imagine Satan specifically targeting Peter within that larger picture of sifting everyone. 

What is Satan specifically asking to do to Peter, and perhaps, the other apostles, as well?  We get a farming analogy.  His demand is that he be allowed to sift Peter like wheat.  To sift wheat means to run the grains through a sieve, to effectively take the grain and break it into pieces.  Satan is asking to do that to Peter.  He wants to rock Peter’s world.  Like Job, Satan has asked permission to try to ruin Peter’s faith.  

Jesus knows that Peter is a target, so he warns him, but then encourages him.  “Yes, Satan is demanding this, but I am praying for you.” Jesus is offering prayers to God on Peter’s behalf, just as Jesus is interceding on their behalf.  Satan has asked, but Jesus intercedes and we know that Jesus is the stronger of the two.  

Jesus' encouragement continues with an imperative.  Jesus tells Peter that when, not if, he returns, that he is to strengthen his brothers.  Yes, Peter is going to go through a crisis of faith and he will fail. 

However, Jesus assured him that his faithlessness will not last.  He will return and when he does, he will effectively lead his brothers and the church. 

Peter is likely confused, not really understanding what Jesus is talking about, and probably not really believing it, either. When Jesus clarifies what he is saying. Peter declares to Jesus that he is not only willing to go to prison for Jesus, but he is even ready to die for him.  Peter later shows that to be true, when he pulls a sword on the mob that came to arrest Jesus.  

Mark’s record of this conversation includes an additional statement. (Mark 14:29)  Perhaps going back to the constant argument over which of them was the greatest, Peter declares that even if all of the rest of them were to fall away, he would not.  Peter is declaring himself to be the most loyal among Jesus’ loyal followers. Later on, the new, strengthened Peter does make good on his pledge of loyalty to Jesus.  In Acts, he does go to prison, and later he does die for Jesus’ cause. 

Jesus knows what is about to happen on a level that Peter does not.  He knows that for all of Peter’s words, the time will come when Peter can’t back them up.  

It's already nighttime, and Jesus tells Peter that before the sun comes up, he will deny three times that he even knows Jesus. At this point, Peter undoubtedly cannot pathom that what Jesus is telling him is going to actually happen, but we all know the story.  Peter does fail badly that night.  We know the rest of the story.  Jesus is not just correct about the failure.  He is right about Peter's return and his strengthening of the brothers.  

     Robert Stein, Luke, Nashville, Tennessee, B & H Publishing Group, 1993. 

     Darrell Bock, Luke: Volume 2 - 9:51-24:53, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Academic, 1996. 

True Greatness

Hello everyone.

We continue today in Luke 22.  You may remember that in the previous verses, Jesus has just revealed that there was someone among them that would betray him.  The apostles begin to discuss who it might be.  Soon they were arguing, once again, about which of them was the greatest.  Here is my translation of Luke 22:25-30:

24 Then they started arguing about which of them was considered to be the greatest. 25 Then Jesus told them, “The kings of nations lord it over their people, and those who have authority are called benefactors.  26 But you are not to be like this.  Instead, the greatest among is to be like the youngest, and the leader must be like those who serve. 27 Because who is greater, the one seated at the table, or the one who serves him? Is it not the one who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as one who serves.  
28 You are the ones who have stayed with me in my times of trouble.  29 I give you the kingdom, just as the Father has given it to me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Again, as many of their discussions did, the disciples’ discussion over who would betray Jesus turned into an argument of which of them was the greatest.  I can only speculate, but I imagine that it went something like this: 

Disciple 1:  “Well, I know it isn’t me, because I am Jesus’ most loyal disciple.” 

Disciple 2: “How can you say that?  Everyone knows that I am Jesus' most loyal and greatest disciple.”

This seems to be a constant concern of the disciples.  "Who is the greatest?"  We all want to be great. We like to be told that we are great. I will admit that when my students tell me I am the best teacher, I really like it. So, I do understand where these apostles are coming from here. But, I also see how much they are missing of what is actually going on here.     

Jesus then instructs them on what true greatness was.  They assumed that greatness came with power and authority.  Truly, Jesus had all power and authority, but that is not what makes him great.  Jesus is great because, in spite of the fact that he has all power and all authority, he set that aside to serve us in our time of need.  Jesus tells them what true greatness is, and the next day, he shows them what true greatness is, by giving himself for them. 

Jesus’ description of the leaders of his time doesn’t paint a very nice picture.  He says that they lord it over the people, meaning they are oppressive of the people they rule over, yet call themselves benefactors.  They want to be acknowledged for how great they are and how much they do for the people, but in reality, the opposite is true.  The people act for the benefit of the leaders.

The point that Jesus makes to his apostles then becomes that they are not to be like that.  Jesus’ church and its leaders are not to be like the leadership that takes advantage of those who are led.  Instead, leadership in Jesus' church is to serve.  

Jesus makes his point by saying, “the greatest among is to be like the youngest, and the leader must be like those who serve.”  In their culture, those who were younger would get stuck with the more menial tasks, and would be the ones expected to serve the older. (Bock, 1738.)  Jesus’ leadership means that those who lead continue to serve, rather than expecting to be served.  

Jesus asks, ‘who is more important, the one seated at the table, or the one who serves him? Is it not the one who sits at the table?” Jesus is telling them that they are to serve others and make others greater than themselves.  That is greatness. 

And who was greater than Jesus?  No one, yet he was there as one who serves. That was the example that Jesus left for his disciples.  While Luke doesn't record it, somewhere in here Jesus washes their feet. (John 13.) 

In verse 28, Jesus commends the Eleven for staying with him through the times of trouble.  Judas has likely departed at this point.  Their faithfulness will bring them reward.  (It seems that they were messed up and confused most of the time, and yet Jesus commended them here for their faithfulness.  Perhaps we can be a little messed up and confused and still be faithful.)

In verse 29 and 30, Jesus tells them that he is giving them the Kingdom.  With Jesus about to leave, the Kingdom will be coming to them.  God has given Jesus a kingdom, and he gives it to them, and assures them that they will have a place at the Lord’s banquet table. 

In verse 30, Jesus, who has been given all authority, gives them authority.  One day, they will sit on thrones of judgment. They would one day get all that they wanted, authority and power, but if they were truly going to imitate their master, they would use such authority for the benefit of others.  They would find grestest as servants. 

A Betrayer Among Us

Hello everyone.

As we move through Luke 22, we are proceeding quickly toward the Cross.  Today, we will look at Jesus' announcement that one among them would betray him.  Here is my translation of Luke 22:14-23:

14 Then the time for the Passover came, Jesus and his disciples reclined at the table. 15 ‘I have really wanted to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering, 16 because I tell you, I will not eat it again until the fulfillment of the kingdom of God.” 17 Then he took the cup into his hands and gave thanks for it, saying, “Take this cup and divide amongst yourselves, 18 because I will certainly not drink this fruit of the vine, from now until God’s kingdom has come.?  

19 Then he took bread, gave thanks for it and broke it, giving it to his disciples, saying, “This is my body which is being given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.” 

20 Similarly, after they had eaten, he took the cup, and said, “This cup is a new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.” 

21 "But know this, the hand of the one who is betraying me is with my hand on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go away, just as it has been determined, but woe to man from whom this betrayal comes.”

23 The disciples began to question each about who might be about to do this.

I have already mentioned that Jesus announces that he is about to be betrayed, but there is more going in this passage than that.  Jesus also, having his 'last supper' with his disciples, establishes what we often call 'communion,' a time set aside to call ourselves to remembrance of Jesus. 

So, with everything set up for the Passover meal, Jesus now has this “last supper” with his disciples.  They are reclining at the table together.  He tells them in verse 15 that he has desired to have this meal with them before his suffering.  Jesus stresses his desire for this time together with his disciples. He says,Ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα (Epithymia epethymēsa) - “With desire, I have desired.” Jesus really wants this time before his arrest and crucifixion. 

Jesus tells them that he would not eat the Passover meal again until the fulfillment of the kingdom of God.  I am not sure what Jesus means by this.  Does it mean that when the fulfillment of the kingdom of God comes, Jesus will have a great Passover meal?  I'm not sure. 

Luke does something different here than the other Gospels.  In Luke, Jesus gives the cup twice.  This could be confusing, but the answer, to me, lies in the fact that, in a Passover meal there are actually four cups.  Luke is simply mentioning Jesus giving out one of these three other cups as a part of his telling of the story.  This would not be confusing to someone who observes Passover regularly.  

Within the setting of the Passover, Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper. Jesus takes some of the symbols of Passover and reinterprets them, giving them new meaning.  Verse 19, He takes the unleavened bread, breaks it and gives it to his disciples.  He declares that the broken bread now means his body which he is giving for them.  The disciples likely did not understand what Jesus was talking about here, but later would understand that he was referring to his sacfrifice of himself on their behalf. 

Verse 20, Jesus next takes the cup and offers it to them, declaring that it represents his blood of a new covenant which he is going to pour out for them.  This statement tells us a couple of things. First, Jesus’ blood will bring a new covenant.  Jesus, this sacrificial lamb, will launch a new age. We can understand now, that in dying and pouring out his blood, God’s plan of salvation is at hand and in this new covenant, we are given God’s grace and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Then, in verse 19, Jesus tells them that they are to do this in remembrance of him.  So when we take the communion, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf and declare our identification with it. 

Jesus has instituted the Lord’s Supper, but then what he is saying takes a rather dark turn.  He starts talking about how one of them would betray him.  This seems, on the face of it, to be quite a departure for what Jesus was talking about, But of course, Judas’ betrayal and Jesus’ crucifixion are obviously linked.  And Jesus’ crucifixion and this memorial service are obviously linked, as well. So this may seem like an abrupt change in topic, but it really is connected.

Jesus declares that one of them would betray him.  We all know that it is Judas.  Luke has already told us that Judas has already made the deal that would betray Jesus, but the apostles did not know that it was Judas and spent some time discussing amongst themselves who this could be.  Of course, two people knew, Jesus and Judas. 

Judas may have made a secret deal with the religious leaders, but Jesus is fully aware of it, and makes it known to the rest of the Twelve.  

Jesus could have outed Judas as the betrayer, but he doesn’t.  However, my own speculation is that  Jesus wanted Judas to know that he knew. Additionally,Jesus pronounces ‘woe’ upon Judas.  It cannot be a good thing, to have God in the flesh pronounce ‘woe’ upon you. Darrell Bock says this about this pronouncement, “οὐαὶ (ouai) can express pain or, as here, displeasure.  The betrayer must stand before God to answer for his act of betrayal and rejection.” (Bock, 1734.) 

Jesus also says in this that, “The Son of Man will go away, just as it has been determined.”  His departure has been the plan all along.  Of course, Jesus keeps telling them this, and they keep not really understanding it, as they clearly don’t understand the meaning of what Jesus is saying here, since their discussion of the betrayer might be, quickly turns into yet another discussion of which of them is the greatest (verse 24). 

      Darrell Bock, Luke, Volume 2: 9:51-24:53, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Academic, 1996. 

In Control

Greetings.

As we move through the book Luke toward the Cross, it is familiar territory for most of us.  Today, we will look at Lukke 22:7-13, where Jesus sends two disciples to prepare a room for the upcoming Passover.  Here is my translation: 

7 Then the Day of Unleavened Bread came, on which it is necessary to slaughter the Passover lamb. 

8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go, prepare a place for us to eat the Passover.” 

9 They asked him, “Where would you like us to make these preparations?”

10 Jesus responded, “Pay attention to this, as you go into the city, you will meet a man carrying a clay jar of water.  Follow him into the house that he enters. 11 You will say to the owner of the house, ‘the Teacher asks of you, ‘Where is a room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’” 

12 He will show you a furnished upstairs room.  Prepare it there. 13 They went and found exactly as Jesus had said and they prepared for the Passover.

The time has come for Jesus to observe this last Passover with his disciples, and he must make preparations. This would be an excellent time and place for Judas to make his betrayal and hand Jesus over to the authorities.  This would be a private moment, free of the large crowds that the authorities fear so much. Jesus assures that this private moment with his disciples will reamain private.  Judas can glean nothing from these instructions. 

Jesus sends Peter and John on a mission to secure and prepare the place for their Passover.  They are to go into the city and follow a man that is carrying a clay jar of water to his house.  This mystical method of finding the place for the Passover keeps everyone else in the dark as to the location of the Passover meal.  Judas would not know the place until he arrived there and would be unable to alert the authorities, and Jesus, who knows that ultimately he is going to be betrayed and handed over to be killed, will have this final uninterrupted time with his disciples,  

Peter and John are given a big responsibility.  They are given the task of making the preparations for the Passover.  This includes preparing the room, getting the lamb slain at the temple, and buying the bitter herbs, the unleavened bread and the wine. 

With the city overcrowded for the Passover, getting a room for a group of at least thirteen on such short notice would be challenging, but Jesus had a plan.  Perhaps he had already made some kind of arrangement with this man, or possibly he just had some kind of miraculous foreknowledge of its availability and how to secure it. 

The man carrying the water jar would most likely be a servant.  Jesus’ instructions are to follow him, and address the owner of the house, and say, “‘the Teacher asks of you, ‘Where is a room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’” As the disciples are instructed to lead with ‘The Teacher’, the owner of the house is probably a disciple, as it seems clear that all that Jesus has to do is ask. 

The disciples find things exactly as Jesus' unusual instructions said that they would be.  If there is one thing that we learn from this, it is this: Jesus may be headed to his death, but he is one that is in complete control of the entire situation. 

The Deal

 Hello everyone. 

Today, we will begon examining Luke 22:1-6.  Here is my translation:

1 The Feast of Unleavened Bread, also called Passover, was drawing near.  2 Meanwhile, the chief priests and the scribes were searching for a way to get rid of Jesus, since they feared the people.  

3 Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve.  4 He had left to talk it over with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard about how he could hand Jesus over to them. 5 They were happy and agreed to give Judas money.  6 He consented and searched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over when he was not among a crowd of people.

The time for the Passover is getting close, so it is nearly time to celebrate this sacred Jewish holiday.  This is the setting for all that is about to happen. As I am sure you are aware, the Passover celebrates Israel’s deliverance out of Egyptian slavery as God’s chosen people. So, pilgrims went to Jerusalem in large numbers to observe this holiday. Jesus has come to Jerusalem to complete his work, and the city was packed with people.  

At the same time, the religious leaders in Jerusalem are diligently searching for a way to get rid of Jesus.  Darrell Bock points out that the tense of the Greek word here ἐζήτουν. (ezētoun) would indicate that they were on a constant watch for some opportunity to seize Jesus.  (Bock, 1703.) He has become a threat to their faith and their way of life.  Plus, he is constantly outsmarting them.  He gives deeply profound answers to their questions that are intended to trap him, and then gives them questions that they can’t answer. Every trap that they have put out for him has failed. They want very badly to rid themselves of Jesus, but they can’t do it openly because of his popularity and the volume of the crowds in Jerusalem for the Passover. 

Finally, the religious leaders get their golden opportunity when one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas, offers to betray him.  Luke records that Satan entered Judas, and he sneaks off to make this deal with Jesus’ enemies. Satan has not been mentioned specifically in Luke since the temptation in Luke 4.  There, it says that Satan leaves Jesus for another time.  That time appears to be now. Bock says this, “Jesus' death is ultimately a cosmic battle of the greatest proportions.  Satan is making his move.” (Bock, 1704.)

The motive for Judas’ betrayal is not quite clear.  It could be simple greed, it could be disappointment that Jesus, the Messiah, has not set up a political revolution to drive out the Romans, and doesn’t seem to be willing to do so. However, Judas' betrayal leads to rejoicing among the leadership and they pay him quickly and happily.  From Matthew 26:15 we get the agreed upon price of thirty pieces of silver. 

The goal now becomes finding an opportunity to grab Jesus when there wasn’t a large crowd of people gathered around him. Judas has consented to this deal, and is now looking for opportunity to betray the Son of God. 

     Darrell Bock, Luke, Volume 2:9:51-24:53, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Academic, 1996. 

The Destruction of the Temple, Part 3

Hey everybody.

We will wrap up Luke 21 today, looking at a parable Jesus told his disciples as a way of clarifying the things he has just told them.  Here is my translation of verses 29-38:

29 Then he told them a parable.  “You see the fig tree and all of the trees. 30 When they produce leaves, you see the leaves and know that summer is near. 31 Likewise, with you, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all of this has happened. 33 The heavens and the Earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 

34 Guard yourselves carefully, so that your hearts do not get burdened by self-indulgence, drunkenness and the concerns of everyday life, so that the day will not take you by surprise, 35 like a trap, since it will come upon everyone on the face of the Earth.  36 Stay alert all the time. Pray that you will have strength to escape these things that are about to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.” 

37 Jesus would be in the temple teaching during the daytime, and at night, he would go spend the night on the Mount of Olives. 38 All of the people would come to the temple early in the morning to listen to him. 

Remember, Jesus has just spent most of chapter 21 explaining to his disciples what would happen to the temple, and how they should response to the times.  Now, Jesus uses the fig tree as an example to explain and clarify what he has been saying.  

They all know that when the fig tree produces leaves that summer is near. He is telling his disciples that the destruction of Jerusalem will have signs of its approach, as well. The disciples easily recognize the signs of summer’s approach, so the comparison here is obvious.  Jesus would want them to recognize the coming of the destruction of Jerusalem.  Jesus has warned them, and he wants to make doubly sure that they don’t miss what he is talking about, including the part about escaping Jerusalem when they saw these signs. 

In verse 32, Jesus tells them that all of this would happen during that generation.  Many of them would witness what he is talking about here.  This has implications.  Much of what Jesus is saying sounds like he is talking about the end of time.  However, if he is, then this statement makes no sense here.  Time did not end during that generation. So if that is what Jesus means, then he was wrong.  It makes sense that this could be referring to the solely destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, except that Jesus states in verse 27, “Then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory.”  These seemingly contradictory statements make what Jesus is saying here seem confusing and controversial.  What does he mean by all of this?  Darrell Bock presents six different possible meanings of this passage in his commentary on Luke.  I am not going to dive into all of them here, other than to say that among them, the ones that make the most sense do seem to link the destruction of Jerusalem with end times in some fashion.  I think the broader point is to heed Jesus’ warnings, because whether he is talking about one, the other or both, it is good advice. Here is the advice Jesus offers: 

• Verse 33 - Stick to God’s word, as it is eternal and will never pass away.
• Verse 34 - Guard yourself always.
• Verse 34 - Don’t allow yourself to be self-indulgent, (including getting drunk.) Self-indulgence burdens the heart. 
• Verse 34 - Don’t allow yourself to be overly focused on everyday concerns.  This, too, burdens the heart. 
• Verse 36 - Live a life of alertness and awareness, as we do not know when this would take place.
• Verse 36 - Pray for strength. 

All of these things are good advice whether we are facing the end of time, the destruction of our city, or just the every day pressures of life.  

This chapter ends with a description of what Jesus was doing each day during those last few days before going to the Cross.  Each morning he would go to the temple and teach large crowds of people.  At night, he would go to the Mount of Olives.  

The Destruction of Jerusalem, Part 2

Hello everyone.

Today, we will continue our exegesis of Luke 21, and the discussion of what Jesus had to say about the destruction of Jerusalem.  Here is my translation of vrses 20-28:

20 But when you see the armies surrounding Jerusalem, then know that its desolation is near.  21 At that time, those who are in Judea should run to the mountains.  Those who are in the city need to leave, and those outside of the city should not enter it. 22 Those days of punishment are the fulfillment of everything that has been written. 23 Woe to those who are pregnant or nursing in those days, because there will be great trouble throughout the land, with much anger toward these people. 
24 People will fall to the edge of the sword.  Others will be taken as captives into all nations.  Jerusalem is going to be trampled on by Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles reaches fulfillment. 
25 There will be signs in the Sun, Moon and stars, and the nations of the Earth will be distressed, anxious about the sounds of the sea and the waves.  26 People will faint in fear and dread of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when these things begin, stand up and hold your heads up, because your redemption is drawing near. 

Up to this point in his discourse Jesus has told them of persecutions to come and that they should remain faithful.  Now he starts talking about the sign that they had asked for.  

In the discourses in both Matthew and Mark, Jesus uses the term "the abomination that causes desolation."  Luke does not use this term, merely the Greek word έρημὠσις (erēmōsis), that can be translated as 'desolation.' The Greek-English Lexicon of New Tesament Words defines the word as "the state of being made uninhabitable, devastation, destruction, depopulation."  Jesus is prophecying about a time when the temple would destroyed and the city of Jerusalem would be left largely uninhabitable.  According to Luke, the sign of this will be that the armies (of Rome) will surround the city.   

Jesus makes this prophecy.  Here is a short history lesson of what happens:

Jesus is the Messiah, but he wasn’t the Messiah that many in Jerusalem were looking for. They expected a Messiah that drive out the Romans and restore Israel to its former glory.  Since Jesus made no effort to do that, many didn’t buy in. So decades later those people are still looking for the Messiah.  Summing up the war between Rome and the Jews goes something like this: In 66 AD, an insurrection begins in Judea.  Rome responds by declaring war.  The initial success of the Jews leads many to come forward claiming to be the Messiah.  Many do buy in to these false Messiahs, now because that is what the Messiah is supposed to do.  

Then in 68, Nero dies and Vespasian is called back to Rome, where he becomes the new emperor, and his son Titus takes over the army and surrounds Jerusalem.  Then they come in and destroy, killing indescriminately. 

Jesus is warning his apostles about something that many of them would live to see. In verse 21, he says, "At that time, those who are in Judea should run to the mountains.  Those who are in the city need to leave, and those outside of the city should not enter it." In other words, he is saying, that when they see the armies surrounding Jerusalem, "Get Out!"  Jerusalem was not the place to be when this time of judgment came.  

In verse 22, Jesus makes it clear that the city would be punished.  Luke records the Greek words ἡμέραι ἐκδικήσεως (hēmerai ekdikēseōs).  This means "days of punishment"  According the Greek-English Lexicon, the Greek word ἐκδικήσεως can be defined as 1. meting out justice. 2. retaliation for harm done, or vengeance.  3. penalty inflicted on wrongdoers, or punishment.  Using this word here would indicate that Jerusalem would be receiving Divine judgment for its rejection of God's Messiah. Jesus indicates that that this judgment will also fulfill the Scriptures, as the OT often indicates that kind of covenental unfaithfulness has dire consequences. 

Verse 23 and 24 indicates the depths of this punishment.  There is going to be great distress on the land.  It will a particulary terrible time for women who are pregnant or nursing.  Many will be killed by the Romans, and many others will be taken into captivity, and dispersed throughout the Empire.  Gentiles would trample the city and the temple.  In 70 AD, this is exactly what happened. 

Starting in verse 25, Jesus' message seems to turn toward end time prophecies.  His message turns very apocalyptic.  He talks about signs in among the stars, Sun and Moon, and worldwide distress and anxiety.  Things will be so intense that people are just fainting due to the fear and the dread that accompany human existance.  

It is in this atmosphere of worldwide panic, that the Son of Man will return on a cloud with power and glory.  Jesus has often refered to himslef as the Son of Man, referencing Daniel 7:14, where The Son of Man is given authority, glory, sovereign power and an everlasting kingdom. 

He finishing to his disciples, that in those days of fear and dread, they should hold their heads up, because they can know that thier redemption is near.  In times when all of the world is panicked, those that belong to Jesus have no reason to do that.  He will take care of those that are His.