THE POWER OF DARKNESS
(Suggested Reading: Chapter 22)
The Scripture says: "the first man is of the earth, earthy; the second Man is the Lord from heaven" 1 Cor. 15:47. In Chapter 22, the power of darkness is brought to bear upon these two men. The story of the tests is the story of our chapter.
The Passover was approaching. The religious leaders plotted the death of Christ, but it took Satan to make their plans practical. Money, ever the lure to the heart away from God, was the means he used. The religious rulers had it— the rich men gave it to them 21:1 Judas coveted it. Although Luke says that Satan entered into Judas Iscariot at this time, he is speaking morally, not historically. At this time Satan entered into Judas' heart and took it over. Later, Satan entered into Judas in an indwelling sense, taking him over completely— that is, when the Lord gave him the sop. Here, Luke is more interested in exposing the hidden workings of the evil one.
The Lord Takes the Oath of the Nazarite at the Last Passover—22:7-18
“Then came the day of unleavened bread when the Passover must be killed." The Passover was the memorial of Israel's redemption. In the land of Egypt— figure of the world— the firstborn was killed, except in those houses where the blood of the Passover Lamb was sprinkled. The Passover Lamb was a type of Christ. The Scripture is careful always to use the singular and never the plural when referring to the Passover Lamb— your lamb, a lamb, the lamb, etc.— because God has only one Lamb— the Lord Jesus Christ— though many eat Him. Eating Him means appropriating His death for us, just as the food we eat becomes part of us. How the Lord Jesus must have thought of God's words in instituting the Passover Feast as He Himself ate the Lamb for the last time "eat none of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire, its head with its legs and with its inwards" Ex. 12:9. This speaks of the judgment of God which fell on Him at the Cross. "Roast with fire" means no escape from it— nothing to mitigate it— surrounded by judgment on all sides. "His head" speaks of His holy intelligence. Unlike Isaac who went up the mountain not knowing he was to be sacrificed, Christ knew from the beginning that "the Passover must be killed." "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us" 1 Cor. 5:7. "His legs" speak of His holy walk. The "inwards" speak of truth in the inward parts, always found in Christ. The Passover was to be eaten with bitter herbs— a figure intended to humble us, since it was our sins for which Christ died.
Hyssop was a weed which grew along the ground. It is used figuratively to speak of lowliness and repentance. The Jews were to take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood, and sprinkle the blood on the lintel and two door posts. God had said, "when I see the blood I will pass over you." The blood speaks of the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, which "cleanseth us from all sin" see 1 John 1:7. But to secure ourselves from God's judgment against our sins, we must repent— take a bunch of hyssop the— low place— and apply the blood— faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ— His blood shedding on the Cross for our sins. Then we have God's assurance that He will pass over us in the Day of Judgment, for Christ died for our sins.
Next comes the story of the guest chamber where the Lord would eat the Passover with His disciples. When He was about to be publicly acclaimed, just before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, He sent two of His disciples to claim the ass. They were only to say, "the Lord needs him." Here, where He is about to be publicly rejected, He sends two of His disciples to claim the guest-chamber that He may eat the Passover.
“And He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." He knew perfectly the sufferings which were to be His, as outlined in Ex. 12, which we have already considered. But He put communion with His own before His sufferings. He could eat the Passover with them, and desired to do so. But He must cut Himself off from the guilty nation. "I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." This was to be the Last Passover— the end of Israel's old connection with God. To show this, the Lord refrained from drinking the Passover cup, as we read, "and He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come." Note carefully that this is not the cup of the Lord's Supper, but the Passover cup. The Lord's action in not drinking it is so full of meaning that it requires separate consideration.
In the sixth chapter of Numbers we are given "the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the Lord for his separation." The only part that need concern us here is that after his vow, the Nazarite was separated to the Lord and must not drink wine. When his vow was over, he could drink wine. To interpret this we must understand two things: first, that Christ is the True Nazarite, and second, that wine is used figuratively in Scripture for earthly joy. Now, when Christ said, "I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come," He took the oath of the Nazarite. How could He receive earthly joy from His people when they are about to crucify Him? So His joy must be postponed "until the kingdom of God shall come." Then His Nazarite vow will be ended and He can drink wine again— that is, receive joy from Israel on earth. In the meantime, as a Nazarite, He is separated to God— that is, He is in heaven as our Great High Priest.
The Institution of the Lord's Supper—22:19-20
When the Lord took the oath of the Nazarite, He cut Himself off from Israel. Then He was free to introduce something new— the Lord's Supper. The elements were already present from the Passover feast— the bread and the wine. As for the act of breaking bread, it was common among the Jews as expressing fellowship at a meal. Baptism— the other Christian ordinance— was practiced throughout the ancient world as a form of ceremonial washing. These points are only mentioned because critics of Christianity say its two principal ordinances are borrowed from customs of others. That was precisely what God intended. His purpose was not the introduction of something new to stimulate the mind of man, but for conveying truth and establishing the heart by the use of well-known rites and symbols. The Lord's Supper is a Christian ordinance, instituted by the Lord before going to the Cross, confirmed by the Apostle Paul as having been received from Christ in glory, is a public announcement of the death of Christ in a hostile world, and ends with the second coming of Christ see 1 Cor. 11:23-26.
The Lord took bread and gave thanks and broke it. In the unbroken state, it anticipated the union of Jew and Gentile into one body, the Church. Broken, it spoke of the Lord's actual body given up in death for us.
The wine has a much wider symbolical meaning. First, it speaks of the Lord's blood separate from His body— symbolically shed, poured out for sinners. "The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?" 1 Cor. 10:16. But its wider sense can only be understood in the light of the Lord's words— "This cup is the New Covenant in My blood which is poured out for you" 22:20. Scripture makes it clear that the New Covenant is One that God will make with Israel in the future Jer. 31:31-34. It is based on pure grace, since Israel crucified their Messiah, and is in contrast to the Old Covenant— the law— which they were responsible to keep but could not. But we, as Christians, enter into the good of the New Covenant NOW, for the grace of God has reached us through the shed blood of Christ.
The wine, as symbolic of the New Covenant, covers all classes of redeemed man, thus going well beyond the Church. Christ's blood was shed "for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God" Rom. 3:25 the Old Testament saints— for us who have "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" Eph. 1:7 and for the godly in Christ's millennial kingdom who come under the New Covenant. The blood of Christ ushers in that coming scene of worldwide millennial blessing, too, as it is the foundation of all righteousness before God.
"Thou dost make us taste the blessing
Soon to fill a world of bliss
And we bless Thy Name confessing
Thine own joy our portion is.”
The Lord Addresses His Own Following the Supper—22:21-38
Luke next groups certain events, not all of which are historically connected, into a continuous discourse by the Lord. His object is moral— to paint the faithlessness of the human heart in contrast to the Lord's. He also gives us a picture of conditions which have often prevailed— alas!— at the Lord's Supper, for the heart of man remains unchanged.
In this writer's judgment, Judas ate the Passover but not the Lord's Supper, as we might think he did from this passage if we did not understand Luke's "method." Historically, Judas received the sop and went out at once— "and it was night" John 13:30. Only then was the Lord free to institute the Supper.
Luke takes up the case of two Apostles— Judas and Peter— with a few lines in between to sketch the moral state of the others. Here were the real religious leaders of the nation, not those who later appeared to judge Christ. They were officially appointed by Christ to the greatest office. Yet Judas betrays Him, Peter denies Him, and the rest are mostly concerned about which of them should be the greatest. Judas had no life; and, like many religious leaders in the centuries which followed, betrayed Christ. Peter had forgotten the Lord's Prayer— "Lead us not into temptation"— that is, trial by Satan. The Lord was led into temptation by the Holy Spirit, and overcame him 4:1-13. But, before that occurred, we find Him the dependent Man praying 3:21. If we fail, the Lord may allow Satan to sift us, but he can only do so "as wheat" 22:31. And we have a Great High Priest to intercede for us, as the Lord did for Peter here, if we carelessly forget to pray. The Lord stands out in contrast to other men. His portion— soon to be— was GREAT drops of blood falling down to the ground 22:44. Yet He taught that the GREATER was he who sat down to dinner 22:27, He Himself taking the place of servant. This was an unknown thing to those who strove to be thought of as the GREATEST 22:24. Knowing all this, the Lord still imputes the best to His own— blessed encouragement for us— and says, "ye are they which have continued with Me in My temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom as My Father hath appointed unto Me. That ye may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
To make it clear once more, however, that this is future arid the kingdom is going to be postponed, the Lord tells His own that the special care He took of them while on the earth 22:35 is ending. From now on they will have to take care of themselves, for He is going away. Let them buy a sword and defend themselves "for the things concerning Me have an end." Taking the Lord's words literally, they say, "Lord, behold here are two swords." The Lord replies, "it is enough"— that is, that He had spoken enough to those who did not understand His words.
The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane—22:39-53
Luke does not identify the place to which the Lord went as the garden of Gethsemane, but enters at once into the moral considerations. The disciples were to pray for themselves. As for the Master, He is described as withdrawn from them "about a stone's cast." That means that He was near enough to be interested in them, yet distant because of the different character of His prayers. Luke summarizes the three prayers in Matthew. Two things indicate the Lord's earnestness— first, He kneeled (it was customary to pray standing) 18:11-13 second, "His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." One commentator says of this, "It is not meant that His sweat fell merely like great drops of blood, but that it became this as it were; that is, the sweat was so tinged with blood which exuded from Him in His conflict that it might have seemed pure blood."(9) He is supernaturally strengthened by an angel. The Lord is anticipating the agonies of the Cross here— not the physical agonies, but the cost to His holy soul to be made sin for us and to endure the forsaking of God because of this. Luke summarizes His anguish in these words: "Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me." This was the cup of God's judgment He must drink at the Cross. "Nevertheless not My will, but Thine be done," tells us He is satisfied that it is His Father's will that He should receive the cup of judgment from His hand.
What Luke has presented here is the Lord's deep human sorrow, which is absent in his account of the Cross. Luke shows Him more as the suffering Man than as the rejected Christ. He has gone through the sorrow with His Father as the perfect Man. Now He rises and goes to His own. He finds them drowning their sorrows in sleep. Christ had agonized in prayer in God's Presence, but is calm in man's presence; His disciples neglect prayer and are fearful in man's presence.
Judas Betrays the Lord—22:47-53
Judas had chosen the ideal time to betray the Lord. The people who listened so eagerly to His teachings were indoors celebrating the Passover. It was a secluded spot in any case, a garden. It was night. He comes not alone, but with the Temple guard, well armed. His perfidy is highlighted by the Lord's words, "Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" When the Father saw the prodigal son, He kissed him, out of a true heart; Judas kissed Christ out of a false heart. He did not even say, "Father give me" like the prodigal. He was the Treasurer and stole from the Lord's purse. By not judging this evil, he went on to worse, selling even his Lord, until his name became a byword to untold generations. Universalists have said there was even hope for Judas, but Scripture tells us, "he went to his own place" Acts 1:15-25. The Lord pronounced the last woe in this Gospel on Judas— the Treasurer— as the beginning of woes was on the rich 6:24. Money corrupted Judas' heart so badly that he sold Christ for it. Let the reader turn to the eloquent sermon of Bishop Nicholson on this subject and form his own conclusions. This sermon is so good it is reproduced in full following this chapter and is the answer to all those who deny the eternal punishment of the lost.
The disciples now ask the Lord if they shall smite with the sword. Peter, out of communion now, does not wait for an answer, but cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant. Peter is not named here, for Luke's presentation is moral. Luke is about to group Peter with Judas to demonstrate how two men, blessed with the highest privilege, ecclesiastical office and personal nearness to Christ, fail when tempted. Luke's "method" here is to contrast all men to Christ when tempted. As for the Lord, He displays perfect confidence in His Father. He heals the ear of the high priest's servant. Man cannot accuse Him of leading a violent band or seize Peter. "Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition" John 17:12. The "son of perdition," of course, is Judas. The Lord ignores Judas and addresses those who came to seize Him. He reminds them that they could have seized Him in the Temple, for He taught publicly. Instead, they chose stealth. He convicts them as servants of Satan— "this is your hour and the power of darkness.”
Peter Denies the Lord—22:54-62
Next follows the sad story of Peter's denial. He had tried to protect the Lord with the arm of flesh, but when he sees that the Lord has surrendered to the well-armed Temple guard, his natural courage fails him. He must have been a brave man to draw his sword almost alone against those trained soldiers. But it has been said, it takes more courage to confess Christ before the world than to fight on a battlefield. Peter proves this, first by following Jesus "far off," then by warming himself at the world's fire, then trembling before a little maid and denying his Lord publicly.
Satan must have thought he had ruined Peter forever as Christ's Apostle. It is astonishing, too, how many Christians censure Peter as though they wouldn't do such a thing themselves. Well, "let him that thinketh he stands take heed lest he fall" 1 Cor. 10:12. Peter's trouble was that he thought he was more faithful than the others John 21:15. When he had been taught his lesson, he could strengthen others 22:32. But it is a mistake to think that Satan gained the victory, except for the moment. Satan never gains the victory in our lives, even if we fail, if we turn to the Lord as Peter did. Peter went out and wept bitterly. There was true repentance with Peter which works Godward; with Judas, there was only remorse and despair. Now the great thing about Peter was that he looked at the Lord when he realized what he had done. Luke does not tell us this, of course, but it seems obvious. Luke says, "and the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter." Peter must have turned to the Lord or he would not have seen that look.
"'Tis that look that melted Peter
'Tis that face that Stephen saw
'Tis that heart that wept with Mary
Can alone from idols draw.”
———-
Before closing off Peter's failure, there is a dispensational teaching here which should be briefly considered. The New Testament tells us of three fires— Peter's fire here, Paul's fire on the island of Malta Acts 28 and the Lord's fire following His resurrection John 21. Now Peter is the Apostle to the Jews, Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, and the Holy Spirit ties the characteristic sins of Jews and Gentiles together at these two fires, and contrasts them with the Lord's fire. What was the characteristic sin of the Jew but denying Christ as Peter did? What was the characteristic sin of the Gentile but dividing the Church whose mission was to testify of Him before the world? The Lord alone can reunite the Church, but the sin of the Jew requires him to appear before the Lord for restoration. In figure, this is what John 21 teaches. In that chapter, there is not only restoration at the Lord's fire, but bread and fish— food to strengthen and continue, with the Lord's forgiveness assured.
The Lord Before the Sanhedrin—22:63-71
The Lord was kept up all night, insulted and tormented by the common soldiers of the Temple guard. The chief priests and such members of the Sanhedrin as were present when Christ was seized, went off to a sound night's sleep, which their hardened consciences permitted them. Time enough to try the Savior when they were properly rested after their hard night's work! In the morning, they lead Jesus into the Sanhedrin— called the Council here and question Him. Luke gives us a very condensed account. It is a moral presentation of two charges and how the Lord answered them. Both are in the form of questions.
The first question was "Art Thou the Christ? Tell us." To confess that He was the Christ was to state publicly that He was the Messiah, their rightful King. The Lord refused to answer this question, saying, "If I tell you, ye will not believe. And if I also ask you, ye will not answer Me, nor let Me go." His refusal to answer was based on His public rejection as King. His mission as King was over and He would have nothing more to say about it now.
The second question was a challenge to His Person following His words, "henceforth shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God." The Lord plainly stated that though man had rejected Him as King, from that very moment, God would seat Him on His throne in glory. To whom could God give such an exalted position but His Son? Even the Sanhedrists saw what Jesus implied but did not say. He merely revealed the counsel of God respecting the Son of man without directly applying it to Himself. "Art Thou then the Son of God?" they ask. The Lord's reply is, "ye say that I am." The Lord had stated the truth— they rejected it. And they said, "what need we any further witness? For we ourselves have heard of His own mouth." Exactly. And hearing the truth from the Lord's own mouth is the basis of their condemnation. This sealed the Lord's rejection. It began with those nearest to Christ: Judas, who betrayed Him, and Peter, who denied Him, and ended with those farthest away from Him: the Sanhedrin.
Luke's "method," again, is to group characteristic happenings which reveal great moral truths and omit or present elsewhere other incidents. Here, for example, all incidents are grouped to show how Satan tries Christ and man. Christ stands the trial, and man fails. Later, Luke tells us about a dissenting judgment in the Sanhedrin. Joseph of Arimathea had voted against the majority in the trial 23:50, 51. We may be assured that Nicodemus did, too, if present.
To this day, men are divided on the Person of God's eternal Son. Many fall in line with the majority in the Sanhedrin. Wise are those who, like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, heed the counsel of Psa. 2:12 "kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.”
My uncle, now with the Lord, once suffered from eye trouble and asked his doctor for a preliminary examination before referral to a specialist. The doctor visited him at his house. The first thing he asked him to do was to pick up a book from his library and try to read a few lines from it. "What kind of book?" my uncle asked, wondering if any type size was wanted. "It doesn't matter," the doctor replied. "Any book will do." My uncle did as directed, picking up a book containing miscellaneous published letters of a Christian man. He opened it at random and read, "Dear friend, I hear it reported of you that you do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." The doctor turned ashen pale, for this was the sin of his unbelieving heart. A bow drawn at a venture had pierced his harness joints 1 Kings 22:34. But, unlike wicked Ahab, the doctor turned to Christ on his deathbed and at last found peace.