Luke Part 3 Week 22

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 22:47-48 

⁴⁷ But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. ⁴⁸ But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 

Jesus had warned the disciples not to be sleeping so they wouldn’t give in to temptation. Then Judas appeared on the scene. He knew where to find Jesus because they often came to this place. Judas approached Jesus to give Him a kiss. Jesus asked Judas about this contrast of emotions: “would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 

REFLECT 

Have you thought of this great contrast of emotions? There are many ways to betray a person but Judas wanted to do it with a kiss.  

RESPOND  

Join with a friend to talk about how Judas forever ruined the significance of a kiss. After this when referring to the custom of the day, the apostle Paul would say, “Greet one another with a sacred kiss” (Romans 16:16). Or as Peter said, “Greet each other with a kiss of love” (1 Peter 5:14).  

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 22:49-51 

⁴⁹ When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” ⁵⁰ And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear. ⁵¹ But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. 

The disciples had already told Jesus they had two swords. Now they were prepared to use them if Jesus agreed. With his sword, Peter apparently was aiming at the head of the high priest’s slave, but only cut off his right ear. Jesus rebuked Peter and healed the slave’s ear. Luke does not record some of the details that some of the other gospel writers do. 

REFLECT 

When reading an account in one gospel, do you sometimes check what the other gospel writers said about the same event? 

RESPOND  

To see what the other gospel writers recorded about this event, join with a friend in reading Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; John 18:2-12. In his gospel John says it was Peter who drew the sword and the slave’s name was Malchus.  

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 22:52-53 

⁵² Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? ⁵³ Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.” 

Jesus asked why they didn’t arrest Him previously since it was well known what He was teaching. They had feared the crowd before but now in this quiet place in the darkness with the cooperation of Judas they had finally caught Jesus. He was not surrounded by a crowd of His followers. Jesus summed up the time by saying, “But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.” 

REFLECT 

Do you wonder what Jesus referred to by “the power of darkness”? 

RESPOND 

The darkness could refer to the fact that this was done at night. Satan was also associated with darkness (see Acts 26:17-18). It was illegal for the Jews to have an arrest and trial at night but this was what was occurring to Jesus. It is thought this was happening in the early hours after midnight.  

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 22:54-55 

⁵⁴ So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. ⁵⁵ The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. 

The high priest was Caiaphas, but first, according to John 18:13, they took Jesus to the high priest’s influential father-in-law. Up to this point, Peter was being true to his oath to Jesus that he would follow Him anywhere. In the cool of the nighttime air the guards lit a fire and Peter joined them as they sat around the fire.  

REFLECT 

What would you have thought had you been Peter sitting among those who were responsible for arresting his Savior? 

RESPOND 

Matthew 10:32-36 reveals that Jesus did not come to bring peace but division. Peter is about to learn that as he sits among the guards at the fire they had made. 

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 22:56-59 

⁵⁶ A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!” ⁵⁷ But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!” ⁵⁸ After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!” “No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted. ⁵⁹ About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.” 

This short passage tells of Peter’s three denials about knowing Jesus. Peter was different than the others and that caused some to ask questions about him. The third person recognized he looked like a Galilean and Jesus was known as a Galilean. It was reasonable to expect that Peter was a companion of Jesus, but he denied it. 

REFLECT 

It is easy to be hard on Peter, but have you sometimes denied Jesus by not speaking up to defend Him when you could have? Or not giving a short testimony about the way He has changed your life? 

RESPOND 

In the Matthew 10 passage referred to above, verse 32 says, “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.” These are sobering thoughts for all followers of Jesus.