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            In the last essay we studied Luke 21:1-20, which began a new major section of the Gospel.  It is the first part of Jesus’ suffering, called his passion.  In this essay we are studying Luke 22:21-38.  As you can see, Jesus predicts the betrayal of Judas, without naming him.  He then pronounces a woe on the one who would betray the Son of Man (v. 21).  We are not told what Judas’ reaction to that was, but had I been the one sitting there, who was planning to betray the Lord, it would have given me pause.  As you would expect, the disciples immediately began to discuss with one another who it was among them could do such a thing. 

            Interestingly, the discussion about who might do such a thing led to a discussion, found in verses 24-30, of who among them was the greatest.  Jesus overhead their discussion, and he responded by telling them about greatness in the Kingdom of God.  It was totally different than they thought.  Their idea of greatness was like that of Gentile authorities who lorded over those under them, and who thought of themselves as benefactors of their underlings (v. 25).  But Jesus told them that greatness in the kingdom was based on servant leadership.  In the world, one who sits at table and is served is greater; but in the kingdom, the one who serves is greater.  Indeed Jesus himself was among them as one who served (vv. 26-27). 

            But then Jesus made a surprising, paradoxical announcement.  Once they would become part of the future kingdom, due to their taking a servant’s role in the present kingdom, they would share in Christ’s kingdom rule.  Indeed they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel.  However, it is safe to say that their judging will be done out of the same servant’s heart that brought them to that role. 

            Now then, there are at least three additional points to be made.  First, the eating and drinking at Christ’s table in the future kingdom that Jesus mentions parallels the eating and drinking at Christ’s table that the disciples were experiencing at the Last Supper.  In other words, the sacrament of Eucharist instituted by Jesus that day was symbolic of the messianic banquet that will take place in the future kingdom. 

            Last week we discussed several symbolic meanings of the Eucharist relating to Jesus’ death, the brokenness of his body, the spilling of his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, its memorial aspect, and the fact that it instituted a New Covenant between God and his people.  Now we see another meaning.  In ancient society it was a great privilege to eat at a king’s table.  It meant that you were in the king’s favor.  But that was nothing compared to eating at the king’s table when the king in question is God.  And Jesus was promising that the disciples would eat at God’s table. 

            Second, when in verse 27 Jesus reminded the disciples that he was among them as one who serves, we are led to think of John’s account of the Last Supper.  In an earlier essay we discussed the problem of whether or not the Last Supper in John was the Passover.  Whatever the answer to that question is. John tells us that at the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples (Jn. 13:1-15).  Washing the feet of guests was the job of a servant or slave.  So Jesus demonstrated quite clearly that he was among them as one who serves. 

            Third, according to John 13:21-27a, Satan entered into Judas once again when Jesus distributed the bread during the Last Supper (esp. v. 27a; cf. Luke 22:3).  After receiving the bread, Judas left the others.  John tells us that the other disciples did not understand that Judas was the betrayer.  They interpreted his leaving as a need on the part of the group’s treasurer to run an errand (13:27b-30). 

            In the next paragraph, verses 31-34, we see Jesus predicting Peter’s denial.  As we discussed a moment ago about what we are told in John 13, Jesus was aware, as the remaining eleven disciples were not, that Satan had entered Judas and that Judas had left the supper to betray Jesus (Jn. 12:27-30).  And this apparently caused Jesus to comment about satanic temptations that the eleven, especially Peter, would face. 

            Jesus said to Peter that Satan would sift all of them like wheat.  It was a rather vivid metaphor. Wheat was separated from the chaff and any foreign matter that was in the wheat pile by one means or another.  Jesus apparently meant that the eleven would be tested by Satan’s activities.  Satan succeeded with Judas, but the others also would be tested as to whether or not they would remain true to Jesus (v. 31).  In the meantime, Jesus has been praying for Peter, and I’m sure for the others as well, that they will remain true (v. 32). 

            Notice that Jesus knows Peter will waver.  He says to him, “when once you have turned back,” meaning turned back from wavering, “strengthen your brothers.”  The time ahead was going to be difficult for all of them; and Peter had an obligation, once he had his own feet on the ground, to help the others stand firm as disciples. 

            Peter didn’t seem very interested in strengthening his brothers.  He was too wrapped up in is own bravado: “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”  Of course Jesus knew that wasn’t true.  It wasn’t that Peter was lying.  He really believed what he was saying.  He just didn’t know himself.  When actually faced with prison, and perhaps death, Peter’s bravado melted away like an ice cream during a heat wave.  And Jesus, knowing the truth about Peter, said to him, “the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.” 

            Luke’s section on the Last Supper ends in verses 35-38 with Jesus giving the disciples a change in orders for ministry.  Back in 9:2-3, when Jesus sent the Twelve out on a mission, he ordered them not to take a staff, bag, bread, or money.  They were to depend on hospitality from those to whom they ministered to survive.  Jesus gave the seventy similar orders when he sent them out on a mission, as recorded in 10:3-4. 

            But now circumstances are different.  So Jesus gives them new orders.  When Jesus sent the disciples out on the earlier missions, he had great favor with the people.  Jesus’ disciples had no need to take supplies or money with them, because many families were willing to extend hospitality to them.  But circumstances have changed considerably. 

            Jesus now tells them to take their purse and supplies when they minister.  And they also will need a sword.  Indeed those who do not have a sword should sell their cloaks and buy swords (v. 36).  Jesus still has favor with the people, but his relationship with the Jewish authorities has deteriorated to the point where he will be arrested and killed in less than 24 hours.  And those same authorities immediately would consider Jesus’ disciples to be dangerous.  Thus from this time on, they could expect hostility rather than hospitality. 

            In verse 37 Jesus quotes Is. 53:12, “And he was counted among the lawless.”  The NRSV translation of that clause in Is 53:12 reads, he “was numbered with the transgressors.”  Then Jesus tells the disciples that the scripture is being fulfilled.  As you can see, the disciples still are clueless about what is about to happen to Jesus and to them.  They take what he said quite literally and declare that they have two swords.  Rather than give a further explanation, Jesus simply says, “It is enough.” 

            Jesus’ point was that the future for the disciples was going to be tough.  I believe Jesus’ reference to their getting swords was metaphorical.  It was a symbolic way of showing them how difficult their future struggles would be.  But they didn’t get it.  So he dropped the idea.

            In our last essay we studied Luke 21:29-38, which ended the section of the Gospel on Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem (19:21-21:28).  In this essay we are studying Luke 22:1-20, which begins the last major section of the Gospel.  These verses contain the first part of Jesus’ suffering called his passion. 

            Notice that Luke identifies the Feast of Unleavened Bread with the Feast of Passover.  Technically they were different feasts that happened one right after the other.  Passover was a one-day feast held on Nissan 14, and Unleavened Bread was a seven-day feast that began the next day on Nisan 15.  Luke, being a Gentile couldn’t be expected to know the difference; but the truth is many Jews of the day didn’t understand the difference either; and they would use either name for the entire eight-day period. 

            In verse two Luke begins his account of the passion with an announcement that there was a conspiracy against Jesus.  The chief priests and scribes hatched the plot, because Jesus had been a thorn in their sides for some time.  However, they wanted to wait until after the feasts to move against him, because Jesus had a great deal of support among the people; and they feared a riot.  Both Mark (14:1-2) and Matthew (26:1-5) explain this much more clearly than Luke. 

            In verses 3-6 we see that at this very time, an opportunity to arrest Jesus in a quiet place, with no crowds present, came to the chief priests.  Satan entered Judas, one of the Twelve.  Now that fact could be misinterpreted.  Satan didn’t enter Judas against Judas’ will.  We aren’t told how Judas opened himself up the devil, but he had to do that for Satan to enter in (cf. Jn. 13:2, 27). 

            Having given himself over to the devil’s work, Judas went to the chief priests and the temple police to offer them his services.  He could give them information that would allow them to arrest Jesus in a quiet place. 

            Against this background of the plot against Jesus, in verses 7-13 Luke records Jesus’ preparations for the Passover.  Notice once again that Luke thinks of Passover as part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (v. 7).  It is clear that Jesus wanted to eat the Passover with his disciples, and he sent Peter and John to prepare it (v. 8).  Since the city was crowded with pilgrims, and the Passover was to be eaten within the confines of the city, Jesus’ prior arrangement for a room was important.  Matthew and Mark are in agreement with Luke that the meal being prepared was a Passover meal, which always was eaten on Nisan 14. 

            Unfortunately, the Gospel of John seems to conflict with the three Synoptic Gospels at this point.  John implies that the meal eaten by the disciples was eaten on Wednesday evening, Nisan 13, rather than on Thursday evening, Nisan 14, which if true, means the meal was not a Passover meal.

            The day of the week is not at issue.  Everyone agrees that Thursday, the fourteenth, was Passover and Jesus was crucified on Friday, the fifteenth.  The issue is date of the month.  As we have just seen, the Synoptics identify the Last Supper with the Jewish Passover, which means they date it Nisan 14.  That in turn dates the crucifixion Nisan 15.  John, on the other hand, seems to say that the Last Supper was eaten before the Passover and that Jesus was killed on the fourteenth at the very hour when the Passover lambs were being slain.  This means that John’s dates would be 13 and 14 Nisan instead of 14 and 15 Nisan. 

            Let’s take a quick look at what John says.  John 18:28 is the real problem verse.  It reads, “Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters [literally the praetorium]. It was early in the morning.  They themselves [that is the Jews] did not enter the praetorium, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover.” 

            You can see the problem.  According to John the Jews brought Jesus to Pilate before they have eaten the Passover.  Everyone agrees that Jesus was brought to Pilate on Friday morning.  Thus according to this verse, John has the Jews eating the Passover meal on Friday, whereas the Synoptics told us that Jesus and the disciples ate it on Thursday.

            There are several views on how to deal with the date of the month issue.  First there are two views that suggest the Synoptic and Johannine calendar dates are contradictory.  One group claims that John is correct and the Synoptics are in error.  This group believes that the Synoptic tradition mistakenly took an ordinary meal on Wednesday for a Passover meal. 

            A second group claims that the Synoptics are correct and John is in error.  An explanation for John’s error is not always given, though they could argue legitimately that John made the change intentionally for theological reasons.  That is, they could claim a conscious change by John for the purpose of identifying Jesus with the death of the Passover lambs.  John certainly does develop a Passover theology in his Gospel. 

            Those are the two views that suggest that John and the Synoptics are contradictory.  There also are two views that the Synoptics and John are both correct and can be harmonized.  One solution suggests that John 18:28 refers to a Passover week meal other than the Passover lamb meal.  That is, they claim that the phrase “eat the Passover” was being used in Jn. 18:28 to represent all of the important meals during the entire eight days of festival, not just the Passover meal. 

            A second solution claims that two calendars were in use.  One calendar would have been the official calendar in use by the Jews.  On that calendar Friday was 14 Nisan.  The second calendar would have been an unofficial calendar in use by Jesus and his disciples on which Thursday was 14 Nisan.  If that seems a bit outlandish to you, the truth is, the existence of an unofficial calendar, or calendars, has been demonstrated in connection with Qumran studies (L. Morris). 

            The next paragraph (verses 14-18) is Luke’s account of the Passover meal.  As you can see, Jesus took the role of the father of the family as they celebrated Passover.  He began by telling the disciples that he very much wanted to eat this Passover with them before he suffered, meaning before he died (v. 15).  He knew he would not have another opportunity to eat it with them until the end-time when Passover would be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.  Jesus told them this in connection with one of the early cups of the Passover meal. 

            Although Jesus was celebrating Passover, he didn’t simply follow the Passover ritual.  As he worked through the symbolic meal, we see in verses 19-20 that Jesus transformed the Jewish Passover into the Christian Holy Communion.  It is important to note that Matthew tells us that Jesus went on to say in connection with the blood that it was “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” 

            As you can see, when Jesus was ready to distribute the bread, after giving thanks to God, he identified it with his body, which would be broken for them.  Then he took a cup and identified it with his blood, which would be shed for them.  In other words, as the blood of the Passover lambs symbolized Israel’s salvation from Egypt, the broken body and shed blood of Jesus would symbolize humanity’s salvation from sin.  Notice the memorial aspect as well.  “Do this in remembrance of me,” he said.  In other words, one aspect of the meaning of Holy Communion is to remember what Christ did for us on the cross.  And finally, notice that the institution of Communion also institutes a new covenant between God and his people. 

            The Synoptic accounts are close to Paul’s in 1 Corinthians.  However, in 1 Cor. 10:16 Paul does add, quote, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ.”  This suggests that the cup Jesus used to institute Holy Communion was the third cup of the Pass0ver, which is a cup of blessing. 

            Differing branches of the Church have interpreted what partaking of the bread and wine means in differing ways.  The Roman Catholics believe in transubstantiation, which means that the elements of bread and wine are transformed into the actual body and blood of Jesus in substance; and the Communion nourishes our souls in a very literal way.  Lutherans and Anglicans believe in the real presence of Christ in and with the elements, but without the idea of transubstantiation.  Some Methodists take a view close to Anglicanism, but other Methodists believe that the sacrament is more symbolic than that.  Baptists tend to emphasize the memorial aspect, and Quakers and the Salvation Army do not officially have sacraments at all.

            In the last essay we studied Luke 21:20-28.  In this essay we are studying 21:29-38.  Jesus had just announced that certain events would show that final redemption is near.  So in verses 29-33 he followed that teaching with a parable about trees, though Mark and Matthew in their parallels mention only the fig tree.  When fig and other trees sprout their leaves, it shows that summer is near.  Likewise, says Jesus, when the cosmic events and the coming of the Son of Man just mentioned take place, it will show that the Kingdom of God is near. 

            The reference to the Kingdom of God is a reference to the future kingdom.  Jesus in his teachings made it clear that the kingdom is both present and future.  It is a present reality for believers, because by faith we enter the kingdom when we believe and the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us.  But the kingdom will come in its fullness only when the Son of Man returns to rule over the world.

            There is a difficulty in verses 32, namely, the interpretation of the phrase “this generation” in the statement, “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all thing s have taken place.”  This phrase has been interpreted in at least three ways. 

            The first is that Jesus meant his Jewish contemporaries.  But not all of the events Jesus predicted happened while that generation of Jews was alive. 

            The second interpretation is that Jesus meant the Jewish race.  If that is what Jesus meant, he was giving the Jews hope, because it would have meant that they would survive as a race to participate in the future kingdom. 

            And the third interpretation is that Jesus meant the generation of the end-time.  I prefer the third interpretation, because that generation is the one that will be alive when the Son of Man comes.  However, I remind you that we must remember that Jesus spoke of events that would take place both during the lifetime of Jesus’ contemporaries (e.g., the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70) and events that would not take place until the future coming of the Son of Man.  Therefore he may have meant the phrase to serve both levels of meaning. 

            Next, in verses 34-36, Jesus gives an exhortation to watchfulness.  Jesus begins the exhortation by saying, “Be on guard.”  I believe this advice is not stressed enough in our churches.  It is important for all of us.  Any of us can get “weighed down” with the cares of life and the temptations of the world and the flesh.  Some fall into serious sins of the flesh.  Others succumb to greed and give all of their energies to making money.  Even those of us who may not be tempted a great deal by sins of the flesh can allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by the anxieties of a busy life.  All of these things can cause our spiritual senses to be so dulled that we will fail to see the signs of the end-time when they unexpectedly appear.  Therefore we must constantly be on our guard. 

            But young people, including Christian young people, are especially vulnerable.  Temptations to drink, take drugs, watch pornography, and the like, are pervasive in our culture.  It is entirely too easy these days for them to go down one or more of these paths into dissipation and/or drunkenness.  That lifestyle quickly sucks young people in.  And it is very hard for them to extricate themselves from it.  And like sinful adults, they may fail to see the signs of the end.  Therefore we must teach our young people to be on their guard always. 

            There is another point to be made here.  If we do get involved in sinful behavior and/or the cares of the world, we may not be ready when the Lord comes.  As Jesus says, he will come unexpectedly, and his coming will affect everyone on the earth.  And for those who have not been on their guard, it will be like a trap.  The implication of this is that people who are not ready for the coming of the Lord may find, when he comes, that it is too late to get out of their sin and be saved.  I believe this will include many church members who believe they are Christians but who do not have a real relationship with the Lord. 

            Jesus’ second exhortation is found in verse 36.  The first was, “Be on guard.”  The second is, “Be alert [literally watchful] at all times.”  Obviously the two exhortations are closely related, though they are not the same.  In order for one to be truly on one’s guard, one must be alert and watchful.  Of course Jesus meant spiritually alert and watchful. 

            We can remain spiritually alert and watchful by regularly nourishing our souls on God’s Word, and by being obedient to his will.  As you know, some Christians expend a great deal of energy trying to figure out a timetable for the Lord’s second coming, when the Lord clearly told us that cannot be done.  What he wants us to do is to expect him to come at any time, to watch for his coming, and to be ready, if and when it happens. 

            At this point we need to discuss Matthew 25:31-46, a passage that is not found in either Mark or Luke.  In that passage we find a representation of the final judgment.  Although some people refer to this passage as the parable of the sheep and the goats, it is not really a parable.  It is straightforward teaching about the end-time using a sheep and goat analogy. 

            The expression “All of the nations” in verse 32 is simply a way of saying everyone, because as we saw, the judgment is a judgment of individuals.  In other words, everyone will come before the throne of the Son of Man for judgment. 

            In his analogy Jesus says that the sheep represent righteous people, and the goats represent the unrighteous.  Jesus continues by saying that the sheep will be put on his right hand, because that is the standard place of honor, and the goats will be put on his left.  The righteous will be judged as righteous, because they will have exhibited their righteousness in life by taking care of the hungry, thirsty, naked, and imprisoned.  The unrighteous will be judged as unrighteous, because they will not have exhibited righteousness in their daily lives.  They will not have cared for the unfortunate.  Then the righteous will be invited into eternal life, while the unrighteous will be sent to eternal punishment. 

            Luke ends his version of the discourse in 21:37-38 with a simple summary of the pattern of Jesus’ teaching activities during the last few days of his freedom.  He spent his days in the temple teaching the people, and he spent his nights on the Mount of Olives.

Dear Readers,

I appreciate so much those of you who read my studies.   I want to wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.  This season of celebration of the Savior’s birth is one of the best times of the year.   Due to seasonal travel I will not be posting any new studies until January.

Love and blessings,  Bob

            In our last essay, we studied Luke 20:41-21:19, which contained teachings about the end times by Jesus.  The first point Jesus made was that in the end-time there would be false Messiahs who would lead people astray (v.8).  Second, Jesus said that there would be wars, earthquakes, famines, plagues, and “dreadful portents;” “but the end will not follow immediately” (v. 9).  In other words, natural disasters and the like, even though terrible, are not signs of an immediate end of the world.  Third, in verses 12-15, Jesus declared that persecution would be part of the end times, and he pointed out in verses 16-19 that the pain of the persecutions would be magnified by family betrayals. 

            This morning we are studying Luke 21:20-28.  In verses 20-24 Jesus mentions a fourth point in regard to the end-times.  Gentile armies will destroy Jerusalem, and the Gentiles will trample the city “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”  If the destruction of Jerusalem is an end-time event, we could argue that the end-times began with Jesus’ first coming rather than his second coming.  But we are not going to develop that point in this essay.

            Several things must be pointed out in relation to this passage about the destruction of Jerusalem.  First, this prophecy was fulfilled when, during the Jewish Rebellion of AD 66-73, the Romans placed Jerusalem under siege and destroyed the city and temple in AD 70. 

            Second, fanatical Jews, like those who held out at Masada for three years after the war was lost, believed that God would save Jerusalem by a miracle.  But he didn’t do it. 

            Third, Jesus clearly warned that people should not flee into the city when the Gentiles came.  Rather they should flee from the city to the mountains, meaning to hiding places in the hills, places like those where David hid when fleeing from Saul (v. 21).  David called them “strongholds.” 

            Fourth, they are to flee, because the destruction is going to be a divine judgment, and they will not want to participate in that (vv. 22-23).

            Fifth, Jesus declared that the destruction would be a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (v. 22).  The prophecies he had in mind may have been  Dan. 9:26 and Micah 3:12.  I suggest that you look them up and read them. 

            Sixth, the people of Jerusalem will fall by the sword or will be taken captive (v. 24).  According to Josephus, a million Jews died in the siege of Jerusalem and 97,000 were taken captive to various Roman provinces, especially Egypt. 

            Seventh, the phrase “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” simply means that there was a limit to the time that the Gentiles would trample Jerusalem.  When these events took place, the Christians in Jerusalem remembered what Jesus had said, and they did flee the city.  According to the Church historian, Eusebius, they went to a place called Pella on the other side of the Jordan River and thereby saved their lives. 

            Before leaving this paragraph, we must mention one of the differences found in Mark and Matthew’s parallels.  Mark and Matthew do not mention “surrounded by armies.”  Rather they mention “the desolating sacrilege” of Dan. 9:26-27.  Because of this, liberal scholars (who do not believe in predictive prophecy) believe that Luke wrote his Gospel after AD 70, after the destruction of the city and the temple.  In other words Luke put this much more specific prophecy in Jesus’ mouth after the fact. 

            In the opinion of many evangelical scholars, a much stronger argument can be made to date Luke about AD 60-61 than to date it after AD 70.  The book of Acts is the second volume in a two-volume work by Luke, and it is best dated about AD 63 prior to the death of Paul.  The Gospel of Luke obviously had to be written prior to that.  Those of us who believe in predictive prophecy have no difficulty believing that Jesus made the prediction. 

            In the next paragraph, verses 25-28, Jesus spoke of end-time cosmic signs and the coming of the Son of Man.  As you can see, at this point Jesus leaped from the destruction of Jerusalem that took place in AD 70 to the coming of the Son of Man, which is yet to take place.  He predicts that signs will take place in the sky that will frighten multitudes.  People will faint from fear and foreboding as they observe what will take place.  This kind of prophecy was not new.  If you will read Isaiah 13:6-11, you will see that Jesus here was affirming Old Testament prophecies about the end-times. 

            Then Jesus predicted the coming of the Son of Man.  Son of Man was Jesus’ preferred self-designation.  So this was a prediction of his second coming.  Jesus would have found the end-time Son of Man imagery in Daniel 7:13-14, which reads:

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.  He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that never will be destroyed (NIV). 

            Next, we read that Jesus said he would come “in a cloud with power and great glory” (v. 27).  Remember that on the Mount of Transfiguration God appeared to the disciples in a cloud and spoke to them out of the cloud (Lk. 9:34).  Also at the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus ascended to heaven into a cloud.  The cloud is a symbol of the presence of God. 

            Mark and Matthew in their parallels add something significant that Luke omits.  Mark 13;26b reads, “Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.”  This is a reference to the so-called rapture of the Church.  Paul offers the definitive Scripture on the rapture in 1 Thess. 4:13-18.  Please turn to that passage and read it.

            We can’t deal with this passage in great detail, but the main things I want you to see are, first, that when the Son of Man, Jesus, comes, the dead believers will be resurrected.  Then, second, the living believers will be raptured.  It is implied that the resurrected believers will have what Paul calls “spiritual bodies” (1 Cor. 15:44), and the bodies of living believers will be transformed into “spiritual bodies”.  Thus all believers will be able to participate in the end time events on an equal basis. 

            Coming back to Luke 21, finally, in verse 28 Jesus gives an encouraging word to believers.  If we are alive when these events take place, we are not to panic like the fearful multitudes.  On the contrary, we are to lift up our heads, because our redemption is drawing near.  The second coming of Christ is not a fearful matter for believers.  It is a culminating redemption, the glorious saving event that our faith points us towards.  Praise the Lord!