The Night of Trials

Luke 22, 1-38. Luke 22, verses 1-38.

Luke 22:1–38

The festival of unleavened bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching.

The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill

Jesus, but they were afraid of the people's reaction.

Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples,

and he went to the leading priests and captains of the temple guard to discuss

the best way to betray Jesus to them.

They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began

looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren't around.

Now the festival of unloving bread arrived, and the Passover lamb is sacrificed.

Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, Go ahead and prepare the Passover

meal so we can eat it together.

Where do you want us to prepare it? they asked him.

He replied, As soon as you enter Jerusalem, the man carrying a pitcher of water

will meet you. Follow him.

At the house he enters, say to the owner,

The teacher asked, Where's the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?

They will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up.

That is where you should prepare our meal.

They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said,

and they prepared the Passover meal there.

When the time came, Jesus and the apostle sat down together at the table.

Jesus said, I've been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my

suffering begins, for tell you now that I won't eat this meal again until its

meaning is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it.

Then he said, take this and share it among yourselves, for I will not drink

wine again until the kingdom of God is found.

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces

and gave it to the disciples saying, this is my body, which is given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.

After supper, he He took another cup of wine and said, This cup is the new covenant

between God and his people, an agreement confirmed with my blood,

which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.

Here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, sitting among us as a friend,

is the man who will betray me, for it has been determined that the Son of Man must die.

But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him?

The disciples began to ask each other, which of them would ever do such a thing,

then they began to argue among themselves who would be the greatest among them.

Jesus told them, In this world, the kings and great men lord it over their people,

yet they are called friends of the people.

But among you, it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should

take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is no important?

The one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the

table, of course, but not here.

For I am among you as one who serves. You have stayed with me in my time of

trial, and just as my Father has granted me a kingdom, I now grant you the right

to eat and drink at my table in my kingdom.

And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sit each of you like wheat,

but I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail.

So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers. Peter said, Lord.

I'm ready to go to prison with you and even to die with you.

But Jesus said, Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow

morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.

Then Jesus asked them, when I sent you out to preach the good news and you did

not have money, a traveler's bag or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?

No, they replied.

But now, he said, take your money and a traveler's bag.

And if you don't have a sword, say your cloak and barb one, the time has come

for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled.

He was counted among the rebels. Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.

Look, Lord, they replied, we have two swords among us. That's enough, he said.

God bless the reading of his word this morning. I tell you, I'm so thankful,

as we look at this passage of scripture in Luke 22 verses 1 through 38 this

Luke 22:1–38

morning of what we see together.

But I guess I could sum it up as we have on the screen here, the night of trials.

In fact, this morning church, Jesus's popularity with the crowds had made it

virtually impossible for the religious leaders to lay hands on him.

We see that in verse two. We also see it back in Luke 20, verse 19 as well.

Luke 20:19

And the approach of the Passover and the accompanying feast of unleavened bread made it even more so.

So since much of his ministry was spent in Galilee, Jesus was understandably

quite popular with the crowds of pilgrims from that region who were actually

thronging into the city for this celebration.

And if the chief priest and the teachers of the law wanted to arrest Jesus,

if you look at verse six, when no crowd was present, they would need help from

someone on the inside of Jesus's circle of disciples.

So what do we see in this passage? We see, first of all, the betrayal begins.

That help arrived in the form of Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples.

Right he pers he persuaded the leaders about how he might betray jesus to them

look at verse 4 and as we see in this slide darkness moves through judas,

luke presents judas as morally responsible yet acting under satanic influence,

the night is not merely political it's a spiritual conflict y'all that we see here.

And so his betrayal, though, ultimately taking the form of leading them to a

place where they could find Jesus when the crowds were not around, we see back in verse 47.

And we're not told exactly why Judas did what he did.

Though some have speculated why Judas did this, they've speculated about it,

that maybe he was frustrated by Jesus' unwillingness to seize political power and to overthrow Rome.

Maybe they all got bottled up inside him.

Maybe that's a possible explanation. But in the end, Eastwood,

all that the Bible tells us is that Judas never really believed in Jesus.

It tells us that in John 6, 64, John 6, 70, John 12, 4 through 6, talks about this.

But whatever his personal motivations were,

beyond obviously the obvious factor of greed as we see in verse 5 of this passage

this morning Luke does tell us that Judas don't miss this was acting under the influence of who Satan.

Who had entered into him, it says in verse 3. And this does not,

I want you all to get this, in any way excuse Judas' actions.

As verses 21 and 22 make clear, I believe, even though it was ordained that

the Son of Man would go to the cross,

Judas would be condemned for his act of betrayal because it was his choice ultimately.

There we see that balance of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility.

We've been prepared for this re-entrance, though, of the evil one ever since

chapter 4, right? You remember what happened back in chapter 4 of Luke,

where Satan actually skulked away from his confrontation with Jesus in the wilderness?

You remember what he said back in chapter 4, verse 13?

The words he used was, until an opportune time. Y'all remember that?

That echoes in the description here of Judas in verse 6 of chapter 22 of Luke.

That opportune time, Eastwood, had now come.

And Satan, alongside Judas and the leaders of Israel.

As a co-conspirator, right? That's what he is. Don't miss this drama that's

going on here at the moment.

Since the very beginning, y'all, the devil had been trying desperately to thwart

God's plan to bless his people.

All the way back in Genesis chapter three, right? And this was his big chance.

If he could kill the one he was supposed to deliver God's people,

then he believed they would not be saved.

That's why when his enemies finally find him and arrest him,

Jesus actually tells them that in verse 53 of chapter 22, this is your hour

when darkness reigns. You see it there.

He told them that plainly. This is your hour when darkness reigns.

Satan's opportune time church had arrived. darkness appeared to have the advantage, right?

You ever seen that in your life or in the lives of people you know?

Yet God's redemptive plan was still unfolding. Hallelujah, right?

God is sovereign. No man can thwart his plans, church.

No man. And that brings us this morning to the Last Supper.

When Judas waited for an opportunity, while he waited for this opportunity to

betray his master, the band of disciples had to undertake preparations for the Passover celebration.

And to that end, church, Jesus sent Peter and John, two of his most trusted

disciples, to make the necessary arrangements, it says in verses 8 and 9.

And as the events unfolded in a way that calls to mind the way in which,

if you remember, the colt had been procured for Jesus's entry into the city back in chapter 19,

they would be met, according to what Sharon read earlier, by a man carrying what? Do you remember?

Yeah. A jar of water, it says in verse 10, which y'all would have attracted

disciples' attention, right?

And the reason mainly is that in that day, that task was normally carried out by who? women.

And the man with the water jar would lead the disciples, it says,

to a residence where the master would show them the place to prepare this meal.

And some have speculated that Jesus had made these arrangements in advance and

had kept them from the disciples in order to,

prevent Judas from betraying him before he could celebrate the Passover with

the disciples, something that he had longed to do before his suffering.

It talks about in verse 15, but whatever the purpose of this unusual instruction,

the disciples, according to verse 13, if you look at it in the text,

they found things just as Jesus had told them.

God is sovereign, remember that? Just as Jesus said they would be.

And there the group was able to what in verse 14? They were able to recline at the table.

What a blessing, amen, reclined at the table. And they were able to do that.

In fact, Luke's account of the meal itself is marked by a sense that something is coming to an end.

Jesus acknowledges that he will not eat this meal or drink the cup again until

they find their fulfillment where?

It says in verses 16 and 18, in the kingdom of God at the consummation of all things.

That's where it's going to happen. So the Passover points back to where?

To the Exodus. You remember what happened?

The plagues, right? The Passover, right? And the blood on the doorpost, right?

Okay. Jesus points forward to

the kingdom's fulfillment and he gives his church a meal of remembrance.

So, but there's also a sense in which something is beginning in this meal.

Jesus tells the disciples what? That they should do this, according to verse

19 of chapter 22, in remembrance of him.

Y'all, Jesus anticipated that there would be an extended period of time in which

the disciples would use this meal, not to remember the Passover, but to remember him.

And Jesus, don't miss this today. Jesus is instituting a new meal for his people

to observe as they remember their salvation.

One that continues until this day in our Lord's Supper celebration.

We just had it the other week, right?

Jesus' church is declaring that his upcoming death is the greater final act of salvation by God.

The exodus from Egypt was the defining act of salvation under the old covenant.

And that Passover was the way that God's people remembered it,

but now God's people remember the greater sacrifice, guess what,

of the true Passover lamb.

Woo! Come on! Jesus is the true Passover lamb church.

Man, when he died in our place on the cross, his blood covers our sin once and for all.

And the arrival of a new covenant here by celebrating the Lord's Supper together,

that we do even today in churches, right? We celebrate it.

The Passover meal here we see throughout the passage involved four cups,

four cups of wine and the eating of unleavened bread.

Jesus used this ceremonial breaking of the bread actually here to symbolize

the way that his body would be given on the cross, it says in verse 19.

The cup of dark red wine was a picture of the way that his blood would be poured

out for them, it says in verse 20.

Y'all, Jesus was about to stand in as the true Passover lamb who would be sacrificed

for the sins of his people.

Do you know Jesus today is your Passover lamb?

The ultimate, your Passover lamb. Wow, because as we see that given for us,

poured out, his blood shelters his people from judgment.

So just as the blood of the slaughtered lamb in the Exodus offered protection

from the plague on the firstborn, if you remember,

so now the blood of Jesus shelters his people from the awful and fearful consequences of our sin.

We're under his covering, y'all. We're under the Passover lamb's covering.

God's judgment, in other words, Eastwood,

does not fall on the one who is protected by the blood of the lamb.

Yes. Thank you, Jesus, right? The millions, think about it for a minute.

The millions of Passover lambs sacrificed

over the years, including those sacrificed on that particular day,

they were all meant to point forward to the one real Passover lamb who would

shed his blood to protect his people from judgment.

Wow, what an awesome savior. I think of the hymn, Man of Sorrows, what a name.

Guilty, vile, and helpless we, spotless lamb of God was he.

Full atonement can it be hallelujah what a savior amen what a savior we have,

i tell you but this brings us to a little bit of shift here in this story and

as we follow luke because here we see the not so great debate,

yeah in a culture that prized hospitality,

the idea of betrayal or betraying somebody with whom he had just shared table

fellowship with was particularly repulsive, right?

So Jesus' statement here in verses 21 and 22 probably shocked this little band

of disciples that were there.

And they actually began here wondering to whom Jesus was referring.

See it there in verse 23, who he was talking about.

The act of looking inwards there seem to have given rise to this terrible debate

that followed as we see in the scripture.

Having wondered what, what were they wondering?

Yeah, which of them was the very worst, of course, and thus,

you know, would betray their master.

And then they went on, they moved on to argue over which of them was the greatest.

Verse 24. I mean, wow, wondered who would betray him, argue over who was the greatest.

And I want y'all to know today, our hearts today still crave recognition and glory, don't they?

It's easy to condemn the disciples for their obsession with their own personal

greatness here. in this passage.

But we see the same impulse, do we not, in our own lives at times?

From parents who find their meaning in their children's accomplishments to the

person who's obsessed without performing his or her co-worker.

We long to be recognized as extraordinary, right?

If we're honest, most of us want personal glory in the same way the disciples did.

We're simply too proud to argue about it out loud with other people, right?

So, now we would understand here in this whole scenario with Jesus just telling

them all this, if Jesus had flipped over the table, right, right there in righteous indignation.

I mean, we would have understood it at this point. There could not have been

a more inappropriate moment to talk about personal glory.

But instead, as we see in this passage, what happens?

Jesus simply reminds them that these kind of things are what motivate the leaders

of the outside world. See it in verse 25?

His followers, however, church, are not to be like that, he said in verse 26.

Wow. Think about it. The world prizes rank, recognition, and control, right?

Christ's kingdom prizes humility and service.

And leadership is measured by serving like who? Jesus himself. Jesus himself.

So what a difference it would make if Christians today simply took that one principle to heart.

Being a follower of Jesus means that we ought to find places where our values

and love are in stark contradiction, church, to those of the world around us, right?

The disciples here, craving for personal glory, though perhaps normal,

but they were pursuing it the wrong way.

In fact, in the economy of Christ's kingdom, as we see in his word here,

great people act as if they are the person who is the youngest in the room in

that culture, and thus the least worthy of honor.

The one who rolls should be like the one who waits tables, he says in verse 26.

The disciples, y'all, have been faithful in standing by Jesus in this trial,

in these trials, it says in verse 28.

And so just as the father here had confirmed a kingdom on the son of man,

so Jesus in this passage was conferring a kingdom upon them so that they could

exercise authority in his eternal kingdom.

And we study about that even in Revelation, right? As we see in verse 30,

where they will rule and reign with Christ in a special task God gives them

over the 12 tribes of Israel under his authority.

Maybe the most compelling reason for Christians, y'all, to be humble is located

in Jesus' comments here. Look in verse 27.

Look at what he says in verse 27. If a server is not greater than the person

who waits upon the table, then by implication, y'all, the disciples are not

greater than Jesus their master.

And if Jesus' conduct among them has been as one who what?

Serves. How can his disciples possibly be obsessed with whether or not they

appear great to other people?

Don't we still battle that today though? Christians in positions of leadership,

whether in the home, in the church or in the workplace.

We have to be marked by the same servant's mindset that Jesus demonstrated here.

What a difference it would make in our world. That's life upside down,

amen? Upside down kingdom.

Jesus' ultimate act of service here, you know what it was? His death on the cross.

For who? Sinners, which we all are. We all have sinned. We all fall short of the glory of God.

His ultimate act of service was dying in our place. And that explains,

y'all, why humility must be right at the heart of our response to the gospel.

The gospel should humble us, church. As Jesus has repeatedly made clear,

his salvation is reserved for those who know their desperate need for mercy.

You know, Scripture says most men will proclaim their own goodness,

right? But the gospel comes to those who are humble.

They're humble before the foot of the cross. And you realize their need for Jesus.

Because you can't be saved if you don't think you need to be.

And in fact, the crucifixion is a reminder, church, if you ever have doubts,

that we are not inherently good and worthy of God's love.

Come on. We are not inherently good and worthy of God's love.

Rather, our sin is such, church, that the Son of God Almighty had to suffer

that in order for us to be acceptable to God. He had to suffer the cross.

His Father turned His back. He could not look upon Him because He took the sin

of the world upon Himself.

Jesus was forsaken for you, for me. and that's a promise you can see,

but by looking at the cross, you'll never be forsaken by God because Jesus already was for you.

He stood in your place.

So if that's the case, there's really nothing about us worthy of exalting, is there?

The best way, church, to kill pride in your heart is to contemplate the humility

of Jesus, seen most clearly in his willingness, church, to die for people like us. Thank you.

Just like us. That brings us to, you're going to need a sword.

How many of you got a sword? Somebody said, I got the sword of the spirit,

right? You're going to need a sword.

You know, it's amazing that as he faced the horrors that awaited him in the

coming 24 hours, Jesus still took time to care for and prepare his disciples.

In fact, turning to Peter here as the leader of the disciples,

Jesus warned him that what?

Satan had asked.

The Greek word there has the sense of demanding presumptuously to sift. Do you see it there?

All of the disciples, like wheat, by the way.

In fact, that word, the you there that's used in verse 31 of Luke 22,

It's plural, talking about all of them.

Wheat was sifted by what? By shaking it violently in order to separate the good

from the useless parts, right?

And in a similar way, the events of the coming days, as we see here,

would be a terrible and revealing test for this small band of disciples.

I mean, it's about to be shaken. Their world's about to be shaken.

But we notice Peter's confidence is sincere, right?

But unfortunately, it's not enough. It's not enough.

And Jesus, church, knowing full well that Peter would deny him three times in

the coming hours. Look at verse 34.

He prayed, what?

That his faith would not fail and that he would not be destroyed in the process.

Knowing full well, church, that Peter would turn back.

Jesus called him to the ministry of what? For caring for the other disciples.

Instead of hearing and heeding Jesus' warning though, Peter responded with what?

With self-confidence, right?

Self-confident words in verse 33.

But in the end, what would happen to Peter?

He'd be in prison and even martyred church for the sake of Christ.

But at that moment in the story we read here, he was not anywhere close to being

ready to fulfill that boast he made.

You see, the other disciples would experience Satan's sifting as well, as I said.

And so Jesus turned to instruct them next. He had sent them out twice previously

without provisions, if you remember, and they had lacked nothing, it said.

And going forward though, he tells them that it would be different.

Back in those earlier days, guess what? They did not need to bring provisions because Jesus, what?

He actually, they had plenty of support, everything they needed.

But now what's gonna happen? Persecution, trouble would be the order of the day.

If there were any doubt, church, about the severity of the coming trouble,

Jesus' instruction there in verse 36, what did he say? Y'all look at it quickly.

It changed one's cloak for what? For a sword.

It would lay it to rest if there'd been any doubt about what was coming.

Whenever weapons, let me just say this, are more important than clothing,

difficult times are afoot. All right.

But also, I want you all to see this because some people glance over stuff without

really looking at it in context and in all of Scripture.

But in light of the overwhelming direction of Jesus' ministry,

and we see that all throughout Scripture and even back earlier in Luke 6, 9, 22 here,

it's almost certainly best to understand that the sword in view here in fact

theologian edwards actually had these comments on it he said a metaphor,

of admonition and preparedness not a sanction to spread the gospel by violence

that's not what jesus is talking about he basically is talking about,

jesus statement here in verse 38 it was not an affirmation that the two swords

they said they had would be sufficient for the upcoming situation because it clearly was not, was it?

But rather a way of telling them to just drop the subject altogether.

The whole point of the sword was be prepared.

Difficult times are coming. Be prepared.

Yes, there is an element of defense there, but that's not going to save you.

And this whole thing, you don't spread the gospel by violence.

In fact, we even saw that as Peter took his sword and did what? And what did Jesus do.

Healed it back. I often wonder what it would be like to be that guy.

Got your ear cut off and then Jesus healed you on the spot. I mean,

I just wonder what kind of impact that made.

I wonder if he heard Jesus' words, right?

All of the trouble though, that's coming to the disciples would be a result

of their relationship to who?

To a master who is going to be rejected. Don't forget that church,

and disgraced for us, for them.

He's the one about whom Isaiah 53 is written, church.

And so it must be that now it says he will be numbered with who?

The transgressors. That prophecy, Eastwood, will be fulfilled in just a few hours here.

As Jesus is crucified between who?

Two criminals. Two criminals, y'all. Jesus would be rejected.

He would be disgraced, crucified between two criminals.

His followers should not expect greater honor than their master.

Wow, the humility here. Jesus' followers, then is now churches,

we wrap this up today, should not expect to be treated by the world,

with more honor and respect than their master was.

But don't we often feel that way? We need to keep our eyes focused where?

On the cross. On the cross, y'all.

At the cross. At the cross.

Where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away.

It was there by faith I received my sight.

And now I am happy or blessed all the day.

Have you had that experience with Jesus? Because I tell you today,

in the night of trials, Christ remains faithful even for you and me.

Isles were promised those. He gives himself for sinners. He serves the proud.

He prays for the weak and he prepares us all to follow him. Are you ready, Eastwood?

Are you ready to follow the one who served you?

Are you ready? Let's stand.

Father God, I thank you so much for your willingness to not only lay down your

life in our place, Lord, but Lord also that God, you were a sufficient sacrifice

as the Passover lamb, the true one.

And God, I pray today if there's anyone here that doesn't know you,

that your blood has not been applied to their life, I pray today that they would

step out in faith, Lord, and come to receive you.