Luke 22

I just felt called to share this chapter of the bible with our Life group last fri night. I started writing this study in a Starbucks in Canton Ohio. I was up there to celebrate my friend Rickey Jackson's induction into the NFL Hall of Fame. It was a great time from start to finish, met a lot of players past and present, Mr. and Mrs. Benson owners of the Saints and many others. From Rick's speech into Floyd Little's speech and Emmitt Smith's speech it became like a revival up there in Canton. They were all giving Jesus all the credit for their accomplishments in front of a very large crowd and on TV.

Luke 22

God is your caretaker, trust God

Expository Preaching is “the presentation of biblical truth, derived from a transmitted thought, a historical, grammatical, spirit-guided study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit applies first to the life of the preacher and then through him to his congregation.

In other words line by line

Pastor Todd taught us Philippians through this method

Here begins the Passion Narrative:

Read verses 1-6

In the first part of this chapter: Judas agrees to betray Christ. As the Feast of Unleavened Bread draws near Judas has the enemy of our souls enter into him.
Passover is a celebration of the night of the tenth plague in Egypt. The first born of Isreal were passed over and spared the Angel of Death. The people of God put a blood sacrifice from an unblemished lamb on their doorposts and thus were spared the “Impending Wrath of Heaven”
Passover was to be celebrated as a sign of deliverance from bondage. Jesus was a sacrifice for all men and women as our deliverance from death and bondage and our reward of eternal life.
The Jewish elders who were after Jesus needed to separate him from the crowds and to be able to use one of his people was favorable to them. So they planned to arrest Jesus secretly then blame his disciple.

Read verses 7-13 The Upper Room is Prepared

No one knows whether Jesus had made this arrangement previously or if it was just God’s will that this provision would occur. These rooms were commonly made available to pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast.

Communion

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (New International Version)

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Read verses 14-20 The Passover is celebrated/The Lord’s Supper is instituted

Wine was a good thing it was not perceived as it is today with drinking and driving and many other negative things that go along with modern excesses. In these biblical times wine was a way of feeling comfort.
The Holy Spirit is sometimes equated with New Wine.
Jesus used the term "new wine" as a description of His ministry and the Spirit-empowered life. It didn't originate with Him, however. The ancient Hebrew prophets before Him saw new wine as a symbol of God’s refreshing Spirit, a sign of God’s blessing and abundance. It’s no coincidence that Jesus’ first miracle was turning the water into wine—figuratively, transforming the life-sustaining waters of salvation into the vibrant wine of the Holy Ghost.

Luke 5:37-39 (New International Version)

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.' "
This comparison explains why some people in Israel had trouble turning to Jesus.

Leviticus 17:11 (New International Version)

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.
This verse explains the meaning of “Blood Atonement”. The life of animals and humans is in the blood. “I have given” emphasizes that the blood alone has no intrinsic power to atone for sin. Blood represents life, and to God a life may only receive atonement by the sacrifice of another life. This is a theme that has been presented in many ways over the years. In the first season of the HBO series Carnival there was a young man that seemed bad but was a life giver, but every time he healed a life another died.

Hebrews 9:12-17 (New American Standard Bible)

…and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

Read verses 21-23 Christ predicts his betrayer

The apostle’s first reaction was to ask themselves would it be me? Or you? But that didn’t last very long … now they sadly switched their conversation to who will be the greatest in their master’s kingdom, even as Jesus faced betrayal.

Read verses 24-30 The disciples argue over who is the greatest

In this kingdom we do not probe for the top, we fight for the bottom!
Who can we undergird? What does this mean?
The leaders in your church should not be people who exalt themselves but people who serve others. Leaders should be the ones who labor for others, as a servant would. This is one concept I grasped before I began my walk of faith.

Jesus was passing on the authority his Father had given him to the disciples. They weren’t, we aren’t, just members of a club, but transformed beings.

Romans 12:2 NIV Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
And the disciples were promised a place at the banquet of victory and to share in Jesus rule on his return.

Read verses 31-34 Christ predicts Peter’s denial

Satan actually asks God for permission to afflict humans. He did this with Job, and he did this with the disciples. Jesus predicted Peter’s fall, and restoration in his return to Him. Peter’s denial strengthens each time starting with, not a tough Roman guard but a weak servant girl. At this point the disciples had dispersed in fear. Satan wants to get you alone, apart from the crowd. You must remain in fellowship with other believers often, as we all do. Stay attached!

Read verses 35-38 Christ predicts coming conflict

The disciples had been depending on God for their needs and up until now there were lots of generous people around them helping them to meet their needs. However the situation had changed and Jesus recognized this and gave the disciples new instructions to go out with money, supplies, and even a sword, and to be prepared for rejection. Read Isaiah 53:12

Read verses 39-46 Jesus prays in Gethsemane

Jesus understood that there were times he would need to get alone with God. We also need to get alone with God, what does this mean?
Jesus understood that not only would he be beaten and die but would also take on sin, for all of us. God’s promise to Jesus did not allow him to avoid suffering but to have an angelic host to comfort him. Sometimes God answers prayers by eliminating trials, sometimes he answers by strengthening us in the midst of them. Jesus earnest prayer caused Him to sweat like drops of blood.

Read verse 47-53 Judas betrays Christ

Jesus reminds Judas of what he has done and notes the irony of how he does it; with a kiss. Peter reacts violently and Jesus mercifully heals. Then Jesus rebukes His captors for treating him like a criminal.

Read verses 54-62 Peter denies Christ

It is worth remembering that Peter was the first disciple called to Jesus’ side and the first who confessed that Jesus was the Messiah. Nevertheless, his denials of Jesus may be the most vehement of all. It is unclear whether Peter’s weeping is a sign of repentance, contrition, or prayer. A window may have been open from the room where Jesus was being held overlooking the courtyard and peter may have felt that Jesus had heard him denying him and this may also have been why he wept.

Read verses 63-65 Christ is beaten

Here Jesus is mocked and beaten badly. The soldiers asked him to identify who was beating Him while blindfolded.

Read verses 66-71 The Sanhedrin tries Christ

This trial was in violation of a number of the Jewish rules, morning of a feast, in someone’s home, trying a defendant with no defense, and reaching a verdict in one day instead of two.

Read Psalms 110:1

Even though Jesus was on trial he was letting them know that he was the ultimate judge. And it was this reply that convicted him with them. To the Jew of this age it was blasphemous to claim to be the messiah, and try telling that to a Jew today as well and see how they feel. Jesus didn’t have to share this message with them, but He did because it was the truth and he was establishing His kingdom.