Bible Commentaries
Luke 22

Verse 1

1 In Mar 14:1 the passover and unleavened bread are spoken of as separate feasts. That is because there was no leaven allowed in their houses on the 14th day of the first month, nor on the seven days immediately following. Because of this, the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. (See Lev 23:4-6.)

Verse 2

2 Sought how means they wanted to plan the death of Jesus in some way that would avoid a riot among the people. (See Mat 26:4-5; Mar 14:1-2.)

Verse 3

3 Then entered Satan. This does not mean that Satan here for the first time began to influence Judas, for he was called a devil by Jesus before this (Joh 6:70-71). But Judas had been rebuffed in his covetous attitude toward the woman with the ointment (Joh 12:3-6), and began at once to plan a wicked scheme against Jesus, which was under the impulse of Satan. (See notes on Mat 26:14-16.)

Verse 4

4 Judas began his wicked plan by contacting the chief priests and captain, making a proposition to betray Jesus into their hands.

Verse 5

5 They were glad because they hated Him for his exposure of their hypocrisy.

Verse 6

6 In the absence of the multitude. This was because they did not want to get the multitude stirred up in protest against the persecution of Jesus (Mar 14:2).

Verse 7

7 Day of unleavened bread means the first day of the entire eight, during which no leaven was to be used. This 8-day period began with the day on which the passover was killed. (See the notes at verse 1.)

Verse 8

8 Go and prepare. Special arrangements had to be made because Jesus and his apostles were to eat their Passover two days before the regular time (Mat 26:2; Mat 26:17).

Verse 9

0 Jesus gave the two disciples instructions about preparing for their Passover, which they did according to Mat 26:18-19.

Verse 11

3 Jesus was divine and knew just what conditions the disciples would find in the house, and also what the disposition of the men would be who were concerned in the appointment. Guestchamber is from the same word as "inn" in chapter 2:7.

Verse 14

4 The events of this night are not all recorded in any one of the Gospel records, nor in strict chronological order. Before going any further at this place, I urgently insist that the reader see the comments at Mat 26:20, and keep his book open for frequent reference as he follows the comments at this verse and on through verse 23. I shall now comment on these verses as they come, making my remarks in view of the paragraph in Matthew cited above. He sat down. This phrase is from ANA-PIPTO, which Thayer defines, "To lie back, lie down; to recline at table." (See the comments at chapter 16:22.)

Verse 15

5 This was the fourth Passover Jesus ate after his baptism, according to Joh 2:13; Joh 5:1; Joh 6:4; Joh 13:1.

Verse 16

6 Jesus predicted that when he ate the Passover again, it would be of a spiritual nature, for it would be in the kingdom of God (the church).

Verse 17

7 Took the cup. According to Smith's Bible Dictionary, and Funk and Wagnalls' Standard Bible Dictionary, the Jews added the drinking of wine to the celebration of the Passover. It was this cup that Jesus took in this verse.

Verse 18

8 Not drink takes the same comments as not eat in verse 16.

Verse 19

9 Jesus is now instituting his supper that is to become the weekly "breaking of bread" in the church (Act 20:7). This is my body was not said while they were in the Passover activities (see the notes in Matthew cited above). This do in remembrance of me could not apply to the Jewish feast.

Verse 20

0 After supper means after the Passover supper. "A testament is of force after men are dead" Heb 9:16-18. As the animal sacrifices constituted the testament under the Mosaic system, so the blood of Christ (which will have been shed in his death), was to constitute the new tesa-ment in my blood.

Verse 21

1 The writer now goes back to the activities of the Passover. (See the notes and comments cited in Matthew 26, from verse 14 here.)

Verse 22

2 The betrayal and slaying of Jesus had been determined upon by the counsel of God (Act 2:23), to which the reference is made here.

Verse 23

3 Began to enquire. See the comments at Mat 26:22.

Verse 24

7 See the notes on Mat 20:25-28.

Verse 28

8 Throughout the public ministry of Jesus, he was subject to the trials of his life which he overcame completely. (See Heb 4:15.)

Verse 29

9. See Luk 12:32.

Verse 30

0 The privilege of eating at the table of another was regarded as a great favor. Jesus used the circumstance figuratively to designate the close relationship the apostles were to sustain with Christ in his kingdom. See Mat 19:28 for comments on judging the twelve tribes.

Verse 31

4 While the wording is a little different, the thoughts and subject matter of this paragraph are the same as Mat 26:31-35.

Verse 35

6 See the comments on Mat 10:10. Sell his garment and buy one [a sword]. Jesus never did forbid the use of force in defence where life or home was threatened, but rather spoke favorably for it (chapter 12:39); hence He advised his apostles to provide themselves with the necessary weapon. It might be objected that Jesus rebuked Peter when he used his sword (Joh 18:10-11). That is true, but that was not an act of defence, for no one's life was being even threatened by the use of weapons, hence Peter's act was an aggressive one. Besides, he proposed to use his sword in defence of the plan of salvation, while in our verse it was only for the purpose of defence against bodily harm. (See again the passage in chapter 12:39.)

Verse 37

7 This verse was to show why the apostles would have to go on without the personal presence of Jesus; he was going to be taken from them. Things concerning me hath an end, means the things predicted of Him (including his death) were to be fulfilled to the end, or to be fully accomplished.

Verse 38

8 This is an incidental item. Jesus had instructed them to procure a sword, and they told him they already had two, which was found to be sufficient.

Verse 39

9 As he was want denotes it was a regular practice for Jesus to go out to this mount, which was the location of Gethsemane (Joh 18:1-2).

Verse 40

0 On this particular occasion there was a special event about to take place, the betrayal of Jesus into the hands of the chief priests and elders.

Verse 41

2 See the comments at Mat 26:41-42.

Verse 43

3 After Jesus had resisted Satan in the wilderness (Mat 4:11), God sent an angel to minister to him. Now an angel comes to his assistance in the garden.

Verse 44

4 Agony is defined, "Severe mental struggles and emotions." It was a part of the "cup" of which Jesus prayed to be relieved in verse 42. As it were is from HOSEI, which Thayer defines, "As if, i. e., as it were, as though, as, like as, like." Jesus did not "sweat blood" as it is so often said. His sweat was gathered upon the surface of the body in great drops that were compared to clotted blood. The condition was caused by the intense nervous agitation over the experiences He knew were soon to be thrust upon him by the powers of darkness.

Verse 45

5 Sleeping for sorrow. It was wrong for the apostles to be sleeping even for this cause, but it was not as bad as if it was from pure indifference. A like situation exisited once with the Israelites in Egypt (Exo 6:9).

Verse 46

6 This verse gives an admonition that would be good for general guidance. In other places it is worded "watch and pray" (Mat 26:41).

Verse 47

7 Judas had left the company of Jesus and the other apostles just after eating of the Passover. See the comments at Mat 26:47.

Verse 48

8 The salutation of a kiss was a common practice in old times, hence there should not have been any surprise at the mere fact that Judas kissed Jesus, under ordinary circumstances. But it had been but a short time since he left the upper room where Jesus was with the other apostles, so the usual occasion for salutations was wanting. Besides, a salutation as an act of social courtesy would have been appropriate for the apostles also, for Judas had been absent from all of them the same length of time. But Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the traitor by this statement, in question form, but really in order to show him that his Lord knew what he was doing.

Verse 49

9 Neither of the other records says anything about this conversation.

Verse 50

0 Joh 18:10 tells us it was Peter who did this.

Verse 51

1 In this account Jesus said to Peter, "Suffer ye thus far," mean ing that he should not resist the crowd that was coming to take his Master. The event is the same as recorded in Mat 26:52.

Verse 52

3 This paragraph is the same in meaning as Mat 26:55-56.

Verse 54

5 See the comments at Mat 26:57-58.

Verse 56

2 This paragraph has to do with Peter's threefold denial of Christ according to predictions made by Him. The sad affair is explained at Mat 26:69-75.

Verse 63

3 These actions against Jesus were to show their disrespect of Him.

Verse 64

4 Prophesy is used in the sense of a test for the superior wisdom of Jesus. If He was divine, he should be able to know who did the striking.

Verse 65

5 Blasphemously spake means they said many things in a way that would injure the good name of Jesus, were they to be heard and believed by others.

Verse 66

6 The council was the Sanhedrin, which was the highest court the Romans permitted the Jews to have in the time of Christ and the apostles.

Verse 67

8 Jesus let the men in the council know that He regarded their question as being insincere, and not from a desire for information.

Verse 69

9 Jesus made a prediction they were not expecting.

Verse 70

0 Taking the remark of Jesus in the preceding verse as an indirect answer to their question, they repeated it in a slightly different form. Ye say that I am is a Biblical form of an affirmative answer.

Verse 71

1. This verse is explained at Mat 26:65-66.