Luke 22

Luke 22 moves from the plot against Jesus to His last Passover meal with the Twelve, where He gives the bread and cup as signs of the new covenant. Then comes Gethsemane, the arrest, Peter’s denial and the first hearing before the council. Through it all Jesus stays in control, serving, praying and obeying His Father, while His friends sleep, quarrel and fall.

Luke 22:1-2

Passover was near, the feast that remembered God rescuing Israel from Egypt. At the very time the nation celebrated deliverance, its leaders were hunting for a way to kill Jesus. They were careful only because they feared the crowds who admired Him.

BSA: Passover (“commemorating Israel’s escape from slavery”): The feast looked back to the exodus, so the setting already points to a greater rescue coming through Jesus.

See also: Exodus 12:1-14.

Luke 22:3

Judas was one of the Twelve, yet he became the doorway for Satan’s plan. Luke does not excuse Judas. His choice was real, but darker forces were also at work. The cross is a battle as well as a plot.

BSA: entered (“came into, took control of”): Satan did not merely suggest the idea; he took hold of Judas and drove him.

Greek: εἰσῆλθεν (eisēlthen, G1525) — “went into, entered.” It is the ordinary word for walking into a house. Judas had opened a door, and the enemy walked in.

See also: John 13:27.

Luke 22:4-6

Judas went to the temple leaders on his own and offered to hand Jesus over quietly, away from the crowds. They were glad and promised him money. One of Jesus’ closest friends now became the means of His arrest.

BSA: betray (“deliver, surrender”): The word means handing someone over into the power of others, which is exactly what Judas planned. money (“silver coins, a sum of silver”): Jesus was sold for silver, as the prophets had long before pictured.

See also: Zechariah 11:12-13.

Luke 22:7

The day came when the Passover lamb had to be killed, in the afternoon before the evening meal. Luke is setting the stage. Jesus, the true Lamb, will Himself be slain within a day.

See also: 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Luke 22:8-9

Jesus sends Peter and John to get the meal ready. Preparing meant finding a place, buying and roasting the lamb, and arranging the bread, wine and bitter herbs. The disciples ask where, trusting Him to lead them.

Luke 22:10-12

Jesus gives unusual directions: follow a man carrying a water jar, which was not usual work for a man, to a house with a furnished upper room. He knows the details ahead of time. Nothing about this last meal is left to chance.

BSA: upper room (“on the upper floor”): It was a large room above the house, a quiet, private place for the Master’s last meal with His friends.

Luke 22:13

They found everything exactly as Jesus had said and prepared the Passover. Small details coming true remind us that He walks into the coming suffering with full knowledge and willingness.

Luke 22:14

At the appointed hour Jesus lay down at the table, as was the custom at the feast, with the apostles around Him. The name apostle means one sent out. These twelve will carry His message to the world.

BSA: apostles (“messengers, delegates of Christ, the twelve”): They are not just students but men sent with His authority.

Luke 22:15-16

Jesus tells them how much He has longed for this meal. He knows suffering is right ahead, yet His heart is set on fellowship with His friends. He also says this Passover will find its fulfillment when God’s kingdom comes in fullness.

BSA: eagerly desired (“longed for, yearned to”): This is deep, heartfelt longing, not mere willingness.

Greek: ἐπεθύμησα (epethymēsa, G1937) — “I have longed, I have deeply desired.” Jesus uses the verb together with its noun, a Hebrew-style way of saying it twice for strength: I have desired with desire. He wanted this hour.

Luke 22:17-18

Jesus passes a cup of the Passover meal and gives thanks. He says He will not drink wine again until God’s kingdom comes. The meal looks forward as well as back, to a future feast with His people when all is complete.

BSA: kingdom (“reign, dominion”): The kingdom is God’s rule, and Jesus points to its coming in full.

See also: Isaiah 25:6.

Luke 22:19

Jesus breaks the bread and says it is His body, given for them. He asks them to do this in remembrance of Him. The bread shows His life being offered for others, and the meal becomes a lasting way for His people to remember Him.

BSA: remembrance (“memory, commemoration”): It is more than a mental recollection; it is a deliberate, shared keeping of His sacrifice before them. given (“sacrificed, offered”): His body is not taken from Him; He gives it freely on their behalf.

Greek: ἀνάμνησιν (anamnēsin, G364) — “remembrance, memorial.” This is an active remembering that brings a past act into the present, much as Israel was told to remember the exodus each Passover.

See also: 1 Corinthians 11:23-25.

Luke 22:20

After supper Jesus takes the cup and calls it the new covenant in His blood, poured out for them. God had promised a new covenant that would truly forgive and change hearts. Jesus says it begins through His death.

BSA: covenant (“a formal agreement, a promise”): It is a binding promise from God, now sealed by Jesus’ own blood. poured out (“shed, given”): His life is poured out like an offering for others.

Greek: διαθήκη (diathēkē, G1242) — “covenant, a solemn arrangement God sets.” The word is used of a will or testament as well. God Himself lays down the terms, and Jesus’ death puts them in force.

See also: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Exodus 24:8.

Luke 22:21-22

Jesus says the betrayer is at the table with Him. Even so, His death will happen as God has determined. Judas is still responsible for his deed, and Jesus speaks a solemn woe over him. God’s plan does not excuse sin.

BSA: woe (“deep sorrow, utter calamity”): It is a grieving warning of judgment, spoken with sorrow rather than spite.

See also: Psalm 41:9.

Luke 22:23

The disciples start asking each other which of them could do such a thing. They do not suspect one man in particular. Each seems to sense that he himself might fail.

Luke 22:24

At this solemn moment an argument breaks out over who is the greatest. Jesus has just spoken of giving His body, and they are arguing over rank. The sad contrast shows how much they, and we, need His teaching on humility.

BSA: greatest (“most important, supreme, having greater status”): They wanted rank and recognition even as He prepared to give everything.

Luke 22:25-26

Jesus contrasts worldly rulers, who dominate others and enjoy being called benefactors, with His people. Among them the greatest should be like the youngest, and the leader like a servant. Leadership in His kingdom is measured by service.

BSA: serves (“ministers, attends to the needs of others”): True greatness is paying attention to what others need.

Greek: εὐεργέται (euergetai, G2110) — “benefactors, public do-gooders.” It was a title kings and rulers gave themselves for the favors they handed out. Jesus notes how often the title masks a love of power.

See also: Mark 10:42-45.

Luke 22:27

Jesus points to Himself. At a meal the one who sits is greater than the one who serves, yet He is among them as the one who serves. The Lord of all has taken the servant’s place, and He sets the pattern for His followers.

Greek: διακονῶν (diakonōn, G1247) — “one who serves, waits on tables.” The word is the root of deacon. It pictures a person doing the plain work of waiting on others, which is exactly how Jesus describes Himself.

See also: John 13:12-15.

Luke 22:28-30

Jesus honors the disciples for staying with Him in His trials. Though they will soon stumble, He promises them a share in His kingdom, a place at His table and a role in judging Israel’s tribes. Their faithfulness, though imperfect, is not forgotten.

BSA: trials (“temptations, testings, difficult situations”): His whole life was a time of testing, and they had stood with Him through it. bestow (“appoint, grant”): The kingdom is given to them, not earned, just as the Father gave it to Jesus.

See also: Matthew 19:28.

Luke 22:31-32

Jesus warns Simon that Satan has asked to sift all the disciples like wheat. He has prayed for Simon, that his faith will not fail, and He expects Simon to recover and strengthen the others. Failure is coming, but Jesus’ prayer holds him.

BSA: sift (“test, winnow”): The picture is of grain shaken hard to separate what is real from what is not. turned back (“reverted or returned”): Jesus speaks as though Peter’s return is certain, even before he falls.

Greek: σινιάσαι (siniasai, G4617) — “to sift, to shake in a sieve.” It describes the violent shaking of grain in a sieve. Satan wanted to shake the disciples to pieces, but Jesus’ prayer set the limit.

See also: Job 1:12.

Luke 22:33-34

Peter sincerely says he will follow Jesus to prison and death. Jesus knows him better than he knows himself and says that before the rooster crows he will deny Him three times. Good intentions are not enough without the Lord’s strength.

Luke 22:35-36

Jesus reminds them how they lacked nothing when sent out earlier with no supplies. Now the situation is changing. Opposition is coming, and they should be ready, even with a sword. Most readers take His words as a sign of the coming hostility rather than a call to violence.

BSA: sword (“short sword, dagger”): It was a small blade, as carried for ordinary protection on the road.

See also: Luke 9:3.

Luke 22:37

Jesus says that a prophecy must come true in Him: He will be counted among the lawless. The Righteous One will be treated as a criminal and die between two thieves. All of it was written beforehand and is now reaching its goal.

BSA: transgressors (“lawless ones, wicked”): They are people who break God’s law, among whom the sinless One was reckoned.

See also: Isaiah 53:12.

Luke 22:38

The disciples hold up two swords, missing His point. Jesus answers that it is enough, which seems to close the conversation rather than approve a defense. Their weapons will not be what protects Him or advances His kingdom.

Luke 22:39-40

Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives as He often did, and the disciples follow. He tells them to pray that they not enter into temptation. They will soon face a severe test, and prayer is their defense.

BSA: temptation (“testing, trial, a difficult situation challenging faith or character”): The word covers hard trials as well as enticements to sin, and both are coming that night.

See also: Matthew 6:13.

Luke 22:41-42

Jesus withdraws a short distance, kneels and prays to the Father. He asks, if possible, that the cup be taken away, but gives His will over to the Father’s. The cup stands for the suffering and judgment He is about to bear. His obedience is chosen in deep struggle.

See also: Isaiah 51:17; Hebrews 5:7-8.

Luke 22:43-44

An angel comes to strengthen Him, and His anguish deepens as He prays with greater intensity. Sweat falls like drops of blood. Some early manuscripts omit these two verses. If included, they show how real and costly His humanity was.

BSA: anguish (“a struggle, agony”): It is the strain of a contest, a battle fought in prayer.

Greek: ἀγωνίᾳ (agōnia, G74) — “agony, intense struggle.” The word comes from the athletic arena and describes the strain of a contest. Jesus is in a fight for obedience, and our word agony comes from it.

Luke 22:45-46

Jesus returns and finds the disciples asleep, worn out by sorrow. He asks them to get up and pray so they will not fall into temptation. Their weakness is understandable, but He knows how much they will need prayer once the trial begins.

BSA: sorrow (“grief, deep emotional pain”): Their sleep was the collapse of heavy hearts, not simple carelessness.

See also: Matthew 26:41.

Luke 22:47-48

A crowd arrives with Judas at its head. He steps forward to kiss Jesus, using a sign of affection as the signal for arrest. Jesus names him and asks whether he really means to betray the Son of Man with a kiss. Even now He calls Judas by name.

BSA: kiss (“a symbol of love and respect”): A gesture of friendship had become the tool of betrayal.

Luke 22:49-51

The disciples ask whether to fight, but one strikes before Jesus answers and cuts off a servant’s right ear. Jesus stops them and heals the man. His last act of healing in Luke is for one who came to arrest Him. His kingdom does not advance by force.

BSA: healed (“to cure, to restore”): He restores the ear of an enemy’s servant as He is being taken.

See also: John 18:36.

Luke 22:52-53

Jesus asks why they come armed as if He were a robber, when He sat teaching in the temple every day. He says this is their hour and the hour of darkness. They act, but only within the time God has allowed.

BSA: darkness (“absence of light, spiritual darkness”): The arrest happens at night, and the darkness stands for evil’s moment of freedom. power (“authority, freedom to act”): Darkness has been given permission to act, and only for this brief hour.

Greek: ἐξουσία (exousia, G1849) — “authority, right to act.” The word means permitted power. The forces of darkness act under a limit that God has set.

See also: Colossians 1:13.

Luke 22:54-55

They seize Jesus and take Him to the high priest’s house. Peter follows at a distance, close enough to see but far enough to be safe. He sits down among strangers around a fire in the courtyard.

BSA: distance (“from afar, remotely”): Peter’s following is half-hearted, a sign of the fall that is coming.

Luke 22:56-57

A servant girl looks closely at Peter in the firelight and says he was with Jesus. Peter flatly denies it and says he does not know Him. The first denial comes from a small, harmless challenge, not from a threatening one.

BSA: denied (“rejected the truth, said no”): Peter rejects the truth about himself and about his Lord.

Luke 22:58-60

A little later another person recognizes him, and Peter again denies it. About an hour later a third man insists Peter was with Jesus, since he too is a Galilean. Peter protests he does not know what the man means, and the rooster crows.

BSA: Galilean (“from Galilee, a resident of Jesus’ home region”): His northern accent marked him as one of Jesus’ followers.

See also: Matthew 26:73.

Luke 22:61-62

The Lord turns and looks at Peter, and Peter remembers His words. He goes out and weeps bitterly. The look is not recorded as an accusation, and it is enough to break him. His tears begin the way back that Jesus had prayed for.

BSA: looked (“closely, with concern”): It was a steady, searching look that reached Peter’s heart. wept (“cried out loud, mourned”): His grief was open and deep, not hidden.

Greek: ἐνέβλεψεν (enebleпsen, G1689) — “looked straight at, fixed His eyes on.” The verb means a direct, penetrating gaze. Jesus looks straight into Peter, and Peter cannot escape it.

See also: John 21:15-17.

Luke 22:63-65

The men holding Jesus mock and beat Him. They blindfold Him and demand that He prophesy who struck Him. Their insults are cruel, and Luke records them quietly. The One who knows all things bears this patiently.

BSA: Prophesy (“speak under divine inspiration, to foretell”): They jeer at Him as a prophet while the reality of who He is stands before them.

See also: Isaiah 50:6.

Luke 22:66-68

At daybreak the full council meets and asks whether He is the Christ. Jesus knows they will neither believe His answer nor answer His questions. The hearing is not a search for truth but a path to a verdict already decided.

BSA: Christ (“Messiah, anointed one”): The title means the promised King, chosen and anointed by God. Sanhedrin (“council, Jewish court”): It was the highest Jewish court, which now sits in judgment over its own Messiah.

Luke 22:69-70

Jesus declares that from now on the Son of Man will be seated at God’s right hand. They respond by asking if He is the Son of God, and He answers that they say so. He accepts the title while refusing their meaning. His claim is exalted, and they understand it.

BSA: seated (“sitting in a position of authority”): He will be enthroned beside God, not left in death.

See also: Psalm 110:1; Daniel 7:13-14.

Luke 22:71

The council takes His answer as all the evidence they need. To them it is blasphemy from His own lips. Ironically they condemn the true Son of God for saying who He is, and the way to the cross is open.

BSA: testimony (“evidence, witness”): They treat His own words as proof enough, with no other witness required.