Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
(Luke 22:39) And He came out and went, as He was accustomed, to the Mount of Olives, and His disciples also followed Him.
At the end of the last post, Jesus and His disciples had finished their Passover meal, and He now left the house and went to the Mount of Olives where He was accustomed to going. His disciples followed Him.
(40) And when He was at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you enter not into temptation."
When they came to the Mount of Olives, Jesus told His disciples to pray that they not give into temptation. Knowing that they indeed would be tempted to flee and fall away, He told them to pray in order that they have the strength to resist that temptation.
(41) And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast and kneeled down and prayed.
Jesus withdrew Himself a short distance away and kneeled down and prayed.
(42) Saying, "Father, if You be willing, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done."
Jesus prayed to Father God in heaven that if it was within His will to remove what He was about to have to go through from Him, He asked of His human desire for it. However, His divine self answered that He would do what the Father had willed must be done. Jesus, being fully human, was tempted by feelings of self-preservation, but as God, knew what had to be done and willingly accepted it.
(43) And there appeared an angel to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.
In answer to Jesus's prayer, an angel appeared to Him and strengthened His human nature to alleviate His anxiety and to resist temptation.
(44) And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly and His sweat was like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Then, being in agony, Jesus prayed more earnestly and He began to sweat blood. This agony was far more terrifying than the agony one might feel about an approaching torture and death. Jesus had relinquished His human will to accept that, but what caused the most anguish was the pure perfect God in human form was about to take upon Himself the filthy sin of the entire world, and the Holy Father and Jesus's own divine self would be withdrawn from Him at that point.
(45) And when He rose up from prayer and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.
Jesus rose up from praying and went back to His disciples and found them sleeping. The verse states that they slept from sorrow. Their hearts were surely heavy with sorrow at what Jesus had foretold them was soon to happen, and the heaviness induced sleep.
(46) And said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."
Jesus asked His disciples why they were sleeping, that they should be praying to strengthen themselves against the temptation that was surely coming, that temptation to deny Christ and flee in fear.
(47) And while He yet spoke, behold, a multitude, and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.
While Jesus was waking His disciples, a multitude of people came toward Him, with Judas Iscariot, one of His own chosen twelve apostles, running ahead to meet Him first and kiss Him.
(48) But Jesus said to him, "Judas, do you betray the Son of man with a kiss?"
Jesus, knowing exactly what Judas was setting Him up for, asked Judas if he was betraying Him with a kiss, letting Judas know that He knew just what he was doing.
(49) When those who were around Him saw what would follow, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"
When Jesus's disciples saw what was about to happen, they asked Him if they should strike with the sword, still thinking that was what Jesus had prepared them to be able to do when He had told them to sell whatever they had to get all they needed, including knives.
(50) And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
The account in John tells us it was Simon Peter who did not wait for an answer but struck with the sword and cut off the right ear of the servant of the high priest. One could imagine that Peter was aiming to cut off the servant's head, but God's hand was in this, and the killing of the men who came to seize Jesus was not part of the plan.
(51) And Jesus answered and said, "Suffer this far." And touching his ear, He healed him.
However, Jesus answered and told him to allow this much, let them proceed and do not resist. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, suggested that Jesus might have been asking that they allow Him physically to go as far as to the servant, as they may have already seized Him at this point, "Allow Me to go as far as the servant." He then touched the servant's ear and healed it.
(52) Then Jesus said to the chief priests and captains of the temple and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out as against a thief with swords and clubs?"
Jesus then asked His captors, the chief priests, captains of the temple, and elders, if they had found the need to come out after Him with swords and clubs as if He were a thief.
(53) "When I was daily with you in the temple, you stretched forth no hands against Me, but this is your hour and the power of darkness."
Jesus went on to tell His captors that He had often been with them in the temple and they never tried to seize Him, nor had they ever found Him to be one who would resist their efforts to seize Him as a thief would. He admitted and allowed that it was now their time to act by the power of darkness, Satan. Satan is only allowed to do what God permits him to do, and as part of the Father's will, Jesus allowed him and them to proceed.
(54) Then they took Him and led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off.
Jesus's captors took Him to the high priest's house where the Sanhedrin had assembled. The accounts in Matthew and Mark told us the high priest was Caiaphas and that he had assembled with all the chief priests and scribes. However, this was not their normal place of assembly. It seems they were acting in secrecy. Matthew and Mark also told us that all Jesus's disciples fled the scene when He was taken, but Peter followed Him from a distance. This showed some level of love and concern for his Lord, but he also wanted to stay out of danger for himself.
(55) And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.
The account in John said that it was the servants and the officers of the high priest who made a fire in the hall because it was a cold night. They then sat and warmed themselves by the fire and Peter sat among them as one of them.
(56) But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire and earnestly looked at him and said, "This man was also with Him."
One of the servant girls saw Peter and studied him intently and declared that he had been with Jesus.
(57) And he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."
However, Peter spoke directly to the servant girl and declared he did not know Jesus, denying Him as Jesus had said he would.
(58) And after a little while another saw him, and said, "You are also of them." And Peter said, "Man, I am not."
A little while later another person, a man, saw Peter and declared that he was one of Jesus's band. The account in Mark said that it was another maid who saw him, but she spoke to the others around her. It appears here that one of them she told confronted Peter. Peter again denied knowing Christ, saying he was not one of them.
(59) And about the space of one hour after, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Truly, he also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."
With all the Gospel accounts taken together, it seems that about an hour later a man whose kin was the one whose ear Peter had cut off, confidently told Peter he had seen him in the garden, and others agreed it must be true for his speech gave him away as a Galilean.
(60) And Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
Peter told the man he didn't know what he was talking about. The account in Matthew says Peter even cursed and swore. As the last words were coming out of his mouth, the rooster crowed.
(61) And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times."
Jesus, who was apparently within sight of Peter, turned and looked at him at that moment. Peter then recalled what Jesus had said to him about him denying Him three times before the rooster crowed.
(62) And Peter went out and wept bitterly.
Peter left and wept bitterly, realizing he who said he would follow Jesus anywhere, even to death, had indeed denied he even knew Him three times just as the Lord had said he would.
(63) And the men who held Jesus mocked Him and struck Him.
The men who held Jesus in the high priest's house mocked Him and struck, or smote Him, as transcribed in the KJV. The more complete meaning of the word "dero" that was translated as "smote," meant to strip the skin. Therefore, this was more than just smacking Jesus; the men were either digging into His skin with their nails or beating Him and ripping His skin.
(64) And when they had blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy, who is it who struck You?"
They then blindfolded Jesus and began to strike Him on the face and then mockingly asked Him to prophesy and tell them who it was who had struck Him.
(65) And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.
They spoke many wicked and blasphemous things against Jesus.
(66) And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together and led Him into their council, saying, (67) "Are You the Christ? Tell us." And He said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe."
All these things had taken place in the middle of the night, and as soon as it was day, the elders, chief priests, and scribes assembled together, bringing Jesus into the council. They demanded He admit whether or not He was the Christ, the Messiah, whom His followers believed Him to be. Jesus answered that if He answered them the truth, they would not believe Him. Of course, Jesus knew the truth about their motives. They only asked, determined not to believe Him, but to use His answer against Him.
(68) "And if I also ask you, you will not answer Me nor let Me go."
Jesus's point was that even if He began a discourse with them to get to the truth, they wouldn't answer honestly and would never let Him go, so there was no real point in answering them.
(69) "Hereafter the Son of man shall sit on the right hand of the power of God."
However, as they didn't believe and admit the proof of His being the Christ, Jesus did tell them that in the time to follow He would sit at the right hand of God.
(70) Then they all said, "Are You then the Son of God?" And He said to them, "You say that I am."
Jesus's accusers then asked if He was the Son of God. He answered that they said that He was. Most all the commentators I study took this to mean, "You rightly say," confirming to them that He was the Son of God. I don't see it that way at all. Jesus had said that He would soon sit at the right hand of God. They were the ones who jumped to the conclusion that He must then be the Son of God. They condemned themselves showing that they knew the truth. I believe Jesus was saying just as it is written, "You (yourselves) say that I am."
(71) And they said, "What need do we have for any further witness? For we ourselves have heard from His own mouth."
The men of the council then declared that they had no need for any other witnesses for they had heard straight from Jesus's mouth that He called Himself the Son of God, which they would proclaim as blasphemy and punishable by death. However, I still believe that Jesus did not precisely say that with His own mouth, but as was His custom, He ensnared His accusers with their own words. It's not that Jesus was purposely preparing a trap so that He could punish them eternally. He was providing a way for them to see the folly of their own words. I know without a doubt, had they fallen down before Him at that point and confessed that they then realized Him to be the Christ, they would have been forgiven and saved, but Jesus knew all along what they would do.
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