Luke 22:54-62 comments: Peter weeps bitterly

22:54 ¶  Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off. 55  And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. 56  But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. 57  And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. 58  And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. 59  And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. 60  And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61  And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 62  And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Here is a moment that probably stayed imbedded in Peter’s mind for the rest of his life. As Christ said he would, Peter denies that he knew Christ. It is a sorrowful moment for Peter and probably resulted in the “conversion” that Christ prayed for him to receive.

As Matthew Henry noted in his commentary, “It is well for us that Christ does not deal with us as we deal with him.” How many of us, when placed in a situation that wasn’t even dangerous for us denied, even if only by our inaction or our lack of speaking on His behalf, our Lord. We might do this for fear of rejection by peers or family. We might do this in fear of loss of employment or position.

The important thing is that Christ had a plan to restore Peter and for Peter to provide the leadership he does as represented in Acts. Christ has a purpose for Peter’s life and does not dispose of him in this most awful moment of his life to this point.

The act of denying Christ for whatever reason carries big weight in the Bible. Here, it is defined as a conscious refusing to admit one’s association and familiarity with Christ. Remember this passage in Luke, chapter 12;

Luke 12:8  Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: 9  But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

The importance of holding onto one’s faith in the face of fear or persecution or the hardening of sin, temptations as they are to deny Christ, is underscored by Paul.

2Timothy 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Enduring until the end, is spoken of in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, and as Paul also says in Hebrews in regard to sin itself hardening our hearts;

Hebrews 3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15  While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

Hebrews 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Sometimes atheists will reveal that they believed at one time but stopped and if you examine their life a little closer you will see that the desires of the flesh paid some part in their apostasy. I will post again something I noted earlier about one notable atheist scientist.

Many people, especially young people, have abandoned their faith when the lusts of youth demanded their attention. A noted evolutionary biologist, Edward O. Wilson, wrote a book entitled Consilience in which he writes in chapter one about the joy he felt when he found and believed in the theory of evolution and the unity of all sciences with that atheistic determinism as their foundation, well unquestionable fact more than theory to him with the following as part of his journey to atheism;

On a far more modest scale, I found it a wonderful feeling not just to taste the unification metaphysics but also to be released from the confinement of fundamentalist religion. I had been raised a Southern Baptist, laid backward under the water on the sturdy arm of a pastor, been born again. I knew the healing power of redemption. Faith, hope, and charity were in my bones, and with millions of others I knew that my savior Jesus Christ would grant me eternal life. More pious than the average teenager, I read the Bible cover to cover, twice. But now at college, steroid-driven into moods of adolescent rebellion, I chose to doubt.

It can also be suffering that puts pressure on your faith and, if you are not grounded in God’s word, can lead you away from Him in your pain and anguish.

Galatians 4:14  And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

And it can be persecution that forces you, in order to be accepted by people or to keep from losing life, liberty, family, employment, or property, to consider turning your back on God.

For Wilson, unlike Peter, there appears to be no second chance as his heart was hardened beyond all redemption. But, for Peter and others, God left a door open and there was a way back.

There were many movements in the early church that did not want to allow those who had repudiated their faith under persecution or handing in their scriptures to the Roman authorities to return to the faith. With names given to them like Novatianism or Donatism these movements did not accept those who had renounced their faith under fear or pain.

And truthfully, Paul wrote in Hebrews something that can be considered as a warning that it is impossible to return under certain circumstances.

Hebrews 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

However, another way of looking at that passage is considering how Jesus dealt with Peter, understanding that there can be a way home in these circumstances for the repentant denier. If that is so then the passage in Hebrews 6 merely points out the absurdity of thinking you can lose your salvation. Christ was crucified once and that is sufficient for all.

Hebrews 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us…26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Hebrews 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Peter’s realization of what he has done and the fact that he wept bitterly shows us that he was deeply repentant over his betrayal. Compare this with Judas’ betrayal for which repentance was not expressed in bitter tears but worldly sorrow expressed in self-harm.

Matthew 27:3  Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

4  Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5  And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

I suppose one lesson that can be learned from this passage is that Godly repentance, in guilt, seeks God’s forgiveness acknowledging His authority while worldly sorrow, though still an act of sorrow over what you have done, is expressed not in glorifying Christ but in self-hatred or shame, a sort of reverse glorification of one’s self making self not Christ of the most importance.

2Corinthians 7:10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

One of the most notorious ways modern so-called Christians deny Christ is to call Him a liar. Christ said;

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John also wrote this about believing what Jesus said about Himself.

John 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

So, it is amazing to me how many people today call themselves Christians but, not wanting to offend anyone and not wanting to appear not inclusive, they call Christ a liar and say that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe in something or that everyone has to choose what is right for them. How can Christ overlook such a hateful rejection of His own words?

As Peter so famously said;

Acts 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

And yet, curiously, I have met even people who claim “the Golden Rule” as their motto, who do works of charity that are exemplary, but who, in the end call Christ a liar and deny Him. 

Luke 22:47-53 comments: the power of darkness

22:47 ¶  And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. 48  But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? 49  When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? 50  And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. 51  And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. 52  Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? 53  When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

Judas, the informer and traitor, arrives with a crowd to arrest Jesus. Peter attacked the servant of the high priest with a sword but Jesus healed the wounded man.

John 18:10  Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 11  Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Paul uses the phrase the power of darkness, as well.

Colossians 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Jesus is the light of this world and while He was walking in the flesh in the world there was light in the world.

John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Christ’s presence illuminates the spiritual world of men as the light of day illuminates the physical world.

John 11:9  Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

This illumination of God the Creator’s standard and purpose of redeeming mankind back to Himself from the spiritual ignorance or darkness in man’s soul would soon, with Christ’s departure, be shrouded by night.

John 9:4  I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Romans 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Through the last two thousand years of false churches, religious murder, and wicked kingdoms and nation-states propped up by falsely saying they were God’s special vehicles to do His work on earth a glimmer of light has shined through the darkness in Christ’s body on earth. As Jesus said to His followers;

Matthew 5:13 ¶  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

2Corinthians 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The darkness which like light can have two meanings, I believe, one purely physical and one spiritual, which God separated from the light in the beginning;

Genesis 1:4  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

…that darkness which could not comprehend, which at one time could also mean besides understand to contain, repress, conquer, or overpower, the light…

  John 1:1 ¶  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  The same was in the beginning with God. 3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

    5 ¶  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

…has its moment here. We know who the ultimate author of this betrayal is, even though it works against him in the end. Satan entered Judas, the traitor.

Luke 22:3  Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

We know that the religious elite that sponsored Judas, denying Christ’s authority over them as their Messiah, was unknowingly answering to Satan.

John 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

I think it might be helpful now to review who or what Satan is and what might be his purpose.

If the majority interpretation is correct, Satan is first mentioned as a serpent in the Garden of Eden. A serpent or worm in English has also traditionally been a term for a dragon in historical mythology.

Genesis 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Satan is also said to be a dragon.

Revelation 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

How was Satan found to be in the Garden of Eden? Judging by his appearance he filled some kind of role of priest as Aaron and his sons would eventually do. He is said to be a cherub, an animal type of creature, with cherubs as perhaps the spiritual prototypes of all creatures, with Satan described in Job 41 as reptilian. See Ezekiel, chapters 1 and 10 for descriptions of cherubs. The Bible often does double and triple duty, describing one person or one event while also describing others prophetically. Here, in this passage, the King of Tyre is addressed but, as he is likened to Satan, Satan is described.

Ezekiel 28:11 ¶  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12  Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13  Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Although many modern, evangelical and fundamentalist commentators have Satan falling from grace in some mystical, unexplained time between verses 1 and 2 of the first chapter of Genesis we only have evidence of his attempting to subvert God’s order starting in Genesis, chapter 3. Of course, God knew his heart even though his iniquity was not made apparent until then. His pride led him.

In another prophecy against the King of Babylon this time, Satan, under another title of his, Lucifer, is described by way of his thinking.

Isaiah 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

And yet, we know from reading the first two chapters of Job that he cannot go beyond what God allows and we know that he can be used by God, unleashed, if you will, for a purpose.

2Sa 24:1  And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

1Ch 21:1  And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

It is clear from reading Job and these two verses and contexts that a human being will likely not be able to tell if a thing is done directly by God or if it is a matter of Satan’s hatred and rage being used or allowed for a purpose.

Satan tried to divert Christ from His mission by tempting Him to take the crown first, before the cross. Christ resists being crowned a king by the Jews until it was time.

Luke 4:1 ¶  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2  Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3  And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5  And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6  And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7  If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9  And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10  For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11  And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12  And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13  And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

John 6:15  When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

By now, at this point, Satan appears to have decided to simply try to destroy Christ. Perhaps it is from desperation, or rage, or pride alone but Satan is out on a very weak limb here. As John the Baptist had asked if there would be another Messiah to come in Luke 7, as there may have been a belief in more than one Messiah, a conqueror and a sufferer at least, Satan also does not have 100% understanding of God’s purpose. God keeps quite a lot close and only reveals things when He is ready.

Deuteronomy 29:29  The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

So, whatever Satan’s motivation here, we know he is doomed. Only immense pride can blind someone so completely to reality. For human examples see Adolf Hitler in his invasion of Russia or any number of organized crime figures who eventually end up murdered or imprisoned for life.

Luke 22:39-46 comments: sleeping for sorrow

22:39 ¶  And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. 40  And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45  And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 46  And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

From this we see that Jesus regularly went to the mount of Olives as evidenced in Luke 19 and 21 plus the other three gospels. Jesus’ prayer here is an example to us. There are difficult things we must face in this life and we ask for mercy, that we do not suffer, but we should and must always acknowledge that it is God’s will that must be done, not ours. We make it clear that we acknowledge our dependence on God and that all things are by His hand. All we can do is to ask for mercy acknowledging His authority over our lives and giving Him the glory.

This is very difficult for modern Christians who have bought into the evil that has divorced the God of the Bible from reality. We have created a caretaker God who stands off but is not active in every moment or function of life and existence. We call on Him for help, assistance, or for a blessing but do not see His hand in every difficulty, every joy, and, indeed, in every cell function, heartbeat, and stirring of a breeze.

It was the era of Isaac Newton that began to relegate God to a sort of ‘First Cause’ who set up processes that function normally just fine without Him. You’ll even hear preachers talk about things like childbirth or the death of someone as if, when something goes wrong, God needs a phone call or a text message to know what’s going on. God isn’t an absentee landlord who you call when the plumbing breaks. He either broke the plumbing or allowed it to be broken for a reason you may never know, if you study the book of Job, and you need His mercy, His wisdom on how to fix it or have someone fix it and understanding of what He wants from you as a response to this life challenge, blessing, or sorrow.

Here, the visible image of God, the very body of God, the man who is fully God and yet fully man, shows that while He is not looking forward to the suffering He must face in order to die for our sins, the sins of the world, He acknowledges that the will of God, which is also His will as He is God, must be done.

Hebrews 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

An angel or appearance of someone from heaven ministers to Him.

Psalm 104:4  Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

Hebrews 1:7  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

This reinforces our understanding of what Christ knew about His upcoming physical death and relates it to our suffering if we are not drugged or unconscious when it happens to us.

Indeed, dying and death rank highly among some of mankind’s greatest fears and we go to great lengths to increase our years or try to ameliorate the suffering of death with drugs. God came as a man, in part, for this very reason.

Hebrews 2:14 ¶  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16  For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

By Christ’s agony in the garden and from other events detailed in the Bible we can relate our own fears, anxieties, and thoughts over the end-of-life suffering and be comforted. You are not sinning or showing faithlessness if you resist the agony you may face because even our Lord did not look forward to it. God comforts us with the Bible when we see that we are not alone and that it is not wrong to not be a Stoic with the proverbial stiff-upper-lip when it comes to life’s pain and grief.

2Corinthians 1:4  Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

From the Bible we learn that we are not condemned when we suffer because we respond to it in our humanity. We are also taught how to respond to the suffering of others.

Romans 12:15  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

A temptation is something that can cause you to doubt God or calls into question your faith or makes you deny Christ. Prayer here is one answer to the danger of temptation. Remember the prayer Jesus taught His disciples that mentioned temptation. See the comments on chapter 11:1-13. This is not tempted to do wrong but tempted to doubt God or turn from Him, to not do what Jesus has done, acknowledge that it is God’s will that must be done.

The disciples are said to be sleeping for sorrow. Only Luke gives us the cause of their sleepiness. It is the result of emotional exhaustion. The disciples have been experiencing an emotional overload. Different people respond to such things differently. But, here, these frail human beings who follow Christ can bear the extreme stress placed on them as the Lord they love told them that He must die no more. In an ongoing time of grief and sorrow that is unremitting and merciless some people eat a lot, some go about their daily trivialities with an obsessive-compulsive attitude, and others fall down exhausted in their hearts.

It is also possible that these exhausted disciples were being oppressed by Satan although it does not say so in the text. Remember;

31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Simon Peter’s emotional catharsis, that moment of relief as the floodgate of tears opens and he is enabled to be the Apostle he would become, the one Jesus prayed for, is coming up here in verse 62.

Luke 22:21-38 comments: Peter's denial foretold

22:21 ¶  But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. 22  And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! 23  And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. 24  And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25  And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26  But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27  For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. 28  Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29  And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30  That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 33  And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. 34  And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. 35  And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. 36  Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. 37  For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. 38  And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

This is a fascinating and informative passage for us. Jesus states that his betrayer, Judas, is right there and makes an important point about evil. Even if an event is predetermined and ordained by God, such as Christ’s crucifixion, the person or persons involved in it are still guilty.  For instance, we can say that World War Two was inevitable and God was going to use it for many and various reasons, but that does not eliminate the guiltiness of those who caused it on both the Allied and Axis sides.

Matthew 18:7  Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

We ask ourselves then why or how is a certain person used for evil in an event of great or small importance. It would seem that our inclination to do evil makes us a candidate for a particular job in God’s plan of history just as our inclination to obey Him makes us a candidate for another job. In the first we cannot blame God because of the fact that we choose to serve ourselves and by that choice are chosen for our evil task. In the second case, God honors our determination to obey Him with the blessing of being part of His plan of redeeming mankind to Himself, or at least the part of it who will and whom He knows will.

The character of Judas, as we have seen, was one part in making him be selected as the traitor. Evil is going to happen in a fallen reality because of man’s rebellious spirit. But, it is not necessary for you specifically to be a part of it. You choose whom you will serve but the how is not up to you or often at least not in the way you think it should be.

In the next section Christ defines servant leadership. A person fit to lead must be one who is willing to and, in fact, does serve. A true Christian leader is a servant. Throughout history many people have felt called to lead by virtue of what their society called a noble birth or perhaps they obtained status with money and power or military prowess without coming from an aristocratic lineage. But the Bible sets certain parameters for a leader. One is found in 2Samuel.

2Samuel 23:3  The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

Christ left us the example of a leader, in this case God in the flesh, humbling Himself to serve others, those weaker than Himself clearly but also those who should be serving Him.

Here also is a hint of who twelve are seated around the throne of God are in Revelation.

Revelation 4:4  And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

Perhaps Judas is replaced by Paul. But, these Apostles will suffer with Christ and are worthy to sit in judgment with Him.

This brings us in verse 31 to the significance of using thee, the singular you, and you, the plural, something more modern Bibles do not have. The use of the singular thee, thou, and thine was dying out by the King James translators’ time. They were used in intimate forms in Shakespeare such as, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore are thou Romeo?” and resigned to dialects in Northern England and Scotland, finally held onto by religious groups like the Quakers. However, distinguishing between the singular you and the plural you can be important to understanding as in this passage.

Jesus tells Simon Peter that Satan desires to harm the Apostles, the plural you. But Jesus has prayed to the Father for Simon, that his mind would be fully onboard with Christ’s mission, that he would strengthen his brothers in the Lord.

Peter’s tongue then writes a check that his faith cannot cash. But, Christ foretells that Peter will soon deny that he even knows Jesus.

The next part of this passage justifies a distinct dispensational approach to the Bible and God’s way of dealing with mankind at different times. Jesus had sent out His disciples, as reported in Luke 9, to preach depending solely on the benevolence of the Jews to whom they would preach, trusting in God for their needs.

Luke 9:1 ¶  Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2  And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 3  And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. 4  And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5  And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. 6  And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

Now, they are to provide for themselves the things he had formerly told them not to carry, even to a sword for self-defense. Brigands and robbers were a common threat when traveling through the countryside. So, preachers must be careful about picking out a passage and insisting that it applies directly to their time and instructing their congregations that this is the model they should go by.

Verse 37 alludes to Isaiah 53 and when Jesus does that as he does with Psalm 22 from the Cross itself it is good to read the entire passage. But, here is the direct verse He is referring to;

Isaiah 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Read Isaiah 52:13 through chapter 53. Here, Jesus affirms this is about Him. In the 11^th century a Jewish commentator nicknamed Rashi began insisting that the passage in Isaiah was about the Jews as a whole rather than the Messiah in an attempt to counteract Christian teaching. To accept Rashi’s viewpoint is to call Christ a liar. While not the first teacher to suggest it Rashi was the first to teach it as a doctrine of Jewish belief. Scholars note that while the interpretation of the suffering servant in Isaiah as Israel itself was not unknown among the Jews as far back as the third century typically the servant was the Messiah until the Middle Ages and the time of Rashi. Writing after the massacres of Jews during the First Crusade Rashi was the first to seek a unifying meaning for the entire passage as a reference to the suffering of the Jews.(8) Rashi is so influential that I’ve read that some Jewish Bibles in their commentaries predominantly reflect his opinions. The Jewish Study Bible, edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler notes that, "...the ArtScroll Tanach follows rabbinic interpretation rather than a more literal rendering of the biblical text itself..." and explains how the Biblical translators of that Bible relied heavily on Rashi.(9) 

(8) Joel E. Rembaum, "The Development of a Jewish Exegetical Tradition regarding Isaiah 53," The Harvard Theological Review75, no. 3 (1982): 294. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1509755.

(9) Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Study Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 2017, 2018.