Luke 22

Jesus suffered public humiliation, betrayal by those closest to Him, physical torture and a violent death. He was the ultimate, willing sacrifice wrought out of His great love for His Father and the Father's great love for man. Jesus was the Word of God made flesh. He was God's thoughts manifested in the physical realm. It is beyond my comprehension and yet the basis for all that I know and believe. This agape, unconditional, love, is foreign to our thinking. We love those who love us. We respect those who respect us. The sinners, the poor, the misdirected, those different from us in color or in doctrine are not worthy of such a sacrifice in our perception of life. Thank God that our beliefs are not His. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whomsoever believes in Him will not perish but would have everlasting life. After we have put aside our differences and return to Him we will be able to strengthen all of our brothers.

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.

3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."

9 So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"

10 And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."

13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
"This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.

31 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

33 But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."

34 Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

39 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. 40 When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."

41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me;
nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

The NKJV Study Bible says this: Passover commemorated the night of the tenth plague in Egypt, when the firstborn of Israel were "passed over" and spared by the angel of death. Judas's involvement in the plot to betray Jesus was fortunate from the point of view of the Jewish religious leaders. They could arrest Jesus secretly and later claim that the driving force to stop Him came from within His own group of disciples. The captains, Levites who were members of the temple guard, were the ones who could make the arrest. Jesus died on the Cross in our place and for our sins. While Jesus faced the reality of being betrayed and killed, His disciples argued about which of them was greatest. In short, the Lord's view of greatness is the exact opposite of the world's view. Jesus passed on His kingdom authority to the apostles who would continue planting the church, a part of the kingdom. Satan had asked permission to trouble all of the disciples. In effect, Jesus restored Peter even before his fall
and He instructed the disciple to shepherd the saints by strengthening them. God's answer to Jesus' prayer did not allow His Son to avoid suffering. However, God did provide angelic help for Jesus to face what was coming. Sometimes God answers prayer by eliminating trials; sometimes He answers by strengthening us in the midst of them. The Lord knew Peter better than Peter knew himself . Peter was greatly grieved that he had failed Jesus. Though He was on trial, in reality He is the ultimate Judge. Apparently what offended Jesus' audience was His claim to sit in God's presence and to exercise divine authority. In effect, His answer to their question about being the Christ was more than they expected. It was not blasphemous to claim to be Messiah. What was blasphemous was the claim to be the Judge of the Jewish people, with God's authority. They sensed that Jesus was asserting a unique and highly exalted relationship with God, making Himself the equal of God. In their view, this was not possible. Jesus was "convicted" by His claim to a relationship to God in which He exercises an authority like God's.