Lesson: Luke 22:14-30
Golden Text: “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” (Luke 22:26).
INTRODUCTION. In our lesson this week, Jesus teaches us about the privilege of serving others. This is the foundational principle of our Christian faith, and Jesus set the example. A major component of a life lived for Christ is service. That’s true both here and now and in the coming kingdom. The object of our service is twofold; we are to serve Christ, and we are to serve others. This week’s lesson points us in that direction.
II. JESUS’ DESIRE (Luke 22:14-20).
A. The fateful hour (Luke 22:14). Our text begins with Luke writing “And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.” Jesus had earlier instructed Peter and John to prepare the Passover Feast (Luke 22:7-13). When the time for the meal arrived, Jesus and the twelve apostles reclined at the table. The phrase “And when the hour was come” in the context of our lesson simply refers to the time to eat the Passover. In addition it could also refer to the time of His suffering to begin. He was about to accomplish what He had come into the world to do---to purchase salvation for sinners by dying in their place on the cross. Here Jesus’ twelve disciples who were handpicked by Him (see Luke 6:13-16) are called “apostles” which means “one sent forth with orders” (see Matthew 10:1-5; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6). The apostles were at the foundation level of the church that was established in Jesus’ name (see Matthew 16:13-19; I Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 2:20).
B. The future fulfillment (Luke 22:15-16).
1. (vs. 15). As they all sat to eat, Luke writes “And he (Jesus) said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.” The words “desire” and “desired” translate one Greek word that has the idea of a strong or intense longing. The men gathered around the table meant a great deal to Jesus so He indicated that He had an intense yearning to share this occasion with them as He said “before I suffer.” The “Passover” was initiated in Egypt just before the Israelites were delivered from bondage (see Exodus chapter 12). It would be a reminder of the placing of the blood of a lamb without blemish on the doorposts of the Hebrew homes. When the Lord came to kill the first born in all of Egypt, if he saw the blood over the doorposts he would “passover” that home, and spare the firstborn, both man and beast. Note: The Passover is a type of Christ our Redeemer (see Exodus 12:1-28; John 1:29; I Corinthians 5:6-7; I Peter 1:18-19). The Passover lamb had to be without blemish and kept four days to make sure (see Exodus 12:5-6). In the same sense our Lord’s public life, under hostile scrutiny, was the testing which proved His holiness (Luke 11:53-54; John 8:46; 18:38). After the Passover lamb was set aside or tested, it was to be killed (see Exodus 12:6; John 12:24: Hebrews 9:22) and the blood must be applied (see Exodus 12:7). The blood then being applied to the doorpost in Egypt and to our sins by Christ provided the perfect protection from judgment (see Exodus 12:13; Hebrews 10:10, 14: I John 1:7). The believer in Christ is saved by the blood of “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) and is strengthened daily by feasting on the Word, the living Word--- Christ, and the written Word, the Scriptures. In Judaism there is a disappointing lack of teaching about the Passover lamb, which should be the heart of the observance. The lamb had to be slain, have its blood drained and placed on the doorposts, and then be roasted for the meal. Unfortunately, these facts are omitted from the feast. All there is of the lamb is a shank bone on the seder plate. Clearly this illustrates that Judaism is blind to the real significance of the Passover.
2. (vs. 16). In this verse, we see another reason why it was so important that Jesus share this moment with His disciples. He said “For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” After this night, He would not share in this feast with them again until the feast found its fulfillment in the kingdom of God. This is probably a reference to the marriage supper of the Lamb (see Revelation 19:6-9).
C. The fruit of the vine (Luke 22:17-18).
1. (vs. 17). At this point Luke writes “And he (Jesus) took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves.” In the traditional Jewish Passover ritual, the family drinks four cups at various times during the ceremony. Before drinking the first cup, these words are said: “Blessed be Thou, Lord our God, King of the world, who hast created the fruit of the vine.” In this, His last Passover, Jesus took the cup, uttered the blessing, and then gave the cup to the disciples to drink. They were still celebrating the Passover at this point. Later, Jesus would institute the Lord’s Supper.
2. (vs. 18). After giving the first cup to the disciples to drink, Jesus said “For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.” Jesus told His disciples that He would not drink of the fruit of the vine again until He returned in His role as ruler of God’s kingdom (see Revelation 11:15).
D. The final covenant (Luke 22:19-20).
1. (vs. 19). Now Luke writes “And he (Jesus) took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” In the Passover meal, unleavened bread was eaten. This was bread without yeast. The bread was a reminder that the people of Israel had to leave Egypt in such a hurry that there was no time for their bread to rise. In fact, they were told to eat it fully dressed with their staffs in their hands. At this point Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper giving new meaning to the bread. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, and then broke it before the disciples. As He distributed it to His disciples, Jesus said “This is my body which is given for you.” The bread represented His body which would be sacrificed on the cross in just a few hours. Jesus told His disciples that they were to eat the bread “in remembrance of me.” As Christians today eat the bread of the Lord’s Supper, we too, must remember Christ’s death until He comes again (see I Corinthians 11:23-26). Failure to do so could result in sickness and even death (see I Corinthians 11:17-34).
2. (vs. 20). In this verse Luke tells us that “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” After the meal was over, Jesus took another cup. Just as He had placed new meaning on the bread, so He gave new meaning to the cup. He said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Jesus’ shed blood was the basis for a new relationship between God and man. This “new testament” or covenant was prophesied by Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 31:31-34) and is discussed in detail in Hebrews chapters 8-10. As blood ratified or confirmed the old covenant (see Exodus 24:1-8), so it would take blood to ratify the new covenant.
III. JUDAS’ DECEPTION (Luke 22:21-23)
A. The Revelation (Luke 22:21-22).
1. (vs. 21). In the midst of this celebration Jesus abruptly said “But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.” Of course we now know that Judas was the betrayer. However, a question arises about the Lord’s Supper. Did Judas participate in it? Christians believe that only the saved should share in the Lord’s Supper and according to Scripture, Judas was not saved, even though he was an apostle (see John 17:12). In his greatly compressed account of the Last Supper, Luke didn’t mention when Judas left the group. But John does. Apparently Judas participated in the Passover meal but John in his account tells us that he left before the Lord’s Supper was instituted (see John 13:27-30).
2. (vs. 22). Still referring to His betrayer, Jesus continued to say “And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!” With the phrase “And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined” Jesus made it clear that He was going to the cross just as it was decided in the eternal plan of God. Nothing or no one could deter Him from that divine appointment. God may use the sinful actions of people to accomplish the opposite of what they have intended. However, God’s sovereign purpose does not mean that their sins are justified. What Judas did was wrong, and he will have to answer to God for it. Humans are accountable to God for what we do. We cannot excuse our sins by saying that we were accomplishing God’s good purpose by our evil actions. Note: For sure the Scriptures confirm that the events relating to the death of Christ were divinely appointed (see Acts 2:23). They were planned by the Father, and foretold by the prophets (Psalms 41:9). However, this does not excuse those whose own evil choices were used to carry out the plan of God for the redemption of humanity. Therefore, Judas should not be seen as someone who was powerless, a mere pawn in the divine plan. As we all do, he had real choices, and he was responsible before God for those choices.
B. The reflection (Luke 22:23). At this point Luke says “And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.” Jesus’ revelation of a betrayer in their midst caused the disciples to wonder which of them might be the guilty party. The disciples were baffled about the betrayer. Judas was not the obvious choice, as we might think. After all he was the one to whom they entrusted their money (see John 12:1-6). No one stood up and pointed an accusing finger at Judas. Only he and Jesus knew the awful truth. Even when he left the upper room (see John 13:26-30), the others were still unaware of Judas’ actions. Note: We must remember that the name of the person who would betray Jesus is never prophesied; only that he would be a friend of Jesus (see Psalms 41:9). This is why Jesus said in Luke 22:22, “Woe unto that man by whom he (Jesus) is betrayed. Mark 14:21 says “Good were it for that man if he had never been born.”
IV. THE DISCIPLES’ DISPUTE (Luke 22:24-27)
A. Authority (Luke 22:24-25).
1. (vs. 24). Now Luke says “And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.” This was not the first time that they had this debate (see Mark 9:33-37). Notice that Luke says “And there was also a strife among them” indicating that this argument about who was the greatest among the disciples could have happened anytime during their celebration of the Passover meal and not necessarily at this point. Note: From Luke’s account it appears that this dispute about greatness occurred soon after Jesus revealed that one of His disciples would betray Him. However, it is unlikely that any of Jesus’ disciples would turn from His betrayal to arguing about greatness in the kingdom, especially Peter. We must understand that Luke’s account was condensed and he was not an eyewitness to most of the things he wrote about. He received most of his information from others who actually witnessed certain events (see Luke 1:1-4). On the other hand, John was an eyewitness to what happened in the upper room and he places the disagreement about greatness prior to Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper (see John 13:2-30) and Judas’ exit.
2. (vs. 25). In response to His disciples’ question about greatness, Jesus answered “And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.” Jesus grasped this teaching opportunity to communicate to the disciples a lesson they greatly needed to learn. Jesus began by saying “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them” meaning that in the ancient world, kings used their power and wealth to control their subjects. In addition, these kings wanted their subjects to think of them as “benefactors” or ones who had their subjects’ best welfare in mind when they really only cared about themselves.
B. Humility (Luke 22:26-27).
1. (vs. 26). Jesus continued to say “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.” Jesus affirmed that his disciples must not be like the kings of the Gentiles He had just mentioned. Instead Jesus said to His disciples “he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger.” In referring to “the younger” Jesus meant His disciples must be humble, demonstrating humility. He then said if any of His disciples wanted to be “chief,” that disciple must “serve.” Instead of aspiring to greatness, true Disciples of Christ aspire to serve others. Greatness is not determined by how many people serve you, but by how many people you serve. Since this is true, everyone can be the greatest in Christ’s kingdom.
2. (vs. 27). To reinforce His lesson on servant-hood, Jesus asked two rhetorical questions. He asked His disciples “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.” The answer was obvious to the disciples. Clearly the guests at the meal have higher status than those who serve them. Anyone could see that! However, Jesus then proceeded to turn the expected answer on its head. He said “but I am among you as he that serveth.” Note: As we noted in the commentary of verse 24, this portion of the events in the upper room most likely happened before Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper and before Judas departed to complete his betrayal of Jesus. At that time according to John’s gospel (see John 13:1-20), Jesus gave His disciples a vivid object lesson. Taking the place customarily filled by a servant, Jesus went around the table and washed the feet of His disciples. After doing this, He told them “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15).V. THE DISCIPLES’ DOMINION (Luke 22:28-30)
A. Reliability (Luke 22:28). Despite, the disciples’ need for this important lesson on servant-hood, Jesus also knew they needed reassurance. His death the next day would be a powerful blow to their confidence. So in this verse Jesus said “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.” Although these men had their faults, Jesus recognized the fact that they had been with Him through the good and the bad. The word “temptations” here refers to “trials” and not what we normally think of as temptations.
B. Reward (Luke 29-30).
1. (vs. 29). Jesus went on to say “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me.” Like the saints of all ages, the twelve disciples will share in Christ’s kingdom (see II Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10).
2. (vs. 30). Continuing to tell His disciples about the kingdom reign that awaited them, Jesus said “That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” During the kingdom reign of Christ on earth (also called the millennial reign) according to Matthew 19:28, the kingdom will be administered over Israel through the apostles (see Revelation 20:4-6) according to the ancient theocratic judgeship (see Judges 2:18). This also indicates how the promise of Isaiah 1:26 will be fulfilled when the kingdom is set up.
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