(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?

Luke 22:47-53

Explanation:

In this text we find Jesus being betrayed by Judas when the temple guard and those directing them came to arrest Jesus.  It must have been incredibly disappointing and difficult to be betrayed by Judas. I think it is interested that Jesus referred to Himself as “the Son of Man” in this moment.  Whenever Jesus referred to Himself as “the Son of Man” He was claiming to be the prophesied Messiah from Daniel 7.   This Messiah, the Son of man, was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom. 

(13)  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. (14)  And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14

Being an everlasting Kingdom that won’t be destroyed, this Son of man must be eternally existent.  This Son of Man is clearly God.

So, when Judas kisses Jesus to betray Him, Jesus asks Him this very scary question.  “Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?”  Judas had surely seen Jesus heal the sick, walk on water, calm the sea, and even raise people from the dead.  He had heard about his transfiguration, and the voice of the Father booming from the sky.  He would have known that Jesus claimed to be God.  He certainly would have known about Daniel 7:13-14 that said that the Messiah would be a supernatural King with a glorious kingdom. 

It certainly was fool’s errand to betray someone with that kind of power and authority for 30 pieces of silver.  And Judas certainly had a fool leading him.  Earlier we were told that Satan had entered His heart.

(3)  Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

Luke 22:3

Satan really is the ultimate fool, having fully seen the identity of Jesus and the power of God, and in rebellion trying to fight against this power, and believing that You are somehow deserving of what is rightfully God’s.

Application:

Disbelief reigned here.  We may try to comfort ourselves with the idea that we have not seen, and so therefore it is harder for us to believe.  Yet, we have a surer Word of prophecy than even Judas did.  The fact of the resurrection is something we must all come to terms with, and we must decide to accept or reject.

We must also recognize the authority of Jesus.  He is the Son of God.  He was made flesh.  He did die and resurrect for our sins.  But be assured He is coming back and will rule and reign on an everlasting throne.  If He is the authority, then our job is to submit to His will and not fight Him.  The good news is His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Response:

Are you recognizing Jesus’ authority today?

(39) And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. 

Luke 22:39

Explanation:

I want you to know something important.  This wasn’t the last time that Jesus was at the Mount of Olives.

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?  (7)  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.  (8)  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  (9)  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Acts 1:6-11 

Then a couple of Angels showed up:

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.  (12)  Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.

Acts 1:11-12 

Jesus ascended into heave from the mount of Olives.  Now one more verse and we will be done.  This is not the last time Jesus will be on the Mount of Olives.  Check out Zechariah 14:1-5.

Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.  (2)  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.  (3)  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.  (4)  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.  (5)  And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Zechariah 14:1-5

Jesus Christ’s prayer was answered and He did accomplish God’s Will.  The message of the Gospel was manifested to His disciples, who made disciples, who made disciples.  And one day, because of the death, burial, resurrection, and great commission of Jesus, “the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee”, “and His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives”!

Application:

Prayer was Jesus’ priority.  Is it a priority in your life?  Are you ready for Him to come back?

Response:

Take some significant time to pray today!

(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.

Luke 22:45-46

Explanation:

In these last moments before Jesus was to be arrested and betrayed, He gave Himself to prayer.  He then gets up and comes to His disciples, finding them asleep.  Notice His question to them:

(46)  And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

In this moment Jesus was telling them to prioritize prayer over sleep.  He was telling them to prioritize prayer.  Why?  He gives the reason when he said, “lest ye enter into temptation”. 

How wonderfully considerate is the Master. How big is his heart. So big that even during this night of bitter woe there is room in it for “others.” His heart goes out to them, for he fully realizes that the wrath of the Sanhedrin will not be appeased when he himself, the Leader, is caught. That wrath will be vented next upon those who have been following him.

In the previous verses He had told the disciples that they ought to sell their garments and buy a sword.  Why?  Because, as scripture foretold, He was about to be “named with the transgressors”.  He was going to be tried and arrested as a criminal.  He was about to be crucified between two thieves.  In fact, even when He is arrested, He asks the scribes, pharisees and temple guard this question:

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.

Luke 22:52-53 

If they could get to Jesus and kill Him, they would certainly not stop with Him.  They would go after His disciples.  These disciples would be tempted to disown, deny, and desert Jesus, and prayer was an important part of what it takes for them to defeat this temptation.

And they did give in to this temptation.  There was a spiritual battle.  Jesus mentioned it in verse 53, when He said that those coming against Him were part of “the power of darkness”. 

The good news is there is redemption in the blood of Jesus.  These disciples would all end up being persecuted, and all but John giving their lives for the name of Christ as martyrs.

Application:

If we are going to be what God wants us to be we must realize that we are in a Spiritual battle.  In Ephesians 6:10-12, Paul says this:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  (11)  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  (12)  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:10-12 

We must never forget that we are in a spiritual battle.  Paul describes that here and tells the church at Ephesus to put on the armor of God to fight this Spiritual battle.  At the end of describing this armor He says this in verse 18-20:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;  (19)  And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,  (20)  For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Ephesians 6:18-20 

If we are going to win against temptation in the midst of a spiritual battle, we must prioritize prayer!

Response:

When you look at last week, did you prioritize prayer?

– Did you have a place to pray?

– Did you have Jesus’ posture of prayer?

– Did you have Jesus’ passion in your prayer life?

– Did you have the spiritual power that comes when you prioritize prayer?

– Did you fall into temptation in part because of prayerlessness?

We fight for the Lord on our knees when we prioritize prayer!

(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.

Luke 22:44

Explanation:

Here we see the passion in Jesus’ prayer.  It is described in the intensity of the moment.  He was in agony.  The difficulty He was experiencing was matched by His intensity in prayer.  To the point that there was a physical response.  He began to sweat blood.

There is a government agency called The National Center for Biotechnology Information.  It describes its mission on its website.   The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information.

On its site I found this paragraph:

Hematohidrosis is a rare condition in which a human being sweats blood.[1] Leonardo Da Vinci described a soldier who sweated blood before battle. Jesus Christ experienced hematohidrosis while praying in the garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion as mentioned in the Defenders Bible by Physician Luke as “and being in anguish he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

As this quote points out, it is interesting to note that Luke, the doctor, is the one to notice and point out this physical detail.  The Bible is full of references to blood.  There is a scarlet thread through the Bible, and here it is again in this passage.

Jesus’ pattern here is in keeping with what He taught about prayer earlier in Luke: Luke18:1

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Luke 18:1

What did Jesus pray?  Did He only say the words recorded here?  No.  These words were certainly representative of His entire attitude in prayer.  Yet, John records for us more details of Jesus’ prayer.  Read this with me:

These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:  (2)  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.  (3)  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.  (4)  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.  (5)  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.  (6)  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.  (7)  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.  (8)  For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.  (9)  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

John 17:1-9 

– He prayed for God to be glorified.

– He prayed for disciples.

– He tells God He had finished this work of discipleship with them, and then look at what He says next…

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.  (18)  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.  (19)  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.  (20)  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;  (21)  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 17:17-21 

He prays for the ones who would believe because of their testimony.  He prays that we would be unified, and it’s all wrapped up in salvation, discipleship and sending.

He was going to the cross to glorify His Father.  He was going to the cross to save sinners.  He was going to the cross so that those who would believe would be empowered and sent to the whole world all for God’s glory!

Application:

Jesus’ intensity in prayer matched the moment that he prayed it and the mission that He was here to accomplish.  We have been sent on His same mission.  Does our intensity in prayer match our mission?  Have you prayed intense prayers for your Sunday school class?  For your church?  For the people you are trying to reach?  For the people you are trying to disciple?  For your spouse?  For your kids?  For your community?    If not us, then who?  Who is going to pray for these people?

Do you just pray token prayers at the appropriate times- before meals, during a gathering of believers, or with your kids before bed?  These times of prayer are not bad, they just aren’t enough.

When have you prayed with passion and intensity like Jesus did?

Response:

Pray, right now, with intensity!!!!