26

Table Talk on Trouble and Triumph
(Luke 22:21–38)

But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing. And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.” And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.” (22:21–38)

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, trouble has defined this fallen world. After the fall God declared to Adam,

Job 5:7 notes that “man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward,” while Job 14:1 adds, “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil” (cf. 3:1–16). After Solomon’s “wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God” (1 Kings 11:4), he came to view life as troublesome and futile:

The history of redemption is the story of God triumphing over trouble, overcoming sin and evil to achieve His glorious salvation purposes. He does not require a perfect world to accomplish His perfect ends, but will bring them to pass in an imperfect one, despite the strength of His enemies, and the weakness of His friends.

The Bible establishes that God is the ultimate sovereign and able to accomplish all His plans both in spite of and through fallen beings—both saints and sinners. In Deuteronomy 32:39 He declared, “See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; it is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.” In Isaiah 46:9–10 He said, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’” Hannah praised God because He

David also extolled God’s absolute sovereignty:

In Psalm 115:3 the psalmist wrote, “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” “The Lord has made everything for its own purpose,” Solomon noted, “even the wicked for the day of evil” (Prov. 16:4). “Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass,” asked Jeremiah rhetorically, “unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?” (Lam. 3:37–38; cf. Job 2:10; Isa. 45:5–7; Amos 3:6).

God allows evil that opposes His purposes so that He may in triumphing over it display His glory. By permitting evil, God is able to display His righteousness in contrast to sin. Allowing evil also demonstrates His amazing love toward wicked and utterly unworthy sinners. God’s love for His enemies reached its apex when Christ laid down His life for their eternal salvation from hell (Rom. 5:6–8). Even the most evil act in history, the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ, was ordained by God (Isa. 53:10; Acts 2:23; 4:27–28), to fulfill His gracious plan for the everlasting blessing of His chosen enemies.

As the Son of God approached the triumph of the cross and resurrection, He was engulfed in severe tribulation from all sides. The assaults came from Judas, the apostles, Satan, Peter, and the unbelieving world.

TROUBLE AND TRIUMPH WITH THE BETRAYER

But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing. (22:21–23)

The setting was still the upper room on Thursday evening of Passion Week. Jesus had just finished celebrating the final Passover meal and inaugurated the first Lord’s Supper with the apostles when He stunned them by saying, “Behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table.” The strong exclamation behold introduces something surprising and shocking. The disciples, of course, knew that the Jewish leaders hated Jesus and wanted Him dead; they had observed that firsthand over the years of His ministry. They also knew that during Passion Week He had avoided being prematurely seized by those leaders by mingling with the crowds during the day and withdrawing to the Mount of Olives at night. The disciples were aware of the steps that had been taken to keep the location of this Passover celebration secret. All but Judas Iscariot expected Jesus to be out of danger in that place of security, surrounded only by His innermost circle of apostles.

However, as the present tense of the Greek participle translated betraying reveals, the danger was imminent and already in progress. Satan had previously entered Judas (Luke 22:3) and put it into his heart to betray the Lord (John 13:2), so that he had already cut a deal with the Jewish leaders (Luke 22:4–5). He was ready for the moment of opportunity he had been seeking (Luke 22:6) to actually hand Jesus over to them, but he was trapped in that room, feeling unable to leave without giving himself away.

Judas’s treachery did not escape the omniscient Lord, who knew from the beginning who the traitor was (John 6:70–71). That the hand of the one betraying Jesus was with His on the table made Judas’s crime all the more heinous and despicable. Eating with someone symbolized security, peace, friendship, and loyalty. For a person to betray someone with whom he had eaten a meal (let alone many meals) was unthinkable. Yet, that was exactly what Psalm 41:9 predicted would happen when Judas betrayed Jesus: “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”

Unbelieving critics who see Judas as the anti-hero who brought Jesus down, ending His noble effort at Jewish renewal, ignore this prophecy. They view the resurrection as a fiction produced by the apostles’ imagination. Thus, for them His death was the end of everything. Jesus, they argue, never expected or planned for the terminal trouble Judas caused Him.

But they could not be more wrong. Indeed, the Son of Man (a messianic title taken from Dan. 7:13 that Jesus frequently applied to Himself) would go to His death as it had been determined—but not by Judas, the Jewish leaders, the Romans, Herod, or Pilate. Jesus would die “by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23; cf. 4:24–28). Judas, acting like an atheist, foolishly imagined that he was operating freely, according to his own will for his own benefit. But no one acts independent of the sovereign plan and purpose of God, who overrules every human act or decision for His own ends and glory.

Jesus’ death should have come as no surprise, since it was also predicted in the Old Testament. He is the suffering servant whose biography and death are the subject of Isaiah 53; the crucified one spoken of in Psalm 22; the pierced one foretold in Zechariah 12:10; and the true Passover lamb pictured by all the lambs sacrificed in the Old Testament sacrificial system. Jesus did not go to the cross because of Judas or the machinations of human agents, but so that the Word of God would be fulfilled (Matt. 26:54; Luke 24:44).

But although Judas acted in consistency with God’s sovereign will, he was nevertheless fully responsible for his actions. Jesus said of him, “woe (damned, cursed, consigned to hell) to that man by whom He is betrayed!” Judas chose to do what he did and is fully culpable for that choice. This is another example of the interface between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. It is only an apparent paradox, not an actual one, which faith accepts while reason rejects. Human reason is finite and cannot fully comprehend the infinite mind of God (Rom. 11:33). But faith humbly accepts what God’s Word reveals, even if the human mind lacks the capacity to understand it.

Judas had been present during the Passover meal, celebrating God’s redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt. He had also heard Jesus declare that from now on His body and blood given on the cross will be the new symbol of redemption. But his hypocrisy was so deep-seated, his heart so hardened, that he was unmoved by those realities or anything else that was said that evening. When Jesus announced that one of those present would betray Him, all the disciples “began to say to Him, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’” (Matt. 26:22). Instead of keeping quiet and not drawing attention to himself, the emboldened hypocrite “Judas, who was betraying Him, said, ‘Surely it is not I, Rabbi?’” along with the rest (v. 26). He continued his hard-hearted hypocrisy to the end, when “Jesus [privately] said to him, ‘You have said it yourself,’” and then eventually dismissed him (cf. John 13:27–30).

Unlike Judas, however, the rest of the disciples were deeply troubled at the thought of betrayal. They understood their weakness and realized the possibility that their own doubting, vacillating hearts could be capable of such treachery. So convincing was Judas’s hypocrisy that the disciples suspected themselves rather than him. With that barest self-doubt, they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing. Not coming to any conclusion, Peter signaled to John to ask Jesus who the betrayer was (John 13:24), to which the Lord replied, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him” (v. 26). Evidently only John heard Jesus’ reply, because even “when He had dipped the morsel, [and given] it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot” (v. 26) and then dismissed him (v. 27), the rest of the disciples still did not realize that Judas was the betrayer (vv. 28–29).

TROUBLE AND TRIUMPH WITH THE APOSTLES

And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (22:24–30)

Jesus was genuinely and profoundly agitated with grief over Judas’s betrayal. As I wrote in an earlier volume in this series,

The disciples, however, were oblivious to the Lord’s grief, and focused instead on the matter of who was the betrayer. But that discussion soon degenerated into the familiar long-running, selfish dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest (cf. 9:46–48; Matt. 18:1–5; Mark 10:35–45). Instead of showing sympathy to the Lord, the disciples again manifested pride, and ambition. Considering that this was the night before the cross, this may have been their most humiliating and disappointing moment.

The disciples’ eschatology was correct; there would be an earthly messianic kingdom in which they would hold places of honor (Matt. 19:28). But they still failed to understand that before the establishing of that kingdom in the distant future (cf. the exposition of Luke 21:5–36 in chapters 17–23 of this volume), there would be suffering, beginning with their Messiah’s own death on the cross.

Instead of a stern rebuke, however, Jesus’ response to His disciples was gracious, kind, and gentle. He loved them to the infinite capacity of divine love (John 13:1), even though they were often so troubling to Him. The introductory phrase, And He said to them, appears seven times in Luke’s account of the upper room, stressing the Lord’s emphasis on teaching (cf. John 13–17). His instruction to the disciples contains three elements.

First, He pointed them to a familiar principle. The world operates on the basis of autocratic power, dominance, and dictatorship; the kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called “Benefactors” (i.e., people of influence. The Greek word was often used as a title of honor for prominent public leaders).

But that is not the way the kingdom operates. Instead, the one who is the greatest … must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. Leaders in the kingdom are not to dominate others by force, intimidation, or fear, nor boast because of their position or influence. Those who are truly great in the kingdom will be humble. They will be like the youngest, who were the least honored people in Jewish society, since honor was associated with age. Opposite from acting like a worldly dictator, a leader in God’s kingdom will be a servant (cf. Matt. 20:26–27).

To further illustrate that truth, Jesus posed a question, “For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves?” and then a second one giving the obvious answer: “Is it not the one who reclines at the table?” The one who reclines at the table is either a guest or the host; the one who serves is the slave who waited on him. Unquestionably, the one eating at the table is greater than the one serving. Leaders in God’s kingdom are to have the attitude of a slave and seek to serve, not to be served.

Jesus then offered Himself as the pattern for that servanthood, reminding the disciples, “I am among you as the one who serves” (cf. Matt. 20:28). The Lord was referring specifically to His washing of their feet earlier that evening:

Finally, Jesus gave them a promise. But first, He commended them for being those who had stood by Him in His trials. Despite their pride, indifference ambition, and failure to capitalize on their opportunities, the disciples (with the exception of Judas) had remained faithful to Him (cf. John 6:66–69).

Because of their faithfulness, Jesus declared to them, “Just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom (the messianic kingdom, which had been postponed, but not cancelled) I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” At the culmination of redemptive history, the apostles (including Matthias; Acts 1:15–26) will be rewarded. They will be the most honored and noble guests, seated at Christ’s own table in His earthly kingdom, and granted rule over the twelve tribes of Israel (cf. Matt. 19:27–28). Although in a few hours they all would abandon Christ and flee in panic, and Peter would verbally deny Him multiple times, they all would be restored. It would then be their privilege and honor to proclaim the gospel, beginning the proclamation of the good news of salvation to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:19–20).

TROUBLE AND TRIUMPH WITH THE DEVIL

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; (22:31–32a)

Jesus triumphed over trouble with a human enemy in Judas, and with His human friends, the apostles. He also triumphed over the trouble caused by His supernatural adversary Satan. The setting is still the upper room, as is John’s description of this conversation between the Lord and Peter (13:31–38). Matthew (26:30–35) and Mark (14:26–31) record a similar conversation that took place later on the Mount of Olives. Only Luke notes that Satan demanded permission to sift the disciples (the pronoun translated you is plural). Exaiteō (demanded) appears only here in the New Testament. It is an intensified form of the verb aiteō, which means “to ask.” The verb is reflexive, indicating that Satan was demanding Peter and the rest for himself.

Though he continually assaults believers (as he did Paul; cf. 2 Cor. 12:7; 1 Thess. 2:18; 2 Cor. 2:11), the devil can operate only within the parameters and limitations established by God, and hence needed His permission to attack the disciples (cf. Job 1:6–12; 2:1–6; Zech. 3:1–5).

What the devil intended to do with them was sift them like wheat. When wheat was harvested, the wheat and the chaff were shaken and tossed into the air. The wind would blow away the lighter chaff, leaving behind the good grain. Satan wanted to violently shake the disciples to see if their faith remained. He would assault them with a severe trial a short time later in Gethsemane, which, in fulfillment of Zechariah 13:7, would cause them to forsake Jesus and flee.

But the disciples’ defection would not be permanent. After Christ’s resurrection, they would be restored and meet Him in Galilee (Matt. 26:32). Their restoration from temporary fear was guaranteed by the Lord’s promise, “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail” (or be eclipsed; cf. Luke 23:45). Jesus, their great high priest, continually intercedes for believers (Heb. 7:25; cf. Rom. 8:33–34; Jude 24–25 and the example of His intercessory praying in John 17:6–19), and His prayers are always answered, since He always prays according to God’s will. The saving faith of Peter and the other apostles was the genuine gift of God, and, like Job’s faith, Satan’s best efforts would not destroy it.

TROUBLE AND TRIUMPH WITH PETER

and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.” (22:32b–34)

Satan had been assaulting Peter, at least as far back as his foolish attempt to dissuade Jesus from going to the cross (Matt. 16:22–23). Despite having given him the name Peter (Mark 3:16), Jesus almost always addressed him as Simon, the lone exception being here in verse 34. Since Peter so often acted like his old self, Jesus usually addressed him by his old name. The twofold intensive repetition, Simon, Simon, reveals pathos, disappointment, and sadness on the Lord’s part over his behavior.

Unfazed by Jesus’ warning, Peter brashly declared, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” His overconfident bravado expressed a sincere love for the Lord. But it was based on the assumption that Jesus would be present, as the prepositional phrase with You indicates. Since Peter had witnessed firsthand countless examples of Christ’s limitless power, he was sure he could withstand anything, as long as Jesus was there. That confidence was revealed a few hours later in Gethsemane, when he fearlessly took on the force sent to arrest Jesus. Confident in his Lord’s power to rescue him, Peter evidently intended to hack his way through the entire detachment, if necessary, beginning with the high priest’s slave (22:50).

Shortly afterward, however, away from Christ’s presence in the high priest’s courtyard, Peter would cringe in cowardly fear and deny his Lord (Luke 22:54–62), fulfilling Jesus’ warning, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

Peter eventually would be imprisoned (Acts 12:3–11) and later executed. According to tradition, he was crucified upside down because he declared himself unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord. Despite his denial under the threat of the events surrounding Jesus’ arrest, Peter’s faith would not ultimately fail. When he was turned around by divine grace, he would be able to strengthen his brothers. Having been through such an unusual temptation and trial and experienced the enduring character of saving faith, Peter would be able to strengthen and encourage others. He could gratefully tell them that Christ upheld, restored, and commissioned him (John 21:15–19; cf. 1 Peter 1:3–9). Peter would later write his first epistle as a revelation from the Holy Spirit to strengthen others in their trials. His recovery demonstrates the indestructible power of the saving faith that God graciously grants to His own.

TROUBLE AND TRIUMPH FROM THE HOSTILE WORLD

And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.” (22:35–38)

The final source of trouble over which the Lord will triumph is the hostile world of unbelievers, who reject God and serve Satan. Trouble from the world would fall first on the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and after His resurrection and ascension, it would be extended to His followers, beginning with the apostles.

The phrase and He said appears seven times in verses 10 to 38, indicating the emphasis Jesus put on teaching during this final time with the disciples before His death. He began by reminding them of the generally favorable reception they had received on previous preaching tours. “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals,” He asked them, “you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” Because people had opened their homes to them, the apostles had not needed to provide for themselves (Luke 9:3–4; cf. 10:1–8).

Being welcomed by Jewish society (and even some Gentiles) reinforced their view that all was on track for the arrival of the messianic kingdom (cf. Luke 19:11). Despite Jesus’ teaching on Wednesday evening that His return and the establishing of His kingdom would not happen until the distant future, the disciples still clung stubbornly to their imbedded ideas. Even after Christ’s resurrection they still expected Him to immediately establish His kingdom (Acts 1:6).

Jesus’ words But now signal that things will be different in the future. His arrest and death would trigger persecution of His followers, because having rejected Christ, the nation would no longer welcome His disciples. Instead, they would be hated and persecuted—just as Jesus had warned them (9:23–24; 12:11–12; 14:26–33; cf. Matt. 5:10; John 15:18–25; 16:1–4, 33; 2 Tim. 3:12).

Because from now on they would have to supply their own needs, Jesus told them, “Whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag.” Since the people would be hostile toward them, they would have to provide for and protect themselves; hence the Lord’s command, “Whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.” The reference is figurative, and not to an actual sword. When Peter attacked the high priest’s slave with a sword, Jesus said, “Stop! No more of this” (22:51). Nor is there any record in Acts of the apostles using force to defend themselves.

As was the case with the trouble He faced from Judas, the apostles, Satan, and Peter, Jesus and His people will also triumph over the hostile world. The hatred that Christ and His followers would face did not come as a surprise to Him, but was the direct fulfillment of Scripture. The Lord made that clear by bracketing His quote of Isaiah 53:12 with the statements, “this which is written must be fulfilled in Me” and “for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment” (there are at least five other New Testament references to Jesus fulfilling Isaiah 53 [Matt. 8:17; John 12:38; Acts 8:32–33; Rom. 10:16; 1 Peter 2:22]).

That He was numbered with transgressors does not refer to Christ’s being crucified with two criminals, or associating with sinners during His earthly ministry. It refers specifically to His death in the place of sinners (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:10–13; 1 Peter 2:24). The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah teaches that God categorized Jesus as a transgressor and then punished Him as a substitute for sinners. That thought is repeated in different forms twenty times in the chapter, and thus this statement quoted by the Lord summarizes the entire chapter.

Isaiah 53 records the lament of penitent Jews in the future, who will recognize that Israel had killed the Messiah (cf. Zech. 12:10). They will realize that He died as a substitute for them, punished by God for their sins. They will recognize Him as the scarred substitute (Isa. 52:14; 53:2–3), the suffering substitute (vv. 4–6), the submissive substitute (vv. 7–9), and the sovereign substitute (vv. 10–12).

Although Christ would triumph over the hostile world, the faltering apostles could not be sure that they would. Therefore they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” Jesus’ reply, “It is enough,” meaning “Enough of that kind of talk,” indicates that the disciples’ future protection would not depend on them, but on God, who would empower and guard them (John 14:12–18, 23, 25–27; 15:16; 16:7, 12–15, 23, 24, 26, 27, 32, 33; cf. Jesus’ prayer in John 17:6–26).