Luke 22: the importance of past error

 Luke 22

Word study:

Son of Man 3 by Jesus

Son of God 1 by others

Teacher 4; -s 2;

[Note: To Bible passages, I apply Genesis-1 perspective. I think Genesis 1:28, in the-metaphysical-Jesus perspective (JESUS), given each 1) mysterious-God, offering appreciation to human being (verb) and 2) JESUS, offering “my peace”, suggests that:  Male unites-to female human-being (noun) and their spouse-hood pursues comprehensive-safety& security to the living species and to the earth (SECURITY). Every person can& may accept personal duty to SECURITY. Some persons neglect, partially or wholly, God-appreciation, JESUS-my-peace& SECURITY.

I call Genesis-1’s message, “responsible-human-independence” or RHI. A few human-beings throughout history seemed to practice, facilitate, and encourage RHI; for example, Albert Einstein. The RHI-individuals from the past are our friends and the others, not so much. I think the authentic-Jesus practiced, facilitated, and encouraged RHI. But I don’t know the-ineluctable-truth. “Ineluctable” means: not to be avoided, changed, escaped, neglected, or resisted.

Persons appreciating contemporary human being (verb), during each generation, constitute the-metaphysical-Jesus I advocate. In other words, I attribute to JESUS the civic-appreciation that human being (verb) applied “before Abraham was born” and since then. Given the question, “Was Jesus a man?”, my response, “I don’t know yet value JESUS”, seems sufficient& complete to my person. There’s joy in accepting that I don’t know, seeking ineluctable-evidence, and reserving humility.

It seems the-laws-of-physics (PHYSICS) constrains the consequences of each person’s choices. I choose to accept God’s appreciation and pursue JESUS’ “my-peace”, in order to commit-to and trust-in PHYSICS. For example, I work for food& shelter rather than accept what a bureaucrat might provide. I work to aid SECURITY rather than pray for human-duty usurpation.]

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

22 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, ² and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people [Civic-citizens have not accepted that legislators best not come from the elites of religion or of the-law. Priests and lawyers can& may choose to aid pursuit of civic-integrity – choose to join civic-citizens.]. ³ Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. ⁴ And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. ⁵ They were delighted and agreed to give him money. ⁶ He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. [According to “render unto Caesar . . .”, betrayal of the chief magistrate is no less offensive:  a Vice-president ought not “lawyer out” of his oath to the Commander-in-Chief, running mate, and the civic-people.]

The Last Supper

⁷ Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed [This is a religious ceremony that has no impact on the-ineluctable-truth, which Jesus pursued with the people. See John 18:37.]. ⁸ Jesus sent Peter and John [Interestingly, it does not say “the one he loved”. Apparently, Luke was not privy to that competition.], saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

⁹ “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.

¹⁰ He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, ¹¹ and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher [I’d like to think this is how Jesus viewed himself. I’ll monitor for other claims attributed to him, like “Son of Man”.] asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹² He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”

¹³ They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

¹⁴ When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from 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 given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. ²¹ But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. ²² The Son of Man [How does this claim comport to “Teacher” in V. 10?] will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays [I view this as caution against any betrayal.] him!” ²³ They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.

²⁴ A dispute also arose among them [the disciples] as to which of them was considered to be greatest. ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. [I do not trust this divisive thought as from Jesus, but as the doctor’s opinion.] ²⁶ But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest [This reminds me of Kahlil Gibran’s directive that the older generation cannot imagine the actual-reality their youth must manage; see “On Children”. However, in 2022, the youth seem to dependency, and I can’t imagine who will support their future and their children’s futures. I’m not sure Gibran’s God expected dependency.], and the one who rules like the one who serves [This reminds me of Genesis 1:28’s suggestion that human being (verb) accepts responsibility for order& prosperity on earth.]. ²⁷ For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. ²⁸ You are those who have stood by me in my trials. ²⁹ And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, ³⁰ so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [I accept Luke’s confusion in V 27-30 and am unable to relate it to the actually-real Jesus, mysterious as that may be. I understand server and served as fellow-citizens, but cannot grasp “my table in my kingdom” and “twelve tribes of Israel” when one judge is a betrayer.]

³¹ “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail [Once trust-in& commitment-to Jesus is established, it is difficult for me to conceive that it can fail. Jesus is reliable. Dependency can fail, but faith cannot. Luke doesn’t get my point.]. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

³³ But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

³⁴ Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

³⁵ Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”

“Nothing,” they answered.

³⁶ He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. ³⁷ It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

³⁸ The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”

“That’s enough!” he replied. [Squabbles with the Jews misrepresent Jesus, I think.]

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

³⁹ Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. ⁴⁰ On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” ⁴¹ He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ⁴² “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” ⁴³ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. ⁴⁴ And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

⁴⁵ When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. ⁴⁶ “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” [Squabbles with the Jews misrepresent Jesus, I think.]

Jesus Arrested

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, ⁴⁸ but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

⁴⁹ When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” ⁵⁰ And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

⁵¹ But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

⁵² Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? ⁵³ Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”

Squabbles with the Jews misrepresent Jesus, I think.]

Peter Disowns Jesus

⁵⁴ Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. ⁵⁵ And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. ⁵⁶ A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

⁵⁷ But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

⁵⁸ A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”

“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.

⁵⁹ About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”

⁶⁰ Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹ The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” ⁶² And he went outside and wept bitterly.

[It is important to appreciate Jesus. The-ineluctable-truth may rightfully emerge as the key to comprehensive-safety& security to humankind, and if so, it can be credited to Jesus.]

The Guards Mock Jesus

⁶³ The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. ⁶⁴ They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” ⁶⁵ And they said many other insulting things to him.

Jesus Before Pilate and Herod

⁶⁶ At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. ⁶⁷ “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”

Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, ⁶⁸ and if I asked you, you would not answer. ⁶⁹ But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” [Why “the might God” and why “from now on” rather than “I am”.]

⁷⁰ They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”

He replied, “You say that I am.”

⁷¹ Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.” [This is bait and switch reference. Jesus said “That’s what you say.”]