Up to this point in the Life-study of Luke we have covered four main sections of this Gospel: the introduction (1:1-4), the preparation of the Man-Savior in His humanity with His divinity (1:5—4:13), the ministry of the Man-Savior in His human virtues with His divine attributes (4:14—19:27), and the Man-Savior’s presentation of Himself to death for redemption (19:28—22:46). In this message we come to the fifth main section of Luke—the death of the Man-Savior (22:47—23:56). In this section we see that the Lord was arrested (22:47-65), judged (22:66—23:25), crucified (23:26-49), and buried (23:50-56).
After 22:46 everything was prepared for the death of the Man-Savior. Both the place and the time were right. It was the exact year, month, and even day for Him to die.
The death of the Man-Savior began with His being arrested. When the Lord Jesus came to the Garden of Gethsemane, He realized that He would be arrested there. Nevertheless, just as He took the initiative to go from Galilee to Jerusalem, He took the initiative to go to the Garden of Gethsemane. Of course, the eleven disciples did not know what was happening. However, the Man-Savior knew what He was doing and what steps He was taking. He went to the place where He would be delivered to those who were coming to arrest Him and put Him to death.
When the Lord Jesus was arrested, three categories of people were around Him: those who arrested Him, His disciples, and those who judged Him. The ones who arrested the Man-Savior were evil religionists. They were religious, but they were false, hypocritical, and filled with deceit. They were not worthy to be categorized with those who are merely natural or in the old creation. They were actually evil, false, and deceitful.
The second category of people around the Lord Jesus when He was arrested consisted of His followers. The disciples had a good intention, but they were altogether in the natural realm. Here we do not see any sign that they were in the spiritual realm; rather, they were in the old creation. In a sense, they partook of the loaf and the cup. But even after doing so they contended which of them was the greatest. By this we see how natural they were. Furthermore, when the Lord Jesus told them that they would be stumbled, Peter rose up to deny it: “Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death” (22:33). Moreover, when the Lord told the disciples to be prepared to face the situation, they thought that it was necessary for them to buy swords to fight. Therefore, the Lord said to them, “It is enough” (22:38).
Because the disciples were in the natural life, they were not able to understand what the Man-Savior was telling them. When the Lord was about to be arrested, “those around Him, seeing what was about to happen, said, Lord, shall we strike with a sword? And a certain one of them struck the slave of the high priest and took off his right ear” (22:49-50). Here we see that the disciples immediately resisted. Peter took the lead to take up a sword, but the Lord stopped them, saying, “Let them go this far! And touching the ear, He healed him” (v. 51). The words, “Let them go this far,” may mean, “Let them arrest Me at this time.”
After the Man-Savior was arrested, “Peter was following at a distance” (v. 54b). This is an indication that Peter would deny the Lord. Peter then sat with a number of others by the fire that was kindled in the middle of the courtyard (v. 55). This is another indication that he was about to deny the Lord. Verses 56 and 57 say, “And a certain servant girl, seeing him seated facing the light of the fire, and looking intently at him, said, This man also was with him. But he denied, saying, I do not know Him, woman!” After Peter denied the Lord two more times, a cock crowed, and “the Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him that before a cock crows today, you will deny Me three times” (vv. 60-61). Then Peter went outside and wept bitterly (v. 62).
We know from the other Gospels that the other disciples were scattered. From this we see that the Man-Savior’s followers were natural; they were in the old creation. It is no wonder it was necessary for them to be brought to the cross, terminated, and replaced. Because they were in the old creation, they could not enjoy the jubilee. Knowing what they needed, the Lord brought them with Him to the cross so that they could be terminated and replaced.
Let us consider more fully those who arrested the Man-Savior. While He was still speaking to His disciples, Judas drew near to Him to kiss Him (v. 47). “But Jesus said to him, Judas, are you delivering up the Son of Man with a kiss?” (v. 48). After pointing out to Judas that he was delivering up the Son of Man by kissing Him in a false way, the Lord said to the chief priests, officers of the temple, and elders who had come up against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber? While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not stretch out your hands against Me; but this is your hour and the authority of darkness” (vv. 52-53). The God-forsaking and God-offending opposers, afraid of the people who had warmly welcomed the Man-Savior and were gladdened by His speaking (Mark 12:37), dared not arrest Him in the daytime or in a public place like the temple. Instead, they arrested Him subtly in the deep night, as though arresting a robber (Luke 22:52). Here the Lord seemed to be saying to them, “Why didn’t you arrest Me while I was teaching in the temple? Why do you come at night instead of in the day, and why do you arrest Me in a private place? You arrest Me in this way because you are afraid of the people. You know that if you tried to arrest Me in the temple, the people would stone you. Nevertheless, now is your hour and the authority of darkness.”
The Man-Savior was not afraid of being arrested. On the contrary, He was bold to face the situation, and He even rebuked the falsehood of those who arrested Him. Actually, the Lord was not arrested; He gave Himself over to those who arrested Him. If He had not done this, who could have arrested Him? According to John 18:4, the Lord Jesus asked them whom they were seeking. When they answered Him that they were seeking Jesus the Nazarene, “He said to them, I am” (v. 5). The record in John goes on to tell us that when “He said to them, I am, they drew back and fell to the ground” (v. 6). This indicates that they did not actually arrest the Man-Savior, but that He willingly allowed them to arrest Him.
As we read Luke 22:47—23:56, we need to realize who it was who was arrested, judged, and crucified. The One arrested was the very God, God in a man. This means that God was arrested by His creatures, and even arrested in a way of falsehood. Should not the just and righteous God have judged them immediately? But instead of judging them, He tolerated them. He accepted being arrested in order to accomplish redemption both for His followers and for those who arrested Him.
In 22:63 we are told that the men who were holding the Man-Savior “mocked Him, beating Him.” Then we see that “blindfolding Him, they questioned Him, saying, Prophesy! Who is it that hit you? And they said many other things against Him, blaspheming” (vv. 64-65). The One they were mocking, beating, and blaspheming was the God-man; the One who suffered this was God in a man. If we keep this point in mind as we read this chapter, we shall be deeply impressed that it was the God-man who was blindfolded and blasphemed.