Palm Sunday, Passion Sunday, Year C. Series

“Here are two swords,” offered His disciples. Jesus dismissed the subject: “It is enough.” His mind was already moving forward to the place of prayer, known to us as Gethsemane, ‘the place of pressing.’ It is good for us to resort to prayer, especially in what we might term, ‘times of pressing’ (Luke 22:38-39).

When He reached the garden, He exhorted His disciples to “Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” Then He withdrew from them and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done” (Luke 22:40-42). It was in a garden that Adam first fell, and now it was in a garden that the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5), the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) willingly submitted to the will of His heavenly Father.

Luke alone mentions the angel in the garden, strengthening Jesus. This proves that, whilst Jesus is fully God, He is also fully man. Now, as man, He was sore pressed, and in an agony, sweating great drops of blood which fell to the ground. When He arose from prayer, He found His disciples “sleeping for sorrow,” and He aroused them, reiterating that they should “pray, lest ye enter into temptation” (Luke 22:43-46).

Fortified with prayer, Jesus remained in control as a multitude, led by Judas Iscariot, came to arrest Him. “Judas,” asked Jesus as the traitor drew near, “do you betray the Son of man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:47-48).

“Shall we smite with the sword?” begged the misplaced zeal of the other disciples, and one of them smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear. Jesus could have escaped in the fuss, but would not. Instead, compassionate as ever, and probably unasked, Jesus healed the man’s ear. “Do you come out as against a thief with swords and staves?” Jesus asked the temple police. “But this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:49-53).

(II). FROM THE DENIAL BY PETER TO THE CONDEMNATION OF JESUS.

Luke 22:54-71; Luke 23:1-12.

LUKE 22:54-62. After Jesus’ arrest, the temple police took our Lord to the high priest’s house, “and Peter followed afar off” (Luke 22:54). It was here that Peter denied Jesus, three times, as Jesus had warned him would happen (cf. Luke 22:34).

There were several factors which caught Peter off guard. First, there was SELF-CONFIDENCE (cf. Luke 22:33). Second, SLEEPING IN A TIME OF PRAYER (cf. Luke 22:45). Third, KEEPING AT A DISTANCE FROM JESUS (Luke 22:54). Fourth, UNSYMPATHETIC COMPANY (Luke 22:55).

This all culminated in the cowardly sin of denying Jesus, not just once, but three times. The third time, while Peter was yet speaking, the cock crowed - and “the Lord turned and looked upon Peter” and “Peter went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:61-62). These things are written, no doubt, to remind us to remain steadfast in the faith.

Now I do not imagine for one minute that Jesus’ look was one of condemnation, and certainly not some kind of sanctimonious ‘I told you so’ attitude. We can be sure that, despite all that our Lord was going through Himself, He was still in complete control of the situation, even yet pouring out His love and compassion to bring salvation to a lost world. Jesus had PRAYED for His servant, that his faith would not ultimately fail, and had also indicated that he would yet be ‘converted’ (cf. Luke 22:32).