The Unseen Hand: Divine Providence In The Last Supper Series

At the beginning of January, several of us traveled to Louisville, KY for CrossCon - a missions oriented conference for your adults. Incidentally, we are planning on going again this next year (St. Louis, MO). Young adults, I’d love for you to join me. At the conference John Piper gave a talk entitled “Hoping in the Meticulous Providence of God” in which he said something about the Providence or Sovereignty of God that hit home to me in a startling and even shocking way.

“You are immortal until God ordains your end.”

That was not his main point, but it was something that struck me. Of course, Piper laid out a biblical and clear argument discussing why we should hope in the Providence or Sovereignty of God.

He defined providence as “purposeful sovereignty.” This doctrine essentially states that if God is all-knowing, then He knows what will happen and even ordains what will happen so that His will is accomplished.

So what! What does this have to do with our passage for today?

As I was studying, I was struck by one seemingly passing comment that Jesus makes.

Luke 22:22 ESV

For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”

We’ll see the context for this in just a moment, but if you look at that statement you can see the Providence of God.

Who determined what will happen to the Son of Man? God.

And yet Jesus was going to be betrayed by one of His disciples. Who determined that? God.

At the same time, the betrayer bears responsibility for his own actions.

There are parts of the doctrine of the Providence or Sovereignty of God that can leave us feeling a bit uneasy. Does this mean that God ordains evil so that good can come? I think the answer the Scripture reveals is - yes.

We can see it in Joseph’s being sold into slavery and then being wrongfully accused so that God can orchestrate salvation for Jacobs family and much of the region in the face of famine (Gen. 37-47). We see a bit of that in the Exodus as God through Moses and Aaron contended with Pharoah through the plagues so that God might be glorified and His people might be freed (Exodus 4-14). We especially see it in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as God allowed Himself to be betrayed, beaten, and killed in order to demonstrate His love for you and me and His justice.

Open your Bibles to Luke 22. It’s on p. 839 in the pew Bibles.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been learning a bit about Jesus’ teaching to His disciples about the destruction of the temple and his second coming. This is the week leading up to His crucifixion - Passion week. This was also the week of one of Israel’s foundational festivals - Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Luke 22:1–23 ESV

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.