Our text this morning is found in the Gospel of Luke. As we are making our way through the Gospel of Luke, we are actually in verse 47 through 53 Luke, chapter 22 beginning in verse 47 to 53 and let us go to the Lord in prayer, asking for his blessing upon His Word. Let's pray, Lord, we thank You that You are a God that speaks.
You're not a silent God that you have given us your word that is living and breathing. It is sharper than any two edged sword. And Lord, I pray, like a master surgeon, you would have your way with us this morning, that you would cut out and remove all those things that are not pleasing to you, all those things that do not glorify You, Lord, that You would sear them from us. And Lord, I pray that you will give us ears to hear this morning. Give us eyes to behold the Lord Jesus Christ.
Give us hearts to receive your Word. Lord. Bless your people.
We pray in Jesus's name. Amen, if you'd please stand for the reading of God's Word. Luke, chapter 22, one, two, beginning in verse 47 while he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the 12, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we strike with the sword? And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, No more of this, and he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come out against him, have you come out against a robber with swords and clubs when I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me, but this is your hour and the power of darkness. He who has ears, let him hear the Word of God. Please be seated. If you were here last week, you remember that Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, and he goes to that garden, knowing that Judas is in the midst of betraying him, and he goes to the place that is his custom to go, as the text tells us, and it will make finding Jesus all that much easier, because Judas knows where Jesus will be praying in the garden, as was his custom. Now, if you remember also from last week, the father had placed a cup before Jesus. It's a different cup than will be placed before you this morning, but Jesus was put in front of him a cup of cursing, a cup of God's wrath, a cup filled with all the sins of all of God's people. And Jesus has freely taken that cup to himself, and he is going to now take that cup all the way to the cross and bear your sins and from the garden forward for Jesus, there is just now wave after wave of suffering. For Jesus, there is but wave after wave of torment. For Jesus, there is wave after wave of being forsaken and betrayed until the wave of death will overtake him. And here in our text, Jesus enters as we see the hour and the power of darkness.
And he does this again, willingly that you and I might be called out of darkness into His marvelous light. Jesus does this for you because you and I once were not a people, but in Jesus, you and I are now God's people. Jesus does this for you and me, because once we had not received mercy, but in Jesus Christ, we receive mercy. I wanted to just work through our text and try to structure it in a way that can make sense. And I think the best way to do that is there are really three questions posed in this hour of darkness.
There's a question that is posed to. Judas, there is a question that is posed to Jesus, and then there's a question that is posed to the crowd, and that's how we're going to work our way through this text considering these questions. First, we have this question that is posed to Judas, verse 47 as our text begins while he was still speaking. This is while Jesus is in the garden. He's speaking to His disciples. There comes a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the 12 were called, was leading them. Now it's important to notice that Luke has mentioned this phrase, Judas one of the 12 three times, very recently, Judas one of the 12.
Judas one of the 12. And why is Luke repeating that for us?
Well, it's to be a reminder that Judas is one of Jesus's closest friends. Judas is part of Jesus' inner circle. It's a reminder that Judas was one of the 12 that was divinely empowered to preach the gospel, heal disease and cast out demons. Remember when Jesus said one of you will betray me, they all point at them themselves and say, isn't me. They all don't go we know it's Judas because he never preached the gospel. We know it's Judas because Jesus, we've been casting out demons, and he's the only one that can't do it, that they're looking at themselves. He's one of the 12.
He's been present for all of Jesus's teachings, but we've been in Luke now over two years.
And Judas has been with Jesus longer, and he has seen every single miracle of Jesus. He's heard every warning from Jesus about money. He's heard every warning and proclamation from Jesus about the Kingdom of God is at hand. He's heard Jesus tell his his the crowds and his the other disciples to love your enemies. And he's heard that Jesus can forgive sins. And Jesus has shown Judas time and time again, through miracles and His teaching that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God. But some point, we don't know where, some point along the way, Judas has grown hate and bitterness in his heart for Jesus. Maybe it's as they were coming into Jerusalem, and he comes in on a donkey, and he realizes that that Jesus is not the Messiah that I wanted. I wanted the conquering king, not not a lowly Messiah. I want a victorious Messiah. This is not what I signed up for, Jesus. But I want you to notice something in all of the biblical narrative of Judas, that there is not one single time Judas ever says anything about his misgivings.
You notice that there's not one single time that that Judas presents his disagreement, really, with Jesus and who he is. Judas never goes. We never have the text that says, you know Jesus, I have been following you, but we need to talk. I'm not sure about this whole Messiah thing. I'm not sure that you are the one who the Old Testament is prophesying about. I'm not sure that I'm the one that should be following you anymore. We never have anything like that, do we? In fact, we have what Judas continues to do is disguise his feelings, and he continues to play the part. He continues to go through this religious motions, but pretending to be a friend of Christ, even to the very end, betraying Jesus was easier than confessing to Jesus that he was a hypocrite. It was easier for Judas to betray Jesus rather than go to Jesus and confess his sins to Jesus. And I think that reveals something about Judas, and I think that might also reveal something about our own hearts, in the disposition of our own hearts. You know what that is confessing our sins is hard. It's a reminder that we too like to stay in darkness.
We too don't like to be in the light and to confess where we have gone wrong. Now Judas. His name has become an associated with betrayal. But is Judas the worst of sinners? I think Judas is actually just a representative of all who oppose God. Every man would do what Judas does. Every man would betray God and seek to put him to death if given the opportunity. Judas is like many who would happily exchange the Lamb of God for a little bit of money. And what we see Judas is sins. Is really his sins are self reliance and and greed, rather than submission to Jesus, self reliance and greed and not submitting to Jesus. And doesn't that just sound like what's all around us today and even in in the disposition maybe of our own hearts? I don't think Judas is just some great mastermind sinner. He's a common man. He's a common sinner, and here he draws near to Jesus to kiss him, and the kiss is more than just a handshake of it's more than just a common greeting. This was a sign, a gesture, a friendship, as Psalm two talks about kissing the sun, but in Psalm two, it's a kissing of of humility, of submission to God. And what?
What did God give us lips to do?
What did God create you with lips for the purpose of but to praise Him, to worship him. But Judas uses his lips in a perverted way and uses them to betray Jesus. It was the pre arranged sign to identify Jesus as the man to take away. And Judas here gives a kiss of death. There's no humility, and there's no submission to Christ.
And verse 48 here's the question, Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? I think it's important that Jesus is calling Judas again by name, giving yet one more, one last opportunity to Jews Judas to repent, to turn from his sins. Are you sure you want to be doing this? Judas, do you see what you're doing? How you're not just betraying a friend, you're but you're betraying the calls of Christ.
You're betraying the Messiah of God. You're betraying the prophet of God's people, you're betraying the priest of God's people. You're betraying the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Judas. Do you want to do this?
Second we then see his disciples. And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we strike with the sword? Now probably the disciples had been woken up, wakened up, woken they, they have, they have. They were asleep, and now they're awake. They've been startled awake. Let me say it that way, because they've been sleeping, haven't they? They've been sleeping in the garden, and now all of a sudden, there's a crowd around them, and they're startled awake. There's a mob that's here to arrest Jesus and the disciples. They they start to understand what's happening here, and they see Judas, one of the 12, one of them, and he approaches Jesus to betray him.
Now, what do we want to do when we're betrayed? Vengeance, justice? That's what we want, and that's what they wanted to and we see that we want to give people what they think they deserve. You know, some of our favorite movies are about this, and this is what we like. And remember the classic movie Gladiator, not a promotion for or against, but you know, we want to see Maximus take out Commodus for his betrayal.
Eventually he does, spoiler alert, and they cry out to Jesus, shall we strike with the sword? Jesus? Now there's one disciple who doesn't wait for Jesus's response. They asked Jesus a question, and there's one who doesn't wait for Jesus's response. Can you guess who?
Who, who? Who's the disciple who might ask Jesus a question before allowing Jesus to respond, we'll just go into action. What was Peter? Wasn't it? Peter? Jesus, you're not fast enough in your response. A little bit quicker, Jesus, come on, be on the. All, I'm not waiting. I'm going. Peter isn't a trained swordsman either. He's a fisherman. But he's afraid. He He's panicked, and he, he's overcome with the fear of man at this moment. But if he remembered really who Jesus is, he would remember that Jesus is the last person in all of the universe that needs defending.
Remember, Jesus could have stopped everyone with a single word in Jesus, every man, woman, child, lives and moves and has been and in a word, Jesus could have taken the breath of every single one there in a moment, Jesus could have called legions upon legions upon angels to wipe everyone out and administer His justice upon sin. But he doesn't. He goes and he continues to the cross willingly. But Jesus said, No more of this. And he touched the ear and he healed him. How did Jesus tell His disciples to prepare for the establishment of the Kingdom of God? Did he say, go out and Peter, practice with your sword. Get better. Because I you really it's difficult to cut an ear off, but you're probably weren't even trying to do that. And you know, go out train with the swords. You can cut off more than a year next time No, prepare yourselves better. Get better with your swordsmanship. How had Jesus just told His disciples to prepare for the kingdom of God?
Watch and pray. That's how that's how disciples of God, disciples of Christ, are to prepare themselves for the hour of darkness. Watch and pray. You can't defeat Satan with swords anyway. Can only defeat him by faith and by resting in Christ alone. What's interesting is that the disciples, they are passive when they should have been active. Jesus tells them, watch and pray, be active in your prayer. And what did they do? Sleep. And then here they are active when they should be passive. And I think again, it's a reminder to us that it's easier to fight a little for Jesus than to endure hardness or death. For Jesus, it's harder to sit and patiently endure rather than go out in the battle for Jesus. I think it's it's easier to get politically motivated and stirred up rather than prayerfully motivated and stirred up. JC, Ryle says the sword has a lawful office of its own. It may be used righteously in the defense of nations against oppression. It may become, it may become a positively necessity, necessity to be used to prevent confusion and plunder upon the earth. But the sword is not to be used in the propagation and maintenance of the gospel. And what Jesus does is he heals now the servant's ear. And what's interesting, this is the last recorded miracle of Jesus before going to the cross. And so the last recorded miracle of Jesus loving his enemies, blessing those who curse him, but there's never a thank you. Thanks for healing my ear, Jesus, you know you didn't have to do that, but they continue to treat him like a rebel and like a robber. Jesus also heals this man's ear, not only to teach his disciples that his kingdom is not of this world, but also, the crowd is seeking a legitimate reason to arrest Jesus. If this man isn't healed, they could say, Well, Jesus is leading a violent uprising, and his followers are armed, and they're dangerous, and we have to take Jesus out for the public good, so Jesus heals him, and the crowd has no reason. Not only is Jesus not a violent man, he's healing. Now the disciples will be shaken by this, and they will flee, but they, as you know, they will not be sifted. Why? Because Jesus is praying for them that their faith would not fail, and that is our hope, too, that our faith would not fail is being lifted up by Christ, who is interceding and praying for us. And then Jesus turns to the crowd, and who is in this crowd, we're told, it's the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, and they've all come against Jesus. Are the religious leaders, and they asked Jesus a question, have you come out? Or Jesus asked them a question, have you come out against a robber with swords and clubs?
When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands upon me. You see these men, they're so cowardly that they don't arrest him during the day, they come at night to hide their evil deeds. And darkness is a picture also what's happening in their hearts, hatred toward God, and it's just a profound picture of creatures who are surrounding the creator of heaven and earth and treating him as if he is a criminal or robber. But Jesus then says, but this is your hour and the power of darkness. It seems like Satan is in power now. It seems like Satan's in control now. But Jesus's statement is telling us that this hour, which is not just 60 minutes, but a period of time when evil men will do these evil things, this time period is a fixed and limited time by God.
In fact, this hour of darkness is even under the control of God that darkness cannot have an hour or even a moment without the permission of God. As Isaiah 53 reminds us, yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him, and he has put Him to grief. In fact, Satan's hour and the power of darkness is all under God's plan to accomplish your and my salvation, and Jesus is willing to go into the darkness, willing to go to the cross. And there's a limit to this hour, and there's a limit to this power of Satan, because Jesus will go to the cross and face darkness, but he will rise again from the dead. He will bring those who were in darkness in to the light of his salvation. Jesus, here in our text, is is willing to be arrested that you might be set free from your sin and darkness and death, and Satan, he's willing to continue to go to the cross to die, That You Might Have Life. And Satan's victory will last for an hour, but God's victory in Christ will last for eternity, and that's an encouragement for us now, even in dark moments and dark hours of our own lives, it's a reminder that God hasn't lost control of that he didn't lose control in this darkest of hours. But it's a reminder that even in your dark hours, that he's in control of it all.
God is at work in devastation.
God is at work in hurricanes.
God is at work in betrayal. God is at work in death. You know, there was a man named William, William Tyndale. You might have heard of his name. He lived in the early 16th century, and his passion was to translate the Bible to English from the Greek and Hebrew text. And he sought to take advantage of a new invention called the printing press and to distribute. His goal was to distribute, now Bibles in English all over England. But at that time, it was a crime to do such a thing.
It was seen as an assault on the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. You can't give bibles to laymen, but you have to trust what the Pope says. If you give bibles to people, they're going to start interpreting themselves, and we can't have that. And so Tyndall he fled to Europe to hide where he could continue to do His work of translating the Bible. And he had a friend who he there had fellowship with and would come into his secret study where he was translating. And it was that very friend who betrayed him and gave Tyndall over to the Roman Catholic authorities. They told William to recant of his sins and his his Lutheran ways, but he didn't. And again, do you know what they did to him? They strangled him and then they burned his body for good measure, but before they did but before they did that his dying words, he prayed, and he prayed, Lord, open the king of England's eyes. Now the date of his execution recorded in Fox's book of Mark. Orders is October 6.
1536, you know what today's date is, October 6. So exactly 488 years ago today, William Tyndale died for his faith. He died that you might have a Bible sitting right in front of you. He died that we might have God's word, but he didn't know that. In fact, it wasn't until four years after his death and his torture that the Lord answered William's prayers and then the king of England then request tyndall's English translation of the Bible to then be printed and then distributed throughout all of England, fanning the flame of the Protestant Reformation.
There amazing story, but he didn't know it. But you see how God was over at all, even using pain and suffering, even his death, for the glory of God. And in our text, it's a very dark text. And how can there be victory here in this apparent defeat? Well, it's a reminder to us in this text and in our lives that God is keeping his promises and that he is saving his people through it all, and we can rest at night that knowing that Jesus sits on his throne and he will never be moved and at the name of Jesus, that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Now, all of you, all of us, we will come to our last hour. All of you will face an hour where you will draw your last breath and your eyes will close. And what will that last hour be like for you? Will you find yourself in eternal darkness? Will you find yourself in eternal light in your last hour? Will you find yourself in heaven or in hell? And this text is a reminder for us that Jesus willingly went to the cross and He suffered hell for you and me, went through the greatest of darkness that you and I might be saved and our hope, not only in this hour, but the last hour, is not in ourselves, but in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the call to for this sermon is for us to go to him, to trust in Him, and that our last hour of life will be our best hour when we are with Him, then face to face.
Let's pray, Father, we thank you for giving us your word for speaking to us through it. I pray that you'll continue to give us understanding of it to know better what Jesus faced on our behalf, how he faced darkness, how he went through hell willingly, that we might be brought into light, how Jesus was arrested, that we might be set free. Lord, strengthen our faith this day. Help us to remember that Lord, you're you're in control of this situation. You're in control of every situation in our lives that there's not a hair that falls from our head, not a sparrow to the ground, there's not a raindrop that falls from a cloud. The Son of Man is not crucified outside of your will.
And so Lord, help us to rest in you, in your providence and in your care. It's in Jesus's name we pray, amen. Amen.